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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 Slow French doesn’t just mean speaking slowly and it’s not about quick progress. It’s a nice learning approach.
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
This is the second episode of our summer serie, La promenade de l’été. It’s a walk in Paris that will take us, episode by episode, to the heart of the 17th arrondissement. Last week, we went to the Square des Epinettes where you can find the statue of a very interesting woman of the 19th century, Maria Deraismes.
Today, my friend Anne-Laure and I are in the Quartier de l’Europe. This is where a group of young painters, including Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Degas and the writer Emile Zola, in the years 1875, gathered around Manet, the scandalous Manet painter of Le déjeuner sur l’herbe and L’Olympia. They where gathering at the Café Guerbois, avenue de Clichy. In this episode, Anne-Laure and I imagine what could be the subject of their meeting. Art, of course.
This is Summer French ! in the notes that go with the transcript, I will highlight for you those typical expressions that we use in conversations. It’s a bit different that what I usually do in the notes. The idea behing Summer French is to notice how French is spoken in everyday conversations. And, of course, with the notes, there are photos of the places that I go to.
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
This week, on the podcast, starts La promenade de l’été, a walk in Paris that will take us, episode by episode, to the heart of the 17th arrondissement. It all started with a statue when my friend Anne-Laure and I visited the Petit Palais, last October. I noticed this statue of an impressive woman, Maria Deraismes. The sculptor was Ernest Barrias, and the statue was just behind another one : La Defense statue, also by Barrias. La Defense statue gave its name to the district of La Défense in the west of Paris. They were both reproductions. You can see the statue of La Défense in La Défense and the statue of Marias Deraismes in the square des Epinettes in the 17th arrondissement. This is where we were, Anne-Laure and I, to record this episode and to discover who was this woman of the 19th century, Maria Deraismes.
This is Summer French ! in the notes that go with the transcript, I will highlight for you those typical expressions that we use in conversations. It’s a bit different that what I usually do in the notes. The idea behing Summer French is to notice how French is spoken in everyday conversations. And, of course, with the notes, there are photos of the places that I go to.
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
My friend Sylvie and I went to London last week, on Wednesday the 6th, the day before Boris Johnson announced his resignation. We had to wait one hour in Gare du Nord before being able to show our passports. The train was delayed because all passengers could not get on board at the departure time. I think this was due to the lack of staff in the station, and I must admit, poor organization.
But we did it and it’s still something very special to arrive in London. This episode almost starts in Euston road !
In the transcript that goes with this episode I will highlight for you all the expressions and sentences that are very natural in French. I will also give you a selection of sentences that say that you had a wonderful time in … let’s say… France !
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
It’s a great thing to improve your understanding skills, you feel more confident and it’s almost the basic of a language. You understand what people tell you in French. Sometimes, we are so focused on understanding that we almost forget to improve our speaking. When you understand enough, you have to prepare yourself for the next step which is « talking in French ». Yes, talking! Never forget to talk, it’s important ! But, you have to be ready. To train yourself to your next visit to France, today’s episode and next week’s episode are about talking in French.
Today, you will buy some macarons. Yes, don’t you remember that you have to offer a box for your friend’s birthday? There is so much choice in the shop, which flavours are you going to choose?
Are you ready? You are in Paris, the pâtisserie is lovely, the window is full of colourful macarons.
First you are going to hear the dialogue between my friend Marilyne, who plays the seller, and myself, the customer.
Then, to make things more practical, you will also hear only the seller lines. With the other part of the dialogue left blank,you will be able to act as if you were the customer at the macaron shop!
In the transcript, we study some sentences particularities and I challenge you to leave me an audio message, you ordering by phone in French some lovely macarons.
This is a repeat broadcast !
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photos is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
In France, beer, craft beer, is becoming more and more popular. There is a thing about beer in Paris also. I was very curious about the subject so I met a very nice guy: Alexis. He runs a beer shop in Pigalle, in rue de Douai, not very far from the Moulin Rouge. In his shop you can find beers from around the world, but also from the best French breweries. He only sells craft beers, so you have to be ready for the experience !
In this episode, you will hear Alexis talking about how beer is made and what are his favourite adjectives to talk about beer. I’m sure there is one that you will remember for ever !
In the transcript that goes with this episode, I will highlight for you some sentences or expressions that are very natural in French and that you could use in your own conversations !
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Last week-end, there was the Elections législative, we elected our deputies. And maybe that you have heard that president Emmanuel Macron has lost the majority.
But last week-end, there was also the European Archaeology Days ! Lisa, Micaela, a friend and I headed to the Institut de paleontology humaine for a short conference about palaeontology and a visit of the institute’s collections. Yes, there was a lot of bones and skulls!
In the notes that go with the transcript, I will show you the different tenses that I use to tell you this story. This way you can almost feel the difference between imparfait and passé composé.
Of course, as usual, I will highlight for you sentences or expressions that are very natural in French and that you can use in your own conversations.
All the information about the transcript is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
In today’s episode, my friend Pauline and I take you to the 16th arrondissement of Paris. This arrondissement is located between the Bois de Boulogne and the Tour Eiffel.
There you can visit the Maison de Balzac, as we did, where the famous writer worked on La comédie humaine, a series of 90 novels representing all the aspects of life in the 19th century. Balzac lived there between 1840 and 1847, hiding from his creditors. Visiting the house is very moving, first because the place is unexpected in Paris : an ancient house with a lovely garden. Then because it’s strange to imagine that he lived and worked there.
Then Pauline and I did some shopping in the neighboorhoud and will tell you about it.
Talking about shopping, in the notes that go with this episode, you will find the mini survival French guide written last year. It contains the basic sentences that you might need when you are staying in France.
Of course, as usual, I will highlight for you the expressions or sentences that are very natural in French. And, as this episode is recorded on the spot, it contains a lot of typical expressions.
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Summer is coming, of course that we need new shoes. Especially Lisa who as a bigger feet than last year and who needs new shoes to go to Versailles with her class. Micaela needs white sneakers to wear with her skirts or dresses. Felicia doesn’t feel the need to change her shoes for now. And I? Yes, I would like to find as good shoes as my old Clarks sandals.
By chance, we found the street for us in Asnières. Lisa and I stopped into a shop with shoes for children. In the shop, there was a little girl otherwhelmed by choice and a mother who couldn’t help her. Chosing something can be so difficult sometimes. Things were going to be different for Lisa.
This is how starts the story that you are going to hear today. We are in the shop with Lisa.
With the notes that go with the transcript, you will find a typical dialogue for buying shoes in French. Yes, this may happen for you in France ! I will also highlight for you the sentences or expressions that are very natural in French.
The title of this episode says that there are 3 stories. The 3rd one will be released on Friday on One Thing In A French Day podcast. There is no slow version, but sometimes it’s nice to dare listening to something more difficult.
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Last week, I spent an afternoon in Paris. The weather was very nice, it was almost summer. It’s much cooler this week. I had to buy 2 copies of the book Lisière (Border in English) written by the Bulgarian writer Kapka Kassakova. This book is the story of the writer’s trip to the borders of her country where she meets people who share with her their stories. Cold War is not that far. This book si very well written.
I had seen on the website librairiesindependantes.com that the book was available at Galignani. This bookshop is one of the oldest bookshops in Paris and it’s located under the arcades of the rue de Rivoli, next to Angelina salon de thé in front of the jardin des Tuileries. I recorded myself in the garden right after I bought the book. This is what you are going to hear today.
In the notes that go with the transcript, I share with you some photos of this afternoon in Paris and I highlight for you some expressions and sentences that are very natural in French.
And remember that reading the transcript is an accelerator to your comprehension.
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Today, you are going to hear an interview that I had with Alice Chance. This very nice young woman is a music composer, she’s in France for her studies and she has a YouTube Channel. This is how I’ve discovered her. She uses her channel to talk about her French studies. She started it in 2019 as she was at home, in Australia. I like it because it’s real life studies, because she has nice solutions (I love the one about creating your own French family) and because she has a poetic mind.
And we met in real life by chance, because Alice and I leave in the same neighbourhood. I saw her once on the Pont de Levallois. I couldn’t believe my eyes, so I decided to contact her. Yes, she was the one I saw ! And she agreed to meet and talk about her YouTube channel for the podcast !
In this episode you are going to hear Alice talking in French, I think her pace is rather good for you so there won’t be 2 versions as usual.
In the notes that go with the transcript, you will find 3 tips that were useful for Alice. And I will also give you a conjugation routine. Because, les conjugaisons, c’est la liberté !