Overcoming the gender bias in French!

It's got to be said, one of the most difficult task for any student of French is to try and guess the gender of a noun... which seems to be without rhyme or reason!!

In French, a chair (chaise) is female, but an armchair (fauteuil) is male - which is fair enough, if you consider the virile attributes of the said "fauteuil"...
But what about this: a shirt (chemise) is female, while a blouse (chemisier) is male!

A tie (cravate) - surely this has got to be male! -- Nope! la cravate it is!

I could go on forever with the strange list of oddities, which also goes as far as including countries, believe it or not: you may or may not be pleased to know that Ecosse is female (as is France incidentally), whereas Denmark, Mexico or Wales are decidedly male!

Having said that, statistically, the odds are in your favour: you only have a 50% chance of getting it wrong... (or if you care more for the glass half empty routine, 50% of getting it right!)

Besides, the French just love the little gender mistakes - why ever else is Jane Birkin so popular in the Hexagone? You would think that after over 40 years of living in France, she would have got the gender of table right by now! But no, she seems to have cultivated the gender bias to perfection!!

In any case, should you be interested in discovering simple rules, easy to memorise, about French gender, you need to look no further than this web page: it will increase your chances of getting it right tenfold!

Enjoy!!

La France à Edimbourg: Octobre 2007

VENDREDI 12 OCTOBRE 2007

CINE ------ 9:20pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

SAMEDI 13 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–1:00pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> GRATOS
>>>>> Trois photographes se penchent sur la question de l’« EcoUrbanisme » et nous donnent leur point de vue sur l’influence de la nature dans l’espace urbain : Philip Martin (France), Simon Crofts (Scotland) et Sylwia Kowalczyk (Poland). Avec l'aimable soutien de la Scottish Polish Cultural Association . >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse
CINE ------ 1:05pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10
SPORT ------ 7:00 PM >>>>> Rugby: Demi-Finale France-Angleterre >>>>> GRATOS: FRENCH MEETUP!
>>>>> "Etant donnee notre performance contre la Nouvelle-Zelande samedi dernier, je me dis que ce sera pas mal d'aller voir ensemble le match France-Angleterre (quelle que soit l'equipe que vous souteniez!!):..."
CINE ------ 9:20pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

DIMANCHE 14 OCTOBRE 2007

CINE ------ 1:05pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10
CINE ------ 9:20pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

LUNDI 15 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
CINE ------ 1:05pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10
CINE ------ 3:30pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 8:40pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 9:20pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

MARDI 16 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
CINE ------ 1:05pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10
CINE ------ 3:30pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 8:30pm >>>>> Days of Glory (Indigenes) >>>>> Odeon Fort Kinnaird >>>>> £4.50-£7.00
CINE ------ 8:40pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 9:20pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

MERCREDI 17 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
CINE ------ 1:05pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10
DISCU ------ 5:30pm–7:00pm >>>>> Café ciné >>>>> £6/£4 tarif réduit (verre de vin compris)
>>>>> L'histoire au cinéma entre document et fiction. Découvrez des aspects du cinéma français avec Rolland Man, critique de cinéma. En français, et avec un verre de vin. >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse
RENCONTRE ------ 8:00 PM >>>>> Exchange Wednesday - French/English spoken >>>>> GRATOS – FRENCH MEETUP!
>>>>> "A new type of activity to allow our French native speakers to practise their English in a friendly environment! And also a good opportunity for those of you guys who may not be so confident..."
CINE ------ 8:40pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 9:20pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

JEUDI 18 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
CINE ------ 1:05pm >>>>> Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10
CINE ------ 3:30pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 6:00pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 8:40pm >>>>> A Few Days in September >>>>> Filmhouse >>>>> Prix du Billet - £2.00-£6.00
CINE ------ 9:20pm
Two Days in Paris >>>>> Cameo >>>>> Prix du Billet - £3.60-£6.10

VENDREDI 19 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
DISCU ------ 4:30pm–6:00pm >>>>> Café Philo >>>>> £6/£4 réductions (verre de vin compris)
>>>>> Venez discuter d’un sujet d’une manière philosophique. Aucune connaissance préalable de la philosophie n’est requise ! >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse
LECTURE ------ 6:00pm >>>>> Lire en Fete >>>>> GRATOS - Contact: culture@ifecosse.org.uk
>>>>> Venez célébrer la magie des livres avec cette soirée sur le poète René Char: A l'occasion du centenaire de sa naissance, l’IFE rend hommage à René Char, poète de la résistance. Gavin Bowd, Maître de conférence à l’université de Saint Andrews, donne une conférence sur la vie et l’œuvre de René Char, suivie du film de Jérôme Prieur « René Char, nom de guerre Alexandre ». >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse

SAMEDI 20 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–1:00pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
LECTURE ------ 11:00am >>>>> Lire en Fete >>>>> GRATOS. Réservations: library@ifecosse.org.uk ou T. 0131 220 7758
>>>>> Célébration des livres et de la lecture avec un Café « Lire en Fête »… Venez lire publiquement vos passages préférés sur le thème « Une ville, une œuvre » et découvrir une exposition documentaire sur les poètes français contemporains. Café et croissants chauds pour tous ! >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse

LUNDI 22 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS

MARDI 23 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS

MERCREDI 24 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS

JEUDI 25 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
TELE ------ 6:30pm–8:00pm >>>>> 24 Heures de la Television >>>>> GRATOS
>>>>> Dans le cadre de la journée mondiale du patrimoine audiovisuel créée par l’Unesco, venez profiter de 80 minutes de courts extraits du meilleur de la télévision française ! Version française sous-titrée en anglais. >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse

VENDREDI 26 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–6:30pm
EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
DISCU ------ 4.30-6pm >>>>> Arts Café >>>>> £6/£4 tarif réduit (verre de vin compris). Réservations: courses@ifecosse.org.uk
>>>>> Animé par Agnes Ness. Venez découvrir les mouvements artistiques et les artistes français >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse

SAMEDI 27 OCTOBRE 2007

EXPO ------ 9:30am–1:00pm >>>>> EcoUrbanisme >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> GRATOS
CONTES ------ 11:00am–12:00pm >>>>> L'Heure du Conte >>>>> £3/£5 tarif famille. Réservation recommandée: 0131 225 5366 ou courses@ifecosse.org.uk
>>>>> Contes en français et en anglais – par Peter Snow. Enfants de 4 à 8 ans >>>>> Institut Français d'Ecosse >>>>> £3/£5 tarif famille. Réservation recommandée: 0131 225 5366 ou courses@ifecosse.org.uk
MUSIQUE ------ 7:30pm >>>>> Simon Bertram : Concert intitulé: 'Anniversaries III: Celebrating the French Romantics' >>>>> Reid Memorial Church
PARTY ------ 8:00 PM >>>>> Trick or Treat? (Soirée Halloween) >>>>> GRATOS (BYOB) – FRENCH MEETUP!
>>>>> "Come along to celebrate Halloween with the Edinburgh French Meetup! We are planning to party until dawn at my place ! J'espère que vous allez relever le défi!"

Learn something new this autumn!

So....you're wondering about what to do in the autumn....

Maybe you should learn French:

- because you would like to be able to speak to people:
. when you go skiing in Val d'Isere, or for the apres-ski!
. when you support Scotland for the rugby world cup
. when you go to Nice, Biarritz or Montreal for your holidays

- to seduce that really nice French guy or girl at work,

- to impress your friends with witty comments about French grammar (yes, OK, that is stretching it a tad!!!),

- to take your revenge on your horrible French teacher at school, and swear at her/him in French next time you see her/him casually walking down the road,

- because you like couture, champagne and creme brulee,

- or maybe just for the hell of it, to meet cool people and learn something interesting in the process...

Whatever your reasons,
..... you've got to check out my classes: they are in the evening, mostly, but I also offer individual classes.

Anyway, don't hesitate to check out my website

Or get in touch by email (lise@edilang.com) or by phone (0131 557 2734)

Merci! And see you soon!

Lise

French workshop for children

On Saturday 12 May, I was asked to take part in the Parents Like Us festival, in Leith.
I created a 45 minutes interactive workshop, in which parents and children could interact and learn some classic French songs and nursery rhymes.

It was a scary prospect, as this was the first time I had done anything like this (certainly within that context!), but it was all worth it!

I couldn't have achieved much without the help of Hubby, Bundle-of-Love, Foxy Roxy and of course Thom the lovely wolf! Merciiiii !!!

Here is a selection of photos taken on the day!



For more information on future French workshops for parents and children, check this page out!