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

CYF 064 — mercredi 10 mars 2021— Je lis un livre de Benoit Cohen

This month, on One Thing In A French Day, I release every Monday an episode with Nathalie Iris, the bookseller that I met last year during lockdown. She tells us about books that she has enjoyed. If you don’t feel confident enough, these books might be a little bit difficult to read. The book I’m telling about in this episode is not difficult at all, I find it very interesting and it can be a tremendous help to improve your daily life vocabulary or your daily life sentences. It does not take place in France, but the writer is French and really sees things as a French person. 

What books have you read in French? Why did you like them? I’m curious, please don’t hesitate to give some titles in the comments of my blogpost « I read books in French » at

This month, on One Thing In A French Day, I release every Monday an episode with Nathalie Iris, the bookseller that I met last year during lockdown. She tells us about books that she has enjoyed. If you don’t feel confident enough, these books might be a little bit difficult to read. The book I’m telling about in this episode is not difficult at all, I find it very interesting and it can be a tremendous help to improve your daily life vocabulary or your daily life sentences. It does not take place in France, but the writer is French and really sees things as a French person. 

What books have you read in French? Why did you like them? I’m curious, please don’t hesitate to give some titles in the comments of my blogpost « I read books in French » at www.cultivateyourfrench.com in the blog section. 

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. I have also been running the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006

All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

CYF 063 — mercredi 3 mars 2021 — Trois rencontres avec Mélanie Thierry

In France, there is a franco-german TV channel. It’s called Arte. Everything is different on Arte. It’s a cultural and european channel. 

A few weeks ago, the show En Thérapie started on Arte who produced the show with 2 famous filmmakers : Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache . It’s an adaptation of an israelian TV show. And the title can be translated by « In treatment ». Each episode takes place on a different day of the week and is about the session of a character with Docteur Dayan, a psychiatrist. On Mondays, it’s Ariane. She’s a doctor and works at the hospital. The show starts right after the November 2015 Paris attacks. 

The show has a tremendous success in France. Maybe because we all feel like we need to speak as life is so different these days. In today’s episode, I’m going to tell you about how the actress that plays Ariane showed up different times in my life this month. 

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. I have also been running the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006

All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

 

CYF 062 — Mercredi 24 février 2021 — Pauline est allée au théâtre

Sometimes, we get very good at understanding a language. It’s the beginning of something new, something very pleasant and rewarding. The ear catches whole sentences, we get good at understanding videos on the Internet, movies in French etc.  

But sometimes, we set aside how to improve our speaking of that language. And I don’t think this is a good plan.

So, as in last week episode, today the aim is that you train yourself to talk. I have recorded this dialogue between my friend Pauline and I. She tells me about the play her husband and her  had seen the day before. First you are going to hear the dialogue.

Then, to make things more practical, you will also hear only my lines. With the other part of the dialogue left blank,you will be able to act as if you were Pauline telling me about your evening at the theater!

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. I have also been running the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006

All the information about the transcripts, notes and photos is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

CYF 061 — Mercredi 17 février 2021 — Chez le fromager

It’s a great thing to improve your understanding skills, this way you can be ready 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 come with me to the cheesemonger. Yes, don’t you remember what’s on your shopping list? Camembert, Beaufort and goat cheese. And you know that once inside the shop you might be tempted to buy something else too. 

Are you ready? You are in Paris, queuing outside the little shop. Some customers go out and it’s your turn to go inside. It smells good! 
First you are going to hear the dialogue between my friend Pauline, who plays the cheesemonger, and myself, the customer. 
Then, to make things more practical, you will also hear only the cheesemonger lines. With the other part of the dialogue left blank,you will be able to act as if you were the customer at the fromagerie!

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. I have also been running the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006

All the information about the transcripts, notes and photos is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

CYF 060 — mercredi 10 février 2021 — À l’Extra Brut, cave à Champagne, avec Benoît Melendez

In January, I had the chance to meet a wine professional in Paris, his name is Benoît Melendez. He has a shop, L’extra brut. Does it give you any clue about the kind of wine he sells? yes? He sells wines, but particular ones : he sells Champagne and only Champagne! In this shop, which is also a « Bar à Champagne » you can drink Champagne at the bar with some food or buy a bottle to bring home. Of course, the « bar » is closed for the moment but the shop is opened. So on cold winter day, I walked from Saint-Lazare station to rue Condorcet, in South PIgalle, to meet Benoît Melendez. You have to imagine me in his shop, surrounded by nice bottles, seated on a bar stool made of wood, in front of a very smiling man who really loves his work. 
So, in today’s episode, you are going to hear Benoît Melendez talking about Champagne! 

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. I have also been running the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

L’Extra Brut : 19 Rue Condorcet, 75009 Paris
http://lextrabrut.com/

 

CYF 059 — mercredi 3 février 2020 — Felicia étudie la Révolution française

My second daughter Felicia is in 4e; it’s the third year of collège. She is now thirteen years old. The 4e is not an easy grade. She works a lot so I have the impression that we never see her. Sometimes she appears to take a slice of kougelhopf for goûter. She seems to enjoy it then she looks at the clock and says that it’s time for her to go back to work. In today’s episode, you are going to hear more of Felicia’s appearances and disappearances and how we get clues of what she is studying. 

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. I also run the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

 

CYF 058 — Mercredi 27 janvier 2021 — Une journée remplie de vert

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. I also run the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

In December, I could not find my Carte Vitale when I needed it. The Carte Vitale allows to directly send by Internet a note of the expense that you had at a doctor, a dentist, etc to the Social Security. Then you get, directly on your bank account, a partial reimbursement of the expense. I couldn’t find mine, but I remembered that I had given it to Pietro when he had gone to the dentist with Felicia. No, he told me, I don’t have it, I gave it back to you when I came back. 
So, my card was somewhere at home. My bigger worry was to have thrown it away by mistake. I told Pietro that it was his fault, because he had given it back to me not at a proper moment. Yes, I admit this was unfair! I tried not to worry to much. But one night, something happened… this is what you are going to hear in today’s episode.  

CYF 057 — mercredi 20 janvier 2021— La galette des rois présentée par Thomas Paris (boulangerie Montgolfière)

Dear listeners, I’m very happy to make this episode today.Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with the talented baker Thomas Paris at Boulangerie Montgolfière in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. He agreed to take time from his busy day to have a nice talk about the galette des rois, this wonderful cake that we eat in France to celebrate Epiphany. Thomas Paris explained me to me that to make a good a galette the first thing you need is a good puff pastry, une pâte feuilletée. To make one you need a good butter. Thomas Paris uses a butter from Charente Poitou its a butter with a flowery taste. The butter’s flavour is the common thread of the galette’s taste. He also uses a flour with no pesticides residues and that will allow the galette to keep its perfect circle shape. But there is another subtlety about his pâte feuilletée : it’s inverted puff pastry. Instead of putting the butter in the dough, it’s the dough that is put in the butter. Yes, very strange to imagine, but the butter used is a special one called « beurre manié », it contains flour. 
Thomas Paris told me about the impression that you get when you take the first bite of galette des rois made with this type of dough. Then, I asked him how long it takes to make a galette… do you have any idea? This is what you are going to hear in today’s episode. 

 

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. I also run the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

 

CYF 056 — mercredi 13 janvier 2021 — Les immeubles anciens de Bécon

The neighbourhood where we live is called « Bécon-les-Bruyères », it is situated at the intersection of three towns : Courbevoie, Asnières-sur-Seine and Bois-Colombes. 
The train station of Bécon-les-bruyères was opened to the public in 1891 and then buildings started to appear around the station, as it happened in all the Parisian suburbs at that time. Even though, they were mainly buildings with flats to let, each of them had it own style! They are often rather colourful because bricks were often used in this period. Architects used to play with the different colours or finish of enameled bricks to draw patterns on the façade. 
During the second lockdown, my friend Anne-Laure and I met every thursday for a walk in our neighbourhood.I had pulled out from my library the excellent book by Historian Pierre Mignot about Paris façades. We often started our walk at the station. Buildings from the same period can be so different. We also noticed the houses. It was important at that time to be close to the railway, close to modernity. There are a lot of very big and very nice houses near the railways. Each walk offered us some nice discoveries, this is what you are going to hear in today’s episode. 

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. I also run the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com

055 — mercredi 6 janvier 2020 — Le goût de kougelhopf

Dear listeners of Cultivate Your French, I wish you a belle et heureuse année 2021! I wish you health, a curious mind, a lot of happiness and of course a lot of French in your life!

I received as a Christmas present from my parents a kougelhopf baking tin. I really enjoy this enriched bread typical of the East of France (and other countries of Central Europe) because I ate some when I was a child. It had such a wonderful taste, the taste of kougelhopf. 
During the holidays, I started to bake some and it has become Micaela and Felicia’s favourite breakfast. I baked two pieces at the same time and I kept them in a large metal tin. 
Did my kougelhopf had that special taste? This is what you are going to hear in today’s episode. 

 

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. I also run the podcast One Thing In A French Day since 2006
All the information about the transcripts, notes and photo is available at www.cultivateyourfrench.com