Thursday, May 31, 2007

Sauve la pom-pom girl! Sauve le monde!



Save the cheerleader. Save the world. Sauve mon français!


I must break my silence and confess: I've been in another French rut. Vacation didn't need to strike this time in order for my mind to wander away and abandon my well-intentioned but short-lived daily sentence project. Il n'y a plus de phrases quotidiennes.


The routine I established has gone a bit awry. I'm getting in my weekly practice of speaking French (a day or two later, plus ou moins) but I'm turning in my homework on the day of the French lesson, or gasp! days after. Oui, I need help! I need to not forget the vocabulary I've learned. I need to learn new vocabulary. I need to want to do that. Who can I turn to? Nothing short of a superhero, bien sûr. Or in this case: a whole group of them, growing in numbers with each successive episode! "Quoi?" you ask.


I'm coming late to the American tv series "Heroes". However, better late than never. En fait, c'est mieux avec les sous-titres en Français! What's a better way to review vocabulary by recognizing the words you know (Je vais bien, je veux rentrer à la maison)? What's a better way to learn new, useful "everyday" vocabulary (pom-pom girl!) by seeing it in context? As for motivation- well what's better than getting hooked on a tv show and wanting to know what happens next? There is no better way to get that "daily French fix". In fact I've been indulging myself, catching up by watching more than one episode a day. Hey.- it's educational.


...à présent, la suite de Heroes et de mon français aussi!


Il n'y a plus de phrases quotidiennes.
No more daily French sentences.

plus ou moins more or less

bien sûr of course, naturally

En fait, c'est mieux avec les sous-titres en Français!
In fact, it's better with French subtitles.

Quoi? What?

Je vais bien, je veux rentrer à la maison.
I'm fine, I want to go (back) home.

...à présent, la suite de Heroes et de mon français aussi!
...and now Heroes continues and so does my French.


La photo: Les arbres à Jagsthausen, Allemagne. Mai 2007.