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Started by scarface, February 26, 2013, 12:28 AM

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humbert

Quote from: scarface on September 08, 2021, 03:37 PM
The "Casino de Monte-Carlo" is located in the neighborhood of Monte Carlo in Monaco indeed. Since it's a city state, there is no capital in Monaco. You can find other city states without capital like Singapour or even countries like Palestine...
Note that the citizens of Monaco are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms of the casino. The casino was designed by Charles Garnier in 1878, the architect who had designed the Paris opera house known as Opera Garnier.

Thanks for the info. I was under the mistaken impression that Monaco was like Liechtenstein or Luxembourg, i.e., a tiny country large enough for a city to be its capital. Obviously not the case.

I've been to Nassau in the Bahamas several times. There are very nice casinos. They also have the same rule as Monaco: Bahamians aren't allowed to use them and will be promptly ejected if caught in the gaming room

I'm familiar with Singapore. Google maps clearly shows that the capital city takes up the country's entire area. It's very advanced, especially when you consider it's located on an island that's basically a rock with no resources. With respect to Palestine, I think Ramallah is its present capital. Theoretically it's Jerusalem. Unfortunately Palestine is not strong enough to claim its rightful capital.

Quote from: scarface on September 08, 2021, 03:37 PM
I'm glad to see that you are discovering the particularities of the French language. But there are exceptions: a double l in French does not always mean that you are pronuncing it "ll". Let's take the verb "appeler" - a.pə.le - (to call). If you use it in the first person singular, for example "j'appelle Maher" (I'm calling Maher), you won't pronounce a double l: you will say "apɛl". This is because the last e of the word is a silent letter. And in the first person plural, there is only one l: "nous appelons". Note that the double p is useless too...

My former boss, who spoke French, explained that e at the end of the word is always silent unless it has an accent (é), as in the word egalité.

One problem with English and French is the huge number of silent letters which does nothing more than cause confusion. Spanish doesn't have this problem. Only the H and the U when followed by Q and used in gue are silent. Other than that all letters have sound, and only one pronunciation. A very easy language.

scarface

#581
Quote from: humbert on September 09, 2021, 05:49 AM
Thanks for the info. I was under the mistaken impression that Monaco was like Liechtenstein or Luxembourg, i.e., a tiny country large enough for a city to be its capital. Obviously not the case.
Monaco is only 2 square kilometers. I let you calculate the number of Monaco you could put in San Antonio.

Quote from: humbert on September 09, 2021, 05:49 AM
With respect to Palestine, I think Ramallah is its present capital. Theoretically it's Jerusalem. Unfortunately Palestine is not strong enough to claim its rightful capital.
And Gaza is larger than many capital city in the world too. But I imagine that Palestine doesn't need a capital since its management depends largely on Israel. And when you see the management of Lebanon, I would say that the situation of Palestine is almost enviable.

Quote from: humbert on September 09, 2021, 05:49 AM
My former boss, who spoke French, explained that e at the end of the word is always silent unless it has an accent (é), as in the word egalité.
That's right. I didn't even know this rule. But there are exceptions with pronouns: "le", "je"... Thus, je (I) and jeu (game) have the same pronunciation.

Quote from: humbert on September 09, 2021, 05:49 AM
One problem with English and French is the huge number of silent letters which does nothing more than cause confusion. Spanish doesn't have this problem. Only the H and the U when followed by Q and used in gue are silent. Other than that all letters have sound, and only one pronunciation. A very easy language.
Since I learnt Spanish, I can tell you that it's pretty easy to learn the pronunciations of the words indeed. Even if the pronunciation of the double r doesn't exist in French, like in "perro" (dog). A French speaker will say" pero" (but) if he's not used to it.
However, the strict sequence of tenses is pretty difficult to handle in Spanish with the common use of the past subjunctive. If in French the present subjunctive is common, nowadays, most people no longer use the pluperfect or the imperfect subjunctive. For example you will say "il fallait que j'appelle Maher", or more simply, "je devais appeler Maher" (I had to call Maher), but if you were respecting a strict sequence of tenses, you would have to use the verb "appeler" with the imperfect subjunctive: "il fallait que j'appelasse Maher", but nobody says that.

scarface

Tonight, new videos are available on the forum.


The raft of the medusa by Géricault explained.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUq9qMm9NtI



A flood emergency was issued in New York city as heavy rainfall due to Hurricane Ida impacts much of the region.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XbHGcJqyrM



This video shows how hard it is to get up in the morning to go to work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMNLrQW7_pU



BiBi monkey sleeps with Ody cat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhAhUNSlYJQ



Oceana - Body Rock Remix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9r7FfaOzMQ

humbert

Quote from: scarface on September 09, 2021, 07:20 AM
And Gaza is larger than many capital city in the world too. But I imagine that Palestine doesn't need a capital since its management depends largely on Israel. And when you see the management of Lebanon, I would say that the situation of Palestine is almost enviable.

If you refer to the West Bank (where Maher lives), then I agree. Even Maher, a Jordanian citizen who doesn't exactly like Israel, says he is better off where he is right now (Qalqilya) than moving to Amman. Unfortunately this is not the case for Gaza, at least according to the news media. No wonder the de facto capital is Ramallah.

Quote from: scarface on September 09, 2021, 07:20 AM
However, the strict sequence of tenses is pretty difficult to handle in Spanish with the common use of the past subjunctive. If in French the present subjunctive is common, nowadays, most people no longer use the pluperfect or the imperfect subjunctive.

You're correct. I learned all this in school many years ago and don't remember it. In fact, I have yet to meet an adult Spanish speaker anywhere who actually knows these rules. And still the people continue speaking the language with no problem. 😀

scarface

#584
Quote from: humbert on September 10, 2021, 04:56 AM
If you refer to the West Bank (where Maher lives), then I agree. Even Maher, a Jordanian citizen who doesn't exactly like Israel, says he is better off where he is right now (Qalqilya) than moving to Amman. Unfortunately this is not the case for Gaza, at least according to the news media. No wonder the de facto capital is Ramallah.

Well, I don’t know if Palestine is better than Jordan. But I’d be glad to visit the city of Amman.
Jordan is not a well-known country and in America, Jordan is probably most known as a basket ball player. For the Jordanians who want to go to Palestine, it might not be very hard since those 2 countries have many things in common: the same language and the same religion. The flags of both countries are almost identical. And Amman is only 50 km away from Ramallah.
In French, the West Bank is known as “Cisjordanie” and it’s not surprising since it was part of Jordan after its annexation on 24 April 1950. It’s only in 1967 that Jordan lost control of the West Bank to Israel after the six-day war.

scarface

#585
Tonight, new videos are available on the forum.


Pharaoh Tutankhamun â€" Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzVcUWsZe0Y



Hitler in Paris - The Secret 1940 Visit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyKyuYq6l7c



At the restaurant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSOC1beATog



humbert

Quote from: scarface on September 10, 2021, 09:35 PM
Well, I don’t know if Palestine is better than Jordan. But I’d be glad to visit the city of Amman.

I'm going by what Maher tells me. He said he's done the math many times and came to the conclusion that it is not in his best interests to move his family to Amman. He's also told me that things in the West Bank are not as bad as the news media would lead you to believe. According to him, despite the occupation you almost never see Israelis anywhere. Order is kept by the Palestinian police according to the treaty signed by Yassir Arafat and Yitzak Rabin in 1995.

Quote from: scarface on September 10, 2021, 09:35 PM
Jordan is not a well-known country and in America, Jordan is probably most known as a basket ball player.

Sadly the level of education in the country is pathetic, at least when compared to other "advanced" countries.

Quote from: scarface on September 10, 2021, 09:35 PM
In French, the West Bank is known as “Cisjordanie” and it’s not surprising since it was part of Jordan after its annexation on 24 April 1950. It’s only in 1967 that Jordan lost control of the West Bank to Israel after the six-day war.

And a few years later, King Hussein relinquished Jordan's claim on the West Bank and essentially gave it to the Palestinians.

scarface

Today, new clips are available on the forum.


A documentary about the Nile river.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U2JXUVdVS4



The secrets of Saudi Arabia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7WYpi1S1mY



This economist is worried about the abyssal public and commercial deficit of France. In French.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmO7G0w7QAE



The Crab with the Golden Claws HD | The Adventures of Tintin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B1Jj_4J3fY


scarface

Tonight, new videos are available on the forum.


The island of Socotra, in Yemen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga4DncsyZj8



Egypt's Greatest Pharaoh: Amenhotep III
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp8ljHFDLFc



Japan: The North Korean Bastion I ARTE Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJJDNOiy_K4



Killer Instinct - The FBI Files
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_SjCcAymIQ


scarface

Today, new videos are available on the forum.


Nighthawks by Edward Hopper: Great Art Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKIbT-4UFaE



The Island of the Last Surviving Mammoths
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCad77_c-LU



Death In The Delta | The FBI Files
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qVpUmsG0o8



Alice in Wonderland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82cywrFbY2Q