Amid shouts of “c’est très good” and “at longue last,” Franglais has become the 24th official language of the European Union. Franglais, a blend of French and English, has been spoken for centuries by the upper echelons of both francophone and anglophone societies, usually by those wishing to seem educated and worldly even as they’re […]
How to not cringe when your partner tries to speak French
You’re having a nice lunch out with a romantic partner. The waitress approaches and suddenly your partner begins to choke, only he’s not choking. He’s trying to speak French, and even though no one understands him, he presses on. Your face breaks into an expression of equal parts sympathy and shame. Here are five tips […]
Help! Which local language should I learn?
French, German, Luxembourgish, Portuguese … I don’t know which one to choose! By Wise Expat Sage Dear Wise Expat Sage, I recently moved to Luxembourg when my partner got transferred here. Before I begin working, I’d like to take a language course to feel more comfortable in social situations. My question: which language should I […]
American defeats French resident in Luxembourg Monolingual Championships
An American has been named Luxembourg’s top monolingual after narrowly beating a French resident who had held the title for three years. Project engineer Robin Slater, from the U.S. state of Iowa, defeated Ludovic Binard, originally from Dijon, in a brutal final match during which they incomprehensibly spoke at each other for three hours. Although […]
Frustrated Luxembourg teen doesn’t know which of 5 languages to vandalize in
KAYL — What started off as a mission to spray paint a simple anti-capitalist message on an old building turned into a frustrating ordeal for one teen when he couldn’t figure out which of his five languages to use. Yannick Pereira, 17, had hoped to spray paint the words “I shop therefore I am” to […]