Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 29
September 11, 2019
Freedom & Fer: L’homme est né libre et partout il est dans les fers.
Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains. Don't miss the translation, below.
Today's Word: le fer
: iron
: shoe, horseshoe
: rail
les fers = chains
Click here to listen to the following sentence
L’homme est né libre et partout il est dans les fers. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
September 4, 2019
Un coup de bol + ras le bol and recipe for "le pain en cocotte" (dutch oven bread)
photo by Cynthia Gillespie-Smith A SPECIAL WELCOME to students who have just signed on to this journal. It is an honor to have you with us! This blog began in the South of France in 2002 when our children were 5 and 7, and I worked at a Swedish-owned winery while my husband sold Italian wine bottling machines. (I am American and he is French.) We left our jobs, focused on writing and wine and eventually bought a vineyard of our own. Currently, we are sharing a more personal story and you m...
August 28, 2019
Saudade - Just what does it mean?
Saudade. A word overheard on vacation (thank you, Jêrome, and Paola, from Brazil). The term "saudade" isn't French (not yet*, though the French love it)--but a good mot to start with as we get back to school and work (la rentrée) and back on course with our goals, dreams, and visions which so often bring us full circle to our nostalgic beginnings. Thank you for reading this journal and for sharing it with somebody who loves France. I hope these posts enrich more than your vocabulaire.
Tod...
August 13, 2019
ça tombe bien (a useful phrase) + congé or vacation
The photo above has nothing to do with the word of the day, but it fits nicely with vacation....
Today's Words: ça tombe bien
: it's a good thing, it's good timing, the timing is right
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
It was late at night when an alert flashed across the screen of my mobile phone, interrupting my mindless social media scrolling. The text (a prompting from our shared Google Agenda--my husband's and mine) read:
August 7, 2019
Combler: Satisfied or fulfilled in French (and in life)
10-year-old Smokey is happiest when he is in the presence of his pack, or "sa meute." More on happiness in today's post. (Photo taken from inside my Mom's studio)
Today's word: combler
=> to fill
=> to fulfill, satisfy
=> to fill a gap (in one's life)
une vie comblée = a fulfilled life
combler son retard = to make up for lost time
je suis comblée = I have everything I could want or wish for
Book News: Soon we will finish chapter 7 of our memoir about life on 2 vineyards and t...
July 30, 2019
Culte: How I found out I was in a sect in France (humor)
Discover the magical light of Van Gogh this September in Provence. Join our small group with instructor Kurt Schwarz and paint in Provence during the best time of the year. Click here for tour details (picture of Jeanne LaCasse, reader of this blog and tour participant)
Today's word: un défi
: a challenge
lancer un défi = lay down a challenge
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
Note: the following (humorous) story is not intended to start a religious debate. It is to highlight...
July 23, 2019
French for 'to upset, annoy, frustrate or impede'...
Jackie and
beloved Breizh
at Domaine Rouge-Bleu. Jean-Marc writes about our kids, who harvested with us, in his latest chapter. Hi Kristin, I lost track of French Word-a-Day years ago. Out of the blue I checked back in and, what, Jackie was all grown up and living in Colorado, what?? So I started going back through the archives to somewhat catch up. Found out about your new book-in-progress, and on a whim, signed up. I am so glad I did!! I don't think blog writers realize how wearying, over...
July 19, 2019
How to say 'minor crime' or misdemeanor' in French? And a fishy story for you today....
Is it OK to toss your trash into a neighbor's garbage can? Or into a city trash receptacle? Are there limits to this? Is it a minor offence or are your greatly offended to find another's trash...for you to manage? Read on, in the following story.
Today's word: le délit mineur
: misdemeanor, minor offence, minor crime
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE, by Kristi Espinasse
It all began with a very fishy story--this malentendu between my neighbor and me. And how ironic that the whole matter was cl...
July 10, 2019
s'emparer & seizing the mystery of communication from 'beyond'
I wonder if today's story is confusing or if it may sound strange? Then again, telepathy--whether with the living or the dead--is a mystery! (painting from 1880 of our seaside town, La Ciotat, by Johan Barthold Jongkind)
Today's word: s'emparer
: to grab, seize, take hold of
Example Sentence:
Au tournant du xxe siècle, les partisans du spiritisme s’émerveillent des progrès de la technologie et s’en emparent pour démontrer la validité de leurs thèses sur les phénomènes parapsychiques,...
July 3, 2019
Oreilles, ecouter & 25 years ago tomorrow....
July 4th 1994 - For our civil ceremony, 25 years ago, we were surrounded by close friends. More about marriage, in today's chronique....
Two words for you today: oreilles & écouter...
(look for the translation in the quote below)
Ouvrez grand les oreilles. La meilleure chose que vous puissiez faire pour renforcer votre relation c’est de parler moins et d’écouter plus.
Open your ears. The best thing you can do to strengthen your relationship is to talk less and listen more.
A DAY IN A FR...
