The end of the year is close now for my 3 daughters. In France, students have long days at school, a lot of holidays during the year (2 weeks every 7 weeks) and long summer holidays. My daughters wished they had less holidays and shorter days at school. They often start at 8 in the morning and finish at 5 in the afternoon. On Thurdays, Micaela starts at 8 and finishes school at 6 in the evening. This represents 9 hours of class during the day. Then, at home, they have to do their homework and learn their lessons.
But as I said, the end is close for this year. This is what the episode is about.

CYF 170 — La fin de l’année scolaire — mercredi 31 mai 2023

Do you want to improve your listening skills and comprehension of the French as it is spoken in France? With Cultivate Your French podcast, things go smoothly. This is slow French podcast. But it’s also a podcast in which you hear about everyday life in France, in which you hear stories and meet French people.

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Little by little, I began to hate our sofa. I used to dream of a Habitat sofa, which I tried out in the Avenue de Wagram shop in Paris. But at the end of 2023, the Habitat shops closed, taking my dream of a white sofa with curl fabric with them. 
I recently had the idea of looking for a Habitat sofa on Le Bon Coin. You can find anything on Le bon coin: furniture, tools, clothes, a job or even a home. Well, I found a Habitat sofa that might suit me, only the seller wasn’t at home in Saint-Ouen on the date. I still had the old Saint-Ouen in mind, but I discovered something completely different, but did I get my sofa? You’ll soon find out. 


In the notes that come with the transcript, we’re going to dwell on the elements of the text that speak of time and duration, because we always need to situate in time what we’re talking about. Of course, we’ll also take a look at three expressions or turns of phrase that may go unnoticed, but which are actually worth noticing. 
So, to take the time to cultivate your French at your own pace and enjoy all the positive effects of having the exact text of the episode, you could subscribe to the Cultivate Your French transcript at www.cultivateyoufrench.com. 


The subscription costs 4 euros a month and each new subscriber receives the 10 latest episodes.

210 — Une aventure à Saint-Ouen — mercredi 1er mai 2024

Last week we were on holiday. We needed the perfect destination for this school holiday: to be in the countryside for a change of scenery, but not too far from a big city and other tourist attractions. I didn’t know whether the girls would have a lot of work or not. So I thought about the Strasbourg area. I really liked the city last year when I went there for the kung fu competition. So I found a gîte in a village half an hour from Strasbourg. 
We were warmly welcomed by the owners.
The lady had prepared an Easter speciality for us: a kind of sponge cake with a slight lemon flavour in the shape of a lamb. 
In this episode, I tell you about our holiday in Alsace. 
 
In the notes that come with the transcript, we’ll take a look at three very natural expressions in French. These are words or turns of phrase that you don’t necessarily notice, but which are typical in French. 
I’ll also share with you my collection of photos of blue houses and we’ll talk about colours: what are the most common colours in French, what are their shades, how do we talk about colours, how do adjectives agree. 


So if you want to colour up your French and improve it at the same time, and enjoy all the positive effects of having the exact text of the episode, you could subscribe to the Cultivate Your French transcript at www.cultivateyoufrench.com. The subscription costs 4 euros a month and each new subscriber receives the 10 latest episodes.

209— Vacances au pays des maisons bleues — mercredi 24 avril 2024

A few weeks ago, during the summer, my friend Lorena and I went to Versailles. We were given the permission to record for the podcast in the gardens. Maybe one day, we will get it to record in the castle itself. 
We went to Versailles by train, it’s 30 minutes away from Gare Saint-Lazare. 
Did Louis XIV make the most of the gardens? This is the question I asked Lorena. 


You are listening to Cultivate Your French podcast One Slow French episode every week. 
My name is Laetitia, I’m French, I live just outside Paris and I share with you a small slice of my daily life here in France. 
All the information about the transcript,notes and photos is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

208 — mercredi 17 avril 2024 — À Versailles avec Lorena, dans les jardins du château (RERUN-REDIFFUSION)

The episode that you are going to hear today was written in September 2013. I read a few days ago, as I was searching for conjugation examples for the advanced French podcast One Thing In A French Day. I didn’t remember that little adventure and found it funny. That day, I was searching for a big one litter bottle at Le vieux campeur. This is a famous shop for camping equipment. In Paris. It’s also famous because, it’s not one shop but a maybe 5 or 6 different shops in the same neighbor hood. Each shop has its speciality, backpack, tents, ustensils, etc. 
Unfortunately, we lost the bottle last year. 


You are listening to Cultivate Your French podcast One Slow French episode every week. 
My name is Laetitia, I’m French, I live just outside Paris and I share with you a small slice of my daily life here in France. 
All the information about the transcript,notes and photos is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

207 — mercredi 10 avril 2024 — Quelques pas sous escorte (REDIFFUSION (RERUN)

It was in 2019 that we first attended a concert featuring Julia, the niece of Isabelle, my Nordic walking friend. Her niece is a violinist. It’s a small world, because there was also a violist in the group: Stanley. He plays the viola da gamba. 


Isabelle suggested that this time we attend a duo concert by Julia and Stanley at a private home. And we’re big fans, so Lisa and I booked our tickets. It’s different from going to a concert hall: you go to someone’s home. We were staying with real patrons, in a Haussmanian flat in the 16th arrondissement. We were seated in a beautifully decorated living room with fine furniture and paintings, as well as two musical instruments: a grand piano and an organ. Finally, after the concert, you can chat with the musicians or the other audience members over a drink and some refreshments. There’s often so much you want to tell them. And on Saturday, we were very lucky, because you’re going to hear Julia talk to us about this concert.

In the notes that come with the transcript, we’ll be taking a closer look at how Julia structures her speech and what linking words she uses. We’ll also notice the difference in the use of ” nous ” and ” on ” and we’ll ask ourselves whether it’s possible to say ” on ” instead of ” nous ”. On connaît la réponse, you mightt say. No? 

Finally, we’ll look at how this collection of collections is also a good idea for your French studies. 


So, if you’d like to collect with us and enjoy all the positive effects of having the exact text of the episode, you could subscribe to the Cultivate Your French transcript at www.cultivateyoufrench.com.

The subscription costs 4 euros a month and each new subscriber receives the 10 latest episodes.

CYF 170 — La fin de l’année scolaire — mercredi 31 mai 2023

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