French does not have the handy “apostrophe s” that English uses so freely to indicate possession. Whereas we might say in English, “This is Paul’s bicycle,” the French equivalent, “C’est la bicyclette de Paul,” translates as, “This is the bicycle of Paul.” This sounds awkward in English, but is perfectly acceptable in French. As you continue in your language studies, you will find many examples of phrases that sound just fine in one language but totally ridiculous in another. This is what makes language study so much fun, and human beings so interesting!
Here are some more examples:
le stylo de Marie = the pen of Mary = Mary’s pen
le livre de Papa = the book of Dad = Dad’s book
la voiture d’Annette = the car of Annette = Annette’s car
Notice that de is contracted when the person’s name starts with a vowel: la voiture d’Annette.
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Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
S'il vous plaît - Please!
s'il vous plaît
(SEEL voo PLAY = please)
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(SEEL voo PLAY = please)
To say "please" in French, we use the phrase s'il vous plaît. This polite expression literally means, "if it pleases you." Perhaps you have received an invitation that contains the initials R.S.V.P. This is short for the French phrase répondez s'il vous plaît, which means "please respond." The person giving the invitation wants to know if you will come or not. This little bit of French etiquette is used quite commonly in English.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Gender
One of the key differences between English and French is that French nouns have gender. Gender exists in many languages such as Spanish, Italian, German and some of the oldest documented languages that we are still familiar with today, Latin and Classical Greek.
Whenever you learn a new noun in French you must be sure to memorize whether it is masculine or feminine. Don’t be discouraged! French has only two genders, but some other languages have three! Your French/English dictionary will always indicate the gender of a French noun.
When you are reading or listening to French, you can tell the gender of a noun by the singular article that is used with it. Plural articles are the same for masculine and feminine nouns.
the definite article (the)
masculine singular = le
eg: le garçon = the boy
feminine singular = la
eg: la fille = the girl
masculine and feminine plural = les
eg: les garçons = the boys, les filles = the girls
the indefinite article (a, an, some, any)
masculine singular = un
eg: un garçon = a boy
feminine singular = une
eg: une fille = a girl
masculine and feminine plural = des
eg: des garçons = some boys, des filles = some girls
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Whenever you learn a new noun in French you must be sure to memorize whether it is masculine or feminine. Don’t be discouraged! French has only two genders, but some other languages have three! Your French/English dictionary will always indicate the gender of a French noun.
When you are reading or listening to French, you can tell the gender of a noun by the singular article that is used with it. Plural articles are the same for masculine and feminine nouns.
the definite article (the)
masculine singular = le
eg: le garçon = the boy
feminine singular = la
eg: la fille = the girl
masculine and feminine plural = les
eg: les garçons = the boys, les filles = the girls
the indefinite article (a, an, some, any)
masculine singular = un
eg: un garçon = a boy
feminine singular = une
eg: une fille = a girl
masculine and feminine plural = des
eg: des garçons = some boys, des filles = some girls
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
La Tour Eiffel
Did you know that the French civil engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, who designed and built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, also designed the complicated framework that supports the Statue of Liberty in New York City in the United States of America? The statue was a gift to the American people from the people of France, commemorating the 100th anniversary of U.S. independence.
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For a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower, visit:
View from La Tour Eiffel
Interactive Games at the Eiffel Tower site:
Play Games
Download pdf activity pages from the site. Each link contains lesson plans!
Link to Free Lessons
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Monday, February 23, 2009
La Tour Eiffel
LA TOUR EIFFEL
(pronounced la TOUR ay-FELL)
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(pronounced la TOUR ay-FELL)
The French word TOUR means tower. A great landmark, and one of the world's most famous towers, is the Eiffel Tower in the city of Paris, France. The 300 metre (984 ft) high tower was designed and built by the French civil engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel for the Paris World's Fair of 1889. Not only valuable as a tourist attraction, the tower is also used as a weather station and as a radio and television antenna.
For a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower, visit:
View from La Tour Eiffel
Interactive Games at the Eiffel Tower site:
Play Games
Download pdf activity pages from the site. Each link contains lesson plans!
Link to Free Lessons
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Friday, February 20, 2009
Bon Voyage 5: Jules Verne
Jules Verne was a writer ahead of his time. In 1865, over one hundred years before the first man landed on the moon, Jules Verne imagined such a trip in his novel De la Terre à la Lune, From the Earth to the Moon. Here are five examples of similarities between Verne's novel and the historical voyage:
Le voyage dans la Lune est entrepris par les Américains.
The trip was undertaken by Americans.
Le départ a lieu en Floride.
The departure took place in Florida.
Trois astronautes dans une capsule
Three astronauts in one capsule
Voyage d'une semaine
A week’s trip
Retour dans la mer après une orbite lunaire
Return into the sea (ocean) after a lunar orbit
You might have heard of these other famous Jules Verne novels:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Le voyage dans la Lune est entrepris par les Américains.
The trip was undertaken by Americans.
Le départ a lieu en Floride.
The departure took place in Florida.
Trois astronautes dans une capsule
Three astronauts in one capsule
Voyage d'une semaine
A week’s trip
Retour dans la mer après une orbite lunaire
Return into the sea (ocean) after a lunar orbit
You might have heard of these other famous Jules Verne novels:
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Les Transports Workpages offers reproducible pages on the theme of transportation. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Suitable for grades 3-8.
24 Pages. $9.95 CAD
Available as an instant download.
Clicking the Buy Now button will take you to a Paypal shopping cart. After entering your payment information, you will be provided with a link to a downloadable pdf file of Les Transports. You will also receive an email link to your downloadable file.
Abode Reader is required to access your ebook.
For more information and preview pages, visit:
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Bon Voyage 4: Around the World in 80 Days
Just for fun, watch one of these film adaptations of Around the World in Eighty Days by French author Jules Verne.
1956
with David Niven, Cantinflas and Shirley MacLaine (Oscar for best film)
1989
with Pierce Brosnan, Eric Idle and Peter Ustinov
2004
with Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cécile de France
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
1956
with David Niven, Cantinflas and Shirley MacLaine (Oscar for best film)
1989
with Pierce Brosnan, Eric Idle and Peter Ustinov
2004
with Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan and Cécile de France
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Les Transports Workpages offers reproducible pages on the theme of transportation. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Suitable for grades 3-8.
24 Pages. $9.95 CAD
Available as an instant download.
Clicking the Buy Now button will take you to a Paypal shopping cart. After entering your payment information, you will be provided with a link to a downloadable pdf file of Les Transports. You will also receive an email link to your downloadable file.
Abode Reader is required to access your ebook.
For more information and preview pages, visit:
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Bon Voyage 3: Around the World in 80 Days
In 1872, French author Jules Verne (1828-1905) wrote a fantastic novel that described the adventures of Phileas Fogg, a man who bet his colleagues that he could successfully travel all the way around the world in just eighty days. In the days before airplanes this would be a pretty remarkable, if not impossible feat. The story was very popular at the time and was translated into English the next year. Perhaps you might have seen one of several movie versions of the story, Around the World in Eighty Days.
Using your atlas or globe, describe a journey that someone could take today travelling all around the world. Try to involve as many different means of transportation as you can.
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
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Using your atlas or globe, describe a journey that someone could take today travelling all around the world. Try to involve as many different means of transportation as you can.
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Les Transports Workpages offers reproducible pages on the theme of transportation. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Suitable for grades 3-8.
24 Pages. $9.95 CAD
Available as an instant download.
Clicking the Buy Now button will take you to a Paypal shopping cart. After entering your payment information, you will be provided with a link to a downloadable pdf file of Les Transports. You will also receive an email link to your downloadable file.
Abode Reader is required to access your ebook.
For more information and preview pages, visit:
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Bon Voyage 2: Comment peut-on voyager?
How can one travel? To show a means of transportation in French, it is important to choose the correct preposition.
Ask yourself, “In or on?”
If it’s “in,” use en.
If it’s “on” use à.
Par exemple:
by car (in a car) = en voiture
by bicycle (on a bicycle) = à bicyclette
en
train, bateau, autocar, avion, voiture, hélicoptère, automobile, autobus
à
dos d’éléphant, vélo, bicyclette, pied, motocyclette, cheval
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Ask yourself, “In or on?”
If it’s “in,” use en.
If it’s “on” use à.
Par exemple:
by car (in a car) = en voiture
by bicycle (on a bicycle) = à bicyclette
en
train, bateau, autocar, avion, voiture, hélicoptère, automobile, autobus
à
dos d’éléphant, vélo, bicyclette, pied, motocyclette, cheval
Test your knowledge with the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca
Les Transports Workpages offers reproducible pages on the theme of transportation. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Suitable for grades 3-8.
24 Pages. $9.95 CAD
Available as an instant download.
Clicking the Buy Now button will take you to a Paypal shopping cart. After entering your payment information, you will be provided with a link to a downloadable pdf file of Les Transports. You will also receive an email link to your downloadable file.
Abode Reader is required to access your ebook.
For more information and preview pages, visit:
Monday, February 16, 2009
Bon Voyage 1: Les Transports
How do you get there from here? Use one of these ways of travelling:
train = train
bateau = boat
autocar = coach bus
avion = airplane
voiture = car
hélicoptère = helicopter
automobile = car
autobus = bus
dos d’éléphant = the back of an elephant
vélo = bike
bicyclette = bicycle
pied = on foot
motocyclette = motorcycle
motoneige = snowmobile
cheval = horse
Test yourself and have some fun! Try the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca/
Les Transports Workpages offers reproducible pages on the theme of transportation. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Suitable for grades 3-8.
24 Pages. $9.95 CAD
Available as an instant download.
Sorry, this link is temporarily disabled. Please bookmark this page and check back later.
Clicking the Buy Now button will take you to a Paypal shopping cart. After entering your payment information, you will be provided with a link to a downloadable pdf file of Les Transports. You will also receive an email link to your downloadable file.
Abode Reader is required to access your ebook.
For more information and preview pages, visit:
Nallenart's eBook Store
.
train = train
bateau = boat
autocar = coach bus
avion = airplane
voiture = car
hélicoptère = helicopter
automobile = car
autobus = bus
dos d’éléphant = the back of an elephant
vélo = bike
bicyclette = bicycle
pied = on foot
motocyclette = motorcycle
motoneige = snowmobile
cheval = horse
Test yourself and have some fun! Try the Transportation Crossword and Wordsearch Puzzles!
Visit Nallenart for more! http://www.nallenart.on.ca/
Les Transports Workpages offers reproducible pages on the theme of transportation. Puzzles, vocabulary, verb review, and more. Suitable for grades 3-8.
24 Pages. $9.95 CAD
Available as an instant download.
Sorry, this link is temporarily disabled. Please bookmark this page and check back later.
Clicking the Buy Now button will take you to a Paypal shopping cart. After entering your payment information, you will be provided with a link to a downloadable pdf file of Les Transports. You will also receive an email link to your downloadable file.
Abode Reader is required to access your ebook.
For more information and preview pages, visit:
Nallenart's eBook Store
.
Friday, February 13, 2009
AVOIR Quiz
Just posted! Try Club Mimi's quiz on the forms of the verb AVOIR in the present tense:
Quiz: AVOIR = to have
Quiz: AVOIR = to have
LE THERMOMÈTRE
LE THERMOMÈTRE
(luh TARE-moh-MET-ruh = the thermometer)
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(luh TARE-moh-MET-ruh = the thermometer)
When it is winter here in Canada, you need to dress warmly to go outside. Check the thermometer first to see just how many layers of clothing you need to wear. Notice that THERMOMÈTRE is almost exactly the same as our English word thermometer.
These words both come from two Greek words:
- thermos = heat
- metron = measure
Whichever language you use, the thermometer measures the heat, or in our Canadian winters, the lack of it!
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Thursday, February 12, 2009
Le CHAPEAU
Le CHAPEAU
(luh sha-POH = the hat)
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(luh sha-POH = the hat)
Le chapeau means “the hat” in French. Notice that the letters CH say “sh” in chapeau and the letters EAU say “oh.” You can almost see the English word cap in CHAPEAU. Remember, though, that all hats are not caps! French has a different word for cap, which is a special kind of hat. Just as English has several words to describe headgear, so does French. Like hat, chapeau is used as a general term.
Please note that all pronunciation guides give only approximations of the French sounds. There are many sounds in French that have no English equivalents!
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Wednesday, February 11, 2009
L'hiver
L'HIVER
(lee-VAYR* = the winter)
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(lee-VAYR* = the winter)
L'HIVER (lee- VAYR) means winter in French. As I write, winter is now in full force in the northern hemishere, where France is located. At my home in Canada, the ground is covered with a dazzling layer of snow. Canada is famous for winter sports including skating, skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and hockey.
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Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Bonhomme Carnaval
Bonhomme de neige, the French phrase for snowman, is a contraction of the words, BON (good) and HOMME (man) with NEIGE which, of course, means snow! This is often shortened to just BONHOMME. The English language uses the word bonhomie to describe a “good nature,” or a “pleasant manner.”
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Did you know that a snowman, BONHOMME CARNAVAL (boh-NUM car-na-VAL), is the mascot of the world’s largest winter carnival? Quebec City in Canada hosts an annual winter carnival that attracts tourists from all over the world. This celebration of ice, snow and unique winter sports also showcases the bonhomie (BAH-nuh-MEE = good nature) and joie de vivre
(ZHWAH* duh VEE-vruh = joy of life) for which French Canadians are famous.
To see pictures of Bonhomme and learn more about the Quebec winter carnival, visit the official website of the Quebec Winter Carnival at:
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca
To view the page in English, click the link at the top right.
*ZH represents the sound made by the “s” in usual, or the “g” in beige.
Please note that all pronunciation guides give only approximations of the French sounds. There are many sounds in French that have no English equivalents!
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Monday, February 9, 2009
La Tuque
If you are in Canada in February, you will need a warm hat! In most
parts of Canada temperatures are regularly below freezing, zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. French Canada has given us LA TUQUE(la TYOOK=the tuque), a warm knitted cap that can usually be folded double at the ears for extra protection. English Canadians also use the word tuque to describe this cosy headgear. If you are going out to play in the snow, don’t forget your tuque!
parts of Canada temperatures are regularly below freezing, zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. French Canada has given us LA TUQUE(la TYOOK=the tuque), a warm knitted cap that can usually be folded double at the ears for extra protection. English Canadians also use the word tuque to describe this cosy headgear. If you are going out to play in the snow, don’t forget your tuque!
Bonhomme Carnaval, the mascot of the Quebec winter carnival wears a red tuque. To see a picture, visit the official website of the Quebec Winter Carnival at:
http://www.carnaval.qc.ca
Please note that all pronunciation guides give only approximations of the French sounds. There are many sounds in French that have no English equivalents!
Visit Nallenart for your French curriculum needs.
www.nallenart.on.ca
Friday, February 6, 2009
New at Club Mimi!
We are excited to announce the new quizzes, crosswords, and wordsearch puzzles at Club Mimi! Click on the links on the sidebar to explore the new interactive and printable puzzles, and interactive quizzes available. Test your knowledge and learn something new at Club Mimi.
Quizzes require javascript and puzzles require Flash to operate.
Quizzes require javascript and puzzles require Flash to operate.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Skating the Rideau Canal
Because the nation of Canada has French and English as its two official languages, the capital city of Canada, Ottawa, is a great place to go to practise speaking, hearing, and reading French. Winter is especially beautiful in Ottawa. The National Capital Commission transforms the Rideau Canal into the world's longest ice rink. There are 7.8 kilometres (5 miles) of ice to enjoy. Even if you don't skate, it's fun to watch the skaters on the Rideau Canal.
For pictures, videos, more information about the Rideau Canal and an update on current ice conditions, visit:
The Official Rideau Canal Website
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