Francophone Vacation Spots

Qui veut voyager ? Now that many countries are loosening their COVID restrictions, we can turn our travel daydreams into travel plans! We’ve compiled a list of some great vacation spots in Francophone countries and cities to get your planning started. Make sure to prepare for your trip with some French classes here at the Alliance Française!

Bastille Day 2021 Round-Up

The Alliance Française de Chicago team is gearing up for an exciting Bastille Day celebration this weekend! In honor of La Fête Nationale, we wanted to round up some of our most anticipated events on and around the holiday.

Bastille Day Trifle with Chef Marc Sievers

Let’s celebrate Bastille day with a fabulous trifle! Ingredients (serves 6 - 8) Pound Cake – store-bought, sliced ½-inch thick Framboise – ½ cup, divided Raspberry Preserves – 12 ounces, Bonne Maman recommended Blackberries – 12 ounces, divided Raspberries – 12 ounces, divided Blueberries – 12 ounces, divided Strawberries – 8 ounces, ¾-inch diced Heavy Cream – 1 quart, very cold Lemon Zest – 1 large lemon Sugar – 1 tablespoon, granulated Sea Salt – ½ teaspoon Lemon Curd – 13 ounces, store-bought, Bonne Maman recommended Directions Using ¼ cup of framboise, evenly drizzle one cut side of each slice of pound cake. Evenly spread the preserves onto the same cut side of each slice. Set aside.

Top 10 Cultural Differences Between France and the USA

Hello les francophiles ! Aussi loin que je me souvienne, j’ai toujours adoré voyager, pouvoir visiter des nouveaux pays, et surtout découvrir d’autres cultures, c’est très enrichissant. S’informer sur la culture et les habitudes d’un pays, c’est bien, mais s’immerger et vivre dans sa culture, c’est encore mieux. Cela fait un peu plus de trois mois maintenant que je vis aux États-Unis, à Chicago; et je peux vous dire que passer d’un village de 350 habitants en pleine campagne à la troisième plus grande ville des US avec 3 millions d’habitants, eh ben ça change la vie !

Go Away, Dr and Mrs. Vandertramp – 8 Superior Acronyms for remembering the “être” verbs

I have a confession to make – I hate Dr. and Mrs. Vandertramp. If you’re not familiar (and I envy you, hypothetical reader), DR MRS VANDERTRAMP is the acronym French students are often forced to learn in order to help them remember the list of irregular verbs that take “être” rather than “avoir” when conjugated in the passé composé. Here’s the problem – the Vandertramps are boring as hell. You may be thinking that it’s odd to pass such judgment over an anthropomorphized mnemonic device, but I’ve spent more grammatical time with the good doctor and his wife than I’ve really cared to over the years, and they are the dullest imaginary friends ever. When I reach into the rattling void of my mind, straining to remember whether “devenir” is an unpretentious verb or one of those annoying ones that deserves special treatment, I’m greeted by the mental image of a buttoned up couple of nevilles who look exactly like the dynamic duo from American Gothic. There is nothing glamorous about the Vandertramps. No sex appeal. No danger. Their favorite drink is warm milk and their favorite movie is the American Airlines pre-flight safety video.

Top Ten French Names for Animals Because Why Not at this Point

Hey francophiles. Crazy week, huh? (It doesn’t actually matter when you read this; I’m sure that week has been crazy too) In an effort to distract myself from the mounting horrors of the outside world and the mounting responsibilities of the inside world, I’ve started regarding my pile of books with a special kind of attention usually reserved for savants or madmen. From these hours of nervous-avoidant reading, I’ve come to realize that one of my favorite things about the French language is its propensity for having wildly better names for animals than English does. Sure, we can concede that simply everything sounds better en français, but there’s no arguing that the French know how to name their critters. I don’t really have any criteria for my ranking system, other than the explosive need to share these really great-sounding words with you. I will provide a rationale for each entry, so bear with me. Also, if it weren’t already apparent, this is not a list of cool French suggestions for pet names. As a piece of consolation, “Gigi” normally works fine.

Reporting from the treetops of Madagascar

So here we are, dear reader… on a new adventure. Why would we stop at La Martinique when another Francophone pocket of the world calls. Let’s trade shipwrecks and volcanoes for island deserts, tropical rain forests and big discoveries and head to Madagascar!

What lurks beneath the surface?

Time to stop treating la France Hexagonale like it is the only part of France that matters. Let’s travel to Les Caraïbes and explore La Martinique. Now, if your interest is sparked by the past and adventure, then you are like me and Martinique is the place for you. I don’t know about you all, but reading only cold hard facts about La Martinique sounds a little boring. Although, it is important to know that La Martinique is very much a part of la République Française, is on the euro, was known (economically and culturally) as the Paris of Les Caraïbes in its heyday*,* and that the majority of people there speak Créole Martiniquais. No, I am looking for the spooky, and eerie… you know, in the wake of Halloween and all.

Un café, s'il vous plaît!

Bonjour tout le monde, Your favorite Alliance intern here. If you are anything like me, you enjoy a good cup of coffee. I know some of you aren’t fans of coffee, and I get that… you’re just wrong. No disrespect, I just needed you to know who you’re talking to: an avid coffee drinker and lover. And as that coffee lover, I have come to encounter many cups and different types of coffee, including the famous French café.

Francophones in the outfield!

Does America’s pastime translate to the langue de Molière ? Mais oui! Learn les positions de baseball en français and meet some of the many big-name players have connections to France. Here’s a rundown of just a few.