French Blabla

This episode is for you, my intermediate level listeners. There will be a lot of structure and syntax twisting and a basic command of the French grammar is needed. Hold on tight and stay focused because it won't be a walk in the park. However as the saying goes "no pain no gain" right? The reward is big, it's going to change completely the way you ask questions.

In this Episode

• Difference between the questions you've learnt and questions today
• How to create questions the natural way
• A challenge for you to shine

There's a topic that I haven't really delved into and that is completely overlooked in this podcast. People may think that for a podcast whose claim is to teach you real spoken French, it's a bit strange that I haven't talked about that sooner. Frankly, I don't think today's topic is a requisite for sounding like a true French person. This episode comes from one dear listener, Oliver, he asked me to cover slang in French. And that's what we're going to do today. Stay tuned!

In this Episode

• Why slang isn't a requisite when you want to sound like a native
• Useful and common slang you often hear
• One rule that creates a lot of our usual slang

In this episode, you'll learn everything, to buy or order what you need for gardening so that if you happen to go to a garden centre in France or to order from a French website, you'll know what to ask and look for.

Today, the grammar focus is for A students as we will review simple ways to ask questions. As usual, with this episode comes a study guide that contains the transcription, the vocabulary and the grammar focus. You might want to check it out. Don't forget to download it. Stay tuned!

In this Episode

• Learn gardening vocabulary
• Review the simple ways to ask questions
• A challenge for you to shine

Last time, we talked about ice cream and today we will talk about croque monsieur. If there's one dish you can make at home that is super easy and really French, it's the croque-monsieur. With a side of salad, you've got yourself a perfect lunch. I encourage you to try. If you do, please let me know. Coincidentally, Marcel Proust will make an appearance again in this episode.

Today, the grammar focus is for B students as we will review the two conditionals, present and past. As usual, with this episode comes a study guide that contains the transcription, the vocabulary and the grammar focus. You might want to check it out. Don't forget to download it. Stay tuned!

In this Episode

• How the croque-monsieur was invented
• Review the conditionals present and past
• A challenge for you to shine

Music by Podington Bear

In this episode, Candice comes back for a chat. We had a nice talk about her dream house in this episode. Today, we will discover her shopping habits. It will be a good opportunity to review how to properly use articles. If you struggle with them, it's time to listen and download the study guide to practice.

In this Episode

• Real conversation with real fillers and regional pronunciation
• Learn or review how to use articles
• Vocabulary about grocery shopping

Today, I'd like to continue on the topic of finding a language partner to talk to since it's a big struggle for many of you. In episode 42, I shared my tips to be able to find a conversation partner. If you haven't listened to it yet, go check it out and grab yourself a French friend. However, finding somebody is only the first step in an efficient language practice. There are some other important things to consider. In this episode, I'd like to share with you a few strategies that you will need to get the most out of your language practice.

In this Episode

• Why asking for explanations to natives is usually useless
• The one question you should ask differently
• The essential thing you should ask your language partner to radically improve your French

In this episode, we're going to talk about the intricacies of the pronouns "tu" and "vous". Today's title is a bit misleading and I'm sorry about that. My intent isn't really to have a definite guide of the different uses of these pronouns, instead I would like to go deeper into the complexity of French social interactions. These two words really reflect that. Obviously, as always, I'll give you some etiquette tips to behave like a French person, but today is more of a cultural episode.

In this Episode

• Learn when you can say "tu"
• The situation where "vous" is the ultimate insult
• A small etiquette guide to the internet

In this episode, I will share some anecdotes related to taste and ice cream. It's strange to talk about this in winter but I'm longing for sunny days.

The grammar focus is for A levels as we will review the negative. As for the vocabulary, it will be useful for when we get to travel again during the summer. You'll become ice cream professionals as we will learn many words that you will hear when you order in France. If you struggled understanding the different possibilities on a menu, listen to today's episode, study the guide and you'll be ordering like a native. Don't forget to download it to get access to the transcription. Stay tuned!

Music by Podington Bear

It's been almost two months that 2021 has started and I haven't even asked you if you had any good French goals for this year. Every new year is always an opportunity to start fresh and I thought it would be a nice change on the podcast to have a guest. Her name is Ines and she used to be a French teacher, a regular one, just like me, years ago. Now she's a French coach and she specializes in neurolanguage. She has kindly accepted my invitation to share with us her expertise. If you need a kick in the butt and/or some guidance because you're a bit lost with all the things you need to learn, then stay tuned and listen to the episode.

In this Episode

• 5 tips to set effective learning goals
• 2 tips to stay motivated
• A guide to achieve your goals

Music by bensound.com

A few weeks ago, I sent you an email asking you what your biggest struggle was. The answers were overwhelming. Almost everybody asked me how to find natives to talk to. Christine for example told me "finding someone to speak French with". David, who also answered my email, faces the same problem. "Finding opportunities to practice" he told me. I also received emails directly in my inbox asking me the same question. Today we're going to go over some solutions we have to finally find where these French people hide. We'll divide this episode in two parts. In the first one, we'll explore French people favourite's hideouts in your town. The second part will apply if you live in the heart of the countryside or in a very small town. We will need to rely on the magic of the internet. Stay tuned!

Music by bensound.com