It’s only a few days away – here are some links to help you celebrate with your beloved.
Language
Introducing … Lawless Italian!
After many visits to Italy and years of thinking about creating an Italian site – but failing to actually, you know, learn Italian – I’ve gone ahead and created Lawless Italian. By drawing on my French and Spanish knowledge, I’m able to read over various Italian lessons and create my own.
But since this is certainly not guaranteed to be error-proof, for the first time I’m collaborating with another person, who reads everything I write to make sure that I have understood the uniquely Italian concepts and created appropriate examples. She’s also making the sound files, which is something I hate doing in any language – so that’s an extra bonus!
Anyway, enough chit chat. Interested in learning Italian? Head on over to Lawless Italian – ci vediamo!
Understanding Charlie Hebdo
On 7 January 2015, two men stormed the offices of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo. They murdered 12 people, including the five most famous and beloved cartoonists (one of whom was the editor) and two police officers, and injured 11 others, 5 seriously. Those are the basic facts of the tragedy, which you undoubtedly already know. But what you may not understand is why – beyond the horror of murder and mayhem – this event has touched every French person so deeply. As one internet meme says: “12 dead. 66 million wounded.” Why is Charlie Hebdo so important and iconic? Continue reading
Nice Carnaval – Beyond the 5 continents
Antarctica was represented by melting glace – this word play gets lost in English; in French, it means both “ice” and “ice cream.”
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| La fonte des glaces |
Greek Lessons
Most of our traveling is to places where we speak the language, and of course when we don’t, we can usually fall back on English. This is the case in Greece as well; since it’s the only Greek-speaking country, the vast majority of Greeks are (more or less) fluent in English. But since my husband and I are both language lovers, and enjoy the surprised yet pleased reactions of native French, Spanish, and Italian speakers when we are able to communicate in their language, I thought of a new twist for our trip to Greece: why not learn a bit of Greek? Continue reading
Intermediate French for Dummies, by LKL
My book Intermediate French for Dummies includes intermediate-level grammar lessons, writing tips, and practice exercises, and is the most extensive (and, all modesty aside, the best) book I’ve written. Check it out at Amazon.com or your favorite bookstore: