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In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference:

When you don’t want to stain your fingers with newspaper’s ink: “Je lis l’actualité en ligne.”, “I read the news online.”

An easy one: “un magazine” is “a magazine”…but it’s always good to know.
You probably know that French people hate to find a typo, “une coquille”, in their newspaper.

To talk about all newspapers in general: “la presse écrite”. “La presse écrite attire moins de lecteurs.” “Newspapers are attracting less readers.”

Do you follow the news, “l’actualité”? “L’actualité de la semaine est inquiétante.”, “This week’s news are worrying.”
When you want to share the news with your French friends: “J’ai lu cet article aujourd’hui…”, “I read that article today…”
Not a weekly, not a monthly, but…a daily! “Un quotidien”, “Le New York Times” est un quotidien.”

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comment section!

Stay tuned daily for our tweets, and for those of you who haven’t started following us on Twitter, head there now and sign up!

It is always useful to know the slang for “money” in a foreign language, if only not to get ripped off and to understand when people talk about what is in your wallet…

 So many different ways to say “money” in French! Those greedy French.

 Before we get to those words I would like to mention a French argot specialist. His name is Michel Audiard and even if you probably never heard this name before, you need to know that he is one of France’s pride.

Michel Audiard (Born in 1920, died in 1985) was a famous screenwriter who is known for his acid, humorous, and “argotique” writing. And, if you happened to watch movies written by Michel Audiard, you surely came across  a multitude of French money-related slang.

If you would like to check out one of his movies, I recommend Les tontons flingueurs (translated as ” Crooks in Clover” or “Monsieur Gangster” in English). This movie was made in 1963 and is a melange of gangster movie (yes, France has gangsters, too) and comedy. Probably 90% of the French have seen it at least once: it’s a classic. Now, the colloquial French in it might limit your comprehension at some parts, however with perseverance (and subtitles) you will enjoy it as much as any French person.

 And…one scene is ENTIRELY in English! There it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fRuExSRaBA&feature=related

 Anyway…I got carried away. Now is the time for some serious slang.

 You probably know that the standard word for “money” in French is  L’argent. Here are our five alternate (and much cooler) words:

 - Le fric (the most commonly used one)

- L’oseille (feminine)

- L’artiche (masculine - rare but its sound is particularly typical of the argot)

- Le blé  (literally this means “wheat” )

- Le pognon (comes from the word poignée, “fistful” )

 Hope you enjoyed!

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference:

“Un éditorial” gives you the paper’s opinion.”L’éditorial est sévère avec le président.”, “The editorial is tough on the president.”

Just so you know, the French for “buzz” is also “un buzz”. “Le discours de Barack Obama a fait un buzz en France.”

Subscribe to “un hebdomadaire” to get news every week. “Time” est un hebdomadaire”, “Time” is a weekly.”

Today’s word “un rédacteur en chef”, “an editor-in-chief”. “Le rédacteur en chef a le dernier mot sur le contenu.”, “The editor-in-chief” has the last word on the content.”

Another word stolen from English: “un blog”. “J’ai un blog sur le fromage”, “I have a blog about cheese.”

Do you watch “la série” “Lost”? Les français adorent la série “Lost”, French people love the show “Lost”.

When you want to watch a different program than what your girlfriend’s watching, you change “la chaîne”, “the channel”.

“Un pigiste” is a freelance writer, often a journalist. “Je suis pigiste pour plusieurs journaux.”, “I am a freelancer for several papers.”

 Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comment section!

Stay tuned daily for our tweets, and for those of you who haven’t started following us on Twitter, head there now and sign up!

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference:

If you’re reading a trashy French magazine, then you’re reading “un torchon”, which is also the word for “a dish cloth”.

 You want to say you know what is going on throughout the world? Then say “Je suis au courant”, “I am current with the news”.

When TV disappoints us, “Mon émission préférée ne passe plus.”, “My favorite TV show is not on anymore.”

An easy one : “un site internet” is “a website”…”Ce site internet est incontournable.”, “This website is a must see.”

Hey couch potatoes! A word for you: “zapper”, to surf the channels. “Je zappe toute la journée.”, “I surf the channels all day long.”

“Un éditorial” gives you the paper’s opinion. “L’éditorial est sévère avec le président.”, “The editorial is tough on the president.”

Just so you know, the French for “buzz” is also “un buzz”. “Le discours de Barack Obama a fait un buzz en France.”

 Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comment section!

Stay tuned daily for our tweets, and for those of you who haven’t started following us on Twitter, head there now and sign up!

In this series of mini-lesson tweets on Twitter, we help you perfect your media-related vocabulary in order to beat French people at conversing about the news.  Here is the recap of this week’s phrases for your reference:

First, “les médias”, the media. “Elle est harcelée par les médias.”, She is harassed by the media.

Then, we have “faire la une”, “to be on the front page”. “Britney Sprears fait encore la une?, Britney Spears is on the front page again?

An essential one, “les infos”, the news. “Je regarde les infos en ligne.”, I watch the news online.

Slang! “un canard” is argot for “a newspaper”. “Je lis mon canard au bistro.”, I read my newspaper at the bistro.

An easy one, “un scoop” surprisingly means “a scoop”…”J’ai un scoop!”, I have a scoop!

Any questions? Feel free to ask in the comment section!

Stay tuned daily for our tweets, and for those of you who haven’t started following us on Twitter, head there now and sign up!