Latest Posts by langues-noires-blog - Page 2

if anyone ever tells you that english isn’t ridiculous remember that the reason why we have a silent b in debt is because a group of guys got together to standardise english spelling and got to the word debt, which at the time was primarily spelled either ‘dett’ or ‘det’. so they basically went:

‘everyone speaks latin, right? so let’s put a silent b in debt. like debitum, which is latin for debt. problem solved.’

also the reason why there is a h in ghost is because when the printing press first came to england the only people trained to operate it were flemmish speaking, and they put a h after g because that’s what you do in flemmish. they put shit like ghirl and ghoose, but the only reason why ghost stuck is because people saw ‘the holy ghost’ in the bible and were like ‘well, that MUST be right’.

so yeah english is a really stupid language with some of the most ridiculous spelling

I previously made a post about Russian Podcasts and German Podcasts. Here is one for French since I started the language.  Many you can find on  iTunes, on Android using Pocket Casts, or on their own websites/RSS feed. There are several more podcasts in French, but these should be enough for now.

Language Learning

Coffee Break French

FrenchPod101

French Your Way

Je French

Learn French with Alexa

Mot du Jour

One Minute French

Real Deal French

Spotify- Learn French

Survival French Phrases

Listening For Beginners-Intermediates

Cultivate Your French: Intermediate-Advanced.

Daily French Pod: Beginner-Advanced. Transcripts can be bought.

Easy French Poetry: Beginner-Int. Includes transcripts.

Français Authentique: Intermediate-Advanced. Includes transcripts.

French Podcasts: A2-B1. Includes transcripts.

Journal en français facile: Intermediate. Includes transcripts.

Learn French by Podcast: Beginner to Advanced. Includes transcripts and grammar lessons.

Native French Speech Podcast: Int.-Advanced. Transcripts can be bought.

News in Slow French: Beginner to Intermediate. Includes transcripts.

One Thing in a French Day: A2-B2. Includes transcripts.

The French Podcast: Beginner to Intermediate. Transcripts can be bought.

French Only

AnthroStory: Anthropology.

AppLoad: Gadgets and technology.

Bienvenue à Valnuit: French version of Welcome to Nightvale

La Conversation scientifique: Science.

Grosses Têtes: News & culture.

L’histoire du soir: Medieval literature.

LSD, La série documentaire: Culture & news.

Les Nouveaux chemins de la connaissance: Philosophy.

Les Pressés de l’Expression: Language and linguistics.

Parler Cuisine: Food and cooking.

Podcasts d'Europe: Culture, economics, politics.

Podcast Science: Science.

Poésie et ainsi de suite: Poetry

Positron: Music, film, TV.

Le RDV Jeux: Gaming.

Les Regardeurs: Art.

Rendez-Vous Avec X: History

Le rendez-vous Tech: Technology.

Le Salon noir: History.

Franceculture: Several podcasts can be found here and sorted by theme.

Franceinter: Website that hosts several more podcasts.

Francemusique: Website that has more podcasts.

language learner problems

when your friend borrows your phone and you gotta prepare yourself for the “what the heck why this in a different language”

dark duolingo show me the forbidden bonus skills

french linking words 🌿

Ainsi – Thus, In This/That Manner

La fée transforma ses jambes en queue de poisson, et ainsi, la princesse devint une sirène. The fairy transformed her legs into a fish tale, and thus, the princess became a mermaid.

C’est Ainsi Que – It’s This Way

Elle a travaillé dur pendant dix ans. C’est ainsi qu’elle a gagné la compétition. She worked hard for 10 years. She won the competition that way.

Alors – Then, So, Hence

Jean Noël ne pouvait pas supporter le bruit dans le club, alors il est sorti. JN couldn’t bear the noise in the club, so he went out.

Alors Que – While, Whereas, When

Alors que Sophie aime le jazz, Marie déteste ça. Whereas Sophie loves jazz, Mary hates it.

Aussitôt Que –As Soon As

Aussitôt que la chatte s’est endormie, les souris se sont montrées.

As soon as the cat fell asleep, the mice showed themselves.

D’autant Plus – All The More

Il partageait sa passion de la danse. Elle l’aimait d’autant plus. He shared her passion for dance. She loved him all the more.

D’autant Plus Que – Even More So Since

Je suis vraiment déçue. D’autant plus que je lui avais dit de venir chez nous. I am really disappointed. Even more so since I told him to come to our house.

Bien Que – Even Though (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Elle l’a fait, bien qu’elle n’en ait pas eu envie. she did it even though she didn’t feel like it.

Si Bien Que – Hence

Ils parlaient à demi-voix si bien qu’elle ne pouvait pas les entendre. They spoke softly, hence she couldn’t hear them.

Cependant – Nevertheless, Meanwhile, However

Je ne suis pas de son avis. Cependant je le suivrai. I don’t share his opinion. Nevertheless I will follow it.

Dès – Since, From

Dès ce moment, il a refusé de parler d’elle. From that moment, he refused to talk about her.

Dès Que – As Soon As

Je te téléphonerai dès qu’elle arrivera. I’ll call you as soon as she gets here.

En Tant Que – As (A)

En tant qu’ingénieur, elle est très précise. As an Engineer, she is very precise.

Lorsque – When

Ils ont cueilli les cerises lorsqu’elles étaient mûres. They picked the cherries when they were ripe.

Malgré – Despite

Malgré son effort, cela n’a pas suffi. Despite her efforts, it wasn’t enough.

Même Si – Even If

Il ira même si elle n’y va pas. He’ll go even if she doesn’t.

À Moins Que – Unless (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Vous ne pourrez pas voir la directrice à moins que vous ayez un rendez-vous. You will not be able to see the director unless you have an appointment.

Néanmoins – However, Nevertheless, Nonetheless

Elle avait peu d’argent néanmoins elle lui a tout donné. She had little money, but she gave all to him nonetheless.

Pendant Que – While, As

Marc étudie la chimie pendant qu’il écoute la radio. Marc studies chemistry while he is listening to the radio.

Pour Que – So That (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Il a couru pour qu’elle ne l’attende pas trop longtemps. He ran so that she wouldn’t wait for him too long.

Pourtant – Although, Still, Nevertheless

La femme a plus de quarante ans, mais c’est pourtant une beauté. The woman is over forty, but she is nevertheless a beauty.

Puisque – Since, Because, As, Seeing That, For That Reason

Puisque sa maman ne voulait pas jouer au Monopoly, le petit garçon est sorti jouer dehors. Since his mother didn’t want to play Monopoly, the boy went to play outside.

Quand Même – Even Though, All The Same, Nevertheless

Ce n’est pas lui qui chantait le mieux, mais il a gagné la compétition quand même. He wasn’t the best singer, but he won the contest all the same.

Quant À – As For

Quant à lui, il préfère ne pas discuter de ce sujet dangereux. As for him, he’d rather not talk about this dangerous topic.

Quoique – Though, Although (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Quoiqu’elle ne sourie pas beaucoup, en réalité elle est très contente. Although she doesn’t smile much, in fact she is really happy.

Quoi Que – Whatever, No Matter What (*Followed By The Subjunctive)

Quoi qu’il dise, elle ne le croit pas. Whatever he might say, she won’t believe him.

Sinon – Except, If Not, Otherwise, Except That, Unless

Ne sors pas sans manteau, sinon tu vas attrapper froid. Don’t go out without a jacket, otherwise you’ll catch a cold.

Tandis Que – Whereas, While

Il préfère aller à la plage pour les vacances, tandis qu’elle préfère aller à la montagne. He likes to go to the beach for vacations, whereas she prefers the mountains.

å formgi to design 

å forandre to change

å nekte to refuse

å skille seg to divorce

å heve to raise

å dirre to tremble

å løfte to lift  

å kile to tickle

å rekke opp to raise up  (can also be reach up)

å svette to sweat

å stønne to moan  

å bryte ut to break out

å faste to catch  (fange=catch, faste = to not eat)

å mette to feed (satisfy)

å verke to ache

å klø to itch  

å ha nytte av to have benefit of

å plukke opp to pick up

å samle to collect

å glemme to forget

å være sikker på to be certain about    

å hende to happen

å vise fram to show

å gruble pa to meditate (think hard about something)

å strekke to stretch

å klare seg selv to manage oneself

å sy to sew

å skryte av to brag

å dele to split/share

å tillate to allow

å nøye seg med to be satisfied with 

å være stiv to be stiff

å knaske to munch

å fortrenge to displace (fortrenge=forgetting something(sometimes traumatic) by choice/ -ish)

å regne med to reckon that

å forlate to abandon

å betrakte som to be regarded as

å gjenvinne to resgain

å angå to relate   

å innrede to decorate

å havne på to end up at   

å eie to own

å jage to chase

å utestenge to ban

å få lov to be allowed   

å søke om to apply for 

å erstatte to replace

å vedta to adopt

å lenke seg sammen to unite together

å hevde to claim

å pynte set to dress up

å være gjestfri to be welcomed

å være blid to be sweet

å føre til to lead to

å sette sig preg to leave its mark

å legge merke til to notice

å legge vekt på to emphasize  

å låse fast to lock   

å forslage to suggest

å etterfølge av to follow behid by

å peke på to point at   

å være preget av to be characterised by

å bli oppfordret to be encouraged

å bekymre seg to worry

å utnytte to utilize

å legge til rette to facilitate

å tilspisse seg to toughten

å ha behov for to need

å oppheve to cancel

å sørge for to ensure

å lykkes to succeed

å begrense to narrow

å avklare to clarify

å slite med to struggle with

å lide av to suffer from

å være bekymret for to be concerned about

å sette i gang to initiate

å holde munn to shut up

å fremstå to appear   

å forbinde to associate

å dyrke to cultivate

å plyndre to plunder

å utveksle to exchange

å bosette seg to estabilish

å slå seg med to settle down   

å få kjennskap til to gain knowledge of   

å tørre to dare 

å rive ned to tear down

å kreve to require

å svekke to weaken

å forestille seg to imagine

å  være smigret to be flattered

å ha intrykk av to have the impression

å være avhengig av to depend on 

å være knyttet til to be connected to

å ta hensyn til to show consideration

å bli valgt til to be elected

å stemme på to vote for   

å ha ansvar for to be responsible for

å fokusere på to focus on   

å jobbe for to work for

å inneholde to contain

å utgjøre av to consist of 

å gjøre opp to make up

å  være laget av to be made of

å tyde på  to suggest

å klage over to complain about

å skylde på to blame 

å resultere i to result in 

å være interessert i to be interested in

å interessere seg for to be interested for

å spille en viktig rolle to play an important role

å være i ferd med to be about to

å lete etter to search for

å gå i stykker to break down

å skade seg to injure onself

å forvente at to expect that

å bidra til to contribute to

å stemme med to match with

å legge fram to sumbit

å herske over to rule a country/place

å angre på to regret

å beskytte av to protect

å finne ut to find out

å finne opp to invent

å være dekket av to be covered of

å kikke inn to peep

å riste på to shake (something)

å sikte til at to aim at

å fordele to allocate

å oppleve to experiance

å beherske to master

å utføre to carry out 

å påvirke to influence

å forhindre to prevent

å styrke to strenghten

å øke to increase

å redusere to reduce

å planlegge to plan

å tåle to tolerate

å fastslå to determine 

å etterlate seg to leave behind

å danne to form

å bekrefte to confirm

å overføre to transfer

å sammenfatte to summarize

å lukke to close

å vekke to arouse

å ivre to urge

å nå to reach

So this is said to be on level B2/C1 but some of them are really easy so idk.It comes from my notes that I was taking during doing course on memrise so if something is wrong let me know and I will correct it!!!! Have fun learning guys.

Last update: 19/7/16

a few quick reminders:

- that thing you did that was kind of embarrassing and weird, everyone else forgot about that already

- you look fine today, if you can’t notice something on your face standing 6 feet from a mirror then nobody else will either

- if something is out of your control, do not let yourself or anyone else expect you to deal with it alone

- social lives can go through cycles sometimes, if you feel like your friends are all ignoring you for no reason they’re probably just busy with other things

- if you can’t stop thinking about someone or something, find something mentally occupying to do like reading a book or watching a movie. it won’t solve any serious problems but you will feel better

- nothing will always be easy, if you’re trying then that should be good enough for anyone. if it’s not then you’re talking with the wrong people

- never underestimate the importance of going to bed, if it’s dark outside and you feel bad just go to bed and deal with your problems the next day

12.19.16 catching up on English journals

reblog if you want your followers to tell you what vibe you give off based on your blog

Ok so I found the Moana soundtrack in French on Spotify!! My favorite song is definitely Le Bleu Lumière, which is the French version of How Far I’ll Go. I’m in love with the soundtrack to begin with and the French version is absolutely wonderful as well. The link is here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1Jn4zy5USPYCC3KyTNUujX Let me know if you listen to it and if you love it as much as I do!

I don't want any pronouns

Don’t refer to me

NORWEGIAN ANIMALS PART 1 (PART 2)

a dog // a cat a reindeer // a wolf a horse // a bear a bird // an arctic fox a moose // a penguin

The thing about being multi-lingual is that it’s not just that you have one language you think in, and then you translate based on what environment you’re in. It’s more like, when you’re speaking another language, you’re almost a different person. You’ve had different experiences speaking those languages and thinking in those languages; those experiences shape who you are in that language, in my experience. So when I’m speaking Japanese, I’m not just speaking Japanese. I’m also thinking and feeling in the Japanese person that I am, who is a little bit different. Well, not different, but stronger in personality in certain aspects more than others, I guess.

Mitski (“More Mitski, please” NUVO interview by Katherine Coplen)

die Politik - politics

die Wirtschaftspolitik - commercial/economic policy die Sozialpolitik - social/welfare policy die Sicherheitspolitik - security/military/defence policy die Außenpolitik - foreign policy die Innenpolitik - domestic policy

die Macht - power/force der Konflikt - conflict der Frieden - peace die Freiheit - freedom die Gleichheit - equality die Solidarität - solidarity

der Parlamentarismus - parliamentarism der Sozialismus - socialism der Kommunismus - communism der Faschismus - fascism

die Diktatur - dictatorship die Demokratie - democracy

der Staat - state/country die Regierung - government regieren - to govern der Bürger/die Bürgerin - citizen der Staatsbürger/die Staatsbürgerin - citizen (of a country) die Staatsbürgerschaft - citizenship (of a country) die (Landes)grenze - border

der Bürgermeister/die Bürgermeisterin - mayor die Botschaft - embassy der Botschafter/die Botschafterin - ambassador das Parlament - parliament

die Partei - political party die Koalition - coalition der Politiker/die Politikerin - politician

die Wahl - election der Wahlkreis - constituency der Wahlkampf - election campaign die Stimme - vote stimmen/wählen - to vote der Wähler/die Wählerin - voter die Wahlurne - ballot box das Stimmrecht - right to vote der Stimmzettel - ballot card das Wahlergebnis/der Wahlausgang - election result

How to say winter in eight languages

Isn’t it just plain hilarious when you read something in a foreign language and understand it then realise that you don’t even learn that language but you can decode the meaning based on your knowledge of other languages?

new langblr on the block 👋

hey im aron and im a new british langblr ✨ i've been following the langblr community for a while and thought i'd make my own blog just to get some recognition and to help build up my own blog for resources n stuff :) and obviously for the memes too i speak english natively and my main target language is french which i've been learning for maybe 4 years now ?? im at a more basic level in german and im forgetting esperanto more and more every day lol im considering beginning norwegian but other languages that interest me are swedish, irish, swahili and korean. some of the blogs that have inspired me are @scottish-polyglot @sprachtraeume @langsandlit @malteseboy @languageoclock and @norwegian-wool outside of languages i love music, hamilton, youtube and art 🙌 also im not emo that's just my blog lmao -aron x

someone:  do you speak french

me:  I have seen a few scenes of that candlestick speaking in beauty and the beast

Watching my toddler figure out how to language is fascinating. Yesterday we were stumped when he kept insisting there was a “Lego winner” behind his bookshelf - it turned out to be a little Lego trophy cup. Not knowing the word for “trophy”, he’d extrapolated a word for “thing you can win”. And then, just now, he held up his empty milk container and said, “Mummy? It’s not rubbish. It’s allowed to be a bottle.” - meaning, effectively, “I want this. Don’t throw it away.” But to an adult ear, there’s something quite lovely about “it’s allowed to be a bottle,” as if we’re acknowledging that the object is entitled to keep its title even in the absence of the original function.

PSA

basketball = le basket (m) football = le foot(ball) (m) handball = le handball (m) rugby = le rugby (m) volleyball = le volley (m)

badminton = le badminton (m) tennis = le tennis (m) billiards = le billard (m) golf = le golf (m) hockey = le hockey (m) skiing = le ski (m) cycling = le cyclisme (m) gymnastics = la gymnastique (f) horse riding = l’équitation (f) swimming = la natation (f) walking = la promenade (f) jogging = le footing (m) mountaineering = l’alpinisme (m)  judo = le judo (m)

aerobics = l’aérobic (f) athletics = l’athlétisme (m) wrestling = le catch (m) shooting = le tir (m) archery = le tir à l’arc (m)

water skiing = le ski nautique (m) windsurfing  = la planche à voile (f) sailing = la voile (f) rowing = l’aviron (m) paragliding = le parapente (m) ice skating = le patin à glace (m)

the ball = le ballon (m) the goal = le but (m) the stadium = le stade (m) the match = le match (m) the result = le résultat (m)

Adverbs in french - part 1 ✨

vraiment - truly

abominablement - abominably

absolument - absolutely

actuellement - currently

admirablement - admirably

attentivement - carefully

aucunement - not at all

autrement - otherwise, differently

assurément - certainly

carrément - totally

certainement - certainly

complètement - completely

crûment - crudely

diversement - variously

doucement - gently

entièrement - entirely

éperdument - desperately

exactement - exactly

excessivement - excessively

frugalement - frugally

gaiement - happily

gentiment - kindly

indûment - wrongly

lentement - slowly

longuement - extensively

malheureusement - unfortunately

médiocrement - poorly

naïvement - naively

naturellement - naturally

parfaitement - perfectly

péniblement - painfully

poliment - politely

précisément - precisely

prétendument - allegedly

progressivement - gradually

quasiment - almost

rapidement - quickly

réellement - actually

résolument - resolutely

sensiblement - substantially

solennellement - solemnly

tellement - so much

tranquillement - peacefully

uniformément - uniformly

vainement - vainly

things that make me happy:

listening to my favorite song after school ends

starting a book and knowing it will  be great

taking the time to write my notes again with my favorite stationery

starting a new notebook with thousands of ideas

looking at my freshly-taken polaroid picture and seeing that it looks great

anticipating the release of a new book/album/video game

spending the weekend curled up in bed with Netflix

searching for new beautiful study spots

getting nice new messages on my blog

finally getting that A I worked for

when my new amazon delivery package arrives after weeks of waiting

starting a great new project or self-study course

26.11.16 🎧 sing me to sleep - alan walker | orsay museum in paris & my bujo for this week , tried new things but failed but it doesn’t matter , next time i’ll do better!🌟

NOUNS der Advent - Advent der Adventskalender - advent calendar das Apfelmus - apple sauce das Band (Bänder) - ribbon das Christkind
 - Christ child die Cranberrysoße - cranberry sauce die Dekoration (Dekorationen) - decoration der/das Kamin (Kamine) - fireplace der/das Knallbonbon (Knallbonbons) - cracker der Eierlikör - eggnog das Eis - ice/ice cream der Engel - angel die Ente (Enten) - duck die Gans (Gänse) - goose das Gebäck - baked goods das Geschenk (Geschenke) - present/gift das Geschenkpapier (Geschenkpapiere) - wrapping paper/gift paper die Glocke (Glocken) - bell das Glöckchen - little bell der Glühwein - mulled wine der Handschuh (Handschuhe) - glove der Heilige Abend - Christmas Eve die heiße Schokolade - hot chocolate die Kastanie (Kastanien) - chestnut der Keks (Kekse) - cookie/biscuit die Kerze (Kerzen) - candle die Kirche (Kirchen) - church der Kranz (Kränze) - wreath das Lametta - tinsel der Lebkuchen - gingerbread das Lebkuchenherz (Lebkuchenherzen) - gingerbread heart das Lebkuchenhäuschen - gingerbread house das Lebkuchenmännchen - gingerbread man die Lichterkette (Lichterketten) - string of fairy lights die Mandel (Mandeln) - almond
 das/der Marzipan - marzipan der Mince Pie (Mince Pies) - mince pie der Mistelzweig (Mistelzweige) - piece of mistletoe die Mütze (Mützen) - beanie der Nordpol - North Pole die Nuss (Nüsse) - nut der Nussknacker - nutcracker die Pfeffernuss (Pfeffernüsse) - small round gingerbread biscuit das Plätzchen - cookie/biscuit das Popcorn - popcorn das Rentier (Rentiere) - reindeer der Schinken - ham der Schlitten - sled/sledge/sleigh der Schlittschuh (Schlittschuhe) - ice skate der Schmuck - decoration [uncountable] der Schnee - snow der Schneeball (Schneebälle) - snowball die Schneeflocke (Schneeflocken) - snowflake der Schneemann (Schneemänner) - snowman die Schokolade (Schokolade) - chocolate der Schornstein (Schornsteine) - chimney das Schweinefleisch - pork das Spielzeug (Spielzeuge) - toy die Stechpalme (Stechpalme) - holly der Stern (Sterne) - star der Stiefel - boot der Stollen - bread made with dried fruit and dusted with powdered sugar die Süßigkeit (Süßigkeiten) - candy/sweet/lolly der Tannenbaum (Tannenbäume) - fir tree/Christmas tree
 der Tannenzapfen - pine cone der Truthahn (Truthähne) - turkey der Weihnachtsbaum (Weihnachtsbäume) - Christmas tree die Weihnachtskarte (Weihnachtskarten) - Christmas card der Weihnachtskuchen - Christmas cake die Weihnachtskugel (Weihnachtskugeln) - Christmas bauble das Weihnachtslied - Christmas carol der Weihnachtsmann (Weihnachtsmänner) - Santa/Father Christmas der Weihnachtsmarkt (Weihnachtsmärkte) - Christmas market der Weihnachtspudding - Christmas pudding die Weihnachtssocke (Weihnachtssocken) - Christmas sock der Weihnachtsstern (Weihnachtssterne) - poinsettia der Weihnachtsstrumpf (Weihnachtsstrümpfe) - Christmas stocking die Weihnachtszeit - Christmas time die Winterbeere (Winterbeeren) - holly berry
 der Wunsch (Wünsche) - wish
 der Wunschzettel - wish list der Zimt - cinnamon der Zimtstern (Zimtsterne) - star shaped cinnamon biscuit with white icing die Zuckerstange (Zuckerstangen) - candy cane
 VERBS auspacken - to open/to unwrap backen - to bake basteln - to make/to do arts and crafts braten - to roast dekorieren - to decorate einen Brief an den Weihnachtsmann schreiben - to write a letter to Santa einen Schneemann bauen - to make a snowman einpacken - to wrap up eislaufen - to ice skate etwas an jemanden verschenken - to give something to someone etwas mit der Post senden - to send something in the mail etwas zu Weihnachten bekommen - to get something for Christmas feiern - to celebrate jemandem etwas schenken - to give something to someone 
Kerzen anzünden - to light candles schmücken - to decorate/to adorn schneien - to snow 
sich (+dat) etwas zu Weihnachten wünschen - to wish for something for Christmas
 verpacken - to wrap up Zeit mit seiner Familie verbringen - to spend time with one’s family zusammenkommen - to meet/to get together

ADJECTIVES bezaubernd - enchanting geröstet - roasted glitzernd - twinkling/sparkling glänzend - shining golden - gold/golden magisch - magical mit Schokolade gefüllt - chocolate filled silbern - silver vorweihnachtlich - pre-Christmas weihnachtlich - Christmassy winterlich - wintery zauberhaft - enchanting/delightful

stop 👏 saying 👏 languages 👏 and accents 👏 are ugly 👏 or awful 👏

i understand that some languages/dialects/accents may be difficult for you personally to understand because you speak differently, or they may contain sounds that you don’t like, but please don’t use value judgements like “lazy,” “bad,” or “ugly,” even jokingly

negative attitudes towards language both originate from and contribute to marginalization

french vocab from the first half of my year abroad

I’m home for Christmas now, which means I’m back on Scottish soil with decent internet. It’s giving me a chance to reflect on my French and how much it has improved just in three months of living in France. So I thought I’d share some of the things that I learned from living in the Charente-Maritime: 

ah, bah, oui (expression) this seems to be the equivalent of ‘yeah but no’ when people have a false-start on a sentence. usually, i heard this in disagreements in my classroom when students were wanting to correct another student but couldn’t get the words out fast enough. i think it’s a hilarious thing to say and i’ve been trying to incorporate it into my way of speaking. 

en fait (expression) this literally means ‘in fact’ or ‘actually’, which i think can come off a little rude in english but is actually a common expression in french. french people i have encountered use ‘en fait’ to start sentences, to provide more information, to correct, basically just all the time! 

franchement (adverb) in english, i’m a big fan of using ‘tbh’ or ‘to be honest’, and this is the best french equivalent to that. it sounds so very french when it’s said and can mean ‘frankly’, ‘honestly’, ‘indisputably’ or ‘without hesitation’, depending on the context. 

rater (verb) i picked up this new verb when i was telling a class about how i failed my driving test. i knew that ‘rater’ can mean ‘to miss’, as in ‘i missed the train’, but one student turned to another and said that ‘elle a raté’ and it was explained to me that ‘rater’ can also mean ‘to fail’, or in my case ‘to mess up’ something. 

se tromper (verb) this verb means ‘to be mistaken’, and i definitely found myself saying ‘je me suis trompée’ a lot while I was just new to the country! 

une chocolatine (noun) I was living on the south-west coast of France in the Charente-Maritime region which means that I picked up some new and different ways of saying things. I was quickly informed by my students in the most sincere and serious way possible that the famous ‘pain au chocolat’ pastry does not exist in the Charente-Maritime and I was to ask for ‘une chocolatine’ at the local boulangerie instead. I now use both nouns interchangeably! 

you will accomplish things. you will do good, change the world, brighten somebody’s day, be the happiest memory, the only person someone can think about, a radiant force of nature. you will.

a list of untranslatable words ☕️

cafuné - brazilian portuguese: the act of running one’s fingers, gently but deeply, through someone else’s hair 積ん読 (tsundoku) - japanese: the act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other such unread books 木漏れ日 (komorebi) - japanese: sunlight filtering through the trees mångata - swedish: the roadlike reflection of moonlight on water verklempt - yiddish: a person who is too emotional to speak liefdesverdriet - dutch: the heartache caused from an unrequited love and the mental pains one endures; the physical pain of depression fika - swedish/finnish: gathering together to talk and take a break from everyday routines, usually drinking coffee and eating pastries 幽玄 (yūgen) - japanese: an indescribable sentiment, can only be described as a painful awareness of the mysterious beauty and human suffering l'esprit de l'escalier - french: the moment one finally thinks of a witty remark, far too late, after the opportunity has passed kilig - tagalog: the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, usually when something romantic or cute takes place いるす (irusu) - japanese: pretending to be absent from home when someone is at the door habseligkeiten - german: personal belongings, small treasures and property, which define our happiness and sentiments nefelibata - portuguese: cloud walker; name given to the quixotic dreamers, they appear spacey, otherworldly, but intelligent σοφρωσύνη (sophrosyne) - greek: self-control, balance, wisdom & grace;virtue that follows the aphorisms “nothing in excess” & “know thyself" hiraeth - welsh: homesickness for a place which never even existed. Connotations of sadness, yearning, profound nostalgia and wistfulness torpe - tagalog: being too shy to pursue amorous desires waldeinsamkeit - german: the feeling of being alone in the woods litost - czech: the humiliated despair we feel when someone accidentally reminds us, trough their accomplishment, of our inadequacies dustsceawung - old english: contemplation of the fact that dust used to be other things - the walls of a city, a book, a great tree… duende - spanish: the spirit of evocation; the mysterious power a work of art has to deeply move a person gattara - italian: a woman, often old and lonely, who devotes herself to stray cats tоска - russian: a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause, a longing with nothing to long for, nostalgia φιλότιμο (philotimo) - greek: a complex array of virtues; expressed through acts of generosity & sacrifice w/o expecting anything in return  gezellig - dutch: abstract sensation of individual well-being that one shares with others;cozy ambience, anything pleasant, homely, friendly