19 août 2012. Trois mois plus tard!

Having been engrossed in the London Olympics, I could not help thinking of country names and their gender in French. Gender puts a lot of people off studying further but it shouldn't.There has already been a post about this in the blog, probably more than one. Sometimes, students forgive me and the rest of my nation  for items  to be "feminin" or "masculin" but giving a gender to countries is taking things a little bit too far!! Then comes the usual question "Is it really that important?" Yes, yes, yes, is the answer. Because only if you know the country's gender will you be able to say correctly you come from there, you are going there, etc.

So why would Italy be feminine and Portugal masculine? That is not the question! To make things easier, let's just say almost all countries finishing with an e are feminine. Of course there are exceptions: le Mexique being the hot favorite. Other countries are masculine.

When we mention any country, you have got to use le, la, les or l' in front of them.
ex: Italy is wonderful. L'Italie est magnifique.

When you want to say "in" or "to". (I am in/I am going to...)
ex: Je suis/ vais au Canada (masculine starting with a consonant)
      Je vais en Azerbaijan.(masculine starting with a vowel)
      Je vais en Espagne (feminine)
      Je vais aux Etats Unis (plural)

When you want to say "from":

Ex: Je viend du Canada (masculine starting with a consonant)
      Je viend d' Azerbaijan.(masculine starting with a vowel)
      Je viens d'Espagne (feminine)
      Je viend des Etats Unis (plural)


On this link, you will get more explanation on gender and "to" and "from".

On this link, you will find a list of countries , French into English and English into French.

Quiz yourself !

When else do we need to know the gender of a country? When we talk about it with an indefinite article (a or an)!!!

"Voulez-vous une France qui travaille ou une France qui sombre dans la récession ?" 
 Do you want a France that works or a France that sinks into recession?

And when you need to use an adjective to describe it:
"Douce France de mon enfance"
"Gentle France of my childhood" 
This calls for a song: Douce France (Charles Trénet)

So , yes , I think the gender of countries is important!!!

Abbayes, basiliques, cathédrales, édifices religieux...

Today is yet another Bank Holiday in France, l'Ascension. As many Bank Holidays it is a religious feast. This gives me the opportunity to introduce just a few of the many religious buildings, some famous, some less notorious, some grand, some more humble! De Gaulle said "How can you govern a country with as many cheeses as days in the year?". I think it is probably the same with les "édifices religieux"!

Cathedrale De  Metz.

Click here for the best of French religious buildings:
Les plus beaus edifices religieux de France.
and then try to visit each with their own links and webcams with some spiritual music ( musique sacrée) maybe!
La cathédrale de Rouen.
Notre Dame de Paris
Sacre Coeur

Basilique de Vezelay.

Elections présidentielles 2012.

It would be difficult to visit France or follow the French media without noticing the frantic going-ons of  "la campagne électorale".A few days ago, it was the "official" start and countdown when campaigning has become more restricted  to be fair to all but it has been going on for a while now!
I am not a wizard at French politics but just wanted to introduce a few basics, more details will be available on the links.
The French president used to be elected for 7 years (that period was called le "septennat").Since 2000, the period has been shortened to 5 years (le quinquennat) and this took effect in 2002. Nicolas Sarkozy, the present president is running for a second term which will/would be his final.
Le Président de la République Française (formal title) lives/works at l'Elysée which is a fine building discreetly tucked away near the Champs Elysées.
To come back to the campaign, it basically happens it two stages (le premier/le deuxième tour) if the first go wasn't satisfactory with a clear winner (50% of votes plus one). Elections always take place on a Sunday , the 2nd round always a fortnight after the first. This year, the dates are April 22nd and May 6th. On the second "tour" ,voters will be asked to choose between the 2 higher scorers of the first "tour" (there are 10 candidates at the moment).
 "L'affichage sauvage" (wild posters) was abolished with the restricted areas specifically designed for that purpose. Aesthetic/environmental purposes but also again to be fair.


One big controversy this year will be the announcement of "les résultats"! The results should be officially given at 20 heures (8:00PM) and it is illegal to broadcast them before that! But social networks (les réseaux sociaux) and news websites are looking for ways around the rule to be able to broadcast them well before that. Some say that old (very old ) rules can't be applied to new media!  We'll see what happens. ("On verra!") Hefty fines have been mentioned.
So, these are the basics. The soap opera unfolds every day on the news. And "que le meilleur gagne!" (let the best man /woman win!)
BBC Elections
France 24 Elections
Quiz on French presidents in French.
Another quiz in French.
Quiz in English.
Fun photo quiz.

Le 21 Mars 2012.

C'est le printemps! Les beaux jours arrivent! The beautiful days return!
Am I the only one to be a little confused about the start of the seasons? 20th 21st or23rd of March? Either way, spring is here and I started a little spring cleaning in my blog. I apologise if some links do not open any more.It will take time to spruce things up. To come back to spring, I thought I would include a few classics from a variety of registers.

Au printemps, Jacques Brel. Song with English subtitles.

C'est le printemps. Léo Ferré. Sorry no subtitles.

Y a le printemps qui chante! Claude François.Popular singer from the 70s!!!

C'est le printemps! Henri Dès. Children song!

Le printemps. Theophile Gauthier.  Classic poem learnt at school. With translation and audio.

A whole collection of springtime poems.
Example:

Une histoire à suivre

Après tout ce blanc vient le vert,
Le printemps vient après l'hiver.
Après le grand froid le soleil,
Après la neige vient le nid,
Après le noir vient le réveil,
L'histoire n'est jamais finie.

Après tout ce blanc vient le vert,
Le printemps vient après l'hiver,
Et après la pluie le beau temps.

Claude ROY - Farandoles et fariboles

Even if it feels warm at times, two particular sayings remind me that it is early days yet...

L'hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps. A swallow doesn't make it spring!

En avril ne te défais pas d'un fil, 

En mai fais ce qu'il te plaît! 

Do not remove one thread in April, do as you wish in May! 

The big come back...Tintin est de retour!

Just like me after a few weeks absence, Tintin is making a comeback! "Tintin est de retour". This sounds like a title for a sequel. I heard that Spielberg hadn't heard of him until somebody compared his Indiana Jones to an older Tintin, which made him do some research!I really find this hard to believe but what does it matter how he discovered him? I am really excited by the idea of Tintin being revamped by technology but staying true to his identity and the thought that millions of younger people finding out who he is.
I remember some attempts of cinematographic versions in the past, cartoon and real life and none could really recreate the colourful and energetic advenutres of the young reporter. It is often forgotten that Tintin was a reporter and not a crime solver!
Tintin is only one of the many heroes of "la BD" in the francophone world. La BD (La bande dessinée=cartoon strips) is a very popular art form and the heroes and titles are endless, some directed to kids, some to teenagers, adults and some suitable for the whole family. Astérix (by Uderzo and Goscinny) and Gaston Lagaffe (by Franquin) , for example are household names and worth the detour!It is a massive industry with new comers and new genres crowding the shops bookshelves.Next time you go to France, see the choice in any supermarket or bookshop...

A rough guide to Tintin.
The new film trailer.
A old Tintin cartoon.

Asterix: the official website. Check out the encyclopedia for background info.
Asterix: a film trailer which explains the story.

Gaston Lagaffe: official website.
Info in English.
A short video.

To come back to Tintin, his "father" Hergé (his intials are RG) is probably with Jacques Brel and Georges Simenon (Maigret books) national heroes of their native Belgium.

Le cancre. Jacques Prévert.

You either love or hate Prévert! On this grey September week, seeing children starting school made me think of some of his poems, Le cancre (The dunce) in particular: 

                     Le cancre

Il dit non avec la tête
Mais il dit oui avec le coeur
Il dit oui à ce qu'il aime
Il dit non au professeur
Il est debout
On le questionne
Et tous les problèmes sont posés
Soudain le fou rire le prend
Et il efface tout
Les chiffres et les mots
Les dates et les noms
Les phrases et les pièges
Et malgré les menaces du maître
Sous les huées des enfants prodiges
Avec des craies de toutes les couleurs
Sur le tableau noir du malheur
Il dessine le visage du bonheur.

 

Un bonnet d'âne
(a donkey's hat)
for the dunce,
picture that is thankfully
outdated now...


You can listen to an audio of this poem, with a slight french Canadian accent and read an approximate translation.
Now you have heard it, read it and understand it, here is a video A video to watch absolutely!

On the same topic of school, Prévert wrote En sortant de l'école.
Sung version.
Translation and some more French poems learnt at school.

And to finish, another one of my favourites, Page d'écriture. (Writing exercise-page of writing) sung by Yves Montand.

C'est la rentrée!



The holidays are not quite over yet but French TV and supermarkets are getting very excited about la "rentrée"(start of school). You should say "la rentrée scolaire", but everybody knows what you are talking about! Every French family has part of the summer holiday set aside to prepare for it. Children have a very precise list of stationary items to purchase, including quite large satchels even in primary schools.
Of course, there are no uniforms or dress code (see the kids in shorts and fli flops on the video)... but the stationary shopping list can be a nightmare (thickness of pencils, type of lines on paper, size and colour of folders, etc...), teachers are quite specific and parents stressed out! The price of a typical satchel and content is newsworthy. Luckily parents can receive a lump sum for their child who goes to school ( enfant scolarisé)!

La rentrée is a much more "celebrated" event... You can hear and read Bonne rentrée! (happy return to school!) in the media.The price of la rentrée, the new timetables, the state of the school buildings, everything is under scrutiny and a topic for conversation.

"Here in France, early September is known as la rentrée, and it’s a Big Deal. It’s when everything picks up again after the two month break that is summer holiday season – and as the French like to holiday en masse in July and August, it makes it well nigh impossible to get anything done until September. So now we’re all getting back to work, the children are going back to school with smart hair cuts, shiny shoes and new satchels, and with the holidaymakers gone, now is as good a time as any to ..."(extract from The Languedoc Review)

It is difficult to describe  a typical school week as it differs from areas to areas, even to town to town. Each school seems to follow another pattern. Traditionaly, children would be off on Wednesdays and Saturdays in primary school but go to school on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in secondary school. The school day is much longer than in the UK as it starts much earlier and there up to 2 hours lunch breaks (of course!). But there have been trials all over the country trying to find more children and family friendly hours and "emploi du temps" (time table).

French educational system explained.
Typical school day.
Rentrée des 6eme.