Bonjour à tous ! Welcome to the French Blabla podcast where you'll find tips to increase your fluency while boosting your way of learning. If you're fed up with boring grammar books or tired of speaking an artificial French, far from how natives speak, then this podcast is for you. This podcast isn't French grammar or French vocabulary only, we will cover a wide range of topics that will help you in your learning journey. What are you waiting for? Join me!
Ep46 – Let’s talk about our shopping habits
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 The post Ep46 – Let’s talk about our shopping habits appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep45 – Get the most out of your language partner
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 The post Ep45 – Get the most out of your language partner appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep44 – How to choose between Tu and Vous
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 The post Ep44 – How to choose between Tu and Vous appeared first on French Blabla.
A day in French – 24 – Tastebuds
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 The post A day in French – 24 – Tastebuds appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep43 – Set your French learning goals for success – With special guest, Ines
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 The post Ep43 – Set your French learning goals for success – With special guest, Ines appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep42 – How to find natives to talk to
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 The post Ep42 – How to find natives to talk to appeared first on French Blabla.
A day in French – 23 – The Photobooth
Today, we’re going to dive into the world of movies. We’ll learn some useful phrases to describe them. I don’t usually talk about movies I watched because I’m not really into this. I rarely go to the cinema and I don’t even watch that many tv shows. If you've listened to episode 5 of "A day in French", then you know that I like to watch hockey instead. I decided to talk about the movie called "Amelie Poulain" because I learnt that one character and what he does were inspired by real events. I couldn’t imagine that anything in that movie was actually real so I was surprised and wanted to share this piece of information with you. Don't forget to download the study guide to get access to the transcription. Stay tuned! In this Episode Cultural nugget about the movie "Amelie Poulain" Review phrases to describe movies A challenge for you to shine Music by Podington Bear The post A day in French – 23 – The Photobooth appeared first on French Blabla.
Quoi de beau Caro ? – 07 – Big surprise for 2021
In the special episode of "Quoi de beau Caro ?" we will recap 2020 and talk about the great project coming ahead this year. Music by Podington Bear - Wavy Glass The post Quoi de beau Caro ? – 07 – Big surprise for 2021 appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep41 – Are you guilty of saying “comme ci comme ça ” ? Time to use “bof” instead
Guys, it’s time for the truth! Are you guilty of answering “comme ci comme ca” when somebody asks you how you are? I have no idea where it comes from, maybe from a song but when I was teaching in schools, students sometimes answered with this phrase. Frankly, I don’t know anybody in my relatives nor friends that ever said this. Today, we’re gonna drop the comme ci comme ca and study how to answer properly like French people would. In episode 22, we talked about how to translate the phrase “I’m excited” and following up on this episode, we’re going to dive a little bit deeper into the French world of total lack of enthusiasm. This three letter word we’ll study can be used in different situations with different meanings. Stay tuned! In this Episode Learn how to show a lack of enthusiasm Learn two body expressions and turn into a real French person The real answer to "how are you?" Cultural nugget about French social habits Music by bensound.com The post Ep41 – Are you guilty of saying “comme ci comme ça ” ? Time to use “bof” instead appeared first on French Blabla.
A day in French – 22 – Olive Oil
Welcome to the twenty-second episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. I hope you’re hungry because we’re going to talk about food, my favourite topic. In the previous episode, we talked about food as well but about a very strange Christmas menu. I wonder if there were any vegetarians who listened to that episode. Today, nothing disgusting I promise, it will be about olive oil. I will share a story about last summer and a tour that I did with my family. Don't forget to download the study guide to get access to the transcription. Stay tuned! In this Episode Cultural nugget about olive oil Review the object pronoun “les” A challenge for you to shine Music by Podington Bear - Prod by Lukrembo The post A day in French – 22 – Olive Oil appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep40 – “Let’s” or the subtle art of suggesting
I noticed that a lot of learners struggle with the translation of “let’s”, especially since it’s very different from the translation of the verb “to let”. This can be confusing. Today we’re going to talk about it. Before listening, I suggest you refresh your mind with the episode 26 , where we covered when to use "nous" and when to use "on". You will need it to fully grasp this new episode. Stay tuned! In this Episode Three phrases to properly translate "let's" The number one sentence you need to know to leave a place A challenge for you to shine Music by bensound.com The post Ep40 – “Let’s” or the subtle art of suggesting appeared first on French Blabla.
A day in French – 21 – A Christmas menu in Paris
Welcome to the twenty-first episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. What is the weirdest or most disgusting thing you have ever eaten in your life? For me, it was silkworm pupae, that I ate when I was in Korea. I put it in my mouth a bit reluctantly. I really thought it was going to be disgusting but to my surprise, I enjoyed it. I won’t say it was delicious but it was edible and somewhat interesting. Today, we’re going to travel back in time and we will be heading towards Paris during a hard time the town had to face. Since, it was Christmas not a very long time ago, I would like to talk about a very strange Christmas menu that was found in restaurants at that time. Stay tuned! In this Episode Historical nugget about a crazy time in Paris Animal and food vocabulary Review the passive voice with the present tense A challenge for you to shine Music by Podington Bear - Keys of Moon The post A day in French – 21 – A Christmas menu in Paris appeared first on French Blabla.
Ep39 – Listen if you hesitate about the pronunciation of “plus”
Welcome to the thirty-ninth episode of the French Blabla podcast where we will cover tips to increase your fluency while boosting your way of learning. Today’s episode is a special request from a dear listener, Sarah. She contacted me on the chat and she told me “Caroline, in french you usually drop the last letter. But how is it with the “plus” I can’t figure out when to say plu or plus“. When I read her question, I panicked a little bit because there was no way I could explain the rules in just two sentences on a chat while preparing dinner. I gave her a very simplified answer but we really need an episode. This is a topic that comes up a lot and a question that you will find in many French podcasts. Today is my turn to cover it. Stay tuned! In this Episode The rules you need to know how to pronounce the word "plus" A challenge for you to shine Music by bensound.com - Audio Sponsor by Timbre · Freesound The post Ep39 – Listen if you hesitate about the pronunciation of “plus” appeared first on French Blabla.
A day in French – 20 – Snow
Welcome to the twentieth episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. In this new episode we’ll be talking about my birthday and what I will do on this special day. I will also talk about the joy of bathing and the bath culture. Don’t forget to download the study guide to get access to the transcription. Stay tuned! In this Episode Winter and snow vocabulary Review the subjunctive with feelings A challenge for you to shine Music by Podington Bear / Borrtex The post A day in French – 20 – Snow appeared first on French Blabla.
A day in French – 19 – The postman Cheval
Welcome to the nineteenth episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. Did it ever happen to you that you woke up in the middle of the night and an idea popped into your mind, for no reason whatsoever. That’s exactly what happened to me for this episode. I got up and suddenly this idea knocked on my door. She said (because idea is a feminine word in French) “ Caroline, in your next episode you’re going to talk about this famous French postman and you will do a special beginner episode”. I said ok. Now we’re here together, dear listeners, and I’m going to talk about M. Cheval. Stay tuned! In this Episode Amazing story of Ferdinand Cheval A story to review the beginner basics A challenge for you to shine Music by Podington Bear - Keys of Moon The post A day in French – 19 – The postman Cheval appeared first on French Blabla.