Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 21
February 24, 2021
Adieu to a beloved Poet + favorite French words, in honor of Herman Meyer
This photo was taken on February 16th, at 3:21 p.m. in Sospel, France. Marveling at the heavenly ceiling and the mysteries beyond, I was unaware of a friend's passing on the very day.
ADIEU, HERM
I have been carefully collecting a list of interesting French words since the beginning of this month, in hopes of sharing them with you someday. I never imagined I would use them in a eulogy. Let's learn some vocabulary now while remembering an honored war veteran--and fellow desert rat (from Phoeni...
February 19, 2021
Kicked out of Monaco + On the road to the Riviera in our electric car + 22, v'là les flics + pictures from Sospel, Menton, Nice
Sospel, France. February 2021. What with La Crise Sanitaire, it has been over a year since Jean-Marc and I traveled and courted adventure. Recently, we hit the road in our electric blue ZOE and were pleasantly surprised at how far it took us--all the way to the Italian border from La Ciotat--on one full "tank". (Jean-Marc had une borne de recharge installed at his wine shop, where he and his clients may charge their electric cars. C'est commode!).
For our 4-day escapade, we considered France's ...
February 10, 2021
Quinzomadaire (our secret to finishing a book) + Some news to share--all in French!
I have something to share with you--entirely in French--at the end of the online post: click here for the full edition.
Today's Word: quinzomadaire
: fortnightly, every two weeks, bi-monthly
Audio File: Click here to listen to the following sentence
Quinzomadaire: mot-valise et monstre lexical formé sur quinze et hebdomadaire, était censé se substituer à bimensuel. -Alain Rey
Quinzomadaire: portmanteau word and lexical monster formed by quinze [fifteen] and hebdomadaire [weekly] [the term...
February 1, 2021
New French words, including "chamaillerie" and A Dieu to one of our chickens...
I am going to bookend this edition with beautiful photos, to help balance a sad topic today. Here is a picture of our beautiful shoreline in La Ciotat, the city we live in--with Grandma, our our golden retriever, Smokey, and our chickens. You will learn many new French words at the end of today's story, so please read to the finish.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
Yesterday afternoon when our plumbing backed up and all our toilets were en panne, I had this ominous feeling that the c...
January 22, 2021
A French wine and jam contest (with a nautical theme and a seaworthy crew...)
Ahoy! Ohé! Participants (or pirates...) at Sunday's mischievous marmalade contest. Notice the historic grue, or crane, in upper left. Today's "words of the day" are submerged in the following story. Hunt for them like a deepsea treasure--or walk the plank! se faire jeter par-dessus bord! Mille mercis to Christiane, from La Ciotadenne, for the pictures that illustrate this post.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristin Espinasse
At the end of an unfamiliar driveway, near the historic old port of La C...
January 14, 2021
Seaside in La Ciotat + learn a dozen useful words (and hear some drunk French) in today's edition
Let's jump right into today's narrative and improve our French! The audio and vocabulary list follow...
When I am old and wrinkled—well into the troisième âge—I want to race along the shores of Brittany on my Mobylette, that most groovy of French bikes with an engine!
I want to be an eccentric vieille dame. I don't want to care about what anyone thinks, as long as I am not imposing myself on their philosophie de vie. I'll ride my old bike along the seashore. I'll wear black goggles and wrap a ...
January 7, 2021
To Cope in French + Waking up in France to an attempted coup d'état back home
As upsetting as it is to wake up to news of an insurrection, most concerning is the effect it could have on our personal relationships. That is, at least, the biggest thing on my mind this morning. The following thoughts began as a pep talk to myself.
Firstly, hang in there! Tenir bon = tenir le coup
What if the antidote to un coup is to tenir le coup? Such is the definition for tenir bon: to endure, withstand, weather the storm, stay the course. To tenir bon means simply to cope. Nous devons...
December 29, 2020
Rendre l'Ame: My Laptop Died + Christmas lights in the Old Port of La Ciotat
Read to the end of the story for a helpful relationship tip ♥.
Today's Word: rendre l'âme
1. to breathe one's last breath (person)
2. to stop working forever, to give up the ghost (object)
Click here to listen to the following sentence in French
Mon ordinateur portable HP a soudainement rendu l'ame.
My laptop suddenly gave up the ghost.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
My computer died the day after Christmas. Thankfully I had finished composing my blog post, and as the ne...
December 21, 2020
Tout va bien se passer (French for Everything's Gonna be OK!)
Welcome to the antépénultième post of the year. Read on for less obscure and more meaningful words! (This photo was taken this morning. Do not miss the end photo of a horse in the sea also taken here in La Ciotat.)
Today's Phrase: Tout va bien se passer
: everything will be alright (it'll all work out!)
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
Round three of trying to compose a story for this last (second-to-last? or antépénultième) post of the year--in wh...
December 16, 2020
French for 'Emptiness': Il y a dans le coeur de l' homme un vide....
Heartfelt remerciements for your responses to this award from La Renaissance Française. Your kind words are pure gold! Back now to the weekly chronicle. I'm eagerly rolling up my sleeves and I thank you for reading. (Mince! just realized today's word (selected days ago) clashes with this opening message. Read on to find out why... and learn extra vocabulary and French phrases in the story.
Today's Word: le vide
: emptiness, nothingness, void
