bettizpod

Here is a question from Sara, from Australia, who apparently has some troubles with the French rules about essays...:

My teacher gave me a bad grade on an essay , in french of course,  on the topic "Does technology make us lazy"  because I put my opinion in the introduction . She told the standard form in France for an essay is  that you put your opinion in the conclusion . That does not make any sense to me . Could someone verify this for me ? Thank you so much !!!

First of all don't worry dear Sara, even if I'm french I have been also in the same situation...!!

The most important in a french essay is the structure and maybe even more than the contents.
The structure is really essential. That's what we all learn at the University :)

Be aware that it is necessary to build all foundations of the essay before building your argumentation. If you succeed to build a good framework all the rest will come fluently....!
And keep in mind that introduction and conclusion must to be written better at the end of your work rather than at the beginning, I mean when you have completed all your argumentation.

Here is the procedure to be followed to build a essay:

1) You must find "the problem" ( = la problèmatique in French)

The problèmatique is the most important thing which will help you to settle the structure of your essay.
This problem must come from the subject itself.
In fact, here in your subject "Does technologiy make us lazy" you have all details to build the problèmatique thanks to the terms technology / make / lazy.
The problèmatique could be : Is people became lazy because of the technology? Is it technology or men who must be blamed? Is technology responsible of the general lazyness?
Only one sentence must be sufficient to summarize this famous problem that will be necessary to solve in your argumentation.

2) When you have found the problèmatique you must build your argumentation.

Generally your argumentation will be structured in 2 or 3 parts.
You can support one thesis in the first part, to support a second thesis in the second part, and making a synthesis of your investigations (from the both first parts) in the third part.

3) Then you can build your introduction and your conclusion:

In your introduction you have to introduce the topic, explaining the words of the subject, and prepare your argumentation. (it will be easier since you have already studied the problem while working your argumentation). It is really important to present the thesis that you are supporting, but be careful you must not give your own opinion to the reader! You must present all the thesis, all the possibilities to solve the problem.
After having presented your subject your introduction has to contain an announcement of the structure of your essay. Something like: "In our first part of this essay we will examine.... and in the second part we will see the difference between .... to conclude on our third part about ...."

Finally in your conclusion you can give your opinion, or rather you must enlighten what is your opinion according to the arguments advanced in your thesis.
In a conclusion you always have to summarize all the arguments you have supported in your essay and you make rise your opinion from these arguments.

Of course this procedure can be altered, modified according to the subject or professors' who will correct you, but normally it is a method which always works and this is the one students are learning at University :)

If you meet any difficulties to build an essay, or if something seems still confusing don't hesitate to drop me a line about it!

Here is a new word today: apéritif
The word is derived from the Latin verb "aperire", which means to open.

An apéritif is an alcoholic drink usually enjoyed as an appetizer before a meal.
An apéritif can also refer to a social occasion involving cocktails and a light meal without the necessity of a full meal afterwards.

Apéritif is generally taken before the lunch or diner time.
It is often served with something small to eat, like olives or crackers.

The apéritif indicates by extension the food-picking which can precede the meal. This includes finger food, often pistachios, chips or salted nuts. On broader terms, the apéritif applies to all types of food (small cakes, cut out fruits, pork-butcheries, cheeses and other imaginative assortments) which are served alongside drinks.

We have a short word in France to call this, we can consider it at the slang word: apéro.

" Que dis-tu de venir boire un apéro avec nous ? " What do you think about coming along to drink an apéro ?

Apéritif is far from being impossible to circumvent, it is generally taken to relax, in the week-ends, with family, friends,... It is generally related to convivial environments.
Sometimes, when you get a new neighbor you can introduce yourself by proposing to take an apéritif together :)

L'apéro can also be considered as the period (during which people drink before their meal) and not only as drinks.


Example:
When I say to my father: "Viens prendre un l'apéro!" indeed it implies "Hey come to have a drink before we eat"
Or "l'apéro est-il prêt?" Meaning: "Are drinks served and people ready?"

So... Qui m'invite à prendre un apéro ?!? 

I've seen that a kind person from "Live Journal" post a very nice article about my blog!

The Modo if this website is:

Here is the post if you want to have a look :)
But i've to warn you that the post is in Rusian! Here it is: идиомы_слэнг_блог

Here is a question of Dave related to family bonds and how to name them in French:

What are step parents in French? My text says that 'step mother' and 'mother in law' are both 'la belle mère' but it seems like that could be rather confusing..

Indeed Dave, I can understand the confusion here...
I confirm you that both "mother in law" and "step mother" mean belle-mère in French

Your belle-mère can be your father's new wife, or can be the mother of your husband/wife. In French we use the same word to express the both ideas.
That's the same regarding fathers -> beau-père means at the same time "step father" and "father in law"

Step parents are beaux-parents in French

But this simple rule isn't the same for all family members!
As in english, we have in French several ways to name our "step broters/sisters,..."

A step brother = Un demi-frère (is litterally a half-brother) 
He's generally the son of your step mother/father
A brother in law = Un beau-frère
He's generally the husband of your sister, or your spouse/husband's brother

Moreover, to add some grammar details, be careful to the plural form of these words. As you maybe know you have in French plenty of exceptions...

demi-frère -> demi-frères (the word "demi" keeps its singular form)
demi-soeur -> demi-soeurs

BUT pay attention to:

belle-mère -> belles-mères (the word "belle" has to be declined to plural)
beau-père -> beaux-pères

Don't hesitate to comment for all additionnal information you may need :)

Hey, to add a small slang touch, do you know how to call a step mother or a mother in law in slang?
= une belle-doche ! or belledoche
And what about the brother in law?
= un beauf ! (short word for beau-frère)

I live in Paname :)
But I could also say, in a conventionnal way : I live in Paris ! ( = J'habite à Paris / Paname )

Yes, Paname means Paris !

Paname is well accepted by most of people, it's kinda slang word but not a rude or nasty one. Actually you can use Paname quite naturally when you talk to young people or when you are a real Parisian, like me :)

You will sound really "in" if you are a foreigner in Paris and tell to your friends : Je me sens bien à Paname! ( = I feel good in Paris / Paname ! )
Just try it !
You can say for example : J'aime Paname, on est bien à Paname, la vie est belle à Paname, Paname c'est trop cher! mais Paname c'est trop cool !

And here are other words you maybe have to know if you come to France (still related to Paris): Parigot and Parigotte
This is the way people from the countryside are calling parisian people. This is quite old fashioned but sometimes you can hear this in rural part of France or something...
But be careful, it is a rather pejorative way to call the inhabitants of Paris
Parisians are not very famous in the countryside, I mean we don't have a very good reputation... Parisian people are often seen as dull, unpleasant, scorning, pretentious,... Nice isn't it??
In the past, maybe 30 or 50 years ago (but nowadays people know it too) there was a little song :

Parisiens, têtes de chien!
Parigots, tête de veaux!

Parisians, dogheads!
Parigots, calfhead!

So... you understand that it is not a really kind way of calling people from Paris!

Anyway, what I'd like to say is "Vive Paname!"