French with Nicole

  "All French people wear onion strings round their neck". "My Foot"! Whilst in English, we use the phrase 'my foot' if we don't believe someone or something, the French use a different body part, 'Mon Oeil'. The phrase can also be used to mean 'no way'. French people will actually pull down (gently!) the bottom lid of one eye (or point to it)as a gesture scepticism without having to say  “Mon œil”.

It is often the case that you are able to say things in fewer words in English than in French.   This often results in a French translation being invariably longer than the original English text. This is due to the fact that there are around 100 000 French words recorded in “Le grand Robert” while the Oxford English Dictionary counts about 171 500 words. As a result, while the English language may create a new single word, the same term in French requires a combination of multiple existing words. For exam ple; the English word ‘a wand’ translates as “une baguette magique” in French. Why use one word when three will do?! As the word ‘a wand’ is used countless times in the Harry Potter series, when it came to translate The Half Blood Prince, the French version contained 727 pages compared to 607 in the English version!

  France has chosen the baguette as its candidate for UNESCO cultural status! Although strings of garlic around the neck and berets are the stereotypical image of France far removed from reality, the baguette is still very much part of everyday life in France. French people consume around 10 billion baguettes every year – that’s about 320 every second! As we were stockpiling toilet paper in the UK last March, the French were squirrelling away bread! As featured in one of my previous blogs, French people do not typically snack walking around the streets except for … “the crouton” (the crust). After work, people will typically pick up their fresh bread on their way home and more often than not, “ the crouton” will be missing by the time they get home! From the age of ten, I used to walk home every lunch from school and had the responsibility of picking up the bread on my way. Nibbling the crust was my treat unless my brother got there first! Although the baguette may see...

  Did you know that, when talking about having a hoarse voice, we use different animals in French and English? The French expression is “ avoir un chat dans la gorge ” ( to have a cat in your throat ) whilst the English favour “to have a frog in your throat” Neither animal would be particularly welcome in reality! The origin of the French expression dates back to the XVIII century. At that time, the word “ un maton” described a clot of fur and the expression “ avoir un maton dans la gorge” referred to having an obstruction in your throat. Through time “ maton” became “matou” ( a tomcat ) and eventually “un chat” ( a cat ).

  La Côte de Granit Rose  (the pink granite coast) is one of the most stunning stretches of coastline in Europe and runs from Plestin-les-Greves to Louannec in the Cotes d'Armor department of Brittany.  This particularly beautiful thirty kilometre stretch of rocky coastline is an incredible pink colour and edged with clear turquoise seas and wide sandy beaches. It makes a perfect destination for family holidays and hikers.  The pink rocks can only be found in two other places in the world: China and Corsica. The enormous pink granite boulders emerge from the sea across the entire area. One of the best places to view them is on the northern coast of  Tréguier   where wind and water erosion has shaped the boulders into unique forms. Quaint coastal cottages can be found hidden between the boulders, undeniably adding to the uniqueness of this spectacular location.  For example, as you are exploring the area, take the time to see the tiny house wedged...

  Pâques (Easter ) is one of the most important holidays in France and is celebrated with a traditional family gathering. Food is, of course, the main focus of the celebration with l’agneau pascal (roast lamb) taking centre stage. If you are walking around a French supermarket at Easter time, you might wonder why there are  les cloches de Pâques ( chocolate bells ) alongside the more familiar eggs. Traditionally, church bells ring every day of the year to invite faithful to attend the Mass. The only exception is in the run up to Easter, when they do not ring between Good Friday and Easter Sunday to commemorate the death of Christ and his resurrection. Myth has it that during this time, the bells fly to Rome to be blessed by the Pope.  The bells return the evening before Easter Sunday and randomly drop treats for children. On Sunday morning someone will shout “ les cloches sont passées ” (the bells have gone by) and the children run outside on the hunt for chocolate ...