Living The French Lifestyle

Learn the French Language – Great Ways of Learning French Instantly

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:22:52 +0000

The most important question to learning French Language is why you want to learn it in the first place. Most people learn French to communicate and understand the culture, for business and careers, language enhancement and most interestingly enhance their romance, after all the French are romantic!

The trick to learning the French language or learning anything at all is the learner has to have the interest and commitment to learn. As it is with any other language, the best way to learn French is to be immersed in it, live in France or a French speaking country possible for a year if possible. But for those who can’t get immersed in France, the way forward is to learn and practice, the two go hand in hand.

In learning the French language, first take a French class, one that is affordable to you, if possible spend some time in a French speaking country. Alternatively, find and enroll for online classes and then choose what category you fall under; whether beginner, intermediary and advance. Learning the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation is important for any beginner. Listen to the language, to get the pronunciation right and accent; Then Read it and read as much material and widely as possible; from then on learn to write it and finally speak it.

Learning French shouldn’t be such an enormous task, enjoy every aspect of the language have fun with it and you will be speaking French in no time. The order in which you learn differs from every individual, and also the speed you learn. A child has the ability to learn much quicker than an adult and what is important to learn for an adult is different from a child.

There are 28 French speaking countries in five continents. French and English languages are global languages spoken in world bodies such as the United Nations, International Red Cross and International Olympic Committee. So if you haven’t started learning French language this should be a one of the reasons to.

J. Francois is a distinguished French Teacher and currently started moderates the popular Learn French Language online site.

Author: Jacque Francois
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Learn the French Language – Great Ways of Learning French Instantly is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

Learn to Speak French Fluently – You Need to Hear French People

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:22:45 +0000

If you want to learn to speak French fluently there is only so much you can get from books. Books are great for the nitty-gritty of a language, and I wouldn’t be without a good English to French dictionary, but a language is a series of sounds so it makes sense that to learn it well you need to hear it.

Modern French language lessons on CD, MP3 or podcast are a huge step forward. They are much more entertaining and involving than your average French text book and it’s very likely you will enjoy them more. It stands to reason then, that if you’re having a good time you learn French quickly.

You can search for free French lessons online and you’ll find a variety of sound files. Some good, some not so good. Some have been around it seems for ever and it can be frustrating to find that they are in a format that isn’t compatible anymore. Don’t complain too much though, you’re looking for free so you’ve got to expect it to take a while to find the good stuff.

If you want to short-cut the process and learn to speak French fluently in the shortest possible time you will want to consider French CDs that you have to pay for. You will find you have a huge choice, from those that are a few dollars to those that are in the hundreds. Mostly it’s a question of getting what you pay for. The cheap ones tend to be OK for beginners and are often aimed at children. For more advanced learning you are going to have to pay more money.

When making your choice, try and make sure you get sound files that are spoken by French people. No matter how fluent you get, or the teacher is, if you’re not actually French your accent will be different. If you are English you must accept that you will never be mistaken for a French person – just like you would instantly recognize a French person by their accent even if their English was excellent. You just know. That’s not actually important. What’s important is that you try to learn the French accented language, not the accent that someone has if they come from another country.

If you find free French lessons online that are of an acceptable standard you don’t need to be so fussy – but if you are paying for lessons, it makes sense to pay for a French person to teach you!

You can’t learn to speak French fluently in an afternoon, or a week, but the more you practice the faster you get. Your ear gets accustomed to your new language. Luckily it’s no longer the chore it used to be, pouring over old text books. Modern language systems make learning French fun and you’ll be fluent in no time!

Get free French lessons whatever your level plus all kinds of other useful French info at Frenchlife4real.com. I’m an English ex-pat living and working here so I can probably help answer your questions. If you can’t find what you need at the blog, ask me!

Author: Frank English
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Learn to Speak French Fluently – You Need to Hear French People is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:22:43 +0000

Burgundy, like Bordeaux is a classic wine region of France. The name of the region in French is Bourgogne, and it’s the name you can see on wine’s labels of that region.

Burgundy is made out of three grape varieties which are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay. While Gamay is a juicy and fruity grape, Pinot noir is very hard to grow and can be pretty unpredictable as well. If grown and produced right, though, it will give an excellent wine, and Burgundy wine makers seem to be very successful in making excellent reds with Pinot Noir.

Beaujolais wine, sometimes mistakenly thought to be a rhne Valley wine, is in fact a Burgundy. While some Burgundy wines made of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can be very expensive, Beaujolais, made of Gamay is more affordable. Gamay is a very juicy and fruity grape easier to grow and to transform into wine.

Burgundy is a very different wine region form Bordeaux, and when it comes to vineyards and producers it can be much more confusing since several producers can own the same vineyard, and one the other hand, different vineyards can belong to the same producer. This is the reason why, when it comes to Burgundy wine, the producer makes most of the difference in the taste and quality. A very good example of this is Beaujolais which is a totally different wine from one producer to another. When it comes to Beaujolais, knowing the producers will help you a great deal in making the right choice.

I am fortunate enough to know of a couple of the best Beaujolais producers whose most vineyards belong to Morgon and Fleurie, but if you don’t know any, you can still get by with some good Beaujolais wines areas such as Chiroubles, Fleurie, Morgon and Moulin–vent which all make some distinct yet great Beaujolais wines.

Chardonnay is the only white wine of Burgundy which is one of the easiest to grow in this region; however, the demand is not nearly as high as for the red, which brings the price of white Burgundy wine pretty high.

Want to discover more about wine making? We are making wine since the dawn of times and we are getting better and better at it.

Find the best of the best when it comes to wine here => http://www.squidoo.com/French-Wine-Wines-Of-Taste

Author: Regine Marne
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French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:22:43 +0000

Burgundy, like Bordeaux is a classic wine region of France. The name of the region in French is Bourgogne, and it’s the name you can see on wine’s labels of that region.

Want to discover more about wine making? We are making wine since the dawn of times and we are getting better and better at it.

Find the best of the best when it comes to wine here => http://www.squidoo.com/French-Wine-Wines-Of-Taste

Author: Regine Marne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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French Red Wines – Burgundy – What You Should Know About It is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

Travel to France in Style on a Cross Channel Ferry

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:40:58 +0000

Although family holidays are intended to provide an enjoying and relaxing time for all, that’s rarely the case 100% of the time, and while families have been enjoying self-drive holidays to France for decades, there’s nothing quite as stressful as a car full of hot, restless kids who can’t wait to get down to the business of having fun!

When planning a self drive holiday to the European continent the first ferry route that springs to mind is Dover to Calais, and while this is the shortest (and often cheapest) option, it’s not always the best or most economical.

Firstly it’s worth noting that unless you’re starting off from the South-East of England then a Dover to Calais crossing is probably going to require you to negotiate the roads around London, including the notorious M25 – a less than ideal start to what is supposed to be an enjoyable and relaxing holiday!

The ever increasing price of fuel should also be taken into consideration – in many cases a longer ferry crossing can make financial sense too. Depending on your final holiday destination the total cost of travel for a short ferry journey and longer driving miles can be comparable to an overnight ferry crossing with less driving required once over the channel. This is especially true if you’re planning a trip to Brittany, the Vendee or the Dordogne.

Naturally the added bonus of selecting a longer ferry crossing is that it allows you to spend less time driving and more quality time with your family, plus a longer ferry crossing can make for more of an adventure for the kids. While the Eurotunnel is fast and convenient, ferries hail from a time when the world felt like a bigger place and the pace of life was a little more relaxed.

So, what are your options for alternative ferry routes? Many people find that if starting out from the West of England that Portsmouth is a far more convenient port of departure, and in addition to the accessibility benefits of Portsmouth you can turn the longer ferry crossing times to your benefit by taking the opportunity to kick back and relax a little.

While P&O Ferries are probably the best know of all the ferry operators providing services from the UK, Brittany Ferries operate several excellent services including routes from Portsmouth to Caen, Cherbourg and St Malo, all serviced by their fleet of modern cruise ferries. If the last time you were on a ferry was more than a couple of years ago then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by advances made in the way of comfort and facilities onboard. The modern cruise ferries operating on these longer routes have shops, restaurants, bars and cinemas available to passengers and even on an overnight crossing you’ll probably won’t be able to fit it all in!

Accommodation options available on overnight cruise ferries range from basic (but comfortable) club class seats, to stateroom cabins with sea views, although a standard cabin option will suite most families best. Whichever accommodation you decide on you can rest assured that you’ll reach your holiday destination substantially more refreshed and relaxed than if you decided to drive the whole distance!

James is a web developer and internet marketer with a keen interest in the travel sector. When he’s not working or indulging his passion for travel he can be found working on his collection of websites, including his latest that provides information about cross channel ferries.

Author: James E Marshall
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Travel to France in Style on a Cross Channel Ferry is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

Learn French Language Rapidly – 5 Tips From a French Teacher

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:22:44 +0000

Bonjour! Today I want to share some important tips to learn the French Language rapidly. I will speak about the 5 most important ones. The French language is a beautiful language to learn and has a global importance. Aside from that learning a language makes you smarter. A lot want to learn the French language nowadays and if possible as fast as possible.

Here are my tips to learn the French language quickly!

Tip 1: What kind of learner are you? What kind of learning methods suit you best learning the french language. Some manage to learn a great deal through reading, others might need more visual aid and then again others learn great through audio. By figuring this out you can determine whether you need a higher emphasis on books, software or mp3’s for example.

Tip 2: Plan time for it well ahead if you have a busy schedule due to work, studies . Plan in any free time after working/college or in the weekends. Aside from that make a quick balance how much you spend on other activities at this moment. Language learning requires good planning.

Tip 3: Try to figure out what you are willing to spend learning french. After you set this make sure to follow your budget. Can you afford to have one on one private schooling? Can you afford a full immersion course at a French Language school in France? Some rather are not willing to spend a lot and would prefer to use free materials and Learn French Home Study courses Research and find out what the costs are and try to create the best solution.

Tip 4: Do not procrastinate. Once you have set a time-plan and allocated your resources, stick to it!. Then evaluate your progress and make modifications on your following month if needed.

Tip 5: What are your main Goals regarding fluency? Do you want to learn basic French that will help you through your travels and basic talks. Is your wish to become fluent being able to converse on deeper subjects and topics (e.g. business French)?

The above 5 crucial tips should help a great deal to learn the French language. I am passionate about my native language. Remember, Learning French makes you smarter!

J. Francois is a distinguished French Teacher and currently started moderates the popular Learn French Language Site.

Author: Jacque Francois
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Learn French Language Rapidly – 5 Tips From a French Teacher is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

Travel Tips to Save Your Vacation to France

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:40:53 +0000

Common Courtesies

The key to understanding the main cultural difference that exists between the French and the rest of the world is the word “guest.” In the United States it is considered good service for the shop keeper or store employee to greet the customer, but in France it is just the opposite. Cafes, bistros, boutiques, hotels, and even supermarkets and department stores are considered to be private spaces in France. For this reason it is expected that the guest, or customer, will be the first person to offer a greeting, just as if we were entering someones’ home. So when entering a building in France, look at the shopkeeper or hotel clerk, smile, and say “bon jour.” When leaving the establishment we are expected to say “au revoir.” After six in the evening replace both bon jour and au revoir with “bon soir,” unless it is very late at night, in which the final bon soir can be replaced with “bon nuit.” France is a very polite society, we are also expected to say please (S’il vous plait). Here are the definitions of those useful phrases.

Bon jour: Good day.

Bon soir: Good evening.

Bon nuit: Good night.

Au revoir: Goodbye.

S’il vous plait: If you please.

Proper Attire

In addition to being polite, France is also a more formal society than the United States, with the sartorial consequences that come with being less casual. In other words, shorts, ripped jeans, t-shirts, flip-flops, and white sneakers are best left indoors. David Lebovitz, a well-known chef and cookbook author currently residing in Paris, tells a story in his latest book, The Sweet Life in Paris, of the moment he realized he had truly become a Parisian. He was lounging in his apartment, dressed in his comfortable, laid back attire, when he needed to take his trash downstairs. He promptly showered, shaved, and put on his Sunday finest to walk the few steps from his front door to the elevator, then outside to the trash receptacle and back again, a journey of less than a few dozen steps.

Try to Speak the Language

You may have heard that the French are quick to pounce on someone mangling their native tongue. That is only partly true. They are proud of their language, and will in fact correct any grievous errors in pronunciation, but make no mistake about it: they will absolutely love you for the effort. A cheap pocket phrasebook from Berlitz has kept many a visitor in the good graces of the French on numerous occasions.

One of the best ways to understand a culture is by watching their films. For more information on the French and French cinema go to French Movies, where you’ll find information on some of the best action, comedies, and dramas that the French have to offer, as well as a few American movies that were filmed in France. (C) Will Atkinson

Author: Will Atkinson
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Travel Tips to Save Your Vacation to France is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

Learn How to Speak French – How I Have Done It

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:22:43 +0000

Are you looking to learn how to speak French? If your answer is an emphatic YES, I can tell you that you are not alone. If you are travelling to a French speaking country, speaking their language marks an enormous respect. This respect can go a long way once you are in need of any help or just information. Whatever reason you have, the most important factor to learn how to speak french is how committed you are.

The best first steps you can take to ensure that learning French will be easy and painless are:

Step 1: Brush up the BASICS of your own language structure and grammar.

That’s right! I am not saying that you have to go back to your old grammar book and review it from beginning to the end. I am just suggesting you to review the main components of a sentence and how you use them and in what order to compose a sentence. The reason you have to do that is because when you learning french you will continuously looking for similarities with your language. This way it will come much easier when you will try to understand and remember new vocabularies and parts of the sentences. This is called Similarities Analogues and it happens when between the two languages there is an analogous use.

For example, in Italian, prepositions words like over, under, in, around correspond in many ways on how they work in English. With the only difference that in Italian prepositions can have many meanings. Besides if you forgot what is a preposition in your language, all those analogies will mean nothing for you, and it will be more difficult to comprehend prepositions in the French language. It is necessary to open your mind to new rules and concepts that you might find nonsense and just need to master them for the way they are. For example when everything you come across in French has not similarities in your language, it will put off the majority of the people that try to make sense of it using the rules of their language. At that point you just need to memorize it without questioning.

Step 2: Listen and repeat French in a quiet place if possible.

After you have brushed up the BASICS of your language you can go to the next step. Listening and repeating French if possible in a quiet place as to forget the outside world for the time being. The fastest way to start developing your listening is the two way approach:

First is the Slow approach, where you need to listen to French with a beginner audio course where the pace of the speaker is usually slow. There are many courses on-line that you can download or on a CD. Free courses tend to be limited.

Second is the Fast approach. While you listening to your beginner French course you should try watching few french movies, with or without subtitles, as to get acquainted with the speed and pronunciation. Also if available you could listen to french radio or TV channels even if with little or none understanding.

As you are listening you should repeat the words or phrases immediately. Try repeating the words and phrases immediately concentrating on the sound of the words. Stop and repeat anything you like. Usually finding how to pronounce the alphabet is the first thing one should do. Repeat it singing and notice the similarities and the differences to your alphabet memorizing the latter. If necessary you can make a new song out of it.

Step 3: Start Talking

You can now begin making easy conversation be it real or simulated. Yes even if you can only say ‘hello, what’s your name’ you need to begin doing that at the very start of your learning. If you wait to get to that country before starting you are risking to never begin. It may sound funny at first but you need to start taking the embarrassment you might have to your advantage. Simply say to your audience that you are learning with a smile and you will be rewarded with ‘patience’. Be Humorous like ‘Sorry my French is bad’ and you will disarm anyone.

Here is an insight on how to learn to speak french. Again my name is Joey Silvestri and I want to help you learn French easily. Visit my site http://www.languagelearningsecrets.info/french for a free 6 day email French course to get you started.

Author: Joey Silvestri
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Learn How to Speak French – How I Have Done It is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

French Bordeaux Wines – What Are They Really?

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:22:55 +0000

The French wine number one in popularity the world over is Bordeaux. While Bordeaux can be and often is one the most fascinating wine and most expensive one as well, not all Bordeaux are superior wines. Some of them are also pretty common. Therefore, when it comes to Bordeaux wines a bit of knowledge is necessary if you don’t want to get ripped off and really buy what you are expecting.

Top Bordeaux wines are great wines and the better and older they are the pricier they are as well. Top red Bordeaux can reach prices that are out of reach for many people and not the kind of wine you would want to buy for your everyday consumption. However, if you are willing to get more common wines that are still good, but not to the level of the top ones, you can enjoy good reds and even whites at an affordable price.

Bordeaux is a wine that can reach depths and quality that no other wines have ever reached, and this is mostly the reason for its extremely high price. Cabernet Sauvignon which is always blended with other grapes, usually Merlot and Cabernet Franc are responsible for this sublime drink. Most people think of Bordeaux as a red wine, however, this French wine region also produces great white wines, dry and sweet which are much more affordable than the reds.

As just about every French wine, Bordeaux vintage can make quite a difference in the quality of the wine, because a sunny dry year or a rainy cooler year will definitely affect the taste of the wine. Whatever the vintage, however, good Bordeaux wines need to age a few years to reach full maturity and give their best flavor.

If you have never tasted Bordeaux, before you put the nectar to your lips, just make sure you are aware of the fact that you are tasting a GREAT Bordeaux or common one, so you will know what to expect and not be disappointed. The price of the bottle should also tell you which wine is which.

Want to discover more about wine making? We are making wine since the dawn of times and we are getting better and better at it.

Find the best of the best when it comes to wine here => http://www.squidoo.com/French-Wine-Wines-Of-Taste

Author: Regine Marne
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French Bordeaux Wines – What Are They Really? is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle

France Vacation Travel Guide

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:40:58 +0000

France is a Western European country with much to explore. From world class cities to beautiful landscapes, every turn is filled with memorable sites, delicious food, fine wine, and friendly people. For those who like to venture off the beaten trail, Besancon, capital of the Franche-Comte region, offers a good place to begin a France vacation. Located southeast of Paris, it is less than a half-day by SNCF (French National Railways). If you plan ahead, a rental car can be waiting upon your arrival at the Besancon train station.

After securing a room at one of the many hotels around town, explore the city’s historic sites, such as the Citadel of Besancon, parts of which date to the Middle-Ages, or the Opera Theatre, designed by the chief architect of the Ancient Regime, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. Stroll down the cobble stone streets, or along the Doubs, the river that cradles the town. Then, settle in for an evening at a street side caf. Relax with a glass of Le Vin Jaune and sample the region’s many specialties, which include Comte cheese, country stew, and trout.

After a good night’s rest take an auto tour, via the Route de Besancon, southeast along La Loue, a tributary of the Doubs. You will soon arrive at Ornans, home to the renowned French realist painter of the 19th century, Gustave Courbet, whose painting of his Uncle’s funeral has immortalized the city. Like his Uncle, Courbet has departed, but his house, now a museum, remains. Trace La Loue further down the road to Ouhans, where you will discover the river’s source dramatically pouring from a cave on the side of a cliff. At the end of the day, return to Besancon or continue on to any number of wonderful places that await you on your France vacation.

Tours in France

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France Vacation Travel Guide is a post from: Living The French Lifestyle