Radwańska wins the final!

Radwańska has won the final of the Miami tournament! The Polish player has beaten the Russian player, Maria Sharapova 7:5, 6:4. It's a tremendous victory and the biggest achievement is Agnieszka's career. Thanks to this victory Radwańska has won 1000 points and is approching the world's current number three, the Czech, Petra Kvitova. Radwańska has won the tournament not losing a single set. Today's victory is the biggest in Polish post-war tennis history! Congratulations on your achievement, Agnieszka!

Source of the photo : the Internet

Radwańska reaches Miami final!

Yesterday, the world's number four, Agnieszka Radwańska, beat the French player, Marion Bartoli, 6-4, 6-2. Radwańska has achieved a tremendous victory (=olbrzmie zwycięstwo) over her French rival, who did not win a single game during her serve! Radwańska has reached the final of the Miami hardcourt (=o twardym korcie) tennis tournament. The Polish player will face (=zmierzy się z) the world number two, Maria Sharapova in the championship match on Saturday. Radwańska has accumulated a number of victories, beating a famous great player Venus Williams and not losing a single set in five matches!

The Polish star has recently moved up (=awansowała) to number four in the official WTA ranking.

Here is the ranking of the current world's best female tennis players : 

1. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)

2. Maria Sharapova (Russia)

3. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic)

4. Agnieszka Radwańska (Poland)

5. Samantha Stosur (Australia)

6. Caroline Wożniacki (Denmark, the player is of Polish origin)

7. Marion Bartoli (France)

8. Na Li (China)

9. Vara Zvonareva (Russia)

10. Andrea Petkovic (Germany)

HERE you can read more about our great tennis player and enlarge your sport vocabulary.

Source of the photo : the Internet

"I love Gdańsk, but I miss my desert"

Waris Dirie was just five years old when she underwent (=przeszła) genital mutilation (=obrzezanie) practised in the name of (=w imię) tradition in her tribe (=plemię)...She was 13 when she fled (=uciekła) her family, who wanted to marry her off (=wydać za mąż) to an elderly man. The girl arrived in London, where she worked as a maid in the Somalian Embassy (=ambasada) and after its closure (=zamknięcie) as a McDonald's employee. At the age of 20 Waris was noticed by a photographer Terence Donovan. Her career bloomed (=rozkwitła) with her appearance in the Pirelli Calendar and adverisements for Chanel, L'Oreal, Levi's and Revlon. In 1987 she also played a minor role in James Bond movie 'The Living Daylights'. The model took part in fashion shows in London, Milan, Paris and New York and her photos appeared in such fashion magazines as 'Elle', 'Glamour' and 'Vogue'. Taking advantage of (=wykorzystując) her popularity the model started to raise (=poruszać) the topic of FGM (female genital mutilation) and soon became a United Nations ambassador for the abolition (=zniesienie) of this cruel (=okrutny) practice (=proceder). In 1998 Waris published her first autobiography - Desert Flower. The book soon became a bestseller and in 2009 was adapted for the screen (=zekranizowana). The movie was a great success as well, receiving such awards (=nagrody) as Bavarian Film Awards and the Audience Award in the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

The cover of Waris' autobiography

Waris Dirie with Liya Kebede, the Ethiopian supermodel,
who played Waris in the film 'Desert Flower'

To my surprise, I have learnt today that Waris is currently living in Gdańsk. The human activist has bought a house at the seaside (=wybrzeże). Waris decided to move to Poland because of her best friend, Joanna, for whom Gdańsk is a home town. The women met in Vienna and soon made friends. When Joanna showed the model her home surroundings, Waris directly fell in love with (=zakochała się w) the Baltic Sea and decided to give in (=poddać się) to this spontaneous feeling. Each day she runs on Polish beaches, which she adores. She has filled her house with lots of African souvenirs and now is also living with part of her family. 

Click below to watch a trailer of the film 'Desert Flower':

Source of the photos : the Internet

Countable or Uncountable - exercises - answers

1. Divide the nouns below into two categories - countable nouns and uncountable nouns :

flour, car, hair, complexion, ballpen, bread, roll, toothpaste, jar,  furniture, pasta, apartment, 

fruit, pineapple, powder, argument, heading, news, advice, banknote, information, coffee, cup, money, cash dispenser, clothing, dress, luggage, love, feeling, soap, bar, cheese

COUNTABLE	UNCOUNTABLE
car, cash dispenser (bankomat) complexion (karnacja) ballpen, dress roll (bułka), feeling jar, bar apartment pineapple argument heading banknote cup	flour, coffee hair, money bread, clothing toothpaste, luggage furniture, love pasta, soap fruit, cheese powder news advice information

2. Correct the sentences (some sentences are correct) : 

1. Your hair are great!  What do you do with them?
Your hair is great! What do you do with it?

2. We have two flours. Which one should I use?
We have two kinds/bags of flour. Which should I use?

3. What an interesting advice! Thank you!
What interesting advice! Thank you!

4. Have you heard the news? Mary is getting married! V

5. We have a few new furnitures.
We have some new furniture/ a few new pieces of furniture.

6. She has a wonderful work.
She has a wonderful job/She has wonderful work.

7. We have few butter. Could you do the shopping?
We have little butter. (...)

8. Two teas, please! V

9. These informations are horrific!
This information is horrific!

10. What are you eating? I am having a delicious fish.
(...) I am having delicious fish.

11. Their parents have many money. They can buy whatever they want.
Their parents have much money. (...)

12. What we need now is a courage.
What we need now is courage.

3. Translate :

1. Poproszę dwie kawy! Two coffees, please!

2. Czy możesz dać mi jakąś radę? Could you give me some/any advice?

3. Kup chleb i masło. Buy some bread and butter.

4. Moje włosy są kasztanowe. My hair is auburn.

5. Mamy dużo makaronu, ale mógłbyś kupić jakis sos.
We have a lot of pasta, but you could buy
some sauce.

Countable or Uncountable - exercises

The time has come for some exercises! I hope you have learnt the theory! 

1. Divide the nouns below into two categories - countable nouns and uncountable nouns :

flour, car, hair, complexion, ballpen, bread, roll, toothpaste, jar,  furniture, pasta, apartment, 

fruit, pineapple, powder, argument, heading, news, advice, banknote, information, coffee, cup, money, cash dispenser, clothing, dress, luggage, love, feeling, soap, bar, cheese

COUNTABLE	UNCOUNTABLE

'water' is also uncountable

2. Correct the sentences (some sentences are correct) : 

1. Your hair are great!  What do you do with them?

2. We have two flours. Which one should I use?

3. What an interesting advice! Thank you!

4. Have you heard the news? Mary is getting married!

5. We have a few new furnitures.

6. She has a wonderful work.

7. We have few butter. Could you do the shopping?

8. Two teas, please!

9. These informations are horrific!

10. What are you eating? I am having a delicious fish.

11. Their parents have many money. They can buy whatever they want.

12. What we need now is a courage.

3. Translate :

1. Poproszę dwie kawy!

2. Czy możesz dać mi jakąś radę?

3. Kup chleb i masło.

4. Moje włosy są kasztanowe.

5. Mamy dużo makaronu, ale mógłbyś kupić jakis sos.

You'll find the answers in my next post!

Countable or Uncountable? - Theory

Dziś zajmiemy się zagadnieniem, które stanowi zmorę wielu uczniów - rzeczownikami niepoliczalnymi...Co oznacza stwierdzenie, że dany rzeczownik jest niepoliczalny? Otóż, jak sama nazwa wskazuje, jest to rzecz/pojęcie, którego nie jesteśmy wstanie fizycznie policzyć - potrzebujemy innego przedmiotu (szklanki - glass; tabliczki - bar, sztuki - piece, etc.) aby opisać ilość. Myślicie, że w języku polskim nie mamy rzeczowników niepoliczalnych? Owszem, mamy :) Przykład? 

Potrzeba wiele sztuczek by przyciągnąć uwagę (X uwagi X) uczniów.

Czy mówiąc po polsku użylibyście liczby mnogiej rzeczownika 'uwaga' ? Raczej nie....

Inne przykłady:

Nauka języka wniosła wiele dobrego w ich życie. (X życia X)

Pisarze często piszą o miłości. (X miłościach X)

Uwielbiam kawę. (X kawy X)

Czy jednak nie jest możliwe użycie tych słów w liczbie mnogiej? Owszem, możemy powiedzieć 'uwagi', życia', 'miłości', itd. jednak, albo zmieni nam się znaczenie słowa (jak w przypadku słowa uwaga/uwagi), albo kontekst musi być odpowiedni, abyśmy mogli użyć takich form (np. Uwielbiam kawę/kawy Brazylii). Podobnie jest w języku angielskim, ale to już zagadnienie dla uczniów bardziej zaawansowanych i temat na inną dyskusję.

Aby łatwiej zapamiętać które wyrazy są niepoliczalne, możemy podzielić je na pewne kategorie :

1. Food 
food - jedzenie

bread - chleb

flour - mąka

water - woda

coffee - kawa
tea - herbata

wine - wino

milk - mleko
cheese - ser
butter - masło
sugar - cukier
salt - sól

soup - zupa
pasta - makaron
spaghetti - spaghetti
fruit - owoc/owoce
meat - mięso
fish - ryba (jako potrawa)
chicken - kurczak (jako potrawa)
honey - miód

bread

2. Toilet-connected liquids/sustances

shampoo - szampon

toothpaste - pasta do zębów
soap - mydło
powder - puder

3. Abstract nouns (czyli 'rzeczowniki abstrakcyjne')

love - miłość

courage - odwaga

knowledge - widza

advice - rada
information - informacja
news - wiadomości
work - praca

news - wiadomości

4. Everyday life objects
clothing - ubrania
furniture - meble
baggage/luggage - bagaż
grass - trawa
paper - papier
hair - włosy
money - pieniądze
(tak, tak... w języku angielskim
pieniędzy nie można policzyć! ;)

money

Hair is also uncountable!

Jakie są gramatyczne 'konsekwencje' faktu, że dany rzeczownik jest niepoliczalny?

1. Do rzeczownika niepoliczalnego nie dopisujemy końcówki 's' (którą zazwyczaj stawiamy na końcu rzeczownika, aby utworzyć liczbę mnogą), np.

X You have a lot of moneys X

You have a lot of money.

2. Traktujemy rzeczownik niepoliczalny jak rzeczownik w liczbie pojedynczej, a więc czasownik mu towarzyszący również musi być w liczbie pojedynczej, np. 

This furniture is so shabby! (Te meble są tak zużyte!)

X This furniture are so shabby! X

X Your hair are wonderful X

Your hair is wonderful!  (Twoje włosy są wspaniałe!)

3. Nie możemy postawić przed rzeczownikiem niepoliczalnym rodzajników nieokreślonych - a / an.

Możemy za to postawić rodzajnik określony 'the' lub 'some' (jakąś/jakieś)

X I have an advice for you. X

I have (some) advice for you.

4. Z rzeczownikami niepoliczalnymi stosujemy następujące określenia ilości :

much - dużo

a little - trochę

little - mało (niewystarczająco)

a lot of/lots of - dużo

no - żadnego

some - jakaś/jakieś 

(w zdaniach twierdzących oraz pytaniach, w których

spodziewamy się odpowiedzi twierdzącej, np. propozycjach poczęstunku)

any  - jakieś/żadnego

(w pytaniach i zdaniach przeczących)

5. Rzeczowników niepoliczalnych nie możemy liczyć..więc błędem jest stosowanie liczebników z tymi rzeczownikami :

X I've heard two great informations! X

I've heard two great pieces of information!

X Two breads, please! X

Two loaves of bread, please!

* Przyjęło się mówienie 'two coffees, please', 'two beers, please!', etc. Umownie rozumiemy przez takie zdania : 'two cups of coffee', 'two mugs of beer'.

Jeśli chcemy policzyć rzeczoniki niepoliczalne, posługujemy się takimi słowami jak :

a piece of / two pieces of ... - sztuka / sztuki ...
loaf (pl. loaves) - bochenek / bochenki

bottle- butelka

tin/can - puszka

carton - karton

slice - plasterek

tube - tubka

glass - szklanka

bag - torebka

jar - słoik

bar - tabliczka

a / two litre(s) of - litr/twa litry ...

a/ three kilo(s) of - kilo/ trzy kilo ...

Tyle tytułem teorii...Jeśli wydaje się Wam trudna - keep it simple! Pamiętajcie, że dana rzecz występuje tylko w liczbie pojedynczej i z tego tytułu występują pewne konsekwencje...W następnym poście pojawią się ćwiczenia sprawdzające wiedzę praktyczną! C u soon!

The photos come from : http://pixabay.com/

Selah Sue - This World

Selah Sue (real name - Sanne Putseys) is a Belgian singer and songwriter. The musician was born on 3 May 1989 in Leuven (Belgium). Her debut album entitled 'Selah Sue' was a great success in Europe, selling over 400.000 copies (200.000 in France alone!)

Today we're going to listen to her probably most known song - 'This World':

Stay (=zostań)...
Stay...
I feel real danger (=niebezpieczeństwo)

This world ain't (=isn't) simple (=prosty)

But I'm strong, I know how to get out (=wiem jak się wydostać)

And I'll find my way (=znajdę moją drogę) 'cause (=because)

'Cause it's love, real simple

And that's how it works (=i tak właśnie to działa)

So won't you just give it up (=czy nie zaprzestaniesz tego) 'cause you don't understand (=bo nie rozumiesz)

Big it up (=wychwalasz to), but you don't understand

Whispering:

This world, this time

I feel, explode (=eksploduje), explode

.....

And this is really nice, but you don't understand

So big it down (~nie wychwalaj tego), cause you don't understand

Whispering:

This world, this time

I go for (=próbuję zdobyć/decyduję się na) less (=mniej)

'Cause you don't understand baby (=kochanie)

I feel (=czuję) it's fallin' down (=upada), I know I'll catch it (=wiem, że to złapię)

You crazy world (=szalony świat), crazy world, yeah

I feel real passionate (=gorąca, żarliwa)

You feel the sun comes down (=zachodzi)

I'll make it shine (=sprawię, że będzie lśniło), yeah

You crazy world, crazy world yeah

I can see your fear (=strach) 'cause

This world ain't simple

But I'm strong, I know how to stay out (=trzymać się z daleka)

And I'll find my way 'cause

'Cause it's love, it's love, it's love, it's love, it's loving yeah

So won't you just give it up 'cause you don't understand

Big it up, but you don't understand

Whispering:

This world, this time

I feel, explode

......

And it's really nice, but you don't understand

So big it down, 'cause you don't understand

Whispering:

This world, this time

I go for less

'Cause you don't understand baby

I feel it's fallin' down, I know I'll catch it

You crazy world, crazy world, yeah.

I feel real passionate

You feel the sun comes down,

I'll make it shine, yeah

You crazy world, crazy world yeah

I know

I know

Yeah, yeah, ye-eeah

I feel it's fallin' down, I know I'll catch it

You crazy world, crazy world, yeah.

I feel real passionate

You feel the sun comes down,

I'll make it shine, yeah

You crazy world, crazy world yeah

Crazy world, crazy world yeah

Crazy world, crazy world yeah

Source of the photo : the Internet

"Fame - I'm gonna live forever!"

Have you watched the television series 'Fame'? Today I've heard the theme song (=piosenka przewodnia) of the series, which evoked (=przywołała) lots of recollections (=wspomnienia)...The 1980s series focused on a group of students of the New York High School (=szkoła średia) for the Performing Arts (=sztuka widowiskowa). The aspiring (=początkujący) actors, dancers, musicians and singers were taught that the only way to gain (=zyskać) fame was to train hard, develop (=rozwijać) their abilities and overcome weaknesses (=przezwyciężać słabości). It seems so different from what we can observe nowadays (=w dzisiejszych czasach)! One can become a celebrity within a few days (=w przeciągu kilku dni), regardless of (=bez wzgledu na) their skills and talents...

fame - sława

artist - artysta

abilities/skills - umiejętności

performing arts - sztuka widowiskowa

talented/gifted - utalentowany

Here is the theme song :

"I hate those smurfs!!!" - the best cartoon of all time

Today I have a treat (=gratka) for children and...big children ;) The Smurfs were an integral part of many people's childhood (=dzieciństwo). The cartoon tells the story of little blue creatures, called Smurfs, who live in a small village. To my surprise, the cartoon (=kreskówka) is of Belgian origin - the Belgian cartoonist Peyo (real name - Pierre Culliford) was the director of the cartoon and the author of its drawings and dialogues. There is a very funny anecdote (=anegdota), which shows where the name 'Smurf' and the characteristic (=charakterystyczny) Smurfs' langauge have orginated from (=pochodzą). According to the story, Peyo was having a meal with his Belgian friend André Franquin. As the cartoonist momentary (=chwilowo) forgot the word 'salt' (the men were speaking French) he asked his friend to pass him the 'schtroumpf'. Franquin aswered in a comic way : 'here's the Schtroumpf' - where you are done schtroumpfing, schtroumpf it back'. The friends continued speaking this 'schtroumpf language' during the rest of the weekend. The name 'Schtroumpf' was later translated into Dutch as 'Smurf', which was adopted (=przyjęta) in English.

Peyo

Although (=mimo że) the characters are very similar, when it comes to (=jeśli chodzi o) their personality, they are totally different. On account of (=ze względu na) their distinctive (=chatakterystyczne) character features, the creatures were called, for example : Brainy (=Ważniak), Greedy (=Łasuch), Vanity (=Laluś),  Clumsy (=Ciamajda), Dreamy (=Marzyciel). The characters were also named after their position in the community and their occupations, for instance : Papa Smurf (the leader), Poet, Farmer, Painter, Doctor Smurf. The main enemies of Smurfs were, of course, Gargamel and his cat Azrael. The wizard (=czarnoksiężnik) was the creator of Smurfette, whose role originally was to lure (=zwabić) the other smurfs.

Watch the opening credits of the cartoon in a few languages :

The English version :

the French version :

the Polish version :

If you wish to watch an episode of 'The Smurfs', click below :

Did you like 'The Smurfs'? Which character of the cartoon do you resemble (=przypominać) most? ;)

The photo comes from : http://schtroumpfette.eklablog.com/peyo-le-createur-p9098 (a great blog on Smurfs in French)

The source of the videos : youtube

Green...shamrock...whiskey...parades...- Saint Patrick's Day!

Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on 17 March mostly in Ireland, Northern Ireland and by people of Irish descent (=pochodzenia). The festival commemorates (=upamiętnia) Saint Patrick - the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday is marked by the attendance of  masses, wearing green attires (=strojów) and the absence of Lenten (=wielkopostne) restrictions (=ograniczenia) on eating and drinking alcohol. The symbol of Saint Patrick and the festival is the shamrock (trzylistna koniczyna) - according to a legend the patron used this three-leaved plant to explain the dogma of the Holy Trinity (=Trójca Święta) to the pagan (=pogańskich) Irish. There is also a funny tradition about the festival...Saint Patrick is believed to have reprimanded a barmaid (=szynkarka) who didn't serve full glasses of alcohol to her guests - on Saint Patrick's day people drink full glasses of whiskey, called Patrick's pitchers (=dzbanem Patryka).

The shamrock

Watch a short broadcast on Saint Patrick's Day:

The photos come from : http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Irish_clover.jpg&filetimestamp=20051228150048 ; author : George McFinnigan; Creative Commons, http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Happy_Saint_Patrick%27s_Day_2010,_Dublin,_Ireland,_Accordion_Violin.jpg&filetimestamp=20110216190957; author : uggboy

My photographies...

I have been interested in photography for a few years...I adore taking pictures of landscapes, the sea, forests...I also like macrophotography - close-ups (=zbliżenia) of flowers, leaves, fruit, etc. To give vent (=aby dać upust) to my artistic bent (=zainteresowania, ciągoty ;), I have decided to set up a new blog...Its name is : freeze-the-frame.blogspot.com. 'Freeze the frame' means to capture a special moment, immortalize what you see (in Polish : 'zatrzymać kadr'). I am going to publish some of my photos. I have a huge collection of old photographs and hope that spring will soon bring a lot of new objects to photograph...

You can visit the blog HERE

Polish Racket on the World's Courts

Agnieszka Radwańska, twenty-three year-old Cracovian, is the highest ranked (=sklasyfikowana) Pole in the history of the ranking of Women's Tennis Association - she is currently holding (=zajmuje) the fourth place! Radwańska has won eights WTA singles titles and two doubles titles. The sportswoman started playing tennis at the age of four. 'Isia', as she is called by her Polish fans, and her sister Urszula followed in their father's footsteps (=poszły w ślady ojca) - Robert Radwański, a former tennis player and figure-skater, has been their head (=główny) coach (=trener) for twenty years. Radwańska has recently established cooperation with a new trainer - Tomasz Wiktorowski. Agnieszka's successes are a big source of pride and joy for her Polish fans. Her achievements (=osiągnięcia) will surely contribute (=przyczyni się) to the promotion of tennis in Poland.

Some tennis vocabulary:

right-handed - praworęczna

forehand/backhand -  ;)

tournament - turniej

racket - rakieta

ball - piłka

singles - singel

doubles - debel

tennis player - tenisista

service - serwis

serve - serwować, serw

server - serwujący

to send the ball out of play - posłać piłkę na aut

ace - as

net - siatka

line - linia

court - kort

tie-break - ;)

score - wynik

advantage (ad in/ad out) - przewaga

set - set

game - gem

set point/match point - piłka setowa/meczowa

break point - a situation in which the receiver (not the server) needs one point more to win the game (in tennis serving is considered advantageous)

Watch a short interview with Agnieszka Radwańska in English:

Source of the photo : http://pl.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plik:Radwanska_Trophy_Presentation.jpg&filetimestamp=20111115151511, author : Christopher Johnson

Town of a thousand faces...

Paris, 'the town of love' as it is often called, is a splendid (=wspaniałe) place in the heart of Europe. It has a lot to offer to its visitors...Apart from the most tourist sights (=atrakcje turystyczne) such as The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum, it has lots of mysterious spots (=tajemnicze miejsca) to discover....narrow paved (=brukowane) streets and little charming corners are there to be uncovered by the  most astute visitors (=wnikliwych zwiedzających)....

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart 

The Eiffel Tower

The tower is 324 metres tall

The Moulin Rouge, close to the hill Montmartre

The Louvre Museum, the Pyramid

A 1992 Marc Lavoine's song 'Paris' is a song thanks to which you can feel the atmosphere of the town...

The Arc de Triomphe, the monument is 50 metres high

In the background La Grande Roue, an observation wheel (a ferris wheel)

You must remember a well-known song by Joe Dassin, 'Champs-Élysées', describing one of the most famous streets in the world. Champs-Élysées is the avenue on which Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde are placed (not to mention countless luxury boutiques, of course). Listen to two versions of Joe Dassin's song - the original one with an English translation and the English version with lyrics that differ from the original French text.

Earthquake and tsunami in Japan - first anniversary

Japan and the world are commemorating the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami, which took place on 11 March 2011...You will surely raise the topic of this dramatic event during your English classes...Here is some vocabulary connected to earthquakes :

natural disaster - klęska żywiołowa

earthquake /ˈɜːθkweɪk/ - trzęsienie ziemi

tsunami /tsuːˈnɑːmi/ - tsunami

wave - fala

on the Richter scale - w skali Richtera

measure - mierzyć

magnitude - siła

epicentre - epicentrum

plant - elektrownia

reactor - reaktor

radiation - promieniowanie

nuclear /ˈnjuːkliə(r)/ crisis - kryzys nuklearny

tremor - wstrząs

aftershocks - wstrząsy wtórne

search-and-rescue teams - zespoły poszukujące i niosące ratunek

Media coverage of the disaster :

Source of the photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JAPAN_EARTHQUAKE_20110311.png, 

author: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japan_location_map_with_side_map_of_the_Ryukyu_Islands.svg, derivative work: W. Rebel (talk); GNU Free Documentation License, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

Source of the videos : youtube

International Women's Day

Women's day is celebrated on 8th March worldwide. This year this international festival enjoys its centenary (=setna rocznica). Here is some vocabulary related to the holiday:

carnations

a bouquet/a bunch of flowers

cut flowers

a gift/a present

There is one song that makes me think of women...On 'youtube' I have found a great, incredibly-talented young artist Airto. Listen to his version of  'You are so beautiful' :

Source of the materials : http://pixabay.com/, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C51NrogcaAo

Toutes les femmes de Monsieur G.

Serge Gainsbourg was one of the most talented, rebellious and influential French musicians. The artist adored creating scandals and his turbulent (=burzliwe) life was was full of ups and downs (=wzloty i upadki), painful split-ups (=rozstania) and profound infatuations (=zakochania).
He first got married in 1951 to Elisabeth "Lize" Levitsky. The stormy marriage ended by divorce in 1957.
He married a second time in 1964, to Françoise-Antoinette 'Béatrice' Pancrazzi.

The couple had two children - a daughter Natacha (born in 1964) and a son named Paul (who was born in 1968 when Gainsbourg and Pancrazzi came back to each other). The couple divorced in 1966.
In late 1967 Gainsbourg had an ardent love affair with the sex symbol of the epoch  - Brigitte Bardot.

The singer dedicated his beloved the song and album 'Initials BB'...

In mid 1968 Gainsbourg falls in love with very young English actress and singer Jane Birkin. The lovers met during the schooting of the film 'Slogan'.

The couple was together for over a decade. In 1971 their daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg was born. Although it is oficially claimed that Gainsbourg and Birkin never got married, according to their daughter that was not the case.

As you can imagine, Birkin's dress has caused a great scandal...
The lovers worked together on numerous songs :

'Je suis venu te dire que je m'en vais' (in English: 'I came here to say I'm going away') was written by Gainsbourg in 1973 when he was in hospital after a heart attack:

                                        

The fruit of cooperation between the father and little Charlotte - 'Lemon Incest'. The song and its clip were regarded as outrageous (=oburzające) and shocking :

After tempestuous (=burzliwy) relationship burdened with (=obarczony) Gainsbourg's addictions to alcohol and drugs, Birkin being pregnant to her third child with a film director Jacques Doillon, decided to leave Gainsbourg in 1980.
Gainsbourg's last partner was a French actress and model Carloine Paulus, known as Bambou.
The couple had one son - Lucien (known as Lulu), born in 1986.

Here is a song recorded by the mother and son - 'Ne dis rien' (in English: 'Don't say anything') with music and lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg :

Here comes the original version:

Gainsbourg was the artist of all time...To me a song that is a good image of the musician is 'Dieu est un fumeur de havanes' (in English : 'God is a smoker of Havana cigars') - Monsieur Gainsbourg - toujours dans un nuage (=cloud) de fumée (=smoke), entouré (=surrounded) par des gens..mais perdu (=lost) dans l'univers de ses pensées (=thoughts) et idées...

'Gainsbourg : Vie héroïque' (English : 'Gainsbourg : A heroic life') by Joann Sfar is the film you need to see if you want to get to know the life and artictic work of Serge Gainsbourg. Here is the trailer of the film :

Source of the materials : the Internet