Même Sarkozy a des problèmes avec le français!

http://www.economist.com/node/17911266?story_id=17911266&fsrc=rss

Niveau 3/4+: Vocabulaire 2010 vs. 2011: qu'est-ce qu'on dit, qu'est-ce qu'on ne dit plus ?

Parce qu'il est primordial de parler 2011 en 2011, voici un guide de conversation fort utile en milieu hostile.

De Yahoo.fr: http://yahoo.mamantravaille.fr/

Ces mots qu'on laisse en 2010

Décalé
Trop de décalé tue le décalé. Initialement destiné à désigner un ton à part, hors des normes habituelles, en décalage donc, le mot "décalé" a fini par devenir branchouille. On le trouve dans 99% des cahiers des charges de plans de communication ou de médias et d'absolument tout ce qui tente de suivre la tendance. (TV, magazines, blogs, même votre cousine vous apprend qu'elle va ouvrir un charcutier-traiteur "décalé" à côté de Marseille, parce qu'il y aura aussi des légumes) Mais quand tout est décalé, plus rien n'est décalé.
En 2011, on pourra utiliser le mot "décalé" pour justifier une erreur ou une absurdité en prétendant que c'était volontaire. Exemple: "Marlène, vous avez mis en ligne un papier sans aucun accent, c'est normal ?" Réponse: "Oh oui, c'est décalé.C'est un choix éditorial, en fait." Autre exemple: "Mais Jean-Mouloud, que fais-tu avec ta langue dans la bouche de Sophie, ma meilleure amie ?" Réponse: "Non c'est pas ce que tu crois, on teste une forme d'amitié décalée."

La HALDE
Haute Autorité de Lutte contre les Discriminations, en voix de disparition (l'institution, pas les discriminations). Prenons les paris, en 2012 la HALDE n'existera plus.
En 2011, on répond à son fils qui se plaint de s'être fait piquer ses billes par des filles à la récré "Je vais le dire à la HALDE" ce qui signifie qu'on ne fera rien du tout ou au pire, qu'on enverra une lettre de remontrance. Cordialement.

Really good iPhone/iPad apps for French and Spanish dictionaries

There's both iPad and iPhone versions and, if you are connected to the Internet, there is a voice recording of the pronunciation of each word. Incroyable!

Search iTunes App Store for "Larousse"!

Level 1 Vocabulary

Look it up, try to figure out some of the subtle slang-ish nuances before they are discussed in class, and don't forget how important gender is! Click the PDF image here to download it!

Très mignon!

A cute French poster round up.

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/artwork/five-cinq-french-prints-129000?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fohdeedoh+%28Ohdeedoh%29

Prepositions and Geography

What preposition to use with neighborhoods and boroughs?

The rule is actually easy: if the neighborhood/ borough has no article in English, use the preposition "à":

Je travaille à Manhattan.
Je vis à Williamsburg.
Je vais à Harlem.

But if there is an article ("the") in English, use the preposition "dans" and the definite article:

J'habite dans le Bronx,
Je mange au restaurant dans le Lower East Side
Je fais du shopping dans l'East Village
J'ai un appartement dan l'Upper East Side

The only exception to the rule is "Queens". There is no article in English, but there is one in French: "Le Queens". So use the preposition "dans" with Queens:

J'habite dans le Queens.

What preposition to use with the States?

Since every single word in French has a gender, States have one too! Most of them are masculine, but 9 are feminine.

With the masculine states use "en" if they start with an 'A' and "dans le" otherwise:

En Alabama

En Alaska

En Arizona

En Arkansas

Dans le Colorado

Dans le Connecticut

Dans le Dakota du Nord

Dans le Dakota du Sud

Dans le Delaware

Dans l'Idaho

Dans l'Illinois

Dans l'Indiana

Dans l'Iowa

Dans le Kansas

Dans le Kentucky

Dans le Maine

Dans le Maryland

Dans le Massachusetts

Dans le Michigan

Dans le Minnesota

Dans le Mississippi

Dans le Missouri

Dans le Montana

Dans le Nebraska

Dans le Nevada

Dans le New Hampshire

Dans le New Jersey

Dans l'etat New York

Dans l'Ohio

Dans l'Oklahoma

Dans l'Oregon

Dans le Rhode Island

Dans le Tennessee

Dans l'Utah

Dans le Vermont

Dans l'etat de Washington

Dans le Wisconsin

Dans le Wyoming

Exceptions:

Au Nouveau-Mexique

Au Texas

With feminine Sates use the preposition "en" :

En Californie

En Caroline du Nord

En Caroline du Sud

En Floride

En Georgie

En Louisiane

En Pennsylvanie

En Virginie

En Virginie-Occidentale

Le Roi Lion, il vit en toi clip vidéo

My favorite song from Le Roi Lion and the (very well produced) music video for it!

Two cool upcoming events for Francophiles through Meetup!

#1: Rooftop Party with Happy Hour Specials
For more info, click here.

#2: Announcing a new Meetup for The NYC French Social Meetup Group!
What: French Social at AKAI Lounge
When: Thursday, August 19, 2010 7:00 PM
Price: $2.00 per person

Where: Akai Lounge
507 Columbus Avenue between 84th & 85th
New York, NY 10024
(212) 362-6200

Salut tout le monde,

Come join us for a wonderful evening at AKAI Lounge. We are going to start again our Social French evenings, where you get to meet other Francophones and Francophiles in a quiet environment. We will however still be having our weekend party events. Just wanted to make sure that everyone is happy.This is the perfect opportunity for those members who would like to brush up on their French. There will also be members who come from French regions. All levels of French are accepted.

Do come by and enjoy wonderful conversation, delicious food as well as lovely drinks. Management has arranged a 20% off on all drinks as well as 15% off on food just for our group. I really look forward in seeing many of you at this event, as we do intend on having a fun time.

Cheers!
Meetup Organizer, Rory Biscette , 347.425.4231

More info and RSVP here!

Where to celebrate Bastille Day in NYC? by Léa Perret, STF Professor

Next Wednesday, July 14th is Bastille Day (La fête nationale francaise) and New York City is going French ... so let's celebrate! Here's where to go and what to do.

BROOKLYN

Bastille day at Juliette in Williamsburg

Get your berets ready and celebrate Bastille Day at Juliette Williamsburg on Saturday, July 17th from 12pm to 12am.The event includes live music with Ann Warin (Les dix Commandements, Paris) and Live DJ's at the rooftop Cocktail Bar with DJ Daniel Auster (A-1 Records) and DJ No Ordinary Monkey. But, most importantly **Free French lessons by SamTeachesFrench!!!!! **

Those dressed for the revolution get a free 'Guilotine' Cocktail (So strong it'll take yer head off!)

Juliette Restaurant -135 N 5th St,( at the corner of Bedford ave), Williamsburg

Giant Pétanque tournament on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill

You will find two pétanque tournaments on Smith Street Sunday, July 18th.

The restaurants and bars "Boîte en Provence" and "Bar Tabac" are organizing pétanque tournaments that will both take place on Smith Street. More than 68 teams will compete on the street! There will also be breakfast and a BBQ and they will serve pastis...and 3 bands will perform that day!

Boite en Provence: 262 Smith St

Bar Tabac : 128 Smith St

MANHATTAN

Bastille Day Ball at CAF (Comité des associations françaises)

The New York French Association Committee is organizing its Bastille Day Ball on Friday, July 11th at the Harmony Club. Two orchestras and two DJ's will run the show. An auction sale "The Art of Being French" will offer things such as weekends in Paris and New York City as well as many works of art inspired by France. A part of the profits will be transferred to "Entraide Française Association" and to the "New York French American Charter school" in Harlem.

The Harmony Club, 4 East 60th Street

More info and tickets : http://www.bastilledayball.org/2010

FIAF's Bastille Day

The FIAF (French Institute- Alliance Française) event will take place on Sunday, July 11th between 12pm and 6pm around 60th Street and 5th Avenue. There will be many activities and shows including food tastings, concerts, 'garçon de cafe' races, etc.

You will find music between 60th and Park Avenue, where the main stage will welcome French artists (Les Sans Culotees, Malika Zarra) or between 60th and Lexington Avenue, where you will see accordion players...

For the cheese and wine tasting, head to the FIAF Gallery ( 22 E 60th St).

On 60th and lLxington you will see a mock 'Tour de France" and a car exhibition! And if you have children, you can take them between Madison and Park where activities for kids will take place.

SoHo pétanque (French bocce ball) tournament at Barolo

It's surprising that you could celebrate Bastille Day in an Italian restaurant in SoHo! Many French restaurant owners will gather in Barolo's patio to compete at pétanque around 11:30am on Wednesday, July 14th. A $59 'Veuve Cliquot' gourmet menu will be available after.

Barolo, 398 West Broadway, NYC.

QUEENS

"French Tuesday" at Long Island City Water Taxi Beach

Wanna dance on the beach in front of the Manhattan Skyline for Bastille Day? Go to the "French Tuesday" on Wednesday, July 14th. Water taxis will take you starting at 6:30pm from Manhattan to Long Island City for a party and fire works in French colors!

Manhattan Water Taxi Beach 400 East 34th Street NYC

Long Island City, 54-34 2nd Street, LIC, NY

http://frenchtuesdays.com/events/ny071410/

Profitez de tous ces fêtes!

Gene Kelly danse à claquettes sur patins à roulettes

Je Joue au theatre!

Featuring:
Adenike Thomas, Amen Igbinosun, Audrey Hailes, Cherrye Davis, Chinaza Uche, Hazelle Goodman*, Jerry Ford, Jonan Everett, Joseph Covino, Joy Caldwell, Nneoma Nkuku*, Shenelle Eaton Foster, Von Ali Wright, Willie Teacher, Zachary Webber, and Zainab Jah*

*Denotes member of AEA,

CLICK HERE TO MEET THE CAST/CREW

Harlem School of the Arts
645 Saint Nicholas Avenue
New York, NY 10030
[Via Subway: A/C, B/D train to 145th Street in Harlem]

TICKETS ON SALE NOW:
General Admission $15 • Student Price $12 (with valid ID)
BUY ONLINE HERE

Bintou is an African immigrant girl immersed in the urban slums of modern Western society. At the age of 13, she runs with a pack of wild boys, plays with knives, and has bewitching dreams of becoming a belly dancer. With a budding display of overt sexuality and aggressive behavior consuming her, Bintou's family attempts to save their daughter. When cultures and generations collide, will tradition cut through the confusion?

[This play contains graphic violence and adult content]

Production Team:
Sets: John Jalandoni, Costumes: Jesca Prudencio, Lights: T. Rick Hayashi, Sound: Yusuke Namiki, Choreography: Ani Niemann, Fights: Willie Teacher Stage Manager: Jamal Jordan Postcard by: Elizabeth Rossi

Associate Producers:
Kisa Wilis, & Brandon Kyle Goodman

Press/Marketing:
Walker International Group

www.themovementtheatrecompany.org

Equity Approved Showcase

Les Chaud Lapins in Park Slope Sat July 10th

Les Chaud Lapins vont chanter en français samedi prochain à Park Slope!!!

Sat July 10th
8pm
$10
Barbès
376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.) Park Slope, Brooklyn
F Train to 7th Ave - then walk downhill one block to 6th Ave
LES CHAUD LAPINS
Kurt Hoffman and Meg Reichardt cover Charles Trenet songs and other jewels from the French 30's and 40's musical traditions accompanying themselves on banjo-ukes.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie is a landmark of cinematic ingenuity. Similar inspiration and wonder is echoed in his inventive, playful, and wildly entertaining Micmacs. Meet Bazil (Dany Boon). He was raised in an orphanage from a young age, his father having been killed by a land mine as a soldier and his mom deemed insane. Flash forward years later, a grown-up Bazil is working at a video store when a stray bullet from a random drive-by shooting lodges into his brain. Unable to remove the stubborn slug, the doctors release him into the world to encounter an unexpected fate.

Homeless and hopeless, he is taken in by a group of merry misfits (the mic macs), among them an ex-con, a contortionist, a mathematician, and a human cannonball. The jolly motley crew lives in a junkyard, recycling materials and building ingenious knick-knacks to support themselves. But when Bazil discovers that his bullet and the bomb that killed his father are made by two feuding weapons companies, he hatches a brilliant plan to take them down. Quirky, energetic, and layered with timely themes, Jeunet's Micmacsis a feast for the eyes and fun for the whole family.

http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/micmacs-film31161.html

Floanne chante J'avoue on June 21 at 7PM - Ankah- Eventbrite

J'avoue is a cabaret of French songs that shouldn't be forgotten. From Barbara to Jacques Brel, Michel Legrand and Edith Piaf, these classics establish a link between our cultures. If you are curious or romantic, this is the rendez-vous not to be missed for Make Music New York!

Floanne chante J'avoue

June 21, 2010 at 7PM

The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street, 2nd floor, NYC 10023
$20 advance tickets (2 drinks minimum in cash)

Watch videos and hear songs on the official Site

Director: Jean Brassard
Musical director & Piano: Helen Russell
Guitar: Russ Spiegel
Drums: Luca Santaniello
Double bass: Jean Morel

Floanne grew up on a French farm. She moved to New York in 2000 to hone her work on stage and with the camera. This performance brings her back to her roots, and with some of the most beautiful pieces of French music, she unveils herself in this jazzy city that is now her home.

http://floanne.eventbrite.com/

Un court-métrage avec Lagerfield en français et en anglais

Chanel - Remember Now Part. 1 (By Karl Legerfeld) from baronshocolaat on Vimeo.

Un film au Netflix

Hier soir, pendant la lecon de Lea, j'ai parle d'un film que je l'aime beaucoup au sujet de notre lecon: "La ville ou la compagne". Le film est une histoire d'une citadine qui quitte a Paris pour debrouiller une ferme.
Le vrai titre en francais est "Une hirondelle A FAIT le printemps" et on peut le trouver a netflix avec le titre
"The Girl from Paris".
http://www.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Girl_from_Paris/70006100?strackid=58f8fe373061f5b8_0_srl&strkid=1936814961_0_0&trkid=438381
Je pense que vous l'aimeriez aussi.

New French Film by Director of Amelie

From the Director of Amelie and The City of Lost Children....

Micmacs

now showing at the Angelika and AMC 25 on 42nd Street


see the trailer here

Angelika website

-Angela

Thanks for passing this on, Angela!

See local NYC band Les Chauds Lapins sing "Cette Nuit-là":

Cheap Bi-Lingual Fun

Come see mon ami Jordan in a French/English play.

$7 or free with fiaf membership

Samedi 5 Juin 7:30pm
Dimanche 6 Juin 3:30pm
Lundi 7 Juin 7:30pm

109 E 60th Street (between Park and Lex)

Reservations strongly encouraged: 212.838.5680 or stesprit@msn.com

Benefit French in Williamsburg!

This is from Léa Sloan who is heading up the initiative (see article here) for the French-English bilingual program at PS 84 in Williamsburg. Please help out this effort by participating in the Barnes and Noble bookfair mentioned below.

Dear Families,

You've asked what you can do to support PS84 José de Diego School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Here is an easy way to help, the school is running a book fair in conjunction with Barnes and Noble next week, and part of the proceeds of all sales linked to the fair go to support the renovation of the school library. So if you are planning to buy books in the near future, please consider using your purchase to help!

You can bring the attached flyer (Sam: or bookfair number below) to the store, or if purchasing online, visit http://www.bn.com/bookfairs between 5/23/2010 and 5/28/2010 and enter Bookfair ID 10219509 at checkout. (Click on "start shopping now" button)

Thanks and have a great day,

Léa

Bookfair ID #10219509
Sunday, May 23 to Friday, May 28
supporting PS 84 The Jose De Diego School

Visit the Barnes and Noble on 17th Street & Union Square or go to bn.com/bookfairs to support us online from 05/23/10 to 05/28/10 by entering Bookfair ID 10219509 at checkout.

Pronunciation Resource

check out:

http://www.acapela-group.com/text-to-speech-interactive-demo.html

Type in a word and hear it spoken in French. Très fantastique!

PLUS ÇA CHANGE

Seventy years ago, the Nazis conquered France. Since then, the country has changed less than you might think.


Of France's 62 million people, fewer than 5 million are old enough to have any memory of the horrifying weeks in May and June 1940, when the Nazi war machine crushed the country's armed forces, forced them to sign a humiliating surrender, and marched triumphantly into Paris. The blitzkrieg, and the traumatic occupation that began 70 years ago Monday, are rapidly sliding below the horizon of living memory.

That makes it easy to see the France of 1940—which was poor, rural, homogenous, and overall quite religious—as a wholly different place from the wealthy, urbanized, multicultural, and deeply secular France of 2010. They appear, prima facie, to be radically different places. But look closer, and it's easy to see that, 70 years later, France is still very much, well, France.

Read the full article here! http://www.newsweek.com/id/237635

pour loyer!

salut tous ! il y a une chambre disponible en mon appartement de 3 chambres à coucher. c'est 2 blocs de Bedford L arrêt. $1375.

contact me for more information: Sara.Nann@gmail.com

merci!

L'Existence

dramatic (but brilliant!) french short about law school pour tous vous avocats

Free online practice lessons (with video)

Just read about this in the New York Times—seems pretty cool and totally free.

https://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/forstudents/freecourses/french

Se fâcher contre ou se fâcher avec quelqu'un?

Merci de Ségo d'avoir trouvé cette explication:

La tournure « *vous fâchez après moi »appartient au registre de la langue familière.
On aurait dû écrire : J’aimerais savoir pourquoi vous vous fâchez contre moi.

« Se fâcher » au sens de « se mettre en colère contre »
Lorsqu’on utilise le verbe se fâcher au sens de « se mettre en colère contre une personne ou une chose », on doit employer la préposition contre. Il en est de même lorsqu’on utilise la tournure être fâché au sens de « être en colère ».

Ils ont eu raison de se fâcher contre ces gens impolis.
Cet enfant est très fâché contre sa mère.

« Se fâcher » dans le sens de « se brouiller avec quelqu’un »
Cependant, on peut employer la prépositionavec si le verbe se fâcher a le sens de « se brouiller avec une personne ». Il en est de même si l’on emploie la tournure être fâchéau sens de « être brouillé ».

Il s’est fâché avec sa femme et elle l’a quitté.
Depuis qu’elle est fâchée avec son voisin, elle refuse de lui parler.

Source
VILLERS, Marie-Éva de (2003).Multidictionnaire de la langue française, 4eéd., Montréal, Québec/Amérique, xxv-1542 p.

Keep smiling!

Current Student Newsletter

Dear all current (and recent) students -

Please take a moment to review the policies on the Details page of my website here:
http://www.samteachesfrench.com/stf/details.html

Please take special notice to the fact that some policies have recently changed. I now have a cancellation policy for all private lessons (even weekday ones) and have changed how makeup lessons work as well. You are responsible for having read the information on this page, so please take a minute to do so.

SURVEY:
Also, I would also be so appreciative if you could take this very quick (literally 2 minutes or less) survey about SamTeachesFrench. Feedback is so crucial to how I operate - and it's completely anonymous! Even if it's been a month or two since you've been in class, please feel free to fill it out:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Y7PLXVZ

PARIS TRIP:
The deadline to sign up for the Paris trip is tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am. Please let me know if you are thinking about it...
http://www.samteachesfrench.com/stf/paris.html

PRIVATE LESSON SLOTS:
I have a few random weeknight/weekend private lesson slots available over the next few weeks. Contact me if you are interested in seeing which ones are available. I also have plans to have a 3rd space locked down within a couple of weeks and, with 2 new professors, that means there will be a lot of availability in general, especially on weeknights/weekends.

Merci bien à tous et à bientôt-
Sam

Sam Maher
samteachesfrench@gmail.com
www.samteachesfrench.com

SamTeachesFrench Trip to Paris - July 20-27, 2010!
http://www.samteachesfrench.com/stf/paris.html

Explication de: De plus en plus + article...de Ségo!

"de plus en plus" comme expression de quantité appliquée à un nom est facile à comprendre avec "il y a" et est suivi de 'de':

Il y a de plus en plus de soleil, il y a de plus en plus de feuilles dans les arbres, il y a de plus en plus d'eau dans la rivière...

"de plus en plus" comme expression de quantité appliquée à un verbe (le plus souvent relatif à une idée générale) n'est pas suivi de l'article partitif 'de':

Il regarde de plus en plus la télévision.

Certains verbes se prêtent aux 2 emplois, c'est pourquoi on peut dire:

"Ils utilisent de plus en plus les produits surgelés" ou "ils utilisent de plus en plus de produits surgelés". Les deux sont justes si elles sont correctement justifiées et veulent dire quasiment la même chose...

J'espère que c'est plus clair!

"Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec"

http://twitchfilm.net/news/2010/04/four-clips-for-luc-bessons-adele-blanc-sec.php

(The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Dry-White)

"Adèle Blanc-Sec" is based on one of the first stories in a ongoing series by French comic artist Jacques Tardi focused on a cynical novelist turned journalist who faces off crooks, politicians, demo worshippers and mad scientists when a 136 year-old pterodactyl hatches in Paris in 1912.

I dont know much about this other than the clips are in French without subtitles!! Fun!

::: The French Creative Connection ::: Arts et culture française à NYC

Actualité des arts et de la culture a New York, portraits de créatifs et artistes, news et agenda
http://www.frenchcreativeconnection.com/

Neat!

Let's go see a play in NYC completely in French!

Qui voudrait y assister avec moi? Send me an email and we can put a group together!

http://www.pemart.org/la_dame_aux_camelias

Click the link or picture for a cool PowerPoint "game" on French cities! Merci, Christina!

files.me.com/brooklynsam/26c6nu

Next weekend..."only 30 minutes from Manhattan!"

would anyone be interested in going to a french movie festival next weekend? single show tickets are around $11.

http://www.focusonfrenchcinema.com/home2.htm

Je prendre....?

While having lunch in Paris last week, I couldn't help but laugh (a lot) when coming across the fourth entree on this menu....

Pictures from last Saturday's Level 3 class in McCarren Park

Congratulations to these students for staying focused for 3 hours in that beautiful weather!

SuperCool!

French Warship on Last Trip Delivers Books to NYC Students
French Ambassador to Attend Gift Ceremony on Jeanne d’Arc Carrier

New York, March 10, 2010 — The French helicopter carrier Jeanne d’Arc is berthing in New York on March 31 with one last key mission to accomplish before being decommissioned after a 46-year career spanning nearly 1,800,000 nautical miles. It carries a valuable cargo of 2,000 French-language books destined for NYC students. The French books, including dictionaries and textbooks, but also novels and comic books, will be offered to the children participating in the French-English dual-language and French Heritage Language programs, as well as the French after-school classes organized by Education Française à New York (EFNY).

LangLadder.com

I love, love, love what this guy has to say about learning a language and his awesome quick and easy way to work it into everyday web browsing.

Definitely check it out! http://www.langladder.com/

Hôtel de l'Avenir première ce soir!!

Venez à mon nouveau spectacle première ce soir à Under St. Marks en East Village. Ok, English now... these prepositions are killing me:

Hôtel de l'Avenir

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema

Merci, Jim M!

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema
Presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Unifrance
March 11-21, 2010

Single Screening Tickets
$15 General Public
$11 Senior
$9 Member/Student

http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/rendezvous.html

Téléfrançais

We watched the entire Téléfrançais series in French class back in middle school... It didn't seem nearly as disturbing to me back then.

3/8/10 Sam added: Thanks, Nick! I think it's awesome. I've had "Nous nous appelons les squelettes" in my head ALL weekend now.

RFI- Radio France Internationale

RFI site has a section called 'Langue Francaise' where you can read and hear different articles and do simple exercises as well. You can also download the audio parts! very interesting & helpful..Besides, it's FREE!!! :)

Here's the linky-- http://www.rfi.fr/lffr/statiques/accueil_apprendre.asp

Level One Review Questions

Please click here for a PDF of random questions all Level 1 students should be able to ask to others and respond to.

Barbara Streisand was a better Hello Dolly, but Carol Channing speaks French? COOL!

Rendez-Vous With French Cinema

Each year Rendez-Vous introduces a diverse selection of cutting-edge, contemporary French cinema. Films will be screening at the Walter Reade Theater (March 11-21) and the IFC Center (March 12-18) in New York.

Links:

• http://www.ifccenter.com/series/rendez-vous-with-french-cinema-2010/
• http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/rendezvous.html

to want vs. to feel like

In our level one class we were discussing avoir envie de and whether it means "to want" or "to feel like."

Sooo I asked my fiance (a native French speaker) about avoir envie de and he said it does mean "to want."

Avoir UNE envie de means "to feel like."

So "Il a envie d'une moto" makes sense and so does "Avez-vous envie d'un crayon ou d'un stylo."

Here's what he said the difference is:

Je n'ai pas une envie de travailler - I don't feel like working

Je n'ai pas envie de travailler - I don't want to work

A message from Nora Armani to all members of French As A Foreign Language / F.L.E on New York in French!

Chers amis, cheres amies,
Dear Friends (c'est tellement plus simple en anglais...)

Anyway, je continue en anglais car je suis a la recherche de toutes les postes pas seulement des comediens (FLUENCY IN FRENCH a MUST!) mais autres psotes aussi.
Please pass the word around to people you know or do not know...
Here are the details:

La Danse

This movie came out in the US last fall and I am all kinds of in love with it.  Netflix or rent it when you can!  So French!
http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/movies/04danse.html
Check out the clip! http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/459330/La-Danse-The-Paris-Opera-Ballet/trailers

My Little Paris

I wanted to share this cute website I recently came across. You can visit for a dose of what's happening in Paris and can view it in either French or English: My Little Paris

Les Choristes

I just wanted to post a movie recommendation for Les Choristes. I really enjoyed this film and think others might like it as well.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372824/

Flight of the Concords Frenching it up in Williamsburg/Greenpoint!

The first-ever SamTeachesFrench field trip!

I think I want to go to this. Let's do a SamTeachesFrench field trip. Email me if interested!

Saturday, February 13, 7:00 p.m.
Performance
Fragments: A Salon Performance of Excerpts from Racine and Lagarce

With Mina Morova and Holger Staude, recent alumni of L'Avant-Scène, the French theater workshop of Princeton University's Department of French and Italian.
Directed by Florent Masse (Princeton University)
In French.
Reservations: 212-998-8750; maison.francaise@nyu.edu

La Maison Française is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The building re-opens a half-hour before evening programs. All events are open to the public and free of charge unless otherwise indicated.

La Maison Française
16 Washington Mews (corner of University Place)
New York, NY 10003
Tel. 212-998-8750
Email: maison.francaise@nyu.edu
Web: www.nyu.edu/maisonfrancaise

Important information for all current students

http://www.samteachesfrench.com/stf/imptinfo.html

New policies, procedures, suggestions, etc.

L'église française récommandée par Christina, le prof de niveau 4:

L'Eglise Française du Saint-Esprit
111 East 60th Street (entre Park et Lex)
New York, NY 10022
Stesprit@msn.com
212-838-5680

Flashcards specific to SamTeachesFrench

J'ai des bonnes nouvelles!

One of my favorite students, Jay Ellis, has made a wonderful website to help you with practicing vocabulary that is specific to your SamTeachesFrench lessons. The site uses virtual flashcards that help you memorize and get more comfortable with the verbs, nouns, adverbs and groups of expressions (plus more!) that I cover in all levels!

The site is even formatted to look great on your iPhone as it turns it into a virtual stack of electronic flashcards that you can work with while waiting at the doctor's office, riding in a taxi, or just killing time in general.

And whether you have an iPhone or not, you can benefit from having these flaschards on your computer screen so that you can even get away with studying them at work without anyone knowing! Can you think of a better way to spend a boring afternoon at the office than catching up on your French studies?

Studying these "cards" once or twice a week will definitely increase your ease of speaking in class and aid you in remembering the often long lists of vocabulary that I give you to study as homework each week.

OR Use these as a way to stay in shape when you are in-between class sessions!

You can check out the free preview here to get a sense of what it is like:
http://studioiv.com/french/preview/

In this preview version, you can only access three categories and each of those three categories only has a few words in them each, but if you like what you see, you can purchase a password for full access to the entire database (each list is complete based on the Level One and Two/Three/Four textbook)

It's only $20 for unlimited access! You can even pay via Paypal (to samlikesemail@gmail.com) and I will email you a password so that you can immediately log in to the full site. If you prefer to pay by cash or check, just bring it to me at your next class session and I'll give you a password then but email me now if you are going to do that so that I can keep track and remind you in class: samteachesfrench@gmail.com

I'm so excited to move into having more online tools like this one available to make your SamTeachesFrench learning experience even more integrated and comprehensive. Vive le français!

Press Release - Galette Des Rois Party!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Sam Maher

Phone: 917-747-3043

Email: samteachesfrench@gmail.com

Website: www.samteachesfrench.com

FRANCOPHILES TAKE OVER WILLIAMSBURG

“Galette Des Rois” Party Hosted By Entrepreneurial Teacher

French and French-lovers alike will be convening at The Richardson in Williamsburg on Friday, January 22nd from 6:30-8:30pm for the first annual “Galette Des Rois” Party, which is a French tradition celebrating l’Epiphanie (the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem). Taking center stage at the party will be a large pastry-like cake that has a fève (small prize) somewhere inside. Whoever receives the slice of cake containing the trinket will be crowned the Roi or Reine for the evening and has certain privileges unbeknownst to them. Think New Orleans king cake celebrations, but with Kir Royales and Edith Piaf and Serge Gainsbourg crooning in the background.

Weeknight private lesson slots in February and March

Bonjour à tous -

I have over 17 classes a week and they are all on weeknights and weekends, so you can imagine that really only leaves weekday daytimes open for private lessons. However, for the first time in SamTeachesFrench history, I've decided to open up a few weeknight slots in Februrary and March for those of you who only are available during those times. The dates and times that I have available are as follows.

Tuesdays 8-10pm on:
Feb 16
Feb 23
March 2
March 9

and Mondays 8-10pm on:
Jan 25
Feb 1
Feb 8
Feb 15
Feb 22

Also, in case it is an option for anyone, I sometimes have 4-6pm or 4:30-6:30pm time slots open as well on weekdays because my classes don't start until 6 or 6:30pm. I do have many students who take those times on different days each week, but there are usually a couple of days each week where that slot is open. Maybe some of you can get out of work an hour or so early one day a week for a few weeks? Just tell your boss it's for learning French which will be very good for your professional life! :-)

Private lessons are $70 for 2 hours and your 7th lesson is free. The "private lesson package" is $420 for 14 hours of class and the math works out to be the same as this "one-off" plan.

For daytime private lessons, I'm pretty flexible and don't really have a cancellation policy in place because if someone isn't able to make it (even last-minute), I usually have plenty of work to do anyway and don't mind if someone has to reschedule. These weeknight slots, however, are at a premium and very limited so I am requiring that they be paid for in advance. To reserve a specific time, you can email me and then payment can be done either through Paypal (easiest) or you can drop off cash/check one weeknight while I'm teaching at the studio.

I'm sure these spots will go really fast so be sure to let me know ASAP which ones you are interested in booking! As always, please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

A très bientôt, j'espère -
Sam

Sam Maher
samlikesemail@gmail.com
(917) 747-3043
www.samteachesfrench.com

Fun website of exercises!

http://go.hrw.com/activities/frameset.html?main=1401.html

Thanks, Jen R.!

A great place to practice numbers online.

http://french.about.com/library/begin/bl-numbers.htm
(Note that there are "listen" links to practice listening comprehension and pronunciation!)

My student Lindsey sent me this amazing clip from the film "Les Demoiselles de Rochefort":

Claude François

I've never seen dance moves like his, especially when throwing snowballs!

From Mary Beth, a student who begins Level 2 tonight:

I found a companion site to the Interaction textbook that has flash cards and other cool study aids.
http://interaction.heinle.com

Interesting site for French reference

http://www.dudziak.com/verbs.php

George G.

Chocolate and Zucchini

Just found a fun blog called Chocolate and Zucchini. It's written by a Parisian woman named Clotilde and, as you might guess, it focuses mostly on food and recipes for food. Once a week she features a french idomatic expression that has something to do with food and provides translations AND a french audio recording of the expression. For example, "En faire (tout) un flan," is literally translated as "making a whole flan out of it," which means to make a big deal out of something. There are a lot of fun idioms to learn! Here is a link to the archives: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/cat_french_idioms.php

The blog is written in English (made possible by her two years spent living in San Francisco learning English) but Coltilde also maintains a French version at http://chocolateandzucchini.com/vf/. Looks like comparing the French version of the site to the English would be a great way to learn more French if you have the time!

Big announcement: Level 4 Class!

Bonjour à tous -

I have some very exciting news: For the first time ever, I am offering a Level 4 class! It will be on Mondays from 6-8pm, from December 14 - February 22 here at my Williamsburg classroom on Graham Avenue and Ainslie Street. I have hired Christina Rufin, a professor who is a native speaker to teach the class, but we will be designing the curriculum together. Christina is one of my former professors from the New School and actually taught the Level 4 class that I was in (as a student, myself) several years ago. She is an incredible teacher who is really good at helping students make sense of the really difficult topics of Intermediate-level French.

The topics that will be covered in the class are:

BAMcinématek

New French Films

Sa-weeet French language site!

Hi all. Please forgive this all-English post but I am a bit too excited about a web site that I've found to explain it in French. You HAVE to check out http://ielanguages.com/, especially the French phonetics tutorial! (http://ielanguages.com/frenchphonetics.html) The author also does a really good job of comparing French to Spanish and Italian.

I had been looking words up in my dictionary and copying down the phonetic spellings for a few weeks now but was still having issues with a lot of the vowel sounds because phonetic spellings of vowels are, well, pretty tricky in any language. Since finding this site though I think I might have a chance at getting those pronunciations right! The tutorial goes over every single French vowel sound side-by-side with its phonetic spelling, along with a native French speaker saying the sounds. Incroyable! Check it out.

And if it helps you to know how those vowel sounds are made in your mouth (backness, roundedness, nasalization, etc.), I've found that the Wikipedia page on vowels is pretty useful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel. Click on the IPA vowel chart, which contains links to a recording of every sound. It's a bit annoying that you have to download first if you're on a Mac to hear anything but it might be worth it to possibly learn these sounds correctly. Some day!

I've been seeking out french music and thought I'd share one of my favorite artists that I've found so far (although technically she's French-Canadian...from Montreal).

French radio station:: funky music

http://www.novalegrandmix.com/
J'écoute cette radio française et j'aime elle beaucoup!

Ce que j’ai fait hier.

Je me suis réveillée à six heures.
J’ai donné aux chiens leur petit déjeuner.
Je me suis habillée.
J’ai pris le métro pour aller au travail à neuf heures.
J’ai dessiné des vêtements pour les chiens sur mon ordinateur.
J’ai mangé mon déjeuner à ma table.
J’ai pris le métro à la maison à six heures.
J’ai acheté les ingredients pour le dîner à C-Town.
J’ai donné à mes chiens le dîner.
J’ai fait le dîner pour moi et mon mari.
J’ai étudié le français en écoutant de la musique.
J’ai dansé pendant que mon mari a joué du banjo.
On s'est couché à douze heures.

Amy

I can't resist posting this. I mean, how cute can you get?

French Audio Dictionaries

Hello everyone,

I've found some online French audio dictionaries which have been a great help to me so far, and may be for you as well. All of them seem to be pronounced by native speakers (or a very good facsimile of one).

http://french.about.com/library/pronunciation/bl-audiodico.htm

http://french.about.com/

- This one seems to be a collection of around 2,500 words, sorted alphabetically. The root page is listed below, and this has various other resources attached to it.

http://www.audiofrench.com/index.html

- This is sorted in to many groups. Within Vocabulary List, there is a subset of several other lists sorted by category. Also, verbs and several other useful phrase categories.

http://forvo.com/languages/fr/

- Lastly, this is forvo.com which is a great resource for pronouncing pretty much anything. I've linked directly to French which has 11,000+ pronunciations, although some of those may be redundant, with different accents pronouncing the same word. Either way, I've found this to be very helpful.

I hope these are of use to everyone.

Alek

A lengthy explanation on the choice of articles in French...

NOTE: Use this "guide" to help make visual sense of the written explanation below:

files.me.com/brooklynsam/o386u1

In French, all nouns require an article. There are the three major types of articles: indefinite, definite, and partitive.

Indefinite articles (un/une/des) work exactly the same way as "a" or "some" in English. They are used to describe something non-specific.
"I need a book to bear down on."
"Is there a bakery near here?"

Un site très utile pour la conjugaison des verbes

www.wordreference.com

Camille...Mon chanteur préferé

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yE12-7E51w&feature=related

Le Week-End Dernière

Le week-end dernière, Je suis alleé à Boston. Je suis restée avec ma cousine, Rachel. Elle est étudiante à Boston University. Samedi nous avons pris le petit déjeuner. Nous avons marché autour de la ville. Nous sommes retournées chez-elle ce soir. Nous avons feté son anniversaire de 21 ans. Nous sommes allées à beaucoup de bars et nous avons bu beaucoup de bières. Nous avons dansé et chanté tout le soir. Dimanche je me suis levée et j'ai eu la gueule de bois. Je suis retourné à New York.

Passé Composé Help!

Bonjour!

I just wanted to let you know that there is something that I have found for extra help with the passé composé [and many other lessons as well]. It's a pod cast called Coffee Break French. I am an avid listener of the pod cast and find it to be a very useful tool after having class with Sam. It's great for listening on the subway for a refresher of what Sam covers in class. The passe compose is covered over lesson 53-58 outlined below (CBF calls it the Perfect Tense but it is the same thing). The Imperfect tense starts at lesson 62.

Lesson 53- Passe Compose with Avoir and ER verbs
Lesson 54- Passe Compose with Avoir and RE and IR verbs
Lesson 55- Passe Compose with Avoir and Irregular verbs.
Lesson 56- Passe Compose with Etre- Intro with Aller
Lesson 57- Passe Compose with Etre
Lesson 58- Passe Compose with Etre and Reflexive verbs

Jeu: Cherchez un coloc en France!

Je vous encourage de jouer sur ce site web!
http://colocation.letudiant.fr/

Prétendez que vous cherchez un coloc comme l'exercice que je vous donne en fin du Chapitre 2 (niveau 2). Les vraies annonces sont plutôt bonnes parce qu'elles sont réelles avec beaucoup d'argot et de langue familière.

C'est cool, non?

A great book/cd for my students to do some additional practice!

I purchased this the other day at Barnes and Noble and really like what I'm seeing so far. The $17 version comes with a CD with an mp3 voice recording of every text in the book to practice pronunciation, which you all know I feel is crucial. I'd definitely recommend checking it out! P/S These texts are perfect for transcribing, which is never a bad idea as it forces you to really look closely at each word and study each sentence carefully.









Click here for the Barnes and Noble direct link!

Devoir: qu'est-ce que vous avez fait hier?

Ecrivez une courte (mais au moins de 3 paragraphes) déscription de ce que vous avez fait hier. Répondez dans la section de "commentaires" de cet article. Je vais le corriger et vous allez pouvoir le rajouter.

La vie en banlieue

comme vu dans le film "La Haine"
WARNING: There is graphic violence in some parts of this music video.

De la poésie magnétique du cours de niveau 3!

-Morgan F.
















-Sarah B.
















-Laura H.
















-Sam M.

Click here for technology vocabulary flashcards!

Pictures from the Smith Street (Brooklyn) Bastille Day 2009 celebrations!

Dictionary Purchasing Information

All of my students will need a small, pocket-sized French-English dictionary. Save the money you would spend on a nicer, larger one for a little bit down the line in your French-learning career. At this point, you shouldn't spend more than $15 dollars for a nice, solid dictionary that will definitely get you through your first year or so of your French career.

My favorite brand is "Le Robert & Collins" because those are the two definitive dictionary providers for each language. As they work together, they produce a great translation dictionary. It looks like this:













However, it is not always easy to find in the US, even online, and when it is available, it costs more (around $30) because it is imported. If you can find that specific brand combo for a reasonable price, great.

Otherwise, just purchase the Collins brand at any Barnes & Noble.

I have a feeling that the Collins editions available in the US have the same entries as the one I mentioned earlier.

In general, though, any dictionary will do. However, try to avoid brands that aren't either English or French! Lagenscheit, for example, makes really cool looking dictionaries (yellow plastic cover), but they are the result of a German person translating something from English to French or vice versa...not a good idea!

Great English and French brands are: Larousse, Webster, and Oxford.

Level 2 students will also want to invest in a Verb Conjugation book. Ask me for details.