Patricia has a wealth of knowledge about French grammar, vocabulary, literature, culture, history, and more, which she shares with us in her series Le saviez-vous? (Did You Know?)
Difficulty:
Advanced
France
The Espace à Vendre (Space for Sale) gallery in Nice recently presented Karine Rougier's exhibition "Les sables mouvants" (Quicksand). Rougier is an artist who works with various media, including ancient engravings, postcards, and even rocks.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia explains in detail the tradition of the galette des rois (kings' cake), which predates Christianity. The tradition is linked to a Roman pagan celebration called Saturnalia, during which a lucky slave was crowned "king" for the day.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia discusses the galette des rois (kings' cake), a classic holiday delicacy associated with the festival of Epiphany. A small figurine is placed inside the cake, and whoever finds it in his or her slice is crowned "king" or "queen" for the day.
Difficulty:
Newbie
France
Knowing when to pronounce and when not to pronounce the letter E is key to speaking French like a native. Among other places, E usually isn't pronounced when it's between two consonants (and doesn't have an accent mark).
Difficulty:
Newbie
France
E is a tricky vowel in French: sometimes it's pronounced, sometimes it's not. As Patricia explains, it's usually silent at the end of a word, and often silent in the middle of a word.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia explains the difference between ne pas encore (not yet) and jamais (never), the two negative forms of déjà (already, ever). Ne pas encore applies to actions that are limited in time, while jamais applies to actions that aren't.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia explains the use of déjà and ne pas encore in French. Déjà means "yet" or "already," depending on context. In the negative, déjà becomes ne pas encore (not yet).
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
What's the difference between tapenade and olive paste? What needs to be done to olives to make them consumable? Find out in this video!
Difficulty:
Newbie
France
Patricia concludes her series on vowels and vowel groups with a discussion of the vowels O and U. She also mentions a French word that contains all five vowels, but none of them are individually pronounced. Can you guess what it is?
Difficulty:
Newbie
France
In this video, you will learn how to pronounce some vowel combinations with the letter E (ei, eu, eau) as well as the differences between é, è, and ê.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
Learn all about olives with this olive merchant from Nice. This lovely store, "La Maison de l'Olive," has all kinds of olive delicacies from the region and across the Mediterranean basin. Did you know that the olive groves (oliveraies) in the Nice region were planted by the Greeks?
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
France
Socca is a simple dish that you can only find in Nice. A local family business has been serving this delicious, filling pastry made of garbanzo beans for generations. If you're passing through, don't forget to stop by and try it!
Difficulty:
Newbie
France
In this lesson, Patricia will show you how to pronounce the six French vowels and the vowel combinations ai, an, au, ain, and aim.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
Patricia concludes her lesson on negation with a discussion of phrases using sans (without), double negation, and negation in the imperative mood.
Difficulty:
Beginner
France
In part three of this series on negation, Patricia demonstrates the use of adverbs of frequency in the affirmative and in the negative form. Some changes are required with some adverbs.
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