FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Jean-Marc and Fred preparing sea urchins "on the half shell".

In books:

French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano is a charming and practical guide to adding some joie to your vie and to your table...

apporter (a pohr tay) verb
  to bring; to supply or provide

Le soir de la vie apporte avec soi sa lampe.
The evening of life brings with it its lamp. --Joseph Joubert

A Day in a French Life...
In the southern French town of La Ciotat the Mediterranean pines cling fearfully to the edge of a limestone cliff. With each shiver, the trees release another light shower of pine nuts which land at the feet of group of old high school chums who sit sipping chilled rosé wine and preparing sea urchin on the half shell. Occasionally the men pause, popping one of the nuts into their mouths, washing it down by another gulp of the peach-colored wine.

Meanwhile, just across the terracotta tiled patio and inside the bustling kitchen, the wives of the men stand teary-eyed (so many chopped onions later) and as thirsty as the burning and porous tiles that separate them from their bon vivant husbands.

When one of the men makes the mistake of wandering into the cuisine, hoping to find a few more ice cubes, one of the wives speaks up.

"What about OUR drinks? A little glass of rosé would add a bit more spice to what we are cooking in here. Apporte-nous du vin!" In just two sentences, the French woman had voiced a sentiment that wives across France were probably sharing at this, the hour of the déjeuner: what are you bringing to the table apart from your empty stomach?

To be fair, each person has brought something: Corine, a moister-than-most chocolate cake; her husband, Fred, the diving equipment which helped to catch so many savory sea urchins; Jean-Marc, a selection of his favorite summer wines; José, a fruit cake; his wife, Claire, a creamy Tropézien tart. Sophie brought the carpaccio and her husband, Nicolas, his crushed anchovy and lemon marinade in which to "cook" the thinly sliced beef. As for me, I made chocolate chip cookies with roasted pignons.

But if one had to argue who did or brought the most, then I would say it was the children, whose apport was their joyful laughter which echoed across the tiled patio, past the teary-eyed chefs, past the pinetrees and the old friends below them, and over the turquoise bay in the southern French town of La Ciotat.


French Vocabulary

un bon vivant = one who likes good food and drink
la cuisine (f) = kitchen
le déjeuner (m) = lunch
le pignon (de pin) = pine nut
Apporte-nous du vin! Bring us some wine! 
un apport = contribution



In Magazines:

As with its English counterpart, the French edition of Elle magazine focuses on the world of fashion, beauty, and style. Each glamorous, glossy issue highlights the latest trends around the world and offers self-help articles, celebrity profiles and interviews, and practical how-to information.

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French Pronunciation:
Listen to Jean-Marc pronounce the following phrase:
Apporte-moi un verre de rosé.
Bring me a glass of rosé. Download apporter.wav

Verb conjugation:
j'apporte, tu apportes, il/elle apporte, nous apportons, vous apportez, ils/elles apportent ; past participle = apporté

In books:
Complete Guide to Conjugating 12000 French Verbs by Bescherelle