My French Adventure: Rikki

Bringing an infectious laugh to Lingua Franca since early 2021, Rikki is a dedicated étudiante* with some interesting ties to France. It was a pleasure to have her join us on our trip to Morocco, where she and another cat-loving chouchou*, Lisa, took to feeding the local chats*. (And quite possibly whisked a few home.)

Read on to hear about Rikki’s fun taunting a French colleague from afar and her tried-and-tested tips for mastering la langue*.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO STUDY FRENCH?

I have wanted to learn French for as long as I can remember. I always did well at language classes in school and, as a Canadian-Australian, I’ve always felt a bit of a connection to the language. 

My grandfather learned French to a level of fluency at school (his year 12 assignment was translating The 3 Musketeers from French to English), and my mom self-proclaims that she can read the back of a cereal box in French! 

One day I decided to sign up for a one-week intensive “absolute beginner” group class, and here I am years later, taking the Wednesday night Club de Culture class with a great group of people!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STUDYING FRENCH?

Almost 10 years.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT IT?

I like learning about the culture through the language. France has such a rich and dynamic culture and it’s really fascinating to learn how this has shaped the language.

ANY HARD BITS? 

I’ve been learning for almost 10 years and still frequently mess up basic things like the gender of nouns.

WHAT’S THE FRENCH CONNECTION WITH YOUR WORK?

I work for an Australian company which has a partnership with a French multi-national, so I work with a lot of French people. In fact, my first teacher at Lingua Franca was the husband of one of my French co-workers.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE FRENCH WORD? 

I recently learned the word “époustouflant” (breathtaking) and thought it sounded amazing (and very French)!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PENCHANT FOR A CERTAIN FROMAGE*…

I’m a little bit partial to La Vache Qui Rit*, the little triangles of French cream cheese, much to the disgust of one of my French colleagues. He insists that La Vache Qui Rit is not real cheese, let alone real French cheese. 

When I travelled to Morocco on one of the Lingua Franca voyages, I realised that La Vache Qui Rit has a cult-like following in Morocco. It was everywhere! Of course, I started sending my colleague a daily photo of a triangle of La Vache cheese in an exotic location. 

Then when we arrived in Essaouira, we found all sorts of merchandise available for purchase with the La Vache logo on it – Berber jackets, t-shirts, and even shopping bags! I asked my co-worker if he would like me to bring back some merchandise from his favourite French cheese brand, which he politely declined.

(I did a quick Google search on my return to Australia and realised that La Vache makes up 30% of the cheese consumed by Moroccans and consistently receives product awards in Morocco.)

FINALEMENT*, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR LEARNING FRENCH?

My biggest tip is to just keep going! Sometimes it feels like you’re not improving, but if you compare your French to a year ago, I can guarantee you have improved more than you think!

For a more practical tip, if you like watching French TV shows and movies, try switching the subtitles to French on Netflix (or your other streaming service) – sometimes it helps to be able to see the words as you hear them.

*student | *teacher’s pet | *cats | *the language | *cheese | *The Laughing Cow | *Finally

My French Adventure: Elanor

We could all learn a thing of two from Elanor’s positive approach to her French. It’s no surprise to us here at Lingua Franca, though. Even though Elanor attends evening classes, she’s a complete rayon de soleil* and we’re so happy to to have her learn with us. Merci* Elanor et très bonne continuation*!

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO STUDY FRENCH?

I have always wanted to learn French, and for no particular reason other than it really appealed to me. After travelling through France in 2010, I found I had picked up a lot and was not finding the basics too difficult, so I grabbed a few self-study books upon my return, and that was the start of the journey! 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STUDYING FRENCH?

I have studied on and off since 2010. I mainly used workbooks and would enjoy my days off learning this way. Last year I was getting more keen to really get back into it and more seriously, so I started listening to podcasts as I did my long drive to and from work.

This was hugely beneficial and really helped me to rote learn how to conjugate verbs… immensely helpful, but a little bland. I wanted to use my knowledge and work on conversations and translating faster. So, I enrolled at Lingua Franca! 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT IT?

I love how it makes me feel to use another language and to understand it. It is very empowering. Acquiring knowledge and feeling yourself progress is also very rewarding. It is also helping me understand English more, funnily enough.

I love going to lessons and meeting with like-minded people – people who understand and speak at the same skill level and who are also so motivated to learn and share my enthusiasm.

ANY HARD BITS? 

Everything is hard until you learn how to do it! It’s all about taking the time to slowly progress through the content and being patient with yourself. Every week I understand more than I did the week before. It’s like a puzzle slowly coming together and it’s wonderful to see all my new knowledge taking shape. 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE FRENCH WORD? 

Buanderie* – Laundry room. For no other reason than I love how it sounds… far too nice a sounding word for a room like that. 😊

*Laundry room

*ray of sunshine | *Thank you | *May things continue to go very well for you

My French Adventure: Jane Pratt

It’s a family affair with Jane and we’re pretty sure we know who the driver is! We’ll let Jane speak for herself but suffice it to say she’s gentille*, talentueuse* and déterminée* and a fantastic person to have au nid*.

Merci pour ta participation*, Jane.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO STUDY FRENCH?

I studied French at high school in England and always enjoyed it. We had some wonderful holidays in France caravanning when I was young. I had planned to continue studying and use it in my career, however, as happens, things change and I chose a different path. I have always had an interest in France and French language and intended to learn again at some time. My son moved to new Farm and one day I was here and happened to see the Lingua Franca sign. It looked great so I took the opportunity.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN STUDYING FRENCH?

I started French with Lingua Franca in 2021. My son and I joined together. We both really enjoyed it. He had to leave after a couple of terms, but I have carried on. It’s been a fabulous way to learn. 

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT IT?

I have had three different teachers and they have all been really encouraging, enthusiastic and great to learn from. I find the groups really help each other and we learn from each other along the way. I’ve always felt comfortable in the groups to be able to learn and practise. I’m planning to spend more time in France in the future with my husband who has also joined Lingua Franca this year. We have lots of fun practising our French.

ANY HARD BITS?

Tenses are tricky! It’s hard to remember which is the right one when changing from past back to the future! And, of course, genders! I would say try and learn them as you go along. 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE FRENCH WORD?

I have a couple of favourite French words: canteloup* is really nice to say and of course enchanté* would be my favourite. It sounds magical. I always remember a phrase my teenagers brought home from school French lessons, “Je déteste les petit pois*.” We’ve had some laughs with that one. 

ANY OTHER ADVICE TO FRENCH LEARNERS?

Listen to as much as you can – podcasts, French TV, movies are really helpful and fun. There are lots of different levels and finding something that interests you and you enjoy can make it a great way to learn. Je vous souhaite de réussir et profitez de votre apprentissage.

*kind | *talented | *determined | *at the nest | *Thanks for joining in | *cantaloupe | *delighted | *I hate peas | *I wish you success and enjoy your learning

My Paris Adventure (Part 3 – La Fin)

So, two months have passed and our intrepid traveller Pip est rentrée* from her French sojourn. We touched base briefly to see how she’s recovering, any lessons learned and her top tips for any chouchous* planning a long stay in Paris.

YOU’RE BACK! THAT WENT QUICKLY…

Way too quickly! I arrived back a few days ago and am battling with jetlag and Paris withdrawals. I can’t believe that after all the planning and buildup it’s over. At the start, two months seemed quite daunting, but I definitely wasn’t ready to come home. I’d just found my groove at the end and my apartment and quartier* really felt like home.

SO, YOU LOVED IT?

Presque* every minute.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE ANYONE PLANNING A SIMILAR TRIP?

Firstly (and most importantly), make finding a decent coffee spot a priority. Otherwise you’ll end up paying $8-9 for a weak, milky cup of sludge each morning. My pick if you’re near Le Marais is the boutique Japanese chain, The Coffee. They take their brew seriously and it shows.

For easy-peasy travel, make sure you download Citymapper. This app provides amazingly clear instructions for getting from A to B, including which section of the train you should be on to land at the right exit. A total life safer for someone as directionally challenged as me! 

When people say it gets hot in summer, believe them. As a Brisbanite, I laughed off this warning. But by the end of my stay, it was STINKING hot. And the city is just not built for it.

Don’t pack exercise gear. Seriously. You’ll be doing so much walking each day that you won’t dust off your actual runners and Lululemons at all. And unless you’re staying in a hotel and plan on catching Ubers to dinner, leave les talons* at home.

Also, beware the cyclists! Trying to cross the road takes some getting used to as you need to check the bike lane as well as the traffic lights. And the cyclists tend to be un peu fou*.

WHAT ABOUT TIPS FOR LEARNING THE LANGUAGE?

It depends on your goals. For me, it was more about enjoying a change of scene and soaking up the culture and picking some more French up along the way. I had work to juggle so I wasn’t going to spend my free time studying when there was Paris at my doorstep to explore!

I highly recommend doing an immersion course (I went to Langue Appart for 4 weeks). But I think if want to learn a lot in a short time frame, there are better ways – and places – to go about it. It’s difficult to do a true immersion in Paris with so many tourists and everyone automatically switching to English when you speak.

In the future, I’d be interested to explore other options. Like a homestay in a quieter city or the countryside. Somewhere with fewer shiny distractions. And I’d also book private lessons.

Another thing… I had an Aussie friend stay with me for two weeks and that, while one of the highlights of my stay, put my French back a lot. So, if you’re serious about improving, dit non* to any English-speaking visitors.

ANY OTHER TIPS FOR THINGS TO SEE, DO, EAT?

I won’t list all my favourite spots in Paris as it would take all day (and I’ll get too nostalgic/ hungry). But I would recommend you book most of your activities well in advance as they book out.  

Look at Discover Walks, too. They operate free, tip-supported tours in different parts of Paris and the guides are great. The one I did in Montmartre was exceptional.

Finally, try to factor in some free time. With so much to do and see, it’s tempting to schedule every minute. But my favourite moments were often unplanned – discovering hidden parks and pop-up shops, enjoying an impromptu spritz in the gorgeous courtyard at Le Musée Carnavalet or strolling aimlessly around town for White Night and La Fête de la Musique. Being une flâneuse* in Paris is one life's great joys. 

*has returned | *teacher’s pets | *neighbourhood | *nearly | *high heels | *a bit mad | *say no | *urban spectator who walks around not doing anything in particular but watching people and society

My Paris Adventure (Part 2)

Last month we heard from one of our students, Pip, who was about to depart on a two-month adventure in Paris. Well, it’s been presque cinq semaines*, so we thought it was high time we check in to see what she’s been up to!

SO… HOW’S EVERYTHING BEEN GOING?

Très bien*! It has absolutely flown by, and I can’t believe I only have a few weeks left. There’s still so much on my (ever-growing) to-do list! The first month was wonderful but a bit intense as I was working remotely and was also doing daily immersion classes. So I was cramming in most of my sightseeing on the weekends.

I’ve just finished my French lessons now and am feeling much more relaxed. My best friend arrives this week and I finally have some time off work, so that will be lots of fun.

I’m loving Paris and am very happy with the bobo* area I am in (Voltaire, in the 11th) as it’s central and a short stroll to Place des Vosges. Paris’s oldest (and prettiest) square is one of my absolute favourite spots for lounging with a coffee and croissant. Or une glace* now it’s so warm.

ANY HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR?

So many. Every successful interaction en français*; watching the light projections at le Square du Vert-Galant for Nuit Blanche*; seeing a classical concert at La Sainte-Chapelle with the sun streaming in through the famous stained glass windows (a must); perusing le Musée Picasso – the current exhibition with art direction by Paul Smith is incredible, but just as amazing is the 17th-century private mansion it’s housed in – divine.

Also, my first pain au chocolat; visiting Versailles and the equally impressive Opéra Garnier; strolling Canal St Martin; thumbing through books at the legendary Shakespeare and Company bookstore; dinner in the most stunning garden at l’Hôtel Particulier in Montmartre. The service was questionable, but the location is so breathtakingly beautiful it was worth the 90-odd minute wait for our entrées.

I also loved the tranquil garden (and mint green tiles) at the Grand Mosquée. An unexpected side of Paris and well worth a visit.

There have been times when I’ve been moved to tears by the sheer beauty (and Frenchness) of it all. I still grin from ear to ear whenever I see La Tour Eiffel. Seeing this accordion player and his cat in Montmartre today was more than I could take. And I’ve also met some lovely people along the way.

AND LOWLIGHTS?

That’s not to say it’s been easy. It hasn’t. There were a few issues with my Airbnb when I arrived (terrible bed, for starters), but I am lucky to have a great property manager who dealt with my list of complaints promptly. The neighbours tend to have parties at unpredictable times (say 2am on a Monday). Juggling work and school has been exhausting, I’ve been sick and I’ve had a lot of FOMO.  

Mon chat me manque beaucoup*. But, in a strange twist of fate, there’s a cat café on my street (yes, I did go once after a bad day. The food was hideous, but I made a friend who lives in London).

I also had un incident malheureux* involving a very long, stressful and rainy day, a traditional Jewish fallafel sandwich from the iconic L'As du Fallafel in Le Marais and a day-old Sézane trench coat. One trip au pressing*, $60 and a two-week wait later, I got my coat back just as summer finally arrived.

HAS ANYTHING SURPRISED YOU?

The lack of screw-top wine bottles anywhere. That the French seemingly have a thing for escape rooms (there’s a surprising number in my quartier). That you’ll have to queue not just for museums but to go into stores like Polène and Sézane.

Also, Parisians are nothing like the aloof stereotype we’re familiar with. 90% of my interactions have been positive and, as long as you’re polite, decisive (they don’t like dilly-dallying) and try to speak French, they’re quite chaleureux* and helpful.  

YOU ENROLLED IN AN IMMERSION OVER THERE. HOW WAS THAT?

It was chouette*. I went to Langue Appart in Oberkampf (11th) – a 10-minute walk from my apartment. I would definitely recommend it, it’s a great little school. The teachers are excellent (they all have a different teaching style from what I’ve heard), and all the staff welcome you by name. The materials are very comprehensive, it’s all conducted in French and the lessons are a mix of grammar (argh), videos, games and lots of speaking practice and practical exercises.

There are also a few social activities: drinks; an excursion – we learned all about La Commune and the history of the artsy 20th arrondissement and Père-Lachaise; and an international ‘picnic’ held indoors (I went to three stores only to be forced to make Anzac biscuits with honey instead of golden syrup… not the same).

However, you really do need to be motivated. The students come from all over the globe and are predominantly young, well-educated and highly intelligent (lots of med and law students in my batch). If you slack off, you’ll very quickly feel out of your depth.

ARE YOU FEELING MORE CONFIDENT WITH FRENCH?

Hmmm, bonne question*. I think I had an unrealistic expectation of how much I’d learn by osmosis over here. I now realise I would need a good six months of full immersion to be anywhere even close to fluent.

After having done the intensive course, all the tenses are a lot clearer in my head. My reading is better (but that’s always been my strength) and my listening has improved, largely from eavesdropping on people. However, speaking… I still struggle a lot. (Having said that, immediately after writing this the lady at the métro station complimented me on my French and made my day.)

The number of times I’ve walked off only to realise I said something incorrectly in conversation is higher than I’d like to admit. But I’ve been trying and, by and large, the French have been quite supportive – if a little amused at times (especially at the chemist).

When shop assistants realise you’re not French, they’ll sometimes ask if you’d prefer them to speak in English or French. I find this really helpful and always opt for French. However, there are many more who’ll automatically switch to English. In which case I just keep trying to answer in French to get them to revert back :).

HAVE YOU BEEN ENJOYING THE FRENCH CUISINE?

Far too much! I’m particularly partial to galettes. However, the extremely carb-heavy French diet is less than ideal for a type 1 diabetic... I’m also desperate for some spice in my life, so have booked a Mexican restaurant for when I’m in London next week.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR THE REST OF YOUR STAY?

Ma meilleure amie* arrives soon, and I can’t wait to play tourist (and directionally challenged tour guide). I had another friend here from Sweden for a weekend which was so lovely, but other than that I’ve largely been flying solo. It’s been fine during the day, but I’m looking forward to more nighttime exploring.

I’m also excited to see Paris through a fresh set of eyes now I’m a ‘local’.

*nearly 5 weeks | *Very well! | *short for bourgeois-bohemian (hipster)| *an ice cream | *in French | *White Night | *I miss my cat a lot | *an unfortunate incident | *to the dry cleaners | *warm | *great | *good question | *My best friend

My Paris Adventure

This month we have a slightly different spin on our regular ‘My French Adventure’ interview series as one of our chouchous* is off on a real adventure. Pip’s been a student at Lingua Franca since our Masters Street days and, after plusieurs* months of planning, is about to depart on an 8-week holiday à Paris*. Jaloux? Nous aussi*.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO HEAD TO PARIS?

Watching Emily in Paris. Je plaisante*! It’s honestly something I have wanted to do since forever. I’ve studied French on and off for years (with une enorme pause* between studying at high school and starting at Lingua Franca a few years back) and have always wanted to spend a few months there to really improve my grasp on the language.

A trip was in the back of my mind, then Covid struck. Now travel is back on the agenda, it seemed like the time was right. I’m self-employed and have no major commitments here (other than a very needy chat*), so it was a case of ‘pourquoi pas*?’.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING THERE?

I’ll be doing a bit of an immersion and working remotely for my clients (unfortunately someone needs to pay my mortgage and Airbnb fees). I’ll take a few weeks off and have two friends visiting, but otherwise, I want to try and avoid English speakers to make the most of the experience. I plan to be based in Paris and live like a local as much as possible but will do some day trips here and there.

WHICH AREA ARE YOU STAYING IN?

I’m staying in the 11th. I chose it as it’s quite nice and central yet relatively affordable and because there seems to be a good language school in the area (will report back). I also wanted a more lowkey ‘local’ experience rather than staying in a touristy or grand arrondissement* and peering into the designer boutiques and antique stores feeling like a paysanne*.

Katrina helped me make my decision and I’ve since heard from some Parisian contacts that it's a great area, so I can’t wait to check it out.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY TROUBLE BOOKING YOUR TRIP?

Bien sûr*. As they say, nothing worth doing is ever easy, and there have been some bumps along the way. One of the biggest challenges was finding accommodation due to the Bail Mobilité law. I don’t fully understand the ins and outs, but you essentially need to prove you’re either working or studying to be eligible to rent most properties on Airbnb (for longer than a month). And working remotely and doing casual, non-tertiary study doesn’t cut it.

So I had to trawl through hundreds of listings to find a suitable property as there’s no way of filtering them. It was un cauchemar* but I got there in the end.

Then there are the protests around the retirement age reform... I considered changing my dates for a while but once they started collecting the rubbish again, I thought I’d take my chances!

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

At the moment, I’m looking forward to getting on that plane and being able to switch off! But after that, just strolling around and exploring at my leisure. I have a giant list of things to do, see and book. But my favourite part of travelling is always the unexpected discoveries you make when mooching about.  

Then, of course, there's the food. I’ve booked an extortionate dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, but I'm equally excited about croissants and fromage* in the park.

GOALS WITH THE FRENCH LANGUAGE

I’ve booked in for a few weeks of immersion to start with, then I’m going to play it by ear. I didn’t want to overcommit and have the school component feel like a chore, especially as I’ll be working too. At the end of the day, I’m mainly hoping to soak up all Paris has to offer. If I manage to become more confident with speaking French along the way, ça sera la cerise sur le gâteau*.

*teacher’s pets | *several | *in Paris | *Jealous? Us too | *I’m joking | *a huge break | *cat |*why not? | *district | *peasant | *Of course | *Mobility lease |*cheese | *that will be the cherry on top (literal translation ‘the cherry on the cake’)

My French Adventure: Ian Phillips

Ian Phillips Esq came to Lingua Franca in Term 2 of 2022 and let's just say, le nid* has never been le même*! A true personnage*, Ian has a way of using his absolute beginner vocabulary to highly comic effect. One can only wonder what he'll be able to produce when he's un peu plus avancé*. Merci, Ian, for the sense of humour you bring to your lessons, your enthousiasme* but most of all your unmitigated joie de vivre*.
PS Belle photo*!

What made you decide to study French?

When I was eight years old, and all the other boys wanted to be policemen and firemen, I pronounced that I wanted to be an international lawyer. Why? Because they have to speak French, of course. Fast forward 40 years and I may not have fulfilled the lawyer part, but I can at least learn French!

How long have you been studying French?

I received a gift voucher for Lingua Franca for Christmas 2021. So I began my French adventure in April this year, 2022. Give someone you love a gift voucher for a term of French Classes – it will get them out of the house for at least an hour a week.

What do you like most about it?

Being part of a group class helps with any nerves you have. Everybody is in the same boat and everybody has that moment when things just ‘click’. I have been fortunate to have Julie as my teacher and my classmates are all lovely to see each week.

Any hard bits?

Without doubt, it is remembering the masculinity or femininity of words. Who/what/why made these decisions is of endless amusement and frustration to me. But as the French say, “un chat est un chat” (a cat is a cat).

Do you have a favourite French word?

Of course, it’s bouteille* (BOO-TAY)… because everybody should be shaking their bouteille!

*the nest | *the same | *character | *a little more advanced | *enthusiasm | *cheerful enjoyment of life | *nice photo |*bottle

Our French Adventure

We met Rhylee back at our old nid* in Masters St, Newstead. She used to attend lessons with her aunty which we all thought was such a great bonding thing to do (we’d all love une tante* like that, I think).

After a few terms, Rhylee and her aunty drifted off, as often happens. The road to learning a language is rarely a straight one.

Then, to our great delight, just a couple of months ago, we received an email from Rhylee to let us know she was de retour*. And this time, she was bringing someone with her…

So great to have you at the nest, vous deux*!

What made you decide to study French?

Rhylee & Ryan: We are moving to Montreal (Canada) in the near future and want to be involved as culturally as possible. Learning a language also seemed like a fun way to spend our evenings

How long have you been studying French?

Rhylee: We have completed four lessons with Absolute Beginner 1 and have completed some further private lessons with Julie. Our private lessons were a great introduction to learn new phrases tailored to our travels and answered our questions on how we can immerse ourselves in the day-to-day culture of living in a French city. This was Ryan's first introduction to French, however I had attended Lingua Franca way back in 2016. Lingua Franca was fantastic then and I knew it would be the best way to pick it back up again (it is!).

What do you like most about French?

Rhylee: French sounds very pretty and melodic and I especially like being able to read it. I have always adored French culture - it oozes style, art and sophistication and shamelessly I have always wanted to involved in that!

Ryan: I like learning something new and figuring out how it contrasts with the English language.

Any hard bits?

Rhylee: I love using different mouth muscles that I never have before but speaking is certainly difficult. Hopefully a few more lessons and I can build up that confidence.

Ryan: I find learning the indefinite/definite articles difficult and the gender identity of inanimate objects still gets me.

Do you have a favourite French word/phrase?

Rhylee: Enchanté - the reminder in my head is that it is always "enchanting" to meet someone new and it is also a delight to say.

Ryan: je ne comprends pas - this is a phrase not only fun to say but a reliable one and one I am sure I will refer back to many times in my French learning journey.

Goals with the French Language

Rhylee: I love the brightness and positivity of Lingua Franca and felt it was the best way to reach my French speaking dreams. My main goal is to be able to order dinner and drinks in a restaurant and I am sure I will be there in no time!

nest | an aunt | back | you two

My French Adventure: Sam Rees

We credit Sam with a lot of things here at Lingua Franca. Among others, Sam’s suggestion we do her lessons via Skype when she moved back to Perth made the wholesale switch to Zoom relatively painless during the pandemic. Another student says it was Sam who inspired her to get her French ‘r’s under control (Sam’s are great!). So it’s lovely to see that learning French brings a lot to her life, too. Merci*, Sam!

I started French at school – and loved it, although never thought I was particularly good at it.  There was always someone else who seemed to have a better accent, a better understanding of the pesky grammar and the teacher at school was particularly scathing if she didn’t think you would get good grades.  But I loved it, so I kept at it….

Over the years, I kept returning to studying French – at Alliance française in my 20’s, for work in early 30’s – always with enjoyment and a love of anything French but an underlying belief that it wasn’t something that I would ever be ‘good at’.  I was lucky enough to have amazing opportunities to work and travel in France and Canada, with colleagues who would insist that I use my French whenever I could (they also told me that if I would only date a French man, my French would improve no end!)…. But still, I always believed that I would never be anything other than a basic French speaker, with a bad accent, who could get by…

All that changed when I walked past a sign on a Teneriffe Street in 2016 – a very chic sign for some place called Lingua Franca.  I must have walked past it for a month before garnering the courage to call and book in for classes.  From the moment I walked in, I felt very French and very comfortable…. The classes were different from anything that I had done before – they were fun, the materials were engaging and so stylish, the topics were real (no more ‘où est la librarie?’!) and all the other students shared my love of Francophilia….

When I moved back to Perth in 2017, I begged Katrina to set up a Perth school, or at least let me do lessons via Skype.  Once a week, I’d be up at 6am Perth time to fit in a lesson before work.  I jumped at the chance to travel with the team on their first set of France trips (and even took my mother, who had been traumatised by French at school, but who loved her daily classes so much that she took up lessons for a while too).  I’d never travelled with a tour before, but this was amazing – a group of like-minded people who got to visit fantastic places, eat great food and never have to worry about the logistics of where we were going next.

Over the years, even though I don’t live in Brisbane anymore, I’ve been lucky enough to have wonderful teachers to support me virtually.  I’ve read my first novel in French, I can stumble through a TV show without subtitles, I’ve enjoyed the weekends away to see fashion exhibits and I’ve loved the discussions on French culture and world events (all in French of course!).  And, with the support of these great teachers, I’ve gone from thinking that I would only ever be ‘ok’ at French to just savouring all things Francophile.  To anyone considering trying something new, I say do it!

*Thanks

Jean de Florette

Jean de Florette - Marcel Pagnol

Je m’appelle Deb. J’étudie le français depuis cinq ans et depuis un an avec Lingua Franca.

J’adore voyager, danser, lire et apprendre le français. Je n’aime pas la COVID 19 et les confinements. J’ai cinquante-neuf ans.

J’ai choisi ce livre parce que j’ai adoré le film et la suite Manon des Sources. Je me souviens de la beauté de la campagne et de la vie paysanne. L’histoire concerne des habitants d’un petit village dans les montagnes du Sud de la France.

Les deux personnages principaux sont Ugolin et Jean de Florette.
Ugolin, un local, veut une ferme qui a une source cachée.
Jean de Florette, qui est aussi appelé “Le Bossu” a hérité de cette ferme de sa mère Florette.

Tous les deux ont de grands projets, mais ils ne sont pas les mêmes.
Le projet de Jean est d’utiliser un lapin d’Australie, et il ne sait pas qu’il y a une source dans sa ferme et personne ne lui dira. L’histoire suit les machinations d’Ugolin pour obtenir la ferme et la source.

J’aime bien lire des histoires sur la vie paysanne et des descriptions de la campagne.

Le texte est un peu compliqué mais j’ai trouvé que le sens est assez facile à comprendre. J’ai même compris quelques blagues parfois. Je le recommande à tous ceux qui s’intéressent à la vie des petits villages français.

My name is Deb. I have been studying French for five years, and have been with Lingua Franca since last year.

I love travelling, dancing, reading and learning French. I don’t like COVID 19 and lockdowns. I am 59 years old.

I chose this book because I loved the movie as well as its sequel Manon des Sources. I remember the beauty of the countryside and the country lifestyle. The story is about the inhabitants of a small village in the mountains in the south of France.

The two main characters are Ugolin and Jean de Florette. Ugolin, a local, wants a farm with a hidden spring. Jean de Florette, who is also called “The Hunchback”, inherited this farm from his mother, Florette.

Both of them have big plans, but they are not the same. Jean’s project involves an Australian rabbit and he doesn’t know that there is a spring on his farm and no-one will tell him. The story follows the machinations of Ugolin to obtain the farm and the spring.

I really like to read stories about country life and descriptions of the countryside.

The text is a bit complicated but I found it quite easy to understand the meaning. I even got some of the jokes. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in life in a small French village.

My French Story

People pursue French for a fascinating array of reasons, and we’re keen to hear all about them. If you have a story to share, please let us know. We’d love to feature your unique histoire française* in a future edition of Le Chouchou News.

Here’s one from a couple of years ago, profiling the lovely Corinne. Merci encore, Corinne, et à bientôt!*

Name/nom:

Corinne Sklavos

Age/âge: 

28 

Level/Niveau:

Absolute Beginner Revision

LF:    Corinne, quelle est ta profession?

CS:     I work as a medical scientist.

LF     Pourquoi tu étudies le français?

CS:    I am studying French to minimise my sense of unilingual shame on my trip to France in September. I have never studied a language before but I am having a lot of fun in my group lessons at Lingua Franca. I have some very clever friends that speak French. I like texting them in French when I can…it’s good practice for those irregular verbs (no wonder I’m le chouchou*). French culture just seems so cool to me too: wine, cheese, Dior…say no more!

LF:     Mot préféré en français?

CS:     My favourite French word is Billecart-salmon 🥂 #tchintchin

LF:     Merci Corinne, et bon courage pour Term 4.

CS:     You’re welcome, LF!

*French story | *Thanks again Corinne and see you soon! | *Corinne, what is your profession? | *Why are you studying French? | *Teacher’s Pet | *Favourite word in French? | *Thanks Corinne, and best of luck for Term 4.

Radio 4EB

Towards the end of Term 3, three of our more advanced classes were asked to participate in a linguistic experiment. Marie-Hélène Cremer, a Belgian native and former University of Queensland French lecturer who has turned her not-inconsiderable talents to the community radio station 4EB, paid a visit to Lingua Franca. Armed with a microphone, Marie-Hélène presented the Chouchous* with a word she was sure they wouldn't know (in fact the words were so obscure they'd be new to most French native-speakers as well), and then the pressure was on for them to come up with a possible definition.

Take a moment to listen to their very courageux* attempts below. We’ve included a transcript in French and English for those of you who want to know exactly what is being said. By the way, if you think the presenter's voice sounds familiar, that's because it's our very own office manager, Fiona Berrocal, whom many of you know.

4EB Capsule Lingua Franca

Dernièrement*, if the idea of an hour of French radio appeals to you, why not check out the list of recent episodes here?

*Teacher's Pets | *courageous | *Lastly

TRANSCRIPT

Présentatrice: Cette semaine nous allons tenter de deviner la signification d’une expression du Burkina Faso. Les étudiants de Lingua France et leurs professeurs, Katrina et David, ont essayé de deviner et on vous laisse faire de même.

This week we are going to try to guess the meaning of an expression from Burkina Faso. The students of Lingua Franca and their teachers, Katrina and David, tried to guess and now we’re letting you do the same.

Marie-Hélène: Que signifie l’expression “c’est caillou”?

What does the expression “c’est caillou” mean?

Les Chouchous:

Un problème? - A problem?

C’est énervant? - It’s annoying?

C’est agaçant? - It’s irritating?

C’est mignon? - It’s cute?

C’est son envie (jealousy)? - It’s to do with being jealous?

C’est être jaloux? - It’s to be jealous?

C’est mauvais? - It’s bad?

Il n’y a pas de choses dans le placard? - There’s nothing in the cupboard?

C’est quelqu’un ennuyeux? - It’s someone boring?

Ce n’est pas possible? - It’s not possible?

C’est très facile? - It’s very easy?

C’est très cool? - It’s very cool?

Je dirais c’est petit ou alors ça ne coûte pas cher? - I’d say it’s small or maybe that it doesn’t cost a lot?

C’est certain? - It’s certain?

Peut-être c’est flexible? - Maybe it’s flexible?

C’est quand quelque chose est difficile? - It’s when something is difficult?

C’est difficile? - It’s difficult?

C’est compliqué? - It’s complicated?

Marie-Hélène: Bravo! C’est tout à fait ça. “C’est caillou” est une expression du Burkina Faso qui signifie “c’est difficile, c’est dur, c’est compliqué”. Un caillou étant, selon Le Larousse, une pierre quelconque de petites dimensions, le plus souvent assez dure. On peut facilement comprendre l’expression “avoir un caillou dans la chaussure” qui signifie être dérangé par quelque chose ou quelqu’un. Et l’expression “c’est caillou” est bien compréhensible par tout le monde, même les non-Burkinabé comme l’ont prouvé nos trois devineurs australiens. Bravo à eux! On peut donc dire que notre énigme cette semaine n’était pas vraiment “caillou”.

Well done! It’s exactly that. “C’est caillou” is an expression from Burkina Faso which signifies “It’s difficult, it’s hard, it’s complicated”. A caillou being, according the Le Larousse, any type of small stone, most often quite hard. We can easily understand the expression “to have a stone in your shoe” which means to be bothered by something or someone. And the expression “c’est caillou” is easily understandable by everyone, even people who aren’t from Burkina Faso, like our three Australian guessers. Well done to them! So we can say that our riddle today was not really “hard”.

Le chouchou | Teacher's pet

Le chouchou | Teacher's pet

Corinne Sklavos

Name/nom: Corinne Sklavos

Age/âge: 28 

Level/Niveau: ABR

LF:    Corinne, quelle est ta profession?

CS:     I work as a medical scientist.

LF     Pourquoi tu étudies le français?

CS:    I am studying French to minimise my sense of unilingual shame on my trip to France in September. I have never studied a language before but I am having a lot of fun in my group lessons at Lingua Franca. I have some very clever friends that speak French. I like texting them in French when I can…it’s good practice for those irregular verbs (no wonder I’m le chouchou). French culture just seems so cool to me too: wine, cheese, Dior…say no more!

LF:     Mot préféré en français?

CS:     My favourite French word is Billecart-salmon 🥂 #tchintchin

LF:     Merci, Corinne et bon courage pour Term 4.

CS:     You’re welcome, LF!

MY FRENCH STORY | MON HISTOIRE FRANÇAISE

MY FRENCH STORY | MON HISTOIRE FRANÇAISE

Ricky Self

I started learning French when I was in high school. I enjoyed it but was frustrated I couldn’t practise and use it much, so after a year of learning French at school, I stopped. Ten years later, I made the decision to start learning a language and that’s how French came back into my life. I was planning a three to six-month European trip, and I thought knowing a bit of French would be helpful. I was also considering living there for a bit as I have a British passport. Ten days into my European trip, I met the biggest motivation to learning the language: a French girl called Elsa.

From then on, I started learning with a lot more consistency! I was always buying new books and getting excited by new French movies but mostly I was studying every single day whenever I could, with Elsa’s help sometimes. After a year of learning, we spent three months in France and I noticed an improvement. I was spending most of my days listening to the radio, watching French TV and trying to speak to Elsa’s family and friends. It was really hard but it definitely helped my confidence. We moved back to Australia after that and although I still had the best reason to practise my French with me, I kind of stopped for about a year until we moved to Brisbane in August 2015.

Here, I found my motivation again and I was studying several times a week, on my own, watching the news on SBS every morning and going along to French Meetups when I could. I joined Lingua Franca in early 2016 which gave a real boost to my French: the structure of the lessons and the support of the tutors really helped me reach a higher level and even motivated me to sit the DELF B1 in November 2016. I had never sat a French test in my life so this was pretty daunting, though exhilarating. I remember being in front of my test and thinking to myself “Wow, you’re really doing it!”. So I did, and I passed. It gave me a huge boost and so when we visited Elsa’s family for Christmas 2016, I felt confident enough to speak to everyone in French. I loved it and I loved not relying on Elsa for translation and being able to have proper conversations with people. When we came back, I decided to challenge myself even more and enrolled for the DELF B2 training. It’s great for me because it gives me an end goal to focus my studies on and to stay motivated.

In June 2017, we went back to France and I decided to travel on my own for half of our trip which really challenged me. The safety net was off and I had no other choice but to speak French all the time. This experience was amazing and gave me a little taste of what fluency would feel like, which is now my new goal.

MY FRENCH STORY | MON HISTOIRE FRANÇAISE

MY FRENCH STORY | MON HISTOIRE FRANÇAISE

clinton hanney

I started studying French to keep my old brain active and have a challenge. I learnt a little French at school, many years ago‚ and it seemed logical to build on that.

No one in my family speaks another language, so I feel very pleased with myself!

As a child, my father worked for Qantas and we travelled extensively, but never to Europe. I hated travelling and vowed and declared I would never travel overseas again. But, learning French has changed my mind completely and now I have travelled to France using my basic French to great effect. I have the most beautiful friends in the Pyrenees, I am applying for Irish citizenship and would love to live in France one day for a period to experience the culture, beauty and language, not to mention the food and wine! I don't recognise myself and learning French, especially at Lingua Franca with the best teachers, has been transformative. 

The standout moment speaking French was in France and is twofold: I asked a woman with a pram getting on a train from Paris to Bordeaux if I could help her and she said she was ok, but appreciated my offer (she recognised I was Australian!) and then when I realised we were on the wrong train going to Versailles and I asked for directions, successfully.

I try and do a couple of hours each week at least, and now doing the DELF I study on Sunday morning with my fellow student. So that's on top of 2 hours of lessons in each semester. Thinking about it, I should be better than I am, so no reflection on my teachers!

Speaking French makes me feel good about myself, clever, and it lets me appreciate how clever people are who are multilingual. 

And as a bonus, I have made a whole host of new and wonderful friends. Merci beaucoup!

Editor's note: Clinton may well have left the best part of his story out. A true romantic, he and his beautiful wife Cathie, married 30 years, renewed their vows in a tiny church just outside of Pau in south-west France last year. Une histoire qui touche le cœur...*

*A story that touches the heart.

My french story | Mon histoire française

my french story | mon histoire française

bronwen norris

Photo: Bronwen Norris

Growing up in Brisbane I never imagined I’d have a connection to France. So when I learned French in Year 8 it wasn’t something I took seriously as I never thought I would use the language. But the classes must have sparked something in me to be awakened at a later time. As a 20-something I took some French classes at TAFE and then enrolled at the Alliance française for a term, still not too sure why as I was saving for a house and the cost of travel to Europe was beyond me. 

And then having achieved my goals of a house and some career success I had time to think about what I wanted to do and Europe became a magnet. It still took me some time to convince my husband, Gray, that he would like holidaying in Europe and that he could spare that much time away from work but finally we took our first UK/Europe holiday in 2000. Gray was immediately taken by France and decided that life was for living. Since that time we have visited France most years and even managed to buy a small village house as our home away from home. 

Over the next few years I enrolled in French courses a few times but my French never seemed to progress beyond the basics. I was always nervous and it really felt like school all over again. Then I stumbled upon Lingua Franca and found their approach suited me, and my lifestyle, so much better. I’ve done various courses with them and this year I’m tackling the Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Française (DELF B1) with a group of three others. 

The reason I love learning French is two-fold. Firstly, I grew up in 70s Queensland so amongst my cohort the fact I have a second language is a bit different and I like the fact that in the end living in such a remote country didn’t mean I had to be mono-lingual. Secondly, we’ve now had the place in France for 12 years and I just get such a kick out of seeing the looks on my French neighbours’ faces each time I return and the positive comments they make about my progress, particularly recently.

Learning French has also benefitted me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. For example I couldn’t have conceived that the mining company I was working for would acquire a French-speaking company and need people to ensure that all communications were correctly produced in both English and French. While my French wasn’t at a level at the time to do the actual translation work, I was able to help the software developers distinguish between a field into which one enters data and a field where cows chew their cuds. Handy indeed! 

Le chouchou | teacher's pet

le chouchou | teacher's pet

jessica white

Name/nom: Jessica White

Age/âge: 39

Level/Niveau: Intermediate Transition

LF: Jess, quelle est ta profession?

JW: I am an academic and a writer. I’ve published two novels and currently I have a postdoctoral fellowship to write about Georgiana Molloy, a nineteenth century West Australian botanist. I’m trying to use her story to raise awareness of environmental problems and climate change.

LF: Pourquoi tu étudies le français?

JW: I have a vision of living in Paris for a year to write a novel and shop in the boutiques, and to see the golden light of Provence. French is also très romantique!

LF: Ton mot préféré en français?

JW: Ah, that is a difficult question – there are so many beautiful words in French! I would say that my favourite word is papillon, which means ‘butterfly’. A number of native pea flowers in Western Australia were given the family name Papilionaceae because they look like butterflies.

LF: Est-ce que le français est difficile?

JW: I lost 75% of my hearing to meningitis when I was four which makes learning French quite difficult, mostly because the words are so soft and fluid (as opposed to Italian, the sounds of which are quite distinct, or sign language, which is fairly straightforward). However, deafness has never stopped me from doing anything, and my best French moments are when (usually after actually having done some homework!) I can finally understand what is before me on the page. It’s thrilling when everything falls into place.

LF: Quel est ton but?

JW: My goal is to read Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary in the original. I love frocks, and some days when I come home and guiltily (and happily!) unwrap my latest purchase, I think that I must have been Emma Bovary in a former life.

LF: Merci Jess et bon courage!

JW: You’re welcome, LF!

http://www.jessicawhite.com.au/