Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 18
January 14, 2022
Les Étrennes: This French new year's custom will have you digging in your pockets
Photo of les boîtes à lettres taken in Marseilles at Les Arcenaulx. Thank you, Jean-Marc, for recording two sound files for today's post (the second is found below the vocabulary list). Note: if you are experiencing déjà vu reading the following column--tout va bien--the story is being revived from the archives.
TODAY'S WORD: LES ETRENNES
: New Year's gift, tip, bonus
étrenner = to wear or use for the first time; to be first in the line of fire
January 6, 2022
Cloué au lit (Nailed to the bed): La grippe, les frissons
Random photo of a Faïence/earthenware shop in Moustiers Sainte-Marie. The picture is off-topic, but it's a lot prettier than a photo of "la grippe". Also, there is a picture of Mom and me in our pajamas at the end of this post, so if you don't usually click over to the full version of this letter, you might try to today :-)
Today's Word: La Grippe
: flu, influenza
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear Jean-Marc pronounce the example sentence + French words in the following story....
December 21, 2021
A Special Request + Playground in French (and wild and free learning!)
The little stone cabanon at our vineyard. Do you remember the heart door?
Today's Word: la cour de récréation
: playground, schoolyard
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear Jean-Marc pronounce the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
Click here to begin listening
A (Birth)DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
Recently the word "recreation" jumped right off the page of the book I was reading. For the...
December 17, 2021
The French Cure + vitamins and supplements + the expression "tant s'en faut" (find it in today's story)
The sun gives us vitamin D... and magnesium and calcium are a few gifts from the sea. How do you get your RDA (or "AJR"*): from un comprimé or some other way? Read on for a healthy dose of French vocabulary....
Today's word: une cure
: course of treatment, therapy
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear Jean-Marc pronounce the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
Click here to open the sound file
A DAY IN A...
December 10, 2021
Faire le Sapin, "la flemme" and The Spirit of the Season
A giant sapin de noël in the Mediterranean port of Bandol, south of France.
TODAY'S WORD: la flemme
: laziness, reluctance
Consider all these translations for "j'ai la flemme":
I don't feel like, I'm too lazy, I'm not motivated, I can't be bothered, I don't even care, I haven't the courage
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear Jean-Marc pronounce the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
December 3, 2021
Une saccade + Tic Talk: Let's talk about tics (did you know "Tourettes" is named after a Frenchman?)
Our bustling port here in La Ciotat. Today we're talking about a word we share with the French. A tic is "a frequent usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech" (Merriam-Webster). Read my story and then share your own experiences in the comments. Merci!
TODAY’S WORD: une saccade
: jerk, twitch (movement)
saccader (verb): to tremble, shake, jerk
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your Fr...
November 25, 2021
An exhausting surprise at Jackie’s Alpine “hébergement”
Serre Chevalier Vallée, with its snow-capped cimes. Photo by Jean-Marc
TODAY’S WORD: se soutenir
: to help one another, to support one another
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
Listen to Jean-Marc’s recording, click here
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
On Monday, Jules and Smokey opted to stay cozy at home while the remaining members of our household m...
November 19, 2021
Guess Where Jackie is moving?... and the expression “être sur son trente-et-un”
The French Alps at Serre Chevalier. Have you heard of this popular ski resort in Southeastern France?
TODAY’S WORD: être sur son trente-et-un
: to be all dressed up, all dolled up
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
“Être sur son trente-et un”
Behind a curtain at Le Printemps department store...
November 12, 2021
Burlesque in Burgundy... (A Cheeky Cabaret to Celebrate a friend's 50th birthday)
If you are here for the photo of the semi-clad dancers, you’ll need to click over to the blog for the full version of this steamy letter!
Today's French Word: le déguisement
: costume, disguise; dressing up clothes, wearing fancy dress
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear the French words in today's séduisante story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
"Tarzan is Happy"
En...
November 4, 2021
"Eclosion": Old love letters, a lifetime commitment, and "rien n'est acquis"...
Today's Word: une éclosion
: blossoming, burgeoning
Audio/Listening: Click the link below to hear the French words in the following story. Then scroll down to the vocabulary list to check your French comprehension.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
There were a handful of letters I meant to include in our vineyard memoir, colorful cartes postales from Provence saved from when Jean-Marc and I fell in love. I never did find the right chapter in which to insert ce...
