As I said in an earlier post "my muse" has decided to come back from her holidays and I for one am extremely grateful. So what have I been doing over the last couple of years? First of all I've been looking after my family and friends here in France. Secondly I've been preparing several new short stories in the hope that they will be published somewhere on the world wide net. Lastly and probably the most important is really getting around to learning a lot more about the language that I have grown to love over the last thirty or so years. Perhaps you are thinking about learning a new language and wondering how you can go about it. The best method is to emigrate and live in the country, that way you have no other choice if you really want to participate in everyday life. You could always go to a language school and pick up the basics and then go on holiday to France to test your skills. Find yourself a French girlfriend/boyfriend to help you out but make sure that they don't keep saying "I'm not a dictionary!" It might sound a bit harsh but it does mean that you have to fend for yourself in order to pick up the vocabulary you'l need to go shopping for, clothes etc..Learn French Quickly I'll give you a few examples another day and hope to make you smile when I explain a few of the idiomatic expressions that you might hear during a lesson or on a holiday. Just for fun here is one of my favourites:-
"Il a monté le col le doigt dans le nez " which can often be heard during the Tour de France cycle race. Now here's the literal translation:-" He climbed the hill with his finger stuck up his nose!" If you happen to be a cyclist you know how difficult that could be. To be honest the real meaning is " he climbed the hill with ease" which we can all understand.
Have a nice day. :)