Today, Chateaubriand’s poetic quote about life: « Toute notre vie se passe à errer autour de notre tombe ; nos diverses maladies sont des souffles qui nous approchent plus ou moins du port. » Chateaubriand Mémoires d’outre-tombe📚 (1848)
« Avoir la pêche » 🍑 🇺🇸 This French expression (literally “to have the peach”) means “to be full of energy”. It’s interesting, in a famous Japanese old tale, there is character full of energy called “桃太郎” (momotarou), which also contains the word “peach.” It seems like that this fruit has been associated to energy in other […]
🔹If you are interested in getting my latest linguistic gems, please consider becoming a premium subscriber here: https://www.patreon.com/join/yukikeiser Since the pandemic hit last year, many new words have appeared in French — as well as in all languages. One of the difficulties for a new word in French is how to pick its gender. Whether to […]
« Il mourut pendant un orage,— une tempête de neige,— dans un éclat de tonnerre. Une main étrangère lui ferma les yeux. » Romain Rolland Vie de Beethoven (1903)📚 🇺🇸 Beautiful text by Romain Rolland about Beethoven’s death🙏🏻 🇫🇷 Texte sobre et délicat de Romain Rolland, racontant le dernier souffle de Beethoven🖤 🇯🇵 ベートーベンの最期を、彼のドラマティックな音楽を彷彿させる言葉で語るロマン・ローランのシンプルで心に染みる文🖤
« La haine des autres est chose beaucoup plus claire que l’amour de soi. » Paul Valéry – Tel quel📚 (1941) 🇺🇸 According to Paul Valéry: “Hatred for others is much clearer than love for oneself.” 🇯🇵「他人への憎しみのほうが自分への愛より遥かにはっきりしている」と、ポール・ヴァレリー📚
🇺🇸 It’s always interesting to see how overseas media outlets cover US news. It often shows us new perspectives about our own country, broadening our vision. Lately, the American news covered his recent measures and actions, but how do French people perceive them? Today, I’m sharing “C dans l’air” (= It’s in the air), one of my favorite […]
The last living member of the French cinematographic movement Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), Swiss-French film director Jean-Luc Godard, just died at the age of 91 at his home in Switzerland. You can read an homage to his work in this French article published in “Le Monde.” You will find its English translation by hitting the […]
Today, a listening comprehension from the witty philosopher and moralist Jean de La Bruyère. In English, the term “moralist” usually evokes “a person who teaches or promotes morality.” This meaning exists in the French word “moraliste” too, however it also designates an author who writes about society’s customs and manners. It makes sense since “moraliste” […]
🇺🇸 For Proust’s fans, it’s a dream come true: nearly a 100 years after his death, we finally have access to the last piece of the puzzle! This newly discovered manuscript has just been published this month. The oldest version of his masterpiece “A la Recherche du temps perdu” (“In search of lost time”) has just […]
« Mettre la puce à l’oreille » 🐜 🇺🇸 This French expression (literally “to put a flea to the ear”) means “to give a clue; to get a clue.” 🔻🔻 🇫🇷 « Son air embarrassé m’a tout de suite mis la puce à l’oreille ! » 🇯🇵 「何かに感づく」という意味の慣用句です。（直訳は、「耳に蚤を入れる」） 虫繋がりで、日本語の「虫の知らせ」に少し近いですが、フランス語の場合は、第六感というよりも、何かをみて疑うというニュアンスです。Ça m’a mis la ~「それを見て感づいた」な使います。