The word ‘pompier’ comes from the verb ‘pomper’ (to pump), referring to the manual fire pumps that were originally used at fires.
Test your French and Catalan language skills.
After the northern part of Catalonia was ceded to the French in 1659, Catalan was initially still used for official documents to avoid stirring up resentment.
Have a go at our latest quiz to find out just how much you know about the Pyrénées-Orientales.
A selection of poems paying homage to our sacred Mountain, Mount Canigou
Test Your French with a French Joke. Un canard entre dans une épicerie et demande au patron: “Vous avez de la nourriture pour canards ?” Le patron répond «Nous n’en avons pas. Ici nous vendons de la nourriture pour les gens. »
This French version of Abba’s ‘The Winner Takes it All’ was brought out by Mireille Mathieu in 1981, in collaboration with ABBA themselves, who both produced it and sang in the backing group.
Useful Vocabulary Les vagues – waves La houle – swell Une marée basse/haute – low/high tide Les moutons – white horses Le littoral – coastline Les algues – seaweed Une bouée – rubber ring Un seau — bucket Une pelle — shovel Un râteau — rake Un coup de soleil – sunburn…..
Test your French and have a giggle with this tongue in cheek joke about Ikea flat pack furniture. Vocabulary provided at the end.
If you’re lucky, once you get to the airport, there isn’t really that much to say: but sometimes it doesn’t all run quite so smoothly, particularly in winter, and its useful to have a bit of local lingo to find out what’s going on.
