Mademoiselle … No More

Do you consider yourself a ‘Madame’ or a ‘Mademoiselle’? A ‘Senorita’ or ‘Signorina’? Well, it doesn’t matter in the French language anymore as a town in Western France (Cesson-Sevigne) has banned the word ‘Mademoiselle’ (or ‘Miss’ – UK equivalent) from all of its official documents. The reason for this is that the town’s community believes that women should not be defined by their status anymore. Men have always been addressed as ‘Monsieur’ once they become teenagers.

Read more

Le Quatorze Juillet

Bastille Day, known in French as le quatorze juillet or Fête Nationale,  is a French National holiday held on the 14 July each year.  It was on this day in 1789  when hundreds of Parisians stormed the Bastille Prison in Paris starting the French Revolution and bringing about the end of the monarchy.   Read more

Celebrate European Music Day 2011

European Music Day falls on 21 June 2011. It is an annual event turning the streets in cities all across Europe into music stages - and what’s more, it’s free for everyone!

The European Music Day was born in France in 1982, when the then French Minister of Culture Jack Lang and the French Ministry of Culture, set up Music Day (Fete de la Musique) for the first time. Read more

Today is Poisson D’Avril!

The 1st of April is called ‘Poisson d’avril’ in France and other French-speaking countries. It means literally ‘Fish of April’ and children try and stick a paper fish on the backs of their family and friends. In other parts of the world, the 1st of April is well-known as April Fools Day and people play practical jokes on each other.

One of the best know April Fools Day spoofs was by the BBC in 1957, supposedly showing a family in Switzerland harvesting from spaghetti trees. Find out more and watch the clip

What practical jokes will you play today?!

Paris Or Guadeloupe … What’s It To Be?

From chic Paris to beautiful Aix-en-Provence to the exotic beaches of Guadeloupe, we offer a variety of French courses to suit all needs and budgets. You can take a standard language course from as little as one week, or add a little joie de vivre with an activity such as cooking, surfing, golf or wine tasting.   You’ll spend your morning studying the French language Read more

French Business and Culture Workshop

Sarah Carroll, www.languageadvantage.com’s founder, is speaking at UK Trade Investment’s Business and Culture Workshop on France in London on Tuesday 13 October 2009.

The workshop will explore the business challenges faced by existing UK exporters to France and will help exporters discover practical solutions and business advice to overcome potential language, communication and cultural barriers when trading in the French market. Read more

Did you know … that ‘hotel de ville’ is not a French hotel?

Ah … the woes of not understanding a language very well!   One Friday night, a British tourist  dropped into  the hotel de ville in the small town of Dannemarie in France thinking it was a hotel. The tourist wanted to check into the ‘hotel’ but finding no-one at the reception desk, she used the toilet. Read more

European Music Day Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary in Greece

European Music Day is on 21 June 2009.   It is an annual event turning the streets in cities all across Europe into music stages – free for everyone.   European Music Day started in Greece ten years ago and now constitutes the biggest music event in the country, transforming over 23 cities with more than 70 bands all over Greece in 2009.   Read more

Celebrate May Day Around The Maypole

This Friday 1st May is May Day. There are many traditional May Day celebrations around the world.   The first day of May is observed in Canada, United States and in some parts of Western Europe as a celebration of the coming of spring.   In the UK, May Day is observed on the first Monday of May (also known as Bank Holiday Monday). Read more

Poisson D’Avril

1st April is called ‘Poisson d’avril’ in France and other French-speaking countries.   It means literally ‘Fish of April’ and children try and stick a paper fish on the backs of their family and friends.   In other parts of the world, 1st April is well-known as April Fools Day and people play practical jokes on each other.

One of the best know April Fools Day spoofs was by the BBC in 1957, supposedly showing a family in Switzerland harvesting from spaghetti trees.   Find out more and watch the clip>>