More French Phrases Used in English

Here's another selection of French phrases that I'll be using for our Friday "Mot du jour/Phrase du jour" warm-up activity.  I love lists like these not because there are everyday, practical uses for these expressions, but because they (both the lists and the expressions!) exist as a part of the English language as a direct result of France's influence on us.

20 French Phrases You Should Be Using

A Vending Machine for Literature

This mini article from Mental_Floss is about a fun startup company that is placing vending machines around Grenoble to offer free literature to interested people waiting for trains and looking for something to do.

"French Vending Machines Dispense Short Stories Instead Of Snacks"

Why do we say "pardon my French"?

One of my students asked, "Why do we say 'pardon my French' when we curse?"  Luckily, Mental_Floss asked this same question and provides a succinct answer in this article:

"Why Do We Say 'Pardon My French' When We Curse?"

Miniature Movie Sets Museum

If you're a movie buff or plan to major in film, France holds many treasures.  One such treasure is the Musée Cinéma et Miniature in Lyon.  Inside you will find miniature sets used in films as well as other film props and artifacts.

Check out this photo gallery from Mental Floss:

"Inside a French Museum Filled With Miniature Movie Sets"

or visit the museum's own site in French or English.

Tu vs. Vous: A Flowchart

I love this flowchart that helps to explain when to use tu and when to use vous in French. Originally published in The Los Angeles Times,  this French article confirms its accuracy.  The article itself is in French and explains the complications of determining when to use tu and when to use vous.  It's worth a read if you want to give it a try.  If not, the infographic is also sufficient (and fun).

"Voilà comment expliquer le vouvoiement à un anglophone"

Thanks to Faith for sharing this list from BuzzFeed!  A couple of the places on this list I've visited, including the Palais des Papes, in Avignon, where I did my study abroad in college.

28 French Places That Are Straight Out Of A Fairy Tale

What speaking two languages does to the brain

14 facts about the French company, Sephora

14 Facts About Sephora

Words and Phrases to Learn

Thank you BuzzFeed!

14 Perfect French Words And Phrases We Need In English

Marie Antoinette's Kids

In case you have ever wondered what happened to the children of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI after the family was arrested during the French Revolution, here is a brief article from Mental Floss:

What Happened to Marie Antoinette's Children?

Most Commonly-Spoken Languages

I often get questions about which language is spoken most in the world.  People usually think of English, and with the rise of English as Lingua Franca, this may one day be the case.  If measured by population, however, people often forget about some of the world's most densely populated countries and the dominant language in each of them.  To put an end to some of these questions, here is a link to another infograph from Mental Floss which breaks down languages by population.

Proportional Map of the World's Largest Languages

What Languages Are the Hardest to Learn?

This infograph from Mental Floss shows the breakdown of a handful of languages based on their difficulty for English-speakers to learn.  Since I often get questions about whether Spanish is easier than French or which is the hardest language to learn, I figured this article would provide a good answer.


What Languages are the Hardest to Learn?

12 Charming Facts About 'The Little Prince'

Le Petit Prince is one of those books that it seems like everyone knows.  This list post is pretty timely considering that The Little Prince has also been made into a new movie that will be released this July. So, for your reading and viewing pleasure:

12 Charming Facts About 'The Little Prince'*

*In school, you probably learned that book and movie titles should be italicized, articles and poems should have quotation marks around them (" "), and single quotes (' ') should only be used for quotes within quotes.  This is generally true, but journalists sometimes have different sets of rules that they follow.  The rules of grammar and punctuation are sometimes murky.

Sacred Heart

I'm in the process of trying to clean out my inbox, and I found this gem from Garlie.  Enjoy!

Food waste: fact or fiction?

Whether or not this is true I haven't looked into.  You can't always trust everything you read on the internet. If you're viewing this, feel free to fact check and post in the comments section!

School Vacations

When we talk about the French school system, we're often jealous of how many vacations they get.  This article offers a different perspective: that students get too much vacation!  Is that even possible?  What are the benefits and drawbacks of having a two-week vacation every six weeks?

"One Woman's Struggle To Survive 'Too Much Vacation' In France"

Le Pont d'Avignon

I have a very special place in my heart for le Pont d'Avignon since Avignon is where I studied in college.  It's also the subject of a classic French kids song that I learned as a child.  Here is a video that imagines what the Pont d'Avignon looked like before it was washed away and an article about it.

Language Family Map

I absolutely love this language tree that shows which languages are related and how they are connected to one another.  Click the Hyperlink for a full-sized, enlargeable image.

What Do Countries Call Themselves?

This topic often comes up when we learn the French names for different countries.  "Why don't they just call it Germany?" I'm asked.  Well... Why don't we all just call it Deutschland?

This map shows the names of countries as they're called in the dominant language of that country. The word for this concept is "endonym".  What many English-speakers-- or perhaps users of the Roman/Latin alphabet in general-- may not realize is that spelling and pronunciation are not the only differences between our names for countries and their own endonyms.

If you like maps, geography, or are interested in other languages, this article is for you.  Be sure to navigate to the original source as well.

Countries as Named in Their Own Languages

Ibeyi: French-Cuban Music

These Cuban twins were raised in France, sing in English (at least in this clip), and somehow manage to blend it all.  Click the hyperlink to visit KEXP's brief article and watch a studio session with the duo.  Definitely worth a listen.

Ibeyi 

Why is English Spelling so Weird?

This is a great explanation about why English spelling is so weird, some of which has to do with French.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhqr-GNNgGo 

Magic System "Premiere Gaou" Music Video

This music video comes from Cote d'Ivoire.  Thank you for sharing Emmanuel!

The Year 2000 According to the French Circa 1900

For some reason France in 1900 was the popular topic over the weekend.  This article offers 20 illustrations, each showing what the artist imagined the world would look like a century later in the year 2000.  The whimsical drawings are fantastic(al), and the modern-day commentary accompanying them is witty.

What French People in 1900 Thought Life Would Be Like in 2000

Paris, 1900

While I'm finding it hard to believe that this is actual footage from 1900 (obviously colored after the fact), it's still a neat video that shows what life in Paris was like in the early 1900's.


Une vidéo très rare de Paris à l'an 1900

Negative words that (mostly) derive from French

This is really an article about the English language, but if you read carefully, I think you'll see just how much French has influenced English. 

12 Lonely Negative Words