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Archive for the 'French Culture' Category

How to Say I Love You in French – Romantic Word List

Do you often feel lonely and sad? Do you long for romance and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet that special person? Speaking another language could revolutionize your love life! So, why wait? Learning how to say ‘love’ in French could be just what you need to find it. Or perhaps you were lucky, and have found your French partner already. Fantastic! Yet, a cross-cultural relationship comes with unique challenges. Learning how to speak your lover’s language will greatly improve your communication and enhance the relationship. At FrenchPod101, our team will teach you all the words, quotes and phrases you need to woo your French lover with excellence! Our tutors provide personal assistance, with plenty of extra material available... Show more

La Chandeleur: How to Celebrate Candlemas in France

Learning about French holidays is an excellent way to gaze at the country’s culture from a viewpoint you otherwise wouldn’t. La Chandeleur is no different, providing you with a lot of great history to study and ponder. La Chandeleur or “Candlemas” is a French religious holiday, known for the delicious crepes the French make to celebrate. In fact, it’s often called Crêpe Day! As with many holidays in France and worldwide, La Chandeleur lost its religious meaning over time. Originally a day to worship the god Pan, and later Jesus Christ, most French today use Candlemas as a day of fun and good French food. While the religious meaning is pretty much looked over today, many Candlemas traditions in France remain. Find out more... Show more

How to Celebrate April Fools’ Day in French

Most everyone is familiar with this day, as it is celebrated nearly everywhere the world. Yet, when exactly is April Fools’ Day? And where did April Fools come from? April Fools’ Day is observed on April 1st every year. This day of jokes and pranks is believed to have stemmed from the 16th-century calendar change in France, when New Year’s Day was moved from April 1 to January 1. This action was taken due to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar. However, a few people were resistant to the calendar change, so they continued to observe New Year’s Day on April 1st, rather than the new date. They were referred to as the “April Fools”, and others started playing mocking tricks on them. This custom endured, and is practiced to this day... Show more

How to Say Happy New Year in French & New Year Wishes

Learn all the French New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join FrenchPod101 for a special French New Year celebration! Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated. So, how do you say Happy New Year in... Show more

How to Say ‘Merry Christmas’ in French

Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in French? FrenchPod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of French Christmas phrases! Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native French speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas phrases... Show more

How to Start Thinking in French

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Going through lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of , but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in . This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons. We naturally translate in our heads because it's viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you're learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object... Show more

To Do or not to Do on the Beach in France

Learn some French basic phrases to fully enjoy your holidays in France! Voilà l’été! Ok, not yet…We are only in June but the months of July and August are highly awaited by many, because it is vacation time! Do French people like to go to the beach? Many people take their summer vacations so they can go to the beach. French people usually spend a weekend or even as long as three weeks at the beach. So if I wanted to go to the beach in France, where should I go? The most fashionable beaches are on the: English Channel: Cherbourg, Honfleur… Atlantic ocean: Biarritz, Saint Jean du luz… Mediterranean sea: Cannes, Nice, Marseilles… These are the main sea resorts in France, and the destination usually depends on... Show more

6 Reasons to Learn a Language Before You Travel

There are plenty of destinations where you can get by with English, but sometimes you want to do better than just ‘get by’. Here are 6 reasons you should learn the basics of the language of your next trip destination. 1. You will be able to discover your destination better than other tourists. Getting by is one thing, but actually experiencing a trip abroad is quite another. No amount of guidebooks and online research can compensate for a basic lack of language ability. Speaking the language of your destination permits you to explore that destination beyond the regular tourist traps. Your language skills will not only allow you to dig into all the hidden gems of your destination, but they will also allow you to mingle with the... Show more

5 Tips To Motivate Yourself While Learning A Second Language

1. Schedule your time. One of the most important factors in keeping your motivation up is developing it into a habit. Whether it be 20 minutes or 3 hours, schedule time to study every day and stick to it. Regular exposure solidifies what you learn and keeps you progressing. To make sure you stick to your routine, a great idea is to build a schedule for your day and decide that every day/Monday/weekend, you study from 6pm to 8pm. Just remember that 30 minutes a day, every day, is better than a binge 8-hour study session at the end of the week (though it’s obviously better than nothing). 2. Learn a word a day with our great Word of the Day learning tool. Trying to learn everything at once and getting overwhelmed by the sheer number... Show more

10 Days of Epic French Holiday Deals Start December 10th

Hello Listener, While people were out getting TVs and DVDs... Our listeners were getting better, faster, stronger in French instead. Black Friday and Cyber Monday were prime time for language learning.. But if you missed out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at FrenchPod101, then good news! The holiday season is fast approaching which means two things: one, wear a sweater and two... The FrenchPod101 Holiday Countdown Begins December 10th. Serious about mastering French in 2013? Join the Holiday Countdown as we count down the holiday season with 10 days of the 10 BIGGEST deals on French Apps, Audiobooks, Software Subscriptions, and much much more. How big? Try 53% OFF Premium! 55% OFF Basic! 50% OFF Apps and more! ... Show more