Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 35
November 7, 2018
Caviar d'Aubergine: An easy, delicious family recipe for you
Merci beaucoup for the sweet messages, encouragements, and support you left following the anniversary post. I am fired up for another 16 years of writing and will read your bonne continuations whenever I need a motivational pick-up!
Fun fact: this post will take you 2 minutes and 38 seconds to read to the end. If you were to read it out loud, that would take 4 minutes and one second (stats from wordcounter.net, which I use to check my article drafts).
Today's word: la chair
: flesh, me...
November 2, 2018
A Bundle of Joy: Celebrating The 17th year of this journal!
The anniversary of this French word journal passed quietly by last month, unbeknownst even to me. But now that I've put two-and-two together, I'm not letting this milestone go unfêted (another lapse into franglais?). In keeping this brief, I will share the one thing that comes to mind when I think about writing this newsletter to you, and that is "Bundle of joy."
Now here's the part that is étonnante: the act of writing does not = "bundle of joy" to me--non, pas du tout! (For a very long ti...
October 31, 2018
Grrr! Grumpy and grouchy and broody in French! (Plus a fiery recipe...)
"Broody" is less useful to you than the French word for grumpy (unless you're a hen), so we'll feature the second term--in verb form--today. Two mini columns follow: the first is a response to Audrey, who lives near the Spanish border, and the second is an update on our moody poule.
Today's Word: ronchonner
: to grumble, growl, grouse
Voici des verbs similaires à ronchonner : rouspéter, râler, grogner
Here are some similar verbs to grumpy: to complain, to moan, to grumble.
A DAY IN...
October 29, 2018
My story: Political elections + friendship: The stakes are high (L'enjeu est de taille)
Random photo of Smokey and some lettuce as I don't have a politically-themed image for you!
On November 6, 250 million Americans are called to the polls. A portion of the senators, the totality of the representatives, a group of governors and local elected representatives will be renewed: the stakes are high. (translated from the French, below)
Today's phrase: être appelé aux urnes
= to be called to vote, called to the polls
Click here to listen to the following sentence:
Le 6 novemb...
October 24, 2018
Recipe for Disaster & "To return the kindness" in French
The perched village of Le Castellet, level with the moon
My website is experiencing technical difficulties... Let's get straight to the story before the lights go out!
Bananes flambées
bananes flambées
bananes flambées
bananes flambées
...that's how many times we ate the rum-drenched dessert last week (and tomorrow's guests are getting more of the same--or du pareil au même).
Now, I can hear of few of you chattering: "Rum-drenched bananas? Kristi's fallen off the wagon"...but I can assur...
October 22, 2018
Sans plomb, essence, caoutchouc, and a gas station story on French nonchalance
The sign on the back of the old truck says "(ride) in complete security...with Michelin tires". And in today's column, an oldie but goody from the archives--beefed up with extra vocabulary. Please share this post with someone who would like to learn French.
Today's word: "caoutchouc"
: rubber
Audio File: Listen to french word for rubber, via the following sentence
L’essence sans plomb 98 est plus détergente que l’essence sans plomb 95 et se révèle plus corrosive, en particulier pour...
October 19, 2018
Tout rikiki, fastoche, and the unexpected French word for "good luck" + my would-be 15 seconds of fame
There was just one eensy-weensy--tout rikiki--detail that would prevent a documentary film crew from interviewing an American about her French vineyard life: we no longer live on a vineyard. This logistical pépin was quickly patched up (filming will take place elsewhere...) only for another oops-a-daisy to arise: "Parlons-en," the journalist began, "de vin."
Normally, at this point, I would've thrust my trusty side-kick, Chief Grape, in front of me, but the story, part of a bigger compilati...
October 15, 2018
Dazed in Reims: A boxing incident lands Max in ER
The following sentence is from the French translation, just below. "Knockout (KO) is the term, in combat sports, for the action of putting out a fighter as a result of a blow carried by his adversary and making him temporarily lose his abilities (the person is called "stunned")."(photo, by Max, of his boxing ring in Reims)
Today's word : sonné(e)
: stunned, dazed
Example Sentence by Wikipedia:
Le knockout (KO, de l'anglais to knock out, « faire sortir en frappant ») est le terme signifian...
October 10, 2018
Fillette: A look back in time
We return home to France in two days. Here is a vocabulary-packed story from 2014. Bye for now...and wish us bon voyage!
une fillette (fee-ette)
: a little girl
Audio File: listen to the French word fillette (file by Wikipedia):
Improve your French pronunciation with Exercises in French Phonetics
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristin Espinasse
Waiting at the bus stop in Bandol, warm inside our car, Jackie reviewed her textile lesson while I spied some of the technical vocabulary...
October 3, 2018
Esprit + Explaining your religion in France.....a tricky undertaking
Hoping to see some of you at tomorrow's Alliance Française (Denver) meetup! It's from 5-7 pm.
esprit (es-pree) noun, masculine
: mind; wit; spirit
Audio File
Listen to my son, Max (12 years old at the time), pronounce today's word & quote:Download esprit.mp3
Il y a une dimension spirituelle dans chaque relation. Lorsque deux personnes se réunissent, c'est que l'esprit le veut ainsi. There is a spiritual dimension in every relationship. When two people come together, it is because...
