Posts under "Geography"

Cadeaux et marchés de Noël (Gifts and Christmas Markets)

Posted by Mr. Transparent No Comments
Dec 18 2011

The best pre-holiday tradition, au moins en France (at least in France), is les marchés de Noël: Christmas markets!

A year ago, our amie Jennie told us about her Christmas holiday experience in France, and here’s what she said:

Les marchés de Noël are found throughout France (and the rest of the world), but le plus célèbre (the most famous) is in Strasbourg, in northeastern France. Le marché de Strasbourg, comme tous les marchés, offre des saveurs régionales (local flavors), ainsi que des cadeaux (as well as gifts). L’une de ces saveurs typiques est… le vin chaud!

Le vin chaud, or mulled wine, is not actually that delicious (à mon avis) but it is super-festive. This adorable carte des petits plaisirs d’hiver (menu of little winter pleasures) showcases it in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Check out the rest of the carte—what  are you most excited about this winter? (If you live in a hot place, you should be extra excited about these snowy ideals.)

On peut bien acheter les cadeaux de Noël aux marchés, mais il est parfois difficile de choisir un cadeau. This interactive website guides you to “le cadeau idéal,” the ideal gift, for n’importe qui (anyone), based on answering questions about that person. It is my vocabulary gift to you this week :) . You might find le cadeau idéal, but I pretty much guarantee you will learn new, useful, current words.  Écolo? Coquin? Câlin? If you know these already, you’re excused; if not, allez hop!

En parlant des cadeaux… qu’est-ce que vous voulez comme cadeau de Noël? What do you want for Christmas? I would like des vacances (a vacation), une manucure (a manicure), un nouveau sac à main (a new handbag), and a recommendation for a good French movie. Et vous?

Bonne soirée!


P.S. Regarder la diffusion en flux (streaming video) des marchés de Noël à Strasbourg!

Learn How to Ask for Street Directions in French—And Understand Them!

Posted by Mr. Transparent 1 Comment
Dec 17 2011

It’s easy, tous les chemins mènent à Rome (all roads lead to Rome)! But unless you’re planning on constantly using a GPS to find your way in Paris, or any French-speaking country, then you will have aucun autre choix (no other choice) but to learn how to ask people for directions in French—and, equally as important, be able to understand them!

You can randomly choose un passant (a passerby), preferably one who doesn’t look to be in a particular hurry, politely apologize for stopping him or her by saying something like: “Je vous demande pardon monsieur/madame.”

Once you’ve got their attention, you may continue by saying: “Puis-je vous demander mon chemin?“ (“May I ask you for directions?”) Or you could be even more specific by saying: “Savez-vous où se trouve…?” (“Do you where… is located?”)


If the person you asked notices that you’re desperately perdu (lost, or perdue in the féminin form), there is a chance that he or she may decide to go along with you and show you the way (Yes, even in Paris, it’s still possible to find such nice people!)

If you’re really having a hard time finding l’endroit (the place), you could ask the person to come with you and show you where it is: “Pouvez-vous me montrer où ça se trouve?” (“Could you show me where that is?”), or “Pouvez-vous m’y conduire s’il vous plaît?” (“Could you please take me there?”)

Usually, when the hypothetical bon samaritain (good samaritan) shows you the place, he or she would end up saying: “la voilà” or “le voilà” (“here it is”)!

The following list contains the street directions most frequently used in French-speaking countries:

  • Direction nord (North direction)  
  • Direction sud (South direction)
  • Direction est (East direction)
  • Direction ouest (West direction)
  • La prochaine rue (The next street)
  • Allez tout droit (Go straight ahead)
  • Tournez à droite (Turn right)
  • Tournez à gauche (Turn left)
  • Allez à droite (Go on the right)
  • Allez à gauche (Go on the left)  
  • Au coin de… (At the corner of…)
  • Au centre de… (At the center of…)
  • Devant, or en face de…(In front of…)  
  • Derrière (Behind) 
  • Là-bas (Over there)
  • Le centre-ville (The city center, downtown)
  • À côté de… (Next to…)

Bad Boys! What You Gonna Do When “Le Père Fouettard” Comes For You?

Posted by Mr. Transparent No Comments
Dec 6 2011

Today, December 6th, many families around the world celebrate la Saint-Nicolas!
The kids who were sages comme une image (behaving very well) during the year will be showered with countless cadeaux (gifts), compliments of Saint Nicolas.

The naughty little garnements (brats), however, the ones who did not listen to their parents, who failed to do their devoirs (homework) and so on, those can expect a special visit by the very much dreaded “Père Fouettard“, a.k.a. “The Whipping Father“, or “Knecht Ruprecht” in Germany! :)


Although it is essentially the avatars of the same personnage (character), le Père Fouettard is known under several aliases in different regions of France: In la Normandie, he is called “Père La Pouque“, and in l’Alsace ”Hans Trapp.” He is also known as “Hanscrouf” in some parts of la Belgique (Belgium.) Further to the East, however, his alter egos enjoy a far more “sinister” reputation, such as the beast “Krampus” and whatnot!

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La Caravane du Père Fouettard (or “The Caravan of The Whipping Father“) perpetuates an age-old tradition…
Hardly imaginable in other “PC” countires!!


Some of the “objets de correction” (punishment objects) presented in the video include:

* Un martinet: A special whip that somewhat resembles a scourge

* Un rouleau à pâtisserie: A rolling pin, a tool which can prove particularly efficient with the bigger kids of the “married variety” :)

* Un ceinturon: A large belt (think WWE Wrestling Champion belts)

* Une savate: An old slipper…
For a quick demo, check the previous French Blog post “Oui, Oui, *French* Boxing—a.k.a. “La Savate”!“

* La règle en fer: The steel ruler—Brings back some “fond memories” to the older generations, doesn’t it?
Its punitive “application” in schools has now become virtually unknown to the late members of the “Generation Y“!!

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Little French kids having a one-on-one interview with “Le Père Fouettard“:
“As-tu été sage pendant l’année?” (“Have you behaved well during the year?”)

A French-Speaking American Girl Wishes You “Joyeuse Thanksgiving”!

Posted by Mr. Transparent 4 Comments
Nov 24 2011


First une petite anecdote: In English, some people tend to confuse turkey (the animal) with Turkey (the country!) In French, however, some often mishear "dinde" for "d'Inde" (meaning "from India!") Sounds kinda funny, but not too surprising of a confusion after all, since this animal was first imported into Europe from the Americas, the land mistakenly thought by Columbus to be part of India, his original travel destination... Yet another confusion you may say!

 

• Jennie:  ”Autant que je suis redevable (As much as I am grateful) towards ma famille, mes amis, mes collègues…Concentrons-nous sur vous, chers lecteurs: Let us focus on what we have in common, which is that we love and hate French“!

We had the chance to meet once!

She is an American girl, who grew up in New York City, yet she spoke very fluent French! For sometime she was my coéquipière (partner) here in The French Blog, and it was during that time that she shared her thoughts with us about Thanksgiving, and what she is mostly grateful for.

Her name is Jennie. She is a French-speaking American celebrating Thanksgiving!


• Jennie:

“L’Action de Grâce” ou “Thanksgiving” est une fête nationale (national holiday) durant laquelle on mange trop et on compte nos bénédictions (count our blessings).

Autant que je suis redevable (grateful) envers ma famille, mes amis, mes collègues… concentrons-nous sur vous, chers lecteurs. Let’s focus on what we have in common, which is that we love and hate French.

On this day of Sanks-gee-veeng (as our French friends would say), let us count our blessings. I made a list, with the help of un correspondant genevois (Genevan) et un autre correspondant suisse (Swiss), of what we’re grateful for chez les Français, and what we wish had never crossed the pond. (Merci Omar et Sasha!)

Vous êtes d’accord? What are you grateful for?

Je me sens redevable pour:

  • Les Vélibs <3
  • Le vin rouge
  • Le Musée d’Orsay (NDLR: “musée” c’est masculin. Don’t get it twisted.)
  • La cuisine, “specifically anything braised” (Sasha le Suisse)
  • Croissants et café crèmes (« j’adore » -Sasha)
  • Falafels on Sunday at L’As du Fallafel (Sasha)
  • Les manifestations/ les grèves (demonstrations/strikes), « spécialités françaises » (Omar)
  • 2-hour lunch breaks, “like going on strike every day” (Sasha)
  • “All the students in the 5th arrondissement, because they don’t know they have drinking problems yet” (Sasha, verbatim)
  • Sunbathing by the Seine
  • La pluie en hiver (les six premiers jours… après ça ne compte plus)
  • Easyjet and Ryanair *disputed by Sasha, mais moi j’adore
  • Writing at Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore *disputed by me
  • Le chocolat chaud servi dans des bols géants (j’adoooooooore)
  • Tintin, et la Belgique en général (surtout le petit déj bruxellois)
  • Serge Gainsbourg
  • Brigitte Bardot, surtout les yeux
  • Vincent Cassel :  Merci. Merci.
  • L’Institut du Monde Arabe : Funded by OPEC members during the oil crisis,un bâtiment fabuleux

 

« Really, really pretty women, who are way too skinny for most people but not me » (Sasha) *disputed

Non, merci :

  • Men in neckerchiefs
  • Everything blue and white striped
  • Immigration policy
  • No food available after 3 AM (je suis de New York, après tout)


What else? Dites-moi… Why are we learning this language?
Parce qu’on aime. For me it’s the hot chocolate- et pour vous?

‘Appy Sanks-gee-veeng!!

Ze (French) “Darkwing Duck”

Posted by Mr. Transparent No Comments
Nov 21 2011

Il y a 20 ans (twenty years ago) popped up on the French screens a mysterious duck of the ”vengeur masqué“ (“masked avenger”) variety…

Not your usual “canard enchaîné“, he’s famous for “ducking and fighting” all les villains who plagued the city of Bourg-les-Canards (named “St. Canard” in the original, a mile away from “Donaldville“—the word “canard” meaning “duck” in French), they all trembled at the mere hint of his legendary quack:

“Je suis la terreur qui corrige les erreurs!”
(“I’m the terror that corrects the errors!“)

He only goes by his mysterious French alias: “Myster MASK“, a.k.a. “Darkwing Duck” in the original!

YouTube Preview Image

L’intro du “Myster Mask“

* Myster Mask (Darkwing Duck) Lyrics – A Special French Blog Translation:

Plus rapide que l’éclair  

Faster than lightening 

Dans un monde infernal

In a hellish world

Il s’en va faire la guerre

He wages war

Aux forces du mal

Against the forces of evil

Dans la jungle des villes

In the jungle of the cities

Il n’a pas le trac

He ain’t scared

Il attaque ! 

He attacks!

Myster Mask

Darkwing Duck

Tu appelles au secours et il accourt

For help, call him up and he rushes up

Myster Mask

Darkwing Duck 

“Cette chanson craint un mask!”

“This song sucks a lot!” 

Myster Mask

Darkwing Duck

Myster, Myster

Mask 

Sorcier qui ouvre ses ailes

A wizard who opens up his wings

Dès que tu l’appelles

The second you call him

Il vient pour te protéger

He comes to protect you 

Le vengeur masqué

The masked avenger

Justicier démoniaque

One hell of an upholder of the law

Devant lui, les bandits craquent 

Face-to-face with him, the gangsters crack up

Ils craquent! 

They crack up!

Myster Mask attaque

Darkwing Duck attacks

Il n’a jamais tort, foi d’alligator 

He ain’t never wrong, you betcha

Myster Mask

Darkwing Duck

“Cette chanson craint un mask!”

“This song sucks a lot!”

Myster Mask 

Darkwing Duck

“Foi d’ canard, ça craint un mask”

“Take my quack for it, it sucks a lot!”

Myster Mask!

Darkwing Duck!


Et maintenant, compare with the original theme of ”Darkwing Duck” in English:

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