Everyday Survival Phrases in French

by Michelle Kiefer

The first time I ever spent an extended amount of time in France, I was confronted by the gap between everyday language and what I had learned in the classroom. Sure, I could conjugate the verb “to go” in the subjunctive, but I couldn’t for the life of me come up with the word for “vacuum” when I wanted to ask my host mom where the cleaning supplies were. Even simple interactions in grocery stores threw me off, and don’t even get me started on my first experience in a French hair salon. Thankfully I had kind friends and wise study abroad program directors to walk me through the most basic interactions in my new culture. The phrases below are a sample of some of the  “survival phrases” in French I’ve found useful over the years whether traveling or living in France. They’re super simple and might seem obvious, but they’re a lifesaver if you’re learning them for the first time.

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Funny Issues in Translation

by Mandy Menaker

A friend of mine (who is also a former Fluent City French student) is currently living in Paris as an au pair. When she first arrived in France, she was working for a family with two young boys. One afternoon she took the boys for a stroll through the neighborhood and the younger of the two boys started making up a tune to what sounded like “baby f*ck” over and over. The older of the two brothers began screaming at him in French, which only caused the boy to sing louder. My friend quickly interpreted the outburst as the older brother desperately trying to discipline the younger brother for yelling profanity in the street. Taking control of the situation she told the boy his behavior was inappropriate, at which point he burst into tears.

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Fluent City’s 12 Favorite Moments of 2012 in Pictures

by Mandy Menaker

It has been a terrific year at Fluent City. During 2012, Fluent City added Japanese, Russian and Hebrew classes. Our 10 Brooklyn classrooms and rented Manhattan classroom spaces were filled to capacity. We secured a convenient and terrific Manhattan space by Times Square. In addition, we raised over $1000 for Sandy relief and the New York Food Bank through our commitment to donate a percentage of signups in the weeks following Sandy. Our Williamsburg space became home to several orphaned organizations in the aftermath of Sandy including the Bellavue Survivors of Torture. We got closer with our regular coworkers, the funny folks over at Hypervocal. We even became a film set used by College Humor, Practical Jokers and Brooklyn Independent Television! Yep, 2012 has been pretty excellent. Here are 12 of our favorite moments of 2012 in pictures:

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Interesting Article in French on Why Masculine Verbs Take Precedence

http://next.liberation.fr/sexe/2012/11/26/la-grammaire-a-ete-au-service-du-pouvoir_863205

The decision made by the Académie française for masculine words to take precedence over feminine words was a political decision to secure men’s social superiority, according to this super interesting article by Liberation. Do you think this decision would still be the same in 2012?

 

Etre past participles

Here is a link to the Maison D’Etre and the past participles that use etre.
Have a wonderful week!
From, Fluent City French Professor Julia

5 Reasons Fall is the Best Season to Study a Language

by Mandy Menaker

Fall is filled with all sorts of amazing things: pumpkin bread, apple picking, MLB World Series games, costume hunting, Oktoberfest and hot cider. If you need more incentive to get pumped, try out a language class at Fluent City for the first (second, third, or fourth) time. Here are just a few reasons that fall is the best season to study a foreign language.

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Five Back to School Tips from Fluent City

by Mandy Menaker

It’s that time of year again: Target is lined with Lisa Frank folders, Best Buy is offering gratis printers along with your computer purchase, and clothing stores are claiming the right accessory will help make you look cool. Yep folks, it’s back to school shopping season. If you are ready to relive the excitement of prepping for a grade school class but have advanced past fifth grade History or seventh grade Algebra, sign up for a French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian or Hebrew class with Fluent City and use these back to school tips to make sure you stand out as the coolest kid in the quad…erm…Williamsburg lobby.

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Language Exchange Events in Paris, London, Nice, Lyon

Are you planning a trip to Paris, London, Nice or Lyon anytime soon? Franglish offers awesome language meetup exchanges and events for French and English speakers abroad. Think of it as speed dating for language learners. Check out upcoming events at http://www.franglish.eu/

Free Biking in New York City!

Free bikes are coming to New York! Practice your French while reading about it. http://frenchmorning.com/ny/2012/08/07/le-velib-new-yorkais-cest-pour-plus-tard/

Make Your Own Flashcards!

http://www.quizlet.com – Create a free account to make your own online flashcards or search for other sets already made. study, play games, practice pronunciation and more! Great for language study outside of your Fluent City classes.