by Emily Chardac

Among close friends and relatives, two or four cheek kisses are seen as the culturally appropriate way to greet.

If you’re with friends, you will start and finish a conversation with two or four kisses and a verbal au revoir (good-bye.) Two kisses if you’re just friends and four kisses if you’re close friends or family. What I like about the links below (from about.com) is that they are audio files that will allow you to hear the correct pronunciation of each of the expressions.

À bientôt, À tout à l’heure (See you soon)
À plus, À plus tard (See you later)
(pronunciation of plus)
À demain (See you tomorrow)
À la prochaine (Until next time)

Bonne journée (Have a nice day)
Bon après-midi (Have a nice afternoon)
Bonne soirée (Have a nice evening)
Bonne nuit (Good night)

Adieu (Farewell)

I would highly advise not using adieu in any conversation. In French, it’s like saying ‘good bye’ forever. In some situations you could be misinterpreted. To be safe I would recommend saying au revoir. If you are going to see someone within a few hours of your departure, then I would recommend saying à bientôt or à tout à l’heure. Don’t say au revoir in these situations.

Thank you for reading all of my blogs and being a loyal reader with LanguageVine. This isn’t the end of the road in sharing my adventures with you. For now, let’s end this with à la prochaine, and you can continue to follow LanguageVine on Twitter (@languagevine).

Do you have a limited budget or can’t get more than one week off work to travel? Check out this five day plan to jump start your travel itinerary. Whether you’re a student, a single, a foodie, or a romantic, there is something for everyone in Paris, also known as the “City of Light.” Before we get started, check out my travel tips and what to do when you arrive at the Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Day 1: You’re going to be a bit jet-lagged, so build that into your day. Go to your hotel and take two hours for yourself to nap, shower, relax, and eat. Some easy things to do on your first day:

• take a boat tour along the Seine River
• grab a French pastry at a local bakery and enjoy the Luxembourg Gardens
• have a cup of coffee and people watch
• walk along the left bank

Plan on checking in early because you’ll be tired and you’ll want to make sure you’re energetic for day two.

Day 2: You went to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, so go for it! Don’t forget to visit the Champ de Mars, les invalides, and the American Chuch in Paris.

• Bonus: Walk between each attraction to “take in” the atomosphere.

When in Paris, be sure to see the eternally popular Eiffel Tower, one of the city's most iconic attractions!

Day 3: Today you’ll be busy. Walk across the historic Pont Neuf and go to the Louvre to see your favorite art pieces. Be realistic, it will take 2-5 hours to get through the Louvre if you wish to see the most popular attractions. After you’ve seen the Mona Lisa, finish the day doing some shopping on the Rue de Rivoli.

• Bonus: Louvre admission is free the first Sunday of every month
• Bonus: Shopping during les soldes

Day 4: Visit the Sacre Coeur (my personal favorite) in Montmartre. Take pictures of the Parisian skyline (beautiful both during the day and night). Then, visit the Place du Tetre. Continue your walking through into the famous Montmartre neighborhood. Don’t forget to check out the Moulin Rouge.

Day 5: Don’t make any plans, do whatever inspires you or catch up on something you wanted to spend more time seeing.

Happy traveling and bon voyage! Do you have any travel tips or personal experiences from a successful and short trip to Paris? I’d love to hear what you have to say!

There is nothing like sitting down with a gigantic bowl of popcorn watching a French movie on French TV via my computer. (Sometimes I connect my computer to my TV and pretend I’m still in France!) From local news of a region in France that I love to a French TV series to a movie, I can get it all at the convenience of the Internet. Keep in mind that France is +6 hours for the East Coast, +7 hours for the Midwest, +8 hours for the Mountains, and +9 hours for the West Coast. I know this can complicate things if you’re going to watch something live, but get creative!

I have to smile to myself when I’m watching TV in France because many of the most popular TV series are American with French voice overs. Check out Friends and CSI in French. If you’d rather watch something with subtitles, here are episodes of CSI – Las Vegas, High School Musical, or Glee Interview. The great part about watching a series through YouTube is that you can replay a section that you may not understand. (Tip: When you hear the studio audience laughing, replay until you understand the joke.)

In the US, some of the major TV networks are ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, or the CW. In France, the major TV networks are TF1, France 2, France 3, Canal +, and M6.

Want to watch live French TV? Check out these links!

• TF1 steaming videos
• France 1 streaming videos
• M6 streaming videos
• Live movies and series

Practice your French vocabulary while enjoying your favorite French TV shows and movies!

Have any tips to understanding a foreign language? We want to hear them!

Have you ever wondered how you would handle yourself in a restaurant in French? If you’re in Paris, you’re probably going to be in English-speaking company. Sure, you could attempt to speak English or even point to what you think you’d like to order, but to have the most valuable experience, try to speak French! Use your witty humor for an ice breaker and to excuse yourself.

The first time I ordered food in French was at a crêperie, which is a place that sells only crêpes. There was one that looked so good. It was a banana crêpe with nutella and whipped cream. The only problem is that when I spoke in French, I pronounced whipped cream (chantilly) exactly how it looks in English. You know, shan-til-lee.

The waiter blushed, laughed, and said in French, “Can you please repeat that?”

I repeated. “Shan-til-lee.”

“Again! Repeat!” the waiter mocked in a friendly way.

I joked with the waiter, in French, “Well you say whipped cream in English. Let’s hear it!”

The waiter said in English with his Parisian accent, “Your accent is just too nice.” Then he switched back into French. “We say chan-tee-yee. Now I will go get the delicious crêpe you ordered!”

This tasty crêpe is made of fraise, banane et chantilly (strawberry, banana, and whipped cream). Delicious!

If you can, use humor to your advantage like I did. Not only will it help you work on your French vocabulary, but you will have a great story to share with friends. Humor, at least for me, is the best way to overcome language barriers and cultural awkward moments. Have you ever been in an awkward language or culture situation? I’d love to hear about it!

Check out this awesome link about ordering food in French.

Valentine’s Day should be celebrated by everyone. It’s one of my favorite holidays because I love to make everyone around me feel special (and I may even treat myself to a couple of chocolates, too)! In France, Valentine’s Day isn’t celebrated in the same way as it is in the United States. In fact, I don’t believe there are special Valentine’s day cards, candies, or advertisements on the TV. I’d like to tip you off so you don’t make the same mistake I did with my French college boyfriend — I spent hours preparing a special day and he just didn’t understand all of the effort. Of course he appreciated my gestures, but it took me a bit of time to explain. I guess in the end I won his heart, and maybe, just maybe, it was because of Valentine’s Day.
I hope my ideas make your day special, for your partner, a friend, a family member, or yourself. Enjoy!

Try out some of these French-inspired gift ideas for a wonderful holiday with your loved one this year!

More ideas:

• If you are crafty, make your own Valentine cards with happy tape. Hand write French terms of endearment.
• If you are tech savvy,  make a video Valentine card with you speaking French sweet nothings.
• Borrow your partner’s iPod a few days before V-Day and fill it with your favorite love songs.
• Make a romantic breakfast… for dinner. Here are some ideas for a French themed breakfast.

Bonjour everyone! I regret I was not able to write a blog for you last week, I was under the weather (and still am) with a cold that won’t let up. Speaking of weather, Milwaukee was in the middle of a snow blizzard last night. We have about 18 inches of snow and 5 foot snow drifts. The great part of having a cold and bad weather at the same time is that it was a paid snow day for everyone. It got me thinking, though, for all of you who anticipate traveling to France in 2011. What if you’re not feeling well in France? Will you know what to do?

If you decide not to take traveler’s insurance or if you are not covered under your American health insurance plan, don’t panic because you can still receive medical treatment in France (even if you are American)! You can see a doctor for about 30 euros. You can also have a doctor visit you for a slightly higher cost, probably about 50 euros. If your French isn’t at the level where you think you can fully express yourself, the American Hospital of Paris and the British Hospital would be nice options for you.

A Pharmacie Sign Next to the Centre Pompidou Building in Paris

You may even already know the kind of medicine you need for your ailment, without going to a doctor. In this case, you will need to find a pharmacie (which is usually designated with a green cross in France) or grocery store. Tip: Don’t expect to find the same American over the counter medicines.

• Helpful French health insurance tips from an English-speaking expat
• Common English-to-French words for various ailments

It might make you feel better to know that I was quite sick when I first arrived in Paris as a student. I don’t know if it was my nerves or food that I ate, but I needed a medicine to calm down an angry stomach. I walked to the pharmacie in my neighborhood and explained my symptoms. Even though I couldn’t articulate every ache and pain, I was able to tell the pharmacist when my concern started and my symptoms. I walked out of the pharmacy with two medicines for about $25. Within a few days I was feeling like myself.

On a happier note, I can’t wait to share next week’s blog with you. I will be writing about French-inspired valentine gifts you can create for that special someone. Have a great week!

I hope everyone is off to a good week! Here in Wisconsin, it’s very cold out so I’ve decided to share some of my tricks for having a relaxing and warming French-inspired bath. Do all French people take this type of bath? Probably not, but this my way of infusing my love for everything French into my evening bath (aka home spa treatment).

The first thing you have to do is completely clear your mind of any chaos (good luck, I know it’s not easy). Forget that upsetting comment your boss or professor told you or the person who bumped into you on the subway. Appreciate that extra piece of chocolate cake you had instead of chastising yourself for it.

Next, you have to find some good music to get you ready for your bath. I love Pandora because it’s free and the music variety is unbeatable. Depending on your preferred genre, my favorite stations are: Brazilian Girls, Samba, Chill, and Meditation.

French bath time vocabulary!

Next scavenge your house for some household items so that you can use for your French-inspired home spa evening.

• Candles (preferably soy). Don’t have any? Peeling any citrus fruit like lemon, oranges, or clementines make nice and relaxing natural scents. Place a small bowl of citrus fruit peels next to your bath. Eventually, when they dry you can mix them with dried roses to make your own poppurri or mix them into poppurri that you already have so they don’t go to waste. Natural scents like these are earth-friendly, too!
• Towels. Fold long-ways (vertically) and roll. Pile 2-3 of them next to your bath tub so you can use when needed. Bonus: put in a pretty basket.
• Soaps. In today’s blog entry, I included an image of the soaps from L’Occitaine. I once purchased a lavender sachet there, and it lasted for months. Also, you can go to Whole Foods and find generously sized organic soaps for only $3 or $4.
• Make it homemade! Pardon all the advertisements on this webpage. The recipes are great and easy. Even a beginner will feel like a pro after making one of essortment.com’s recipes.
• Tea. Personally, I have to finish my bath with a great cup of thé (tea). For something quick and easy, I love Tazo’s Calm tea, which is a “comforting blend of chamomile, rose petals, and soothing herbs.” I add a touch of honey. It’s amazing to decompress after a long day. If you want to be more adventurous, you could mix-up your own loose leaf French blend inspired by this one. Or you can just order it online! I love this description, “To cement the ‘French’ character, lavender from Provence was added along with some rose petals – a tea fit for the Latin Quarter along the Seine.” It sounds très bon!

I hope you will try some of these tips. Enjoy your French-inspired bath!

Here is the Croque-Monsieur – The “Mr. Croque” sandwich.

1. Take two pieces of bread. Butter one side of each piece.
2. Put your skillet on the stove top on a low-medium heat. Put one piece of bread butter side down.
3. Sprinkle some cheese. I use the 6 cheese Italian, but you can use any cheese you enjoy.
4. Layer ham (1-3 pieces).
5. Sprinkle more cheese.
6. Add your final piece of bread butter side up.
7. Cook until bread is golden brown. Cut in half.
8. This meal goes nice with the following sides: a small salad, fries, fried eggs, or soup.
9. Bon Appétit ! (Eat well!)

I wanted to run a “quick” errand at Macy’s yesterday and my “quick” errand was about 45 minutes waiting in line. Oh, the rush of the last minutes before the holidays. Are your shopping lists completed? My gifts are getting there, but for some I will truly procrastinate until the last seconds. I want my cookies practically hot out of the oven when I give them to the recipients.

Here are some last minute ideas for gifts:

• A beautiful flower arrangement can be simple ($5 and up, and if you can deliver it in-person, you’ll save on the delivery charge!) Check out this article from Daily Candy about how to arrange flowers beautifully and inexpensively!
• A blank journal for writing or a book is a classic gift ($2 and up). If you’re the creative-type, you could decorate one yourself, like this French-inspired number from Etsy.com!
• Homemade cookies are always a big hit in my world. Here are some easy French cookie recipes!
• Inviting your a friend for coffee (perhaps, a Café au lait?) and the bill is on you. (I think making the invitation yourself and sending it through the mail makes it even more special!)
• Warm, homemade bread from the oven accompanied with a decorative cloth or basket.
• Learn how to buy affordable (and perhaps environment-friendly) wine, by reading from reliable sources online, like Forbes Magazine — this can be a fantastic gift for the right recipient. (Certainly, this is a “French-inspired” item!)
• Hard candies wrapped in pretty paper or glossy bag is a tasty gift. For less than 10 dollars, you can purchase these beautiful French bonbons!

What are you giving? Do you have any last-minute gift ideas? We’d love to know what your inspiration  is!