french word-a-day

french word-a-day french word-a-day ...serving you a daily thrice-weekly slice of french life emplette fall colors in the town of seguretlearn to speak french with rosetta stone french. proven effective by nasa astronauts, peace corps volunteers and millions of students worldwideune emplette (om-plet) noun, feminine  purchase, shopping, acquisitionun turfiste n'est jamais aussi anxieux de connaître le résultat des courses qu'en l'attente de sa femme partie faire des emplettes. a racegoer is never so anxious to know the results of the races* as when waiting for his wife who's gone shopping. --jean delacour*a play on words (courses = races) from the expression "faire les courses" = to do the shopping. (the following story was written one year ago...at another time and place.)                                 *     *     * my eleven-year-old returned from the mini-market with a bottle of wine."wine!" said i, astonished."pour faire plaisir à papa,"* max explained.earlier, max and jackie had offered to ride their bikes to the bakery to pick up some items for breakfast. i hadn't counted on them bringing home booze."we need toilet paper," i had said as the kids headed out. please stop by the supérette* on your way back. the kids wrinkled their noses, complaining that they would look carrément ridicule* shopping for toilet paper. when i insisted, they quickly negotiated (offering to pick up a roll of sopalin* instead).a half-hour later, the kids returned from the village, their cheeks crimson from the cool autumn air. when jackie pulled a six-pack of toilet paper from the bag, i guessed she must have had a change of heart on discovering that toilet paper comes in a rainbow of colors (and fragrances!)."it's peach-scented," jackie pointed out. "smell it!"that's when max pulled a bottle of wine from his sac à dos.* jean-marc examined the bottle, amazed at the coincidence: the côtes du rhône wine was from vines located near our future hometown."i chose a young wine," max said, figuring the price might be more reasonable (he'd forked out 6 euros 80 for the bottle).coincidences aside, i thought about my eleven-year-old cruising the wine section of the superétte, selecting a particular vintage before checking out. checking out..."wait a minute," i said. "the store clerk let an eleven-year-old buy wine?""i told him it was for my dad," max replied.forgetting the absurdity of the matter, my eyes shot over to jackie. well, that explained the toilet paper that she had initially been too embarrased to buy.she must have told the clerk that the peachy pq* was for her mom!...............................................................................................................references: pour faire plaisir à papa = to please daddy; la supérette (f) = mini-market; carrément ridicule = positively ridiculous; le sopalin (from "société du papier-linge") = paper towel; le sac à dos (m) = backpack; le pq (slang) (m) = tp (toilet paper)         "learn how to read in french--starting right now!"          larousse gastronomique: first published in 1938, still first rate  thank you for visiting these sponsors!my personal language tutor: learn french over the internet - expert native speakers - one-on-one, convenient, affordable - http://www.myplt.comles portes tordues (the twisted doors): the scariest way in the world to learn and listen to french! check it out (if you dare) at http://thetwisteddoors.com:: audio file ::listen to jean-marc pronounce these french words:un turfiste n'est jamais aussi anxieux de connaître le résultat des courses qu'en l'attente de sa femme partie faire des emplettes.http://french-word-a-day.typepad.com/motdujour/files/emplette2.wavfrench terms & expressions:  aller faire des emplettes = to go shopping  faire emplette de quelque chose = to purchase something  être de bonne emplette = to be worth buying, to be a bargainin gifts:whole black winter truffles -- imported from franceticket to ride europe -- award winning train gamefor baby: french baby dining setrick steves' paris 2008 includes friendly places to eat and sleep, walking tours & more âme fishing boats at the end of marseilles...smartfrench: learn french from real french peopleune âme (am) noun, feminine  1. soul; spirit; heart; essencela patience est le sourire de l'âme.patience is the soul's smile. --philippe obrecht. in the tiny fishing village of les goudes, the second to last port along marseilles' limestone coast, jean-marc admires the small provençal fishing boats while i snap photos. the names of the "pointus" have as much character as the boats themselves: the fun-loving "fanny" has received a new coat of white paintand the thick green border around her waist has been filled in again; "paulette's" sides are a bit chipped which suits her personality; further down the dock, the boats "saint antoine" and "saint nicolas" rock in silent meditation.stepping off the docks on our way out of the port, we hear, "do you want some wood?" jean-marc and i turn toward the voice. "please, take some," the man in the salt and pepper beard continues. jean-marc stares down at a pile of driftwood. as if reading his mind, the fisherman replies, "it's no good forburning." before jean-marc can decline, the man adds, "but you can make art out of it."jean-marc and i look at each other. "i'll show you," the man says. "my name is camille," he offers, pronouncing it 'ka-me.' "venez," come. i look over to the boats: fanny and paulette seem to wink and so i enter the fisherman's cottage.inside camille's cabanon* the walls are whitewashed--except for one--which holds the cheminée* and is painted azure-blue. to the right of the front door is a matchbox kitchen delineated by a u-shaped counter; the kitchen floor is slightly wider than the fisherman's belly. knives line the wall below a few dented casseroles.* there are two wooden tabourets* on the opposite side of the concrete counter, which overlooks the small room with the azure wall. "these chairs are called 'assis-debout.' workers lean back on them, not quite seated (assis), not quite standing (debout)." camille demonstrates, pretending to shuck oysters on the counter before him."venez," he says, standing. we take the stairs which lead to a bedroom just off the wooden mezzanine. we walk single file past the unmade bed to the terrace, which overlooks the tiny port and where camille has put more driftwood out to dry. i see fanny and paulette who are bumping hips on the sparkling dance floor that covers the sea all the way to africa; the wooden saints, antoine and nicolas, bob up and down and seem to make the sign of the cross in response to the dancing she-boats.we leave the terrace, pausing before a chest of drawers. camille points to the applique* that camouflages a lightbulb on the wall above; it reminds me of a buffalo scull from my native arizona, only this one is made of bois* and not bone. "voilà. you can create something like this," he says, reminding us of the woodpiles bleaching beneath the mediterranean sun. i admire the applique, wondering how we could ever make something so clever as this.we return to the room with the azure wall to stand in front of the windows which are level with the boats outside. camille explains that each year he paints the shutters and each year the mistral wind strips them all over again. last year he solved the problem by painting them with a product used on boats like fanny. i study the painted blue shutters until my eyes land on what looks to be a bookshelf below. "do you know what that is?" camille says. "the lavandières* used to wash clothes inside there. the linens were pushed against the "shelves" in order to free the dirt from the cloth."at the end of our visit camille tells us that the fishing port of les goudes is where the soul of marseilles lies. i wonder if camille might be the âme* of marseilles incarnate, but i don't tell him this. instead we thank him for the driftwood and promise to "make art out of it." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~references: le cabanon (m) = cottage; la cheminée (f) = fireplace; la casserole (f) = saucepan; le tabouret (m) stool; une applique (f) = appliqué (bulb/lamp cover); le bois (m) = wood; la lavandière (f) = woman who handwashes clothes, washerwoman; une âme (f) = soul       the pudlo paris guide--available in english for the first time in 17 years!       tune up your french: top 10 ways to improve your spoken french    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~thank you for visiting today's sponsors:americans in france newsletter http://americansinfrance.net/newsletter/fwd.cfmfree monthly newsletter about life, travel and living in france.go to http://web.champs-elysees.com/fwad10 for your monthly mix of frenchculture. subscribe to champs-elysées and perfect your french.to advertise at french word-a-day, contact kristin...........................................................................................................:: audio file ::hear my daughter, jackie, pronounce the word âme and today's quote:la patience est le sourire de l'âme.mp3 file: download ame1.mp3wave file: download ame1.wavfrancophile gifts and more...:  in dvd: visions of france  in music... provence: a romantic journey  gathered from the salt beds of camargue: fleur de selfrench expressions:une âme soeur = a kindred soulrendre l'âme = to give up the ghostse donner corps et âme à quelqu'un = to give oneself body and soul to someone embarras click here for a closer look at the individual labels. more than eighty of the loveliest, most tranquil, and sometimes hidden places in paris are celebrated in the charming guidebook "quiet corners of paris".un embarras (om-bah-rah) noun, masculin  1. a difficulty, worry; a predicament; an uncertainty  2. an embarrassmentla nécessité nous délivre de l'embarras du choix.necessity delivers us from the difficulty of choice. --vauvenargues. today's word is "embarras" as in the popular french expression "l'embarras du choix" (to be spoilt for choice). such is the predicament that we currently find ourselves in: the difficulty in choosing a wine label for our vineyard's first bottles! thankfully, there is a choice....so many creative designs arrived into our e-mail boxes, both jean-marc's and mine, after the last wine label poll and subsequent "call for help". mille mercis* to the artists, both seasoned and "seasonal," who responded. whether designers or dabblers, doués vous êtes!*it is time now to cast your vote for jean-marc's wine label. i'd better rephrase that last sentence as the word order would seem to show favoritism! (while jean-marc did design one of the 37 labels in today's poll, the goal is to choose the best one for his wine.) to vote for the best wine label:* first, please view the choices (click on the image to see the complete label; to simply see the corresponding number, put your cursor over the image). view all 37 labels here.* next, cast your vote, here: more at twiigs.com... to read what people are saying about the various labels, click here.thank you very much for your vote! for updates about the wine label and to see which one ends up on the bottle check jean-marc's blog.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~references: mille mercis = a thousand thanks; doués vous êtes = gifted you arethank you for visiting today's sponsors:improve your french! weekly fluent french newsletter adult learners:http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?yhst-68807497155154+uktzem+samples.htmlchristmas market tour to france & germany, nov 30-dec 9: food, wine, history, culture, shopping & more http://www.therichesof.com & http://www.alpenschatz.com..............................................................................:: audio file ::embarras. la nécessité nous délivre de l'embarras du choix.  mp3 file: download embarras.mp3  wave file: download embarras.wav:: shopping ::french country diary 2008instant immersion french (audio cd)"d'elles" 2007 french language album by celine dionthe french oven is a timeless standby for stews, roasts, soups, casseroles and other one-pot classicsplantin black truffle infused olive oil .:: expressions ::  être dans l'embarras = to be in a predicament  faire des embarras = to lack simplicity or ease in decision making  avoir l'embarras du choix = to have too much to choose from  tirer quelqu'un d'embarras = to get someone out of a tight spot  mettre quelqu'un dans l'embarras = to put someone in an awkward position moucheron why post a photo of bugs when we can look at this escapist image instead? far from the plague... read on in today's story, below. photo taken in collioures, france.retiring in france: a survival handbookwine label update: check out jean-marc's blog to see all of the wine labels for monday's wine label pollle moucheron (moosh-uh-rowhn) noun, masculine  midge, gnat; fruit fly  kid (slang)le savoir humain sera rayé des archives du monde avant que nous ayons le dernier mot d'un moucheron. human knowledge will be erased from the archives of the world before we possess the last word that the gnat has to say to us. --jean henri fabre. it is time, once again, to talk about living conditions around here... considering that our on-the-mend farmhouse has just survived its first plague.i began noticing the "black-bellied dew-lovers,"* last week. (so much for a fancy name: a mouche* is a mouche!) the tiny red-eyed fruit flies, or "moucherons" hovered over my favorite pottery bowl until i plucked out a few furry oranges and one sorely bruised apple. there! that'll show them. undeterred, the little winged parade headed over to the poubelle* wherein a few bottles of wine lured them in like lushes. i grabbed the sides of the garbage sack and with a twist and a toss they were gone. but not for long.when the fruit flies reappeared, this time en force,* i picked through the fruit again and put a lid on the garbage can. i ran a soapy sponge over the countertops and returned the honey to the cupboard. the kitchen was now spic-and-span, though the fruit flies were the only ones to notice--this fromthe rim of my tea cup where they took turns diving into the herbal waters below. beurk!* i spat out my tea and brushed my finger over my tongue a few times for effect. while looking skyward in supplication, i saw clouds of fruit flies hovering above me and their collective wing flapping was enough to dry the just-wiped countertops. shivering, i set the fruit bowl outside and ran upstairs to meditate on good sportsmanship....in my bedroom/temporary office, located over jean-marc's wine cellar, i tried to look out the window for inspiration but the glass was one big blur of transparent wings! i shot out of my chair and threw open the window to find jean-marc standing on the patio below."there are fruit flies up here!" i cried."je sais, cherie.* it is the marc. the flies will be gone in a few days."i know it is the marc, or pressed grape skins, that are attracting the fruit flies! i have only remained ignorant in the name of good sportsmanship. last spring, when jean-marc realized how complicated it would be to build the wine cellar elsewhere, away from our private home, i finally agreed to let him expand the garage. though i was wary of losing privacy, i never imagined that a veritable plague of dew-lovers would arrive! and so it is that living above a wine laboratory, a live one at that, is beginning to take its toll.returning to my computer i try to get some work done until those "black-bellied dew lovers" begin crawling onto my hands! when they alight on my cheek and traipse across my brow i jump up and run from the room in horror.back in the kitchen the air is now teeming with moucherons. i look across the room and the light hanging over the table reveals swarms of them. how will i feed the kids their dinner? i quickly fill two bowls full of leftover pasta, cover them with a paper plate and watch the kids steal outside into the dark, sweet arms flapping as they fend off the dew lovers."there are thousands of fruit flies in here!" i say to jean-marc the minute he walks in. "yes, there are four or five moucherons in the kitchen," he replies, and i sense he is low on patience, probably having fending off fleets of fruit flies since we last spoke at the window."no, there are thousands!" i correct, pointing out the truth as it is plain to see and don't try to pull the wool over me!bracing himself after what he perceives to be a verbal attack he responds."millions!!!!!" says he, which is just his way of saying that i am over-reacting and why do i have to be such a nag when i could be a good sport instead?with that, he abruptly leaves the room and i sit fuming at the table, one hand on my head the other covering a bowl of pasta. i am so upset that i can't even think of a good retort... except maybe, yes, why not..."you big black-bellied dew-lover-you!" the name's gotta be good for something. and those fruit flies shook their tiny heads in glee, the only ones, once again, to appreciate one nagging housewife's repartee.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~references: black-bellied dew-lover = translation of the greek term "drosophila melanogaster" (for fruit fly); la mouche (f) = fly; la poubelle (f) = garbage, trash can; en force = in great numbers; beurk! = yuck!; je sais, cherie = i know, darlingwhatever you do...or "dew"...read jean henri fabre!"great french entomologist's charming essays on insect life combine scientific rigor with the style of a literary classic. beautifully written passages reveal the intricate, fascinating worlds of the beetle, cicada, praying mantis, glow-worm, wasp, grub, cricket, locust, and other creatures as they hunt, buildnests, feed families, and more. rare volume will delight any naturalist."thank you for visiting today's sponsors:les portes tordues (the twisted doors): the scariest way in the world to learn and listen to french! check it out (if you dare) at http://thetwisteddoors.combecome an advanced french speaker with champs-elysées plus. news, reviews and interviews. visit: http://web.champs-elysees.com/fwad9americans in france newsletter http://americansinfrance.net/newsletter/fwd.cfm free monthly newsletter about life, travel and living in france.to advertise at french word-a-day, contact kristin ....................................................................................:: audio file ::listen to jean-marc pronounce today's word and quote:moucheron. le savoir humain sera rayé des archives du monde avant que nous ayons le dernier mot d'un moucheron.mp3 file: download moucheron.mp3wave file: download moucheron.wav shopping:rosetta stone french (cd-rom) -- "an award-winning method used by nasa and the peace corps" le grand miel -- 1000 flower honey by bernard michaudsongs in french for childrenin french film: "french twist" starring victoria abril and josiane balasko essouffler swiped my mom's hat (while she swiped my camera for this photo). le nouveau petit robert 2008 : it's worth the wait essouffler (eh-soo-flay) verb  to make breathless, to wind my son max's example sentence (hear sentence in "audio file" section):     j'ai couru et maintenant je suis essoufflé.     i ran and now i am out of breath.. some choices, like whether to eat greasy pizza for lunch or to pedal over to the produce stand for something else, are made in a moral minute. and so it was that i finally took my new bike out for another spin yesterday. as i flew down the country road, i noticed the whoosh of the chestnut trees, the newly crimson grapevines and their light grapeless branches. the harvest is over and a new freedom is in the air. with the wind in my sails, i cruised south to a nearby fruit and vegetable farm to test the capacity of my bike's saddle bags. maybe it was the new wide seat, but riding a bike wasn't as painful as i had remembered and before long i turned off the paved road and coasted down a dirt driveway. the fruit and vegetable stand was deserted. rows of empty wooden cageots* lined the tables beneath the paillote* and the bright red bench was bottomless: not a soul's seat to fill it."manque de pot!"* the farmer said from across the yard. "you're out of luck!" when monsieur mentioned something about new fall hours i assured him "ce n'est pas grave." not to worry. i'd be back! after the effortless journey out to the farm, my mind's eye saw countless aller-retours* in which i'd fillthose saddle bags full of cabbage, leeks, and navets* galore--soar soar! riding, after all, was like flying. i'd be back like a rocket tomorrow, to shuttle home chou-fleur* and more! beaming with bonne intention,* i turned my handlebars north and pushed off...only the bike balked. turning onto the paved road i noticed the pedals had slowed considerably. i tried shifting down, then up, but the wheels just wouldn't turn as they had before. it must have been the wind... as i zigzagged away from the fruit stand my legs quickly grew tired. nearing a mossy brook, beyond which a donkey stood as if in a plein air* painting (the serene ventoux mountains for a backdrop), i tried to take my mind off effort. but all those pot holes in the road bucked me back to reality. not half way home, i had to get off my bike and push. it was as if some great gallic giant was tampering with the country road, lifting it at the wrong end this time. i finally perceived the tilt, one that was no longer in my favor. catching my breath while walking my bike along the near-invisible incline i could almost hear the giant's great guffaws--or was the laughter coming from the approaching car? as the vehicle eclipsed me, its passengers seeming to gawk, i whipped out my camera and pretended to be photographing the âne,* feeling very much like the subject in my camera's viewfinder. back at home, a slice of greasy cheese pizza on my plate, legs like jelly, tucked beneath the table, i say a quick grace for the missing vegetables. i'd have never made it home had i to shuttle back so much as one skinny stick of celery.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~references: le cageot (m) = crate; la paillote (f) = straw hut; manque de pot = no luck; un aller-retour (m) = round trip; le navet (m) = turnip; le chou-fleur (m) = cauliflower; la bonne intention (f) = good intention; en plein air (m) = a painting done "in the open air"; un âne (m) = ass, donkey thank you for visiting today's sponsors:christmas market tour to france & germany, nov 30-dec 9: food, wine, history, culture, shopping & more http://www.therichesof.com & http://www.alpenschatz.com my personal language tutor: learn french over the internet - expert native speakers - one-on-one, convenient, affordable - http://www.myplt.com improve your french! weekly fluent french newsletter adult learners:http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?yhst-68807497155154+uktzem+samples.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:: audio file ::listen to max pronounce these french words:j'ai couru et maintenant je suis essoufflé.   mp3 file: download essouffler.mp3  wave file: download essouffler.wav shopping:24 best-loved french folk songs (mp3 download)the smart traveler's passport: 399 tips from seasoned travelersfleur de sel de guerande- hand harvested french organic sea salta sweet french fragrance in retro style art deco spray bottle ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~terms & expressions:  être tout essoufflé = to be all out of breath  s'essouffler - to get out of breath, become exhausted; to run out of steam bienvenue! free french word-a-day--via email. for help subscribing, contact kristin e-mail kristin great ways to support this site email this site to a friend shop kristin espinasse at simonsays, official publisher's site french word-a-day began in 1999 when a former desert rat decided to... (click here to read more about this word journal) more words! take a great trip with a memorable travel book. --real simple "espinasse recounts her adventures with honesty and humor, never afraid to have a good laugh at her own expense. with its innovative and entertaining way of teaching the finer points of french, espinasse's memoir will be popular with travelers and expats alike." --publishers weekly rss subscription add me to your typepad people list books v william russell melton: new american expat: thriving and surviving overseas in the post-9/11 world w. s. merwin: the lost upland: stories of southwestern france véronique mazet: correct your french blunders steven laurence kaplan: good bread is back: a contemporary history of french bread, the way it is made, and the people who make it simone de beauvoir: the mandarins (harper perennial modern classics) sarah johnstone: europe on a shoestring (lonely planet shoestring guides) roy andries de groot: auberge of the flowering hearth robert louis stevenson: travels with a donkey in the cevennes rick steves: rick steves' europe through the back door 2007: the travel skills handbook (rick steves) richard olney: lulu's provencal table rene goscinny: asterix the gaul (asterix) nancy mowll mathews: mary cassatt: a life michelin staff: michelin green guide the wine regions of france (michelin green guides) michele lalande: the new eighteenth-century style: rediscovering a french décor michel biehn: colors of provence: traditions, recipes, and home decorations from the south of france michael s. reynolds: hemingway: the paris years m.f.k. fisher: two towns in provence louis aragon: paris peasant lonely planet: rite of passage: tales of backpacking 'round europe laverne ferguson-kosinski: europe by eurail 2007, 31st: touring europe by train (europe by eurail) kristin espinasse: words in a french life: lessons in love and language from the south of france kathryn berenson: quilts of provence: the art and craft of french quiltmaking josephine araldo: from a breton garden: the vegetable cookery of josephine araldo joseph gies: life in a medieval city jean-marie perouse de montclos: versailles jean-claude corbeil: the firefly five language visual dictionary: english, spanish, french, german, italian jean naudin: the art of french country living (travel & style) jean giono: the man who planted trees jean giono: l'homme qui plantait des arbres jacques pépin: jacques pepin's complete techniques honoré de balzac: lost illusions (modern library classics) guy cogeval: edouard vuillard georges simenon: the engagement (new york review books classics) gaston leroux: the phantom of the opera: the original novel francois de la rochefoucauld: collected maxims and other reflections: with parallel french text (oxford world's classics) elliot paul: the last time i saw paris edith wharton: french ways and their meaning e.l. konigsburg: a proud taste for scarlet and miniver dk publishing: paris (eyewitness travel guides) delia gray-durant: blue guide paris, eleventh edition (blue guides) charles perrault: the complete fairy tales of charles perrault catherine bruzzone: french for children (book + audio cd) (language for children series) caroline weber: queen of fashion: what marie antoinette wore to the revolution caroline clifton-mogg: french country living barbara goldsmith: obsessive genius: the inner world of marie curie (great discoveries) (great discoveries) art buchwald: i'll always have paris arnold delaney: paris by metro: an underground history angel flores: the anchor anthology of french poetry: from nerval to valery in english translation one thousand buildings of paris paris tales recent posts emplette âme embarras moucheron essouffler piquer revanche sans plomb arbre vélo my better french half jean-marc's journal from the vine horizon photos, etc. all photos and text are copyright © 2002-2007 kristin espinasse links links

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