Le mot du jour

ANASTASIE. nom féminin Définition: Synonyme: censure L’origine La censure a été longtemps représentée comme une vieille femme peu sympathique affublée de gros ciseaux et qui a été finalement baptisée Anastasie. Delporte (1997) précise que sa genèse a été progressive. Une “Dame Censure” est apparue dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle avec les ciseaux comme attribut…

USA’s Independence Day

It’s here! Nothing is missing for July 4th or, what is the same, Independence Day in the United States and the whole country is paralyzed to celebrate this great day for Americans. Barbecues, fireworks and thousands of flags will be the protagonists of this great day, let’s see why and how of this day! JULY…

13 Wonderful Words That You’re Not Using (Yet)

Once you learn these rare but wonderful words, use them in conversation. 1. Biblioklept Definition: one who steals books Biblioklept is, in at least some sense of the word, fairly useless. It is two syllables longer than book thief. It is also unlikely to be understood by some portion of the people with whom you…

Le mot du jour

CHEZ – préposition Je pense que nous avons tous eu des problèmes pour comprendre cette préposition. Voici une brève explication. Définition: L’origine: Chez est elliptique, et on a la locution complète dans l’ancien français à ches / en chiés, qui signifie exactement à la maison. Synonyme: auprès – dans – parmi. “Chez” peut également être…

When you learn the vocabulary of a new language, Do you memorize or relate it?

The hard part of learning a new language is having to learn everything you know in a new vocabulary. To make the words stick in your mind, I suggest that instead of memorizing them, you relate them or make an emotional connection with the new words. Relate: When I started French, I had trouble remembering…

New Mexico Is Losing a Form of Spanish Spoken Nowhere Else

New Mexico is losing a form of Spanish from the earliest Spanish-speaking settlers which has endured for over 400 years in the state’s remote mountain villages. QUESTA, N.M. — When the old regulars gather at Cynthia Rael-Vigil’s coffee shop in Questa, N.M., a village nestled in the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains, they sip lattes…

15 English idioms that everyone should know

In this blog you will find 15 English idioms that everyone should know. But first, what is an idiom? Idioms are group of words, or in other words, a phrase that has a meaning different from the literal meaning of the words in it. In other words “Idioms mean something different than the individual words.” Native…

How do languages handle non-binary people?

What are your pronouns? In English, the most common answers are “he” or “she”. But a growing number of people identify as neither male nor female, and ask to be referred to with novel pronouns. “They” is by far the most common of these. In English, the linguistic adjustments required to accommodate non-binary people are…