French Blabla

September is finally here and with it, the sadness of waving goodbye to our summer holidays. Work and school have resumed. France now went back to its humdrum daily life. In this episode we’re going to talk about music instruments and we’ll have a look at a specific vocabulary related to this. As for the grammar focus, we will study phrases to express regrets. As a consequence, it’s best suited for my B level listeners. Everything can be found in the study guide : the transcription, the vocabulary and the grammar focus. If you want to download it, head over to frenchblabla.org or you can click the link below.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's goodie here.   FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.   Subscribe and review The French Blab

Today, we’re going to talk about a challenge that everybody is now more or less facing I guess. Please don’t hesitate to share your story or opinion if that’s the case… and you know what, even if it’s not the case, just comment anyway, I’m always glad to read your story. It’s been a couple of years now of international instability and struggles, let’s say. Obviously, we’re not going to talk about anything depressing, nobody needs that. Today, the vocabulary is for B1 levels and it’s all about words and phrases to describe your shopping habits but focused on sales, coupons and saving money. As for the grammar focus, we’ll see a few phrases to express goals with the infinitive.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's goodie here.   FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native.

I’m not a big fan of French tv shows but recently I found a couple that were funny and captivating. We’re gonna talk about that today. This program is called Ovnis, let me know in the comment section if you know it and if you have watched it. It follows a group of people who work for the French bureau of unidentified aerospace phenomena. In other words, UFO. Do you know what the most interesting part of all this is? It’s inspired by a true story, but you’ll need to stay tuned if you want to know more. What are we going to learn today? In this episode, you’ll get to know how to react and whom to contact if you witness something strange in the French sky during your holiday. As for the grammar focus, we’re going to review the simple relative pronouns so it’s for you my A level learners. To get your hands on the transcription, the grammar focus and the vocabulary, head over to frenchblabla.org to download the study guide or simply click on the link below.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's study guide HERE

Today’s story was inspired by some program my partner listened to at the radio. Since I talked about weird French events, like the bizarre and let’s admit it, quite ghastly Christmas menu we covered in episode 21 of "A day in French", it will not come as a surprise that I cover this strange event. The grammar focus today will be geared towards A2 and B1. You’ll be able to review or learn how to create adverbs. To get everything, head over to frenchblabla.org to download the study guide where you’ll find the transcription, the grammar focus and the vocabulary. There’s also a free audio training waiting for you on the homepage. You’ll learn my best tips to sound like a native.   Music by Podington Bear   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's study guide here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secre

Happy to be back after my holiday break. It went really too fast. I guess it’s always like that when you have a break from work. It’s never long enough. That being said, let’s not forget that it’s 2022 now, so bonne année à tous, je vous souhaite beaucoup de succès avec votre français et surtout la santé. C’est important en ce moment.  As you know, I’m not big on watching sports on tv but my partner is. It’s always a source of surprise and learning. He’s been really into rugby these past months, mainly because the NHL matches are unwatchable with their commercial breaks every 5 minutes. He noticed a big difference between the way north american commentators talk about matches and the way French commentators do. If you’ve been following the podcast for some time, you may get where I’m heading with this.   In this episode Alternatives phrases to "no" Bonus phrases to say "no" in a shop   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's goodie here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to un

Today is the last episode of our Christmas story. Are the old tales true? Will they meet something magical that night? We left when Ayline was running towards the strange voice she heard and that's when this episode starts. Je te souhaite un très joyeux Noël. Thank you for being with me throughout the month of December and for listening to the Christmas story.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's transcription here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.     Join the Blabla Club Not sick of me yet? Every day I hang out in my amazing community of French learners. If you’re looking for a warm, encouraging, community-driven space where you can regularly engage other French learners, discuss curated web content, participate in grammar a

Winter is officially here... yet we didn't wait for the 21st of December to put on our jumper and snuggle in our blanket on the couch. We're not the only ones to feel the cold and wish a little bit it were summer... well, after Christmas is over of course!  Nope... I'm sure Ayline, her mum, Yoko, Helmut and all the characters of the Christmas story wish they were somewhere warm drinking a hot cup of tea. For now, they're still in the train station... Today is the penultimate chapter of our tale. Our characters are going to meet a very special person... They will, for sure, remember it for the rest of their life.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's transcription here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.     Join the Blabla Club N

In the fourth episode of our Christmas story, all of our characters got together. Nobody seems to be there for them... are they waiting for somebody? What will happen to them in the middle of the night?   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's transcription here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.     Join the Blabla Club Not sick of me yet? Every day I hang out in my amazing community of French learners. If you’re looking for a warm, encouraging, community-driven space where you can regularly engage other French learners, discuss curated web content, participate in grammar and vocabulary challenges, and build connections and habits that make French-learning part of your everyday lifestyle, come and check out The Blabla Club. It's t

This morning when I woke up, the garden was covered with snow. But it was already melting... You know this kind of dangerous weather where it melts and then ices again... you have to be really careful when you walk on the pavement. For our characters that night, it was just cold... I'm not sure it was snowing. In this third episode, we meet the last characters of our story. They are all gathered in this small train station. The night is falling and the last train of the day has already departed. They're all alone.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's goodie here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.     Join the Blabla Club Not sick of me yet? Every day I hang out in my amazing community of French learners. If you’re looking for a

In the second episode of the Christmas story, we get to meet two new characters. Far from home, what will they be doing in this cold village? What will await them? Useful Episode Resources Grab today's goodie here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.     Join the Blabla Club Not sick of me yet? Every day I hang out in my amazing community of French learners. If you’re looking for a warm, encouraging, community-driven space where you can regularly engage other French learners, discuss curated web content, participate in grammar and vocabulary challenges, and build connections and habits that make French-learning part of your everyday lifestyle, come and check out The Blabla Club. It's the number one place to hang out and practice yo

Are you ready for the 1rst episode of the Christmas story? It will take you in a French region hidden in the mountains. Famous for its legendary beast. But today, you will meet the characters and the special bond they have with this place.   Useful Episode Resources Grab today's transcription here.     FREE audio training to help you understand spoken French Want to understand when French people speak? Sound more natural? Have a better and smoother pronunciation? Well, you can do that with this free audio training. It will give you the tips and secrets to speak more like a native. Grab your FREE training here.     Join the Blabla Club Not sick of me yet? Every day I hang out in my amazing community of French learners. If you’re looking for a warm, encouraging, community-driven space where you can regularly engage other French learners, discuss curated web content, participate in grammar and vocabulary challenges, and build connections and habits that make French-learning part of your everyday lifestyle, come

Tomorrow is the beginning of the Christmas season on the podcast! Join the advent calendar to get your hands on exclusive goodies: activites, games and transcriptions of the Christmas story "Une pluie d'étoiles". Click HERE to participate  

Discover the Christmas program on the podcast, as well as all the different events you can participate to. There will be goodies for you too, so listen to this episode. Music by Podington Bear - Wavy Glass

Today’s adventure is the gripping story of how the postman knocked on my door. Spoiler alert! He gave me a letter. I know, it’s riveting, right? If you want to know what kind of letter I got, you will have to listen a little bit more. In the last episode of "A day in French", we’ve talked about the use of the present tense and strangely the future tense to describe historical events. Today I’d like to review the tense that every French person learns at school but also forgets quite quickly. It’s a tense we absolutely never use. The only time you’ll encounter it is in litterature. All this to say that today’s grammar focus is for B levels and we will review le passé simple. To explain in one sentence, le passé simple is used like le passé composé but in a novel. As for the vocabulary, you will learn every word and phrase you need to complain next time you get fined in France. If it sounds interesting, head over to frenchblabla.org to download the study guide where you’ll find the transcription, the vocabulary

Bonjour à tous ! J’espère que tout va bien pour vous et que vous êtes prêts pour un nouvel épisode. Thanks for tuning in again week after week. I’m thrilled you’re here! Ok, I have to ask you guys… do you have a partner who keeps repeating the same jokes over and over again? I sure have one! When we’re in town, every time we pass by a hotel… not the kind of hotel you’re thinking about, you’ll have to listen to the story to know what kind I’m talking about because hotel is used for many things here! So, every time we pass by, he makes this joke and I wanted to talk about that today. For the vocabulary, be prepared to scratch your head with the French numbers. Little challenge for you! Before you download the study guide, go to the comment section of this episode and write to me the 4 years I mentionned. As for the grammar focus, I wanted to show you a special use of the present and the future tenses. It’s common nowadays to use the present tense when we talk about historical events. Something even stranger is

Coucou à tous, je suis heureuse de vous retrouver pour un nouvel épisode.  Today’s topic is a request from one of my students, Leah. We’ve been working together for some time now in my Let’s Talk conversation class. I was surprised when she asked me to cover this. I’m always very glad to receive suggestions because even though I try my best to cover everything you need to speak like a native, I cannot possibly come up with every idea in the world. Leah’s French is good and as such, her request really took me by surprise. She asked me to cover the different ways to say goodbye. You know, this is typical of certain topics we, as French teachers, take for granted, we don’t think twice about them. Something like goodbye, as simple as it seems, deserves an episode because there are numerous ways to express this idea. And you might be surprised, so stay tuned because I have one goodbye you probably don’t know and a bonus hello I’m sure you don’t use at all even though you should.   In this Episode The truth behind

Bonjour à tous, bienvenue pour un nouvel épisode. J'espère que tout va bien chez vous. With the season starting, I've decided to share with you all the charm there is to find in the autumn season. Especially, here, in the countryside, the landscape is beautiful. The leaves are turning golden and orange and there's something in the air that just feels like autumn. I know I will start soon eating a lot of pumpkins. Is it the same for you ? How is your autumn where you live ? Stay tuned because it will be a real autumn galore in this episode. As for the grammar focus, it will be for both A levels and B levels. We will review the relative pronouns. You will find the easier ones and the more complicated ones too. Don't forget to download the study guide on frenchblabla.org so that you can practice the vocabulary, the grammar as well as your writing.   Music by Podington Bear

Bonjour à tous, j’espère que vous allez bien ! Thank you for joining me today for a new episode. One of my colleagues shared a very interesting interview about a peculiar cultural aspect we have. You all know about it. I’m talking about la bise of course! How many foreigners have been completely puzzled by this tradition? I mean, how many kisses should one do? should you start from the right cheek or the left cheek? Should I kiss this man too? Today, we’re not going to talk about the bulletproof way to faire la bise like a native, because frankly, there is none. Speaking about this negative aspect, this will be our grammar focus today. As a consequence if you’re A+ or B1, this episode is for you. I will link on the show notes the video of the historian talking about the roots of la bise, if you’d like to see it. This is what inspired today’s topic. As usual, you can download the transcription, the grammar focus and the vocabulary on frenchblabla.org.   Music by Podington Bear

Hey guys, bonjour à tous et bienvenue pour un nouvel épisode de podcast. How is your French going? Now that summer is over and we get back in the daily groove of things with work and school, have you found a place in your busy schedule for your French studies? I hope so and if you haven’t, let’s take advantage of the few minutes we have together to improve your French. Thank you for sharing your precious time with me. I was thinking about my students from my Let’s Talk conversation class. Check it out if you want to practice your French. I noticed that when they speak, a lot of them tend to rely on the same words, the same structures, over and over again. There’s nothing wrong about it, especially when we start learning, but there are other words and other structures that we use a lot in spoken French. However, it’s difficult to know which ones to choose, because when you open a grammar book and you look for certain types of words, you’re overwhelmed with a list of a dozen words… which one to choose? and espe