French Fact: Bilingual Canada
Did you know that Canada has two official languages? They are English and French. The Official Languages Act states that: “the Constitution of Canada provides that English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status…
L'hiver, Vive le vent!
L’HIVER (lee-VAYR* = the winter) HIVER (ee- VAYR) means winter in French. On this January day, winter is now in full force in the northern hemishere. At my home in Canada, the ground is covered with a dazzling layer of…
L'hiver
L’HIVER (lee-VAYR* = the winter) L’HIVER (lee- VAYR) means winter in French. As I write, winter is now in full force in the northern hemishere, where France is located. At my home in Canada, the ground is covered with a…
Bonhomme Carnaval
Bonhomme de neige, the French phrase for snowman, is a contraction of the words, BON (good) and HOMME (man) with NEIGE which, of course, means snow! This is often shortened to just BONHOMME. The English language uses the word bonhomie…
La Tuque
If you are in Canada in February, you will need a warm hat! In mostparts of Canada temperatures are regularly below freezing, zero degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. French Canada has given us LA TUQUE(la TYOOK=the tuque), a warm…
Skating the Rideau Canal
Because the nation of Canada has French and English as its two official languages, the capital city of Canada, Ottawa, is a great place to go to practise speaking, hearing, and reading French. Winter is especially beautiful in Ottawa. The…