Cultivate your French : Slow French, at the right pace.

Découvrons la poésie romantique : L’éphémère de Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

In this episode, I dive deep into French literature with Aurélie, a high school French teacher, as we analyze "L'éphémère" by 19th-century poet Marceline Desbordes-Valmore. You'll discover how French students approach poetry analysis, learn advanced vocabulary for literary discussion, and explore themes of life, death, and motherhood through this beautiful poem. 

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Détour acrobatique par Montreuil

Last Tuesday, I went with Micaela to an acrobatics class at a Chinese circus school in Montreuil. She was keen to try out the class with a view to improving her kung fu. Montreuil is a large, popular town to the east of Paris. Artists love it because you can still find unusual buildings to set up your studio. It's a very lively town, a ‘ Ville-monde ’ as Gilles Soufi would have said, even if it is in the process of becoming gentrified.

In the notes that accompany the text of this episode, we'll look at three natural turns of phrase in French. We'll also look at one sentence in particular, which is an application of a grammar lesson. 

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#FrenchListening #LearnFrenchPodcast #FrenchCulture #ParisSurroundings #FrenchConversation #AdvancedFrench #FrenchImmersion #FrenchStory #RealFrenchLife #FrenchLanguageLearning

267 — Le français du XVIIe siècle dans Paris-Babel (Gilles Siouffi) — mercredi 11 juin 2025

Last week, I walked through the doors of the Sorbonne, the famous university, the oldest in France, which has been in existence since the 13th century. I was there to meet linguist Gilles Siouffi, who has just written a book on the linguistic history of Paris. His book is called ‘Paris Babel’. I loved this book, which reads like a novel and allows us to take a closer look at the history of French as it has never been told before.

The seventeenth century is a very important century in the history of French. People fight over who has the best French. That's what Gilles Siouffi will be explaining in today's episode. He'll also talk about pronunciation patterns.
The interview with Gilles Siouffi will be available in full on One Thing In A French Day, so be sure to tune in.

In the notes that accompany the podcast, we'll look at three natural turns of phrase in French. We'll also develop a strategy for learning a verb quoted in the text, which is very useful in everyday French.
So, to cultivate your ‘bon’ French, I invite you to subscribe to the podcast notes.

www.cultivateyourfrench.com

#frenchcourtlanguage #versaillesfrench #17thcenturyfrench #frenchpronunciationhistory #sociallanguagetrendsfrance #frenchclassdistinctions #parisvsversailles #frenchlanguagefashions #historicalfrenchspeech #frenchlinguisticsorbonne

266 — Rendez-vous au café à lettres, le café Pli à Paris, avec Lorena — mercredi 4 juin 2025

I don't know about you, but I don't write letters any more, at least not handwritten ones, because you could say that some emails are letters. So I was delighted to discover the café Pli in Paris, a letter café. My friend Lorena and I went there a few days ago. The café is located in an area of Paris that I know well, not far from the Place de la République. 

The formula is simple: you order a drink and they give you an envelope, a card and some paper to write a letter that will be sent in one, five or twenty years' time. Once your letter is ready, you place it in the rack that corresponds to the date it will be sent. The wall of racks is impressive, full of letters. 

What was it like for Lorena and me? That's what we tell you in this episode, recorded as we left the Café Pli. 

In the notes that accompany the transcript, we'll be looking at the words ‘ambiance’ and ‘moment’ to see how we like to describe them in French. There will also, of course, be a conjugation strategy around a particularly useful verb, because just because a verb is useful doesn't mean it's useful to know all its tenses. You need a strategy. 

So if you want to cultivate your French in a letter or with a strategy, I invite you to subscribe to the transcript. 

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#FrenchWriting #LetterWritingFrench #FrenchCafe #ParisCafeLife #FrenchLanguageLearning #ParisHiddenGems #FrenchConversation #FrenchCulture #LearnFrenchPodcast #AuthenticFrench

265 — Suivez-moi dans la R5 électrique que les Français adorent — mercredi 28 mai 2025

Last week we had lunch with Pauline at Coda. As we live in the same neighbourhood, she offered me a lift in her new car. And this car isn't just any car, it's the new favourite of the French: the electric R5. The R5 is an old model brought up to date, an iconic car from the 80s. We recorded our journey through Paris. Pauline really enjoys driving around town in her new R5. But what about the power? I become a motoring journalist in this episode.

In the notes that accompany the transcript, we're going to highlight the typical turns of speech in our conversation. We'll also look at the best strategy for learning the conjugation of two verbs used in this episode and very common in French. What is an optimal strategy? Well, the minimum amount of learning for the maximum amount of use in real life.

So, to cultivate your French in the optimum way, the slow way, I invite you to subscribe to transcpript at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

#FrenchPodcast #LearnFrench #ElectricCar #RenaultR5 #ParisLife #FrenchConversation #CarVocabulary #ModernFrench #DailyFrench #FrenchListening

264 — Bistronomie : déjeuner chez Coda avec Pauline — mercredi 21 mai 2025

Cette semaine, nous allons à nouveau au restaurant, mais cette fois avec mon amie Pauline. Après le bouillon, c’est le bistrot qui nous attend. Le bistrot parisien a beaucoup évolué depuis les années 2000, du restaurant de quartier un peu désuet aux nappes à carreaux rouges, on est passé à un restaurant de quartier, toutjours, mais tenu par des jeunes chefs avides de créativité, d’amitié, de vins naturels et de produits locaux. C’est ce qu’on appelle « la bistronomie » qui est un mot valise composé de « bistrot » et « gastronomie ». Dans cet épisode, Pauline va nous raconter son déjeuner : ce qu’elle a mangé, mais aussi ce qui lui a plu dans ce restaurant. 
Dans les notes qui accompagnent le transcript, vous trouverez des notes culturelles sur ce type de restaurant, des photos de nos plats, et nous allons nous pencher sur les mots et les trournures de prhases que Pauline emploie pour partager avec nous son expérience. 

This week we're going to the restaurant again, but this time with my friend Pauline. After the bouillon, it's the bistrot that awaits us. The Parisian bistrot has come a long way since the 2000s, going from being a slightly old-fashioned neighbourhood restaurant with red-checked tablecloths to being a neighbourhood restaurant, run by young chefs eager for creativity, friendship, natural wines and local produce. This is what's known as ‘ bistronomie ’, a word made up of ‘ bistrot ’ and ‘ gastronomie ’. In this episode, Pauline tells us about her lunch: what she ate, but also what she liked about the restaurant.
In the notes accompanying the transcript, you'll find cultural notes on this type of restaurant, photos, and we'll be looking at the words and phrases Pauline uses to share her experience with us.

www.cultivateyourfrench.com

 

#FrenchPodcast #FrenchCuisine #BistronomyParis #LearnFrenchVocabulary #FrenchFoodCulture #ParisRestaurants #FrenchListeningPractice #AuthenticFrench #FrenchGastronomy #FrenchConversation

 

263 — Dîner au bouillon Pigalle — mercredi 14 mai 2025

Last week, I saw my friend Caroline. We'd booked tickets to see a play at the Théâtre des Abbesses in Montmartre. We'd arranged to meet at the Place de Clichy. As we had time for a little dinner, Caroline suggested the Bouillon Pigalle, a typically Parisian and inexpensive restaurant. That's the dinner I'm telling you about in this episode.
In the accompanying notes, we'll take a look at the history of bouillons, as well as the typical restaurant vocabulary developed in this episode. Then you'll be ready to order!
So if you want to cultivate your French “bouillonnant”, the Slow Way, I invite you to subscribe.

www.cultivateyourfrench.com

 

262 — L’exposé de Felicia sur le nucléaire — mercredi 7 mai 2025

Join me in today's episode as I share how my daughter Felicia's school presentation on nuclear energy unexpectedly connected with the morning news! Discover how this mirrors information from Felicia's research on nuclear energy production costs compared to other energy sources. I'll also share some thoughts on France's historical dependency on nuclear energy

Perfect for learners looking to improve their listening skills with authentic French content!

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#FrenchPodcast #LearnFrenchOnline #DailyFrenchListener #FrenchComprehension #NuclearEnergy #EnvironmentalFrench #FrenchListening #EasyFrenchPractice #ParisianLife #FrenchWithTranscript #SlowFrench

261 — La question à mille euros — mercredi 30 avril 2025

In this episode of "Cultivate Your French," I share a family anecdote about the famous "Le Jeu des Mille Euros" radio game and our discovery of France's tallest skyscraper.

This episode follows the "right pace" method with both slow and normal versions of the same content in sequence - designed to build your listening comprehension progressively.

First, you'll hear the story at a gentle pace to understand vocabulary and structure, then at natural speed to develop real-world listening skills.

Subscribers receive the complete transcript, vocabulary notes, and cultural insights to fully support your French learning journey!

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#SlowFrench #FrenchComprehension #LearnFrenchMethodically #FrenchListeningPractice #TwoSpeedFrench #FrenchProgressionMethod #FrenchPodcastWithTranscript #RightPaceFrench #FrenchRadioShow #AuthenticFrenchLearning

260 — Déguster les tartes aux fraises — mercredi 23 avril 2025

In today's episode of "Cultivate Your French," Lisa and I take you on a delicious French pastry tasting adventure! We compare strawberry tarts and other desserts from several renowned pastry shops in our neighborhood, including the famous Lola tart from Arnaud Larher and creations from award-winning pastry chef Stéphane Glacier. Join us for this unscripted conversation as we discuss textures, flavours, and what makes the perfect French pastry.

Perfect for French learners who want to improve their listening skills with authentic conversation about French culinary culture.

Subscribe for the full transcript and cultural notes!

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#FrenchTasteTest #FrenchPastryTour #LearnFrenchWithFood #FrenchStrawberryTart #ParisianPastries #DailyFrenchPractice #AuthenticFrenchConversation #FrenchListeningPractice #FrenchCulturalImmersion #FrenchFoodVocabulary