Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 38
June 25, 2018
Que nenni! A fun, useful new expression + a must-see beach along the French mediterranean!
Stone stairs leading down to the beach in Rayol-Candadel-sur-Mer
Que nenni? If you think today's expression has anything to do with the following travelogue...que nenni! (Not at all!) It's just an expression that jumped off the page as I sat reading an article on sardines, recently, chez le coiffeur. Speaking of fish, we ate a lot of this when Dad and Marsha visited. We also discovered magnificent places--de beaux endroits--I had never been to before--all a short distance from La Ciotat......
June 20, 2018
It's good to be back! How to say "go with the flow" in French + La Ciotat recommendations
Me and my Dad at the old port in La Ciotat
Today's phrase: prendre les choses comme elles viennent
: to go with the flow
Audio file:
Click here to listen to "go with the flow" in French
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
"Call Me Flo"
by Kristi Espinasse
At 3:30 this morning, au milieu de la nuit, we sat around the coffee table eating chouquettes and drinking coffee. Dad and Marsha were dressed for their flight home to Sun Valley, Idaho. We had spent the last two and a half weeks toget...
June 3, 2018
Relâcher: A day to fly a kite (or fly like a kite!)
A vocabulary-packed Sunday letter for you today. The regular edition will return in a fortnight or less.
Bonjour,
For the second time in four weeks, I'm breaking my "no working on Sunday" rule. My Dad and Marsha arrive Tuesday and I'm in a flurry of last-minute To-Do's--including keeping up this blog--which is silly because, really, a year from now who will even remember whether or not a post went out "twice-weekly" in June of 2018? I should relax and just enjoy this day. Tomorrow will com...
May 30, 2018
Escalader: the story of Mamoudou Gassama, "The Spiderman of the 18th"
"The Spiderman of the 18th" speaks with the President. Mamoudou Gassama's selfless act awarded him more than citizenship, a job, and a bravo from the President, it has given him--and all of us--l'éspoir in humankind. Let's hope that after the media invasion, this former refugee will be left in peace--to grow and to find happiness, and, finally, a bit of rest, in France. Read about this man's bravery.
Today's word: escalader
: to scale, to climb
Listen to Jean-Marc read the sentence be...
May 28, 2018
French Mothers Day + J'ai la dalle - my son keeps saying this. What does it mean?
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Today's phrase: avoir la dalle
: to be hungry
Click here to listen to the following sentence:
J'ai la dalle. J'ai la dalle. Maman, j'ai très très faim...il n'y a rien à manger dans le frigo! -Max
I'm hungry. I'm hungry. Mom, I'm really really hungry....there's nothing to eat in th...
May 25, 2018
Darling reader, I need your "dacodac"! If you want to continue receiving this homespun letter from France, action is required
A wasabi plant beside our fountain...
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Today's word: dacodac
: Okie dokie (OK)
Click here to listen to the following: Dacodac
Dacodac. Dans la version originale d’Orange mécanique (A Clockwork Orange), le term...
May 23, 2018
Deballer: Max unpacks after his exchange program in Mexico
Together again. A nouveau réunis. If you are new to this blog, you might enjoy the story of our Franco-American family, beginning when the kids were very young. Click here to order the book.
Chaque jour apporte ses cadeaux. Il ne vous reste qu'à les déballer.
Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons. Ann Ruth Schabacker
Click here to listen to the example sentence
Today's Word: déballer
: to unpack
: to untie
: to reveal
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Es...
May 16, 2018
Escapade en Lozère + A hike and a surprise encounter in Cevennes National Park
An all-French edition, comme ceci, caused a few of you to head for the hills last time. Relax! Even if you don't read French, tell yourself, "of the 1000 most frequently used English words, some 50 percent come from French." Well, maybe this is an exaggeration (as was that sudden exodus to the hills, or collines... speaking of which, look at the beautiful scene, above). Thanks to my belle-soeur, Cécile, for today's picture and for your pittoresque words, as in your example sentence, below, f...
May 13, 2018
C'est La Fête des Meres quelque part. Somewhere, it's Mothers Day (Just not in France)
My precious Mom usually puts on her makeup lying down. In a pinch, she'll do things the conventional way. What I love about this picture are all the familiar items: her fish purse, her Panama hat, her compact mirror....
Something you don't know about me: I am (superstitious is not the word) very disciplined about not working or writing on Sunday. For me, it is a day to honor God (or Mom. And by that I mean "God or Mom" and not "God, or Mom"-- an absence of a comma in the first instance is u...
May 12, 2018
Profiter de la vie
My old man, who records the sound files for this word journal. Merci, Jean-Marc!
If only we'd stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time. -Edith Wharton
Si seulement on essayait d’arrêter d’être heureux, on pourrait peut-être profiter de la vie.
Today's Words: Profiter de la vie
: to enjoy life
Audio File: click the words below to hear the soundfile:
Profiter de la vie
DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
When I am old and wrinkled—well into the troisième...
