Children's Word of the Day -Soap Bubble

Kids, when you see a soap bubble, point to it & say, "une bulle de savon"

Cyrano de Bergerac

Hector Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French dramatist and duelist who is now best remembered for the many works of fiction which have been woven around his life story. In these fictional works he is featured with an overly large nose; portraits suggest that he did have a big nose, though not nearly as large as described in Edmond Rostand's  pièce and the subsequent works about him. A statue of him stands in la ville of Bergerac, Dordogne.

The Play:

Cyrano de Bergerac is a Parisian poète and swashbuckler with a large nez of which he is self-conscious, but which he pretends to be proud of. He is madly in love with his "friendly cousin" (they were not actually related as cousins), la belle Roxane, however, he does not believe she will requite his love because he considers himself physically unattractive. Soon he finds that Roxane has become infatuated with Christian de Neuvillette, a dashing new recruit to the Cadets of Gascogne, the military unit of which Cyrano is the captain. Christian however, despite his good looks, is tongue-tied when speaking with women. Seeing an opportunity to vicariously declare his love for Roxane, he decides to aid Christian, who does not know how to court une femme and gain her love. Cyrano aids Christian, writing love letters and poems describing the very emotions thatCyrano himself feels for Roxane. Roxane begins to appreciates Christian not only for his good looks but now his apparent eloquence. She eventually falls in love with him and they have a secret marriage. However, right after the wedding ceremony, Christian has been called off to fight in the war against the Spanish. The War is harsh and brutal, the Cadets of Gascogne are suffering through the lack of food. Cyrano escapes over enemy lines each matin to deliver a love letter written from Cyrano himself but signed with Christian's name, sent to Roxane. Christian at this time, is completely unaware of Cyrano's doings. The love letters Cyrano writes eventually draw Roxane out from the city of Paris to the war front. She had come to visit Christian, the supposed romantic poet. However, during the battle which follows during Roxane's visit, Christian is wounded and dies in battle. Cyrano fights off the attackers and the French win. Cyrano keeps his love for Roxane a secret for fourteen years, during which time he becomes unpopular because of his raucous behavior. However, during this time, Cyrano faithfully visits Roxane until a fateful attempt on his life leaves him on death's door. Only then does he reveal to Roxane his feelings towards her. As Cyrano dies, Roxane realizes that it was he, and not Christian, that she really loved all along.

pièce (pee ess) -play         la ville (lah veel) -the town               

poète (poe eht) -poet         nez (neh) -nose             

 la belle (lah bell) -the beautiful           une femme (oon fehm) -a woman

matin (mah tahn) -morning

Children's Word of the Day -Sofa

Kids, when see a sofa, point to it and say, "un canapé"

Children's Word of the Day -Coffee pot

Kids, when you see a coffee pot, point to it and say, "une cafetière".

Children's Color of the Week - Yellow

Kids, when you see something yellow, point to it and say, "jaune"

Previous colors:

Rouge (roozh) -red

Bleu (bluh) -blue

Remember every Tuesday we will be doing colors.

Children's Word of the Day -Homework

Kids when you have homework, say "devoirs"

Jacquotte Delahaye -French Pirate

Jacquotte Delahaye (17th century), was a French pirate, or Buccaneer, and together with Anne Dieu-Le-Veut one of very few female buccaneers.

She was active in the 1660s, came from Haiti, her father was French and her mother Haitian. She is described as a great beauty who became a pirate after her father was killed. It is rumored that her mother died in childbirth. Her brother suffered from mild retardation and was left in her care after her father's death.

To escape her pursuers, she faked her own death and took on an alias, living as a man for many years. Upon returning she became known as "back from the dead red" because of her striking red hair.

Children's Word of the Day - Fire

Kids, when you see a fire, say "uhn fuh"

The French Césars

Actor Hoffman honoured at Cesars

Hoffman collected his award to a standing ovation Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman has been honoured by the French film industry with a special Cesar award, France's equivalent of the Oscars. The Rain Man star, 71, received the honour for his body of work. The best film award went to Seraphine, the true story of a painter whose talents are discovered by a German art collector on the eve of World War I. It also took six other prizes, including best actress Yolande Moreau, who played the title role. The Cesar for best actor went to Vincent Cassel in Mesrine, one of three awards for the gangster film. The film's director, Jean-Francois Richet, also took the best director award. Box office record But popular French film Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis failed to win best original scenario - the only category it was nominated for. The comedy, directed by comedian Dany Boon, which centres on the people of northern France, broke all records for a French film at the box office. Boon had criticised the Cesar's failure to come up with a comedy category. Two-time Oscar winner Hoffman received his special award the day after he was named an honorary commander in France's National Order of Arts and Letters. Sean Penn, who won the best actor Oscar for Milk last Sunday, was also guest of honour at the Cesars. He presented the best film award to Martin Provost for Seraphine. His own film, Into the Wild, missed out on the best foreign film award which went to the Israeli animated documentary Valse avec Bachir (Waltz With Bashir). Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner Entre les murs (The Class) took home the Cesar for best adaptation.

Children's word of the Day - Mouse

Kids, when you see a mouse, point to it and say "une souris"

French Town Eu Considers Changing Name For Web Search Visibility

Eu, a thousand-year-old coastal town in France, is discussing changing its name. The reason: "Eu" is too hard for Web searchers to find.

If you've ever worked on a website, you know the importance of search. Many companies hire experts to make their websites more visible. There's a whole field devoted to this sort of thing: search engine optimization.

SEO apparently means a lot to tourism too. Google has become a major means for tracking down vacation spots. If tourists can't find information about your town, odds are they're not going to go there.

Therein lies the problem for Eu, which shares its name with the past participle of the French verb avoir, or "to have." It's one of the most common verbs in the language. There's a different problem in English: You'll find search results relating to the European Union (EU) before you ever stumble on one referencing the French town.

The Times Online reports that Eu Mayor Marie-Fraçoise Gaouyer is pushing to change the town's name by expanding it, to Mairie de la Ville d'Eu. She says it must "adapt to modernity." Not surprisingly, she's getting push-back from some of its 8,000 citizens, who are hesitant to throw out the town's long history to cater to Internet-savvy tourists.

We should note that a more specific search, such as for "Eu french town," yields plenty of pages about the place, so adding "Mairie de la Ville" may be overkill. I mean, you don't see any U.S. towns called Springfield tacking on fancy words to stand out.

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times 2/25/09

Children's Word of the Day - Calendar

Kids, when you see a calendar, point to it and say, "un calendrier"

Lesson # 61 - "ne & pas" Phrases

ne & pas are placed before & after verbs to show that the subject is not doing what the verb indicates:

Je vais au cinéma ce soir(zhuh vayz oh see nay mah seh swah) -I am going to the movies tonight.

Je ne vais pas au cinéma (zhuh neh vay pahz au see nay mah) -I am not going to the movies tonight.

Je cherche un livre (zhuh shehrsh uhn lee vruh) -I am looking for a book

Je ne cherche pas (zhuh neh shehrsh pah) - I am not looking for a book

il part demain(eel pahr deh mah) -He is leaving tomorrow

il ne part pas demain (eel neh pahr pah deh mah) -He is not leaving tomorrow

elle est ici à l'hotel (ell eht ee see ah loh tell) -She is here at the hotel

elle n'est pas à l'hotel (ell nat pahz ah loh tell) -She is not here at the hotel *

(* you will notice that in front of a verb that begins with a vowel, "ne" is abbreviated to n'

We are posting the numbers lessons again for all the newcomers & as a review for all of  you who already read the original lessons.

More numbers:

66 soixante-six (swah zahnt seece), 67 soixante-sept (swah zahnt seht), 68 soixante-huit (swah zahnt wheat), 69 soixante-neuf (swah zahnt noof), 70 soixante-dix (swah zahnt deece)

Honoré de Balzac -French Writer

Honoré de Balzac  (20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of almost 100 novels and plays collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the fall of Napoléon Bonaparte in 1815.

Due to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society, Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. He is renowned for his multi-faceted characters; even his lesser characters are complex, morally ambiguous and fully human. Inanimate objects are imbued with character as well; the city of Paris, a backdrop for much of his writing, takes on many human qualities. His writing influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert,Marie Corelli, Henry James, Jack Kerouac, and Italo Calvino as well as important philosophers such as Friedrich Engels. Many of Balzac's works have been made into films, and they continue to inspire other writers.

Children's Word of the Day - Bubble Bath

Kids, when you take a bubble bath, say, "un bain moussant"

Hélène Ségara - French Singer

Hélène Ségara (born Hélène Rizzo, on 26 February 1971 in Six-Fours-les-Plages, France) is a French female singer.

In 1996, accompanied by her young son, she moved to Paris where she met Christian Loigerot, who became one of her composers. She also met the famous producer Orlando, Dalida's brother, who supervised and gave new impetus to her career. Almost she was marked by the experience and professionalism of this mentor, she remains under contract with her first producer.

Ségara began to have success with "Je vous aime adieu", the first single from her debut album, Cœur de verre (1996), and the duet "Vivo per lei", performed with Andrea Bocelli. She then played the role of Esmeralda in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris, composed by Richard Cocciante. While she was auditioned for this role in 1997, she was selected in 1999, following the withdrawal of the Israeli singer Noa. "When the fate knocks at the door for a second time, we must not let it get away", said Ségara.

Children's Color of the Week - Blue

Kids, when you see the color red, point to it and say, "bleu"

Previous colors: Red - rouge (roozh)

Quick Phrase of the Day-Do You Play Poker Online?

vous jouez au poker en ligne (voo zhoo ay oh poh kehr ahn leen yeh) Do you play poker online?

Repeat this phrase all day long til you know it by heart.

Vocabulary word of the day:

le couloir (leh kool wah) the hallway, corridor

Au fond du couloir vous verrez une porte à gauche (oh fahn doo kool wah voo veh ray oon port ah gohsh)

The Euro

The Euro - Monetary Info

On January 1, 2002, the Euro became the official currency for 300 million Europeans, in use in 12 countries of the European Union.

Paper notes are in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, & 5 Euros.
Coins are 2 Euros, 1 Euro, 50 cents, 20 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents, 2 cents, & 1 cent.
The Euro is made up of 100 cents.

U.S. dollars are not accepted in most establishments, though some hotels, shops, and restaurants may accept U.S. dollars at an agreed upon exchange rate.

Currency exchange can be made in most banks and post offices as well as in some large stores, train stations, airports and exchange offices near major tourist sites. Look for a sign indicating "Change". Remember that even though exchange rates are fixed, agent commissions vary: they must be clearly displayed. Exchange rates vary from bank to bank in the U.S. and France. Large cities in the U.S. generally have banks specialized in foreign exchange with lower exchange rates. The same applies in France. In general, it is best to find a larger bank or exchange office in the center of town or in a financial area. If only a small amount of money is being exchanged, the hotel's money exchange rate may be adequate.Traveler's checks in U.S. dollars should be exchanged in banks or exchange offices because very few businesses will accept them. Traveler's checks in Euros can be purchased in the U.S. from specialized banks or in any major bank in France. They offer a safe means of traveling with cash.

As of today the it would take $1.26 in U.S. Dollars to get 1 Euro.

Must See french Film -Children Of Paradise

Les Enfants du Paradis (released as Children of Paradise in North America, but more correctly translated as Children of the Gods) is a 1945 film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the Nazi occupation of France. The film is nominally set around the Parisian theatre in the 1830s and tells the story of a beautiful courtesan, Garance, and the four men who love her in their own ways: a mime, an actor, a criminal and an aristocrat. It is a 3 hour film, described in the original American trailer as the French answer to Gone with the Wind. The film was voted "Best French Film Ever" in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in 1995.

I watched this film last night, and it is as incredible as they say. Especially notable was the character of "Baptiste".