Clik here to view.
The sneakiest word in the French language
It is the secret agent of the French language. Car il passe souvent inaperçu. It is only two letters long, and most of the time isn’t even pronounced. Yet it changes everything. Have you guessed? Ne....
View ArticleClik here to view.
The coolest word in the French language
It slips into phrases like an uninvited guest, crashing the party yet instantly finding its place. A single letter long, it belongs to a very elite group indeed – one of the two shortest French words....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Petit nègre
This note turned up in our mailbox last week, along with the usual jumble of ads from takeaways and real estate agents. (The latter despite the ‘pas de publicité’ injunction displayed loud and clear...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Chez le coiffeur
There are almost as many beauty parlors in France as there are bakeries. Which says something about where the French have their priorities. At this time of year, an appointment chez le coiffeur is a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sauf exception
The first time I heard the expression ‘sauf exception’ I was sure it was a mistake. Except for exceptions? It sounded like the invention of a bureaucrat somewhere in an ivory tower, a grammatically...
View Article
