FrenchPod101.com Blog

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference: If you're reading a trashy French magazine, then you're reading "un torchon", which is also the word for "a dish cloth".  You want to say you know what is going on throughout the world? Then say "Je suis au courant", "I am current with the news". When TV disappoints us, "Mon émission préférée ne passe plus.", "My favorite TV show is not on anymore." An easy one : "un site internet" is "a website"..."Ce site internet est incontournable.", "This website is a must see." Hey couch potatoes! A word for... Show more

SAVE 15% OFF! Back to School Special is Back for 2 days! Save 15% OFF Any Basic or premium subscription! Introduction Save an INSTANT 15% OFF Any Basic or Premium Subscription! Back to School Special is here for 48 hours only! Claim your discount now. Secets to Learning French Secrets to learning French REVEALED! Best Lessons and Blog Entries for September! - Find out what's popular this month! The blog has some great content for you to see. Welcome to the FrenchPod101.com newsletter. These periodic newsletters will deliver to you all the exciting developments that are going on at FrenchPod101.com. With each issue, you will receive the latest announcements, promotional offers, blog news, and forum news,... Show more

Have you ever heard of the word l'argot? You might have heard of it as being the French slang. Well, it is true to some extent. But there is more to l'argot than just being slang.  Today we'll introduce you to one argot French word. But before we do, let's talk about what l'argot really is. The initial meaning appeared in the XVIIth century in France to generally designate professional thieves, beggars and  bohemians.  This group of people was literally called l'argot. The word evolved to later designate the language used by this group of people. Just like any social group, they would use a vocabulary that would only exist among themselves. Now, having their own language not only identified each other as a group, it also allowed... Show more

A l'abordage! Aboard! Or, as Captain Hook says : "To the ship!" For the first time in France, the very young Parti pirate de France (Pirate Party of France) will present a candidate for a legislative election. On September 20th, Maxime Rouquet, 23 years old, will run for deputy in the Yvelines' 10th circumscription's election, in the hopes of being seated in the National Assembly among the experienced veterans of the political profession. Now, what is the French Pirate Party? Should we be worried? Should we watch our river banks? Should we avoid the Mediterranean coast? No, no, no, there is no such thing as boat looting on the coasts of the country that established human rights. As you might have guessed, the Parti pirate de France... Show more

Here is a post for our advanced students. It is going to be in French only. If you feel like you need a translation, please leave a comment and we'll fix that! Voici un article pour nos étudiants avancés. Ou plutôt…voici un jeu pour nos nos étudiants avancés!   Vous avez déjà certainement entendu parler du Logo Rallye. Non? Là, vous vous dites: mais qu’est-ce qu’elle raconte? Le Logo Rallye est un jeu littéraire inventé par le mouvement de l’OuLiPo – Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle. Et là vous vous dites: L’Ouli-quoi?? Commençons donc par le commencement. En 1960, Raymond Queneau, poète et écrivain français, fonde avec François Le Lyonnais, un mathématicien, français lui aussi, l’Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle. Ce groupe... Show more

Our $10,100 contest came to an end on August 31st, and the winners were announced! The contest was such an overwhelming success... we feel everyone should be rewarded. :) In total, almost 30,000 people participated! 160 won FREE subscriptions, but we were so happy with the turnout, we wanted to do something extra. So... here is a special coupon to say "Thank you!" Save 25% OFF any Basic or Premium subscription with coupon code: CONTEST2009 Get an INSTANT 25% OFF by clicking here if you're a member or click here to sign up with the discount. Again, it's our way of saying thank you. Were you one of the 160 Winners? Find... Show more

Today, August 31st 2009, is the final day to enter to WIN! 1. Last Chance to Enter $10,100 Contest! There are less than 24 hours to get your chance to win! Our $10,100 Summer Giveaway, is almost over! We are giving away many, many, MANY free subscriptions - $10,100 worth of FREE Premium and 101 Basic subscriptions to be exact! And entering is a piece of cake! You can enter in FrenchPod101.com's $10,100 Giveaway, by doing one or ALL of the following: Follow FrenchPod101.com on Twitter Become a fan of FrenchPod101.com on Facebook Subscribe to FrenchPod101.com's YouTube channel Sign up on ALL 3 for three chances to win - and remember we have TEN sites. Think BIG! If you sign up at all of them, that's a total of 30 chances... Show more

Our idiom today is: "Il n’y a pas le feu au lac" "No need to rush"   Growing up in Southern France I would hear that idiom a lot. Why Southern France? Because that’s where things go slowly. That’s where the turtle is considered one of the fastest animals…that’s where you take the time to enjoy every minute of your free time while doing pretty much nothing. That’s where impatient Parisians are driven crazy.   See? I am from Southern France and it takes me forever to get to the point here!   But wait…What does “Il n’y pas le feu au lac” mean exactly?   It literally means “The lake is not on fire”, which I find to be a very clever way to say “No need to rush”. Don’t you think it’s clever? I wonder who came up with that one.... Show more

French style, French idioms, French theatre, French fries, French politics, French chauvinism, French cinéma, French language, French strikes, French hair products, French news, French Antiques... There will be French. 1 post a week on the FrenchPod101.com blog is how we'll start it. 1 post a week, donc. Some will deal with linguistic matters, some will discuss your future trip to France, some will let you  know about French events, some will share anecdotes à la française, some will fill up your bookshelf with new literature... Oh, that's right: who am I? I am Virginie. And oh yes I am French. I am the one who says But of course! and Sacrebleu!. I am the French Ambassador to FrenchPod101.com. But...who are you? Well... Show more