Articles tagged with: French & English
Creative Use of English Language in France
In the 2004 novel “A Year in the Merde”, an Englishman is sent to Paris to set up a chain of tea rooms in France. At the beginning of the book, the British guy tries to explain his French team that “My Tea Is Rich” is not a good name for a chain of English tea rooms.
Broken English
I don’t feel as self-conscious about my English as I used to be, probably because I’m fluent now. Besides, I spend my days editing, reviewing, writing and translating documents in both official languages. Obviously, my English is good enough for that.
That said, there are mistakes I keep on making, no matter how many times I catch myself and correct them.
Why Do People Choose to Move Abroad? [Sponsored Post]
Moving to a country where they speak a different language is one of the most exciting yet nerve racking things that anyone can do in their life. If you have never been in this position, then it is impossible to imagine the nervousness and the fears going through the new migrant’s head.
American and Canadian English 101
Language is highly cultural. Grammar and spelling can be taught at school but some vocabulary can only be learned in the street or even—gasp!—watching T.V.
In my first few years in Canada, immersed in the culture, I learned a lot of words and expressions I wouldn’t have found in grammar books.
Whoui Spik Inglish
The other day, we went to see Kiss & Kill, a U.S movie. You may have heard of it: the English title is “Killers”. Why did the French bother changing the original English title to another English title? No idea. Similarly, “The Spy Next Door” is “Kung Fu Nanny” here. Go figure!
You... Or You
Every day I thank the language Gods for the invention of the pronoun “you” in English. No matter who you talk to, whether it’s your boss, your in-laws, a close friend or a perfect stranger, it’s a no-brainer: just say “you”.
It’s not a given, you know. A lot of languages have two ways of saying “you”: French has “tu” and “vous”, much like Spanish has “tú” and “usted”, Portuguese has “tu” and “você” and Chinese has “你” and “您”.
French, English and Montréal
It’s only when I showed up at Starbucks that I realized I had no idea how to order in French. And ordering my coffee in English in Montreal would look back, wouldn’t it. But I needed coffee: this is a working weekend for me and I haven’t had much sleep the last few days.
Lost In Franglais
I occasionally miss not speaking English fluently. Trust me, life was a lot of fun when I could only understand half of what people were saying. My mind was working fast, perpetually trying to make sense of things. Could that be that?
Do You Speak Canadian...Eh?
Just like everything in Canada, it started with a long harsh winter. I was watching T.V when I suddenly realized that my weather vocabulary had expanded quite a lot
Learning French Or English In Canada (6/10)
As most of you know, Canada has two official languages: French and English.
Now, most of the immigrants who are chosen under the skilled worker program will have to show language proficiency in either language. But it’s not always that easy.





















