As we conclude a meeting, one of the attendees says “Le temps, c’est de l’argent.” And yes, time is money, but what about the word money throughout time? For thousands of years, French (like other languages) has evolved from common roots. This helps to build a narrative about words and see them as they relate…
One of the fun hurdles when learning nuances of a language is slang and regional expressions. This became very clear to me as I visited Bordeaux and heard expressions I would rarely or ever hear in the east and north. “Adieu” turned out to be the go-to expression for bye, and as I went back…
This word, rendez-vous, has an exciting history and it was borrowed into the English language centuries ago. In fact, as early as 1556, we can find this word in the History & Antiquities of Hengrave, Suffolk (1). Even then, the English (le anglais) enjoyed throwing French words around. Go figure that many who want to…
As I continue my adventure to learn French, I wonder just how many French words have made it into English. As a near-native English speaker, I realized that this could serve as a handy shortcut to make a mental connection between some English and French words. Or, to simply focus more on English words that…
It’s a funny thing when pushing oneself to learn a language. It makes perfect sense to try new words, entire sentences, and preferably in daily situations. But then, what to do when you run out of words. Case in point: I had practised the sentence J’ai engagé la conversation pour casser le silence to my…