Duo Lingo Podcasts

If you’re looking to take your first step towards listening to French podcasts, we may just have la solution* for you!

Many of our students are keen users of the Duo Lingo app. It’s especially great for beginner students and really helps to build confidence.

Duo Lingo has been improving consistently over the years, but this latest addition is really quelque chose de spécial*. Not only are the subjects interesting and varied, but the structure is very clever and particularly good for upper-beginner and intermediate learners.

There is an introduction by the host in English, then the interviewee speaks for a short time in French, before the host chimes in to give a brief summary in English of what they’ve said. This is repeated throughout the interview, and better yet, a full transcript is included.

I would highly recommend you give at least one episode a go. Tu ne le regretteras pas*.

Simon Hérault
Simone Hérault had the gift of a unique voice, but as a child, she was too insecure to believe in it. Still, her talent and dedication would end up taking her places she never expected…until she became one of the most familiar and beloved voices in all of France.

Aliénor Le Gouvello
At 30, Aliénor Le Gouvello set off to ride solo across Australia’s toughest trails. She gave herself one year to train wild horses and complete the journey. Riding ten hours a day, every day, Aliénor was determined not to quit — not for crocodiles, fire ants…not even for the handsome helicopter pilot she met along the way.

Les Moines Brasseurs
At age 27, Matthieu Landri said goodbye to his family and shared one last beer with his friends…then began his new life as a Benedictine monk. He longed for a spiritual life of contemplation and prayer. But soon he found himself embarking on a new journey: reviving the lost French art of monastic beer-brewing.

*the solution | *something special | *You won’t regret it

Vive La Révolution!

In the May édition* of Le Chouchou News, I did a round-up of the French films showing on Brisbane cinemas screens. I was happy to report that although the Alliance Française French Film Festival was over for another year, there was still a small range of films on offer.

1959

2007

2011

2001

1961

1937

1967

1994

2011

1991

1967

1928

Imagine my delight, then, when this email floated into our account a couple of weeks ago. Voici un extrait*:

Sacré Bleu! From François Truffaut to Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Dendy presents a magnifique curation of essential classic French cinema. Celebrating Bastille Day, and running July 1-28, the same month as the 2021 Festival de Cannes,

Dendy has collated twelve iconic titles, each either hugely influential in their own right, modern classics exemplifying the titanic talents of France’s celebrated film industry, or just possessing a certain je ne sais quoi. Between romance and drama, comedy and adventure, experience these films as they were meant to be - on the big screen- and rediscover the artistic cinematography, creative directing, and the classic splendour of these truly essential masterpieces of French cinema.

If you love French cinéma, please support this fledgling festival to ensure we have access to another 12 films (or more) in years to come. Bon ciné*!

Dendy Coorparoo line-up

Dendy Portside line-up

*edition | *Here is an extract | *Happy film-going!

Crêpe Bretonne

Love a crêpe*? If so, you’ll be highly motivated to read the following passage en français*. If you find the task a bit fatigant*, though, we’ve provided an English translation for you below. Bonne lecture*.

La crêpe bretonne est un plat traditionnel consommé couramment en Basse-Bretagne. Devenue particulièrement renommée en France et ailleurs, elle est également servie dans des crêperies, nature ou garnie d’ingrédients divers, salés ou sucrés suivant la recette de base.

La crêpe bretonne peut être confectionnée à base de froment (crêpe sucrée) ou de sarrasin (crêpe salée, typique de Basse-Bretagne). Cette dernière est moins connue et ne doit pas être confondue avec la galette de blé noir, typique de Haute-Bretagne, et dont la recette diffère.

Compliqué, oui! Délicieux ? Sans aucun doute.

Breton Crêpes are a traditional dish widely enjoyed in Basse-Bretagne (Lower Brittany). Known not only in France but elsewhere around the world as well, you can get them from crêpe vendors where you’ll find both plain or stuffed with various ingredients, and savoury or sweet according to the recipe.

Breton Crêpes can be made from wheat (sweet crêpes) or from buckwheat (savoury crêpes, typically from Basse-Bretagne). Buckwheat crêpes are less well-known and should not to be confused with buckwheat pancakes, which are typically from Haute Bretagne (Upper Brittany) and follow a different recipe.

Complicated, yes! Delicious? Without a doubt.

*crepe | *in French | *tiring | *Happy reading!

Chaussures VEJA

Next time you’re at your French lesson au nid*, cast your eyes towards the floor. Chances are, you’ll see someone wearing a pair of baskets VEJA*.

VEJA was founded in 2005 by French entrepreneurs Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion after a trip to Brazil to do a social audit on a major fashion brand. Disturbed by the living conditions of the factory’s workers, they decided against going into tech ‘like the rest of their generation’. Instead, they decided to take the very symbol of conspicuous consumption, les baskets*, and produce them in an ethical way.

Source: www.veja-store.com

Since 70% of the price of a high-end pair of trainers is eaten up by la publicité*, Sébastien and François-Ghislain realised that in removing this line item, they could revolutionise the production of fashion sneakers.

Their story is inspiring and you’ll find it on their website. Try the French version first, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you understand if you read along as the founders recount their parcours*. Getting lost? Switch to English to finish off the story. Desperate to own a pair? Jump onto their site web* and get scrolling!

*at the nest | *VEJA trainers | *trainers | *advertising | *path | *website

Romance your way to French

If, as Frédéric Chopin said, la simplicité est la réussite absolue*, then the French Hacking Instagram account @frenchhacking is a huge hit.

The concept couldn’t be simpler: a post a day with a French phrase or quote on a plain black background. Not only does this solve the problem of how to insert more French into your vie quotidienne*, but if you take the time to scroll through a dozen or so posts in a row, I’ll be surprised if you don’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the exercise. Short enough to translate in just a minute or two (even for beginners), the posts tend towards the romantic, nostalgic and sweet.

Vivement recommandée* and thanks to one of our Chouchous*, Tania, for the tip off!

*simplicity is total success | *daily life | *Thoroughly recommended | *Teacher’s Pet

Where do the French eat their lunch?

I’m sure many of us believe France to be the home of the long lunch, but is it really?

We imagine French workers taking a couple of hours for lunch, repairing to the nearest restaurant with a group of collègues* and sharing a leisurely entrée, plat et dessert* with bread, wine (bien sûr*) and stimulating conversation.

The following article may just tip that idée reçue* on its head, as well as where they eat, how much they spend and with whom they choose to break bread. Of course, France is not immune to the increasing rhythm of daily life, so naturally habits are changing. It is heartening to note, though, that the majority of French workers tend to eat in the company of their fellow workers, a practice we’ve adopted here at Lingua Franca thanks to the influence of notre équipe française*.

For the full article (en français!*) go here.

Source : https://resofrance.eu/tendance/habitudes-alimentaires-francais-midi-28515

English modified version of French original

PS
You may remember we published the results of another study a while back on our social media channels which looked at the length of time spent à table* across an entire day. The French topped that list with more than two hours a day spent eating. What this study above shows us, therefore, is it’s generally not at lunch where the time is spent, rather at le petit-déj* or le dîner. Interesting, isn’t it?

*colleagues | *entree, main and dessert | *of course | *common preconception/cliché | *our French team | *in French | *sitting down to eat | *brekky | *dinner

Exhibition Melbourne

We know travel is tricky at the moment but the National Gallery of Victoria is nonetheless trying to seduce us southwards with their upcoming French Impressionist exhibition.

With over 100 works on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, you have the chance to see some of the most famous paintings from artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt and more.

Ça vous tente*? Jump onto the NGV website for more information. The exhibition opens 4th June and runs through to October.

*Sound tempting?

Poisson d'Avril

Would you ever have guessed that April Fool’s Day in France would involve paper fish, giraffes and…Homer Simpson?

In 1564, Charles IX, then King of France, changed the date of the first day of the year to the 1st January. Up until that point, the first day of the year was the 1st April, which coincided with the end of Lent.

Naturally, such a seismic shift ruffled a few plumes*, with many still insisting on celebrating the New Year on the 1st April. Those who were more progressive saw these stalwarts as foolish in not accepting to literally move with the times, so took the opportunity to pin paper fishes on their backs and taunt them with Poisson d’Avril!*. The fish is a reference to Lent, as it was the only meat the Catholic Church tolerated being eaten during this time.

Even today, long after we’ve all come to terms with the ‘new dates’, Poisson d’Avril is still a day for practical jokes and trickery.

In 2020, the town of Beaulieu-sur-Mer posted pictures of giraffes invading the town and on 1st April 2009, the SNCF’s railway announcements were taken over by none other than Homer Simpson!

*feathers | *April Fish!

Easter Bells

With Easter just around the corner, our minds naturally turn to les petits lapins*. But should they?

If you’re a student of French, or just have an interest in la culture française*, you may be interested to know that in France instead of an Easter Bunny they have Easter Bells.

The word for 'bell' in French is cloche (think of a cloche hat) so the French version of the benevolent bunny is les cloches de Pâques*. According to tradition, churches all over France fall silent before Vendredi Saint (Good Friday) as their bells fly to Rome to visit the Pope. After receiving their Papal blessing, they fly back home late Saturday evening, dropping chocolates into backyards on their way.

The next morning (Easter Sunday or le Dimanche de Pâques) children are woken by the pealing of church bells, who, now safely back in their belfries, announce the time to rush into the garden to search for les chocolats*.

For those of you who celebrate it, Joyeuses Pâques* and enjoy your treats.

*bunnies | *French culture | *Easter bells | *chocolates | *Happy Easter

What's on Netflix

Finalement* ! The fourth season of Dix Pour Cent* (Call My Agent) is available on Netflix. In a stroke of good luck, filming was wrapped up before Covid hit in 2020, but it has been a long wait for fans, with the new series only dropping le 21 janvier*.

We know many of you jumped right on it, but if you haven’t just yet, or if you’ve not seen seasons 1, 2 or 3, you are in for a real treat. It’s fun, fast and sexy and with real French cinema stars playing themselves with just the right touch of auto-dérision* it gives us an aperçu* of life inside a chaotic Paris talent agency.

One note of warning, please do not judge your French by your comprehension (or lack of) of the dialogue. Parisians are known to speak quickly, plus there’s a high level of slang, jargon and swearing in the actors’ rapid-fire exchanges. Nos conseils*? Just sit back and make the most of the exhilarating ride that is Dix Pour Cent.

*Finally! | *Ten Per Cent | *on the 21st January | *auto-derision | *glimpse | *Our advice?

I spotted this new series (also on Netflix) pendant les vacances*, a time when I traditionally spend a fair amount of time looking for good movies to see at the cinema. So I’m going to forgive myself for confusing this series, starring Omar Sy, with Lupin III, a recently-released kids’ movie based on a Japanese manga series.

As it turns out, both new arrivals are inspired by the French fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise, Arsène Lupin, hence the names of the projects.

For the curieux(euse)* here’s a Rolling Stone review that gives some more background on the intriguing M. Lupin and his clever ways.

*during the holidays | *curious

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

La Liberté guiding the people by Eugène Delacroix (1830).

Those of you who have visited le nid* in recent months may have noticed we’ve named our salles de classes* according to the French motto ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité*.

It’s a well-known phrase for many French learners, but do you know its history?

Having overthrown the monarchy during the French Revolution (1789 - 1799), the revolutionaries were in search of a motto to unite the country. Many variations on the three words were bandied about and in fact Parisians took to writing a longer form on their houses from 1793: Unité, Indivisibilité de la République, Liberté, Egalité et Fraternité ou La Mort*. The inhabitants were soon asked to remove the last three words since it was too reminiscent of La Terreur*, the period of the French Revolution involving massacres and public executions.

It was only in 1946 when the three-part phrase we all know was stated explicitly in the constitution of the Fourth Republic that it become official. It is sometimes suggested that the three colours of the French flag represent the motto with blue for freedom, white for equality and red for brotherhood. Intéressant, non*?

*the nest | *classrooms | *freedom, equality, brotherhood | *Unity, Indivisibility of the Republic, Freedom, Equality and Brotherhood or Death | *The Reign of Terror | *Interesting, isn’t it?

Alliance Française French Film Festival

After an especially difficult year in 2020, the Alliance Française French Film Festival est de retour* and from the bande annonce* it looks like it’s going to be an absolute cracker.

We’re waiting for the programme to be released so we can organise a film event for les Chouchous*. We usually choose a Sunday in April, but we’ll reserve our final decision until we’ve seen the entire sélection de films*.

I don’t know about you, but the idea of being transported into a French world for an afternoon sounds particularly enticing en ce moment*.

Croisons les doigts* that things remain stable, of course, and look out for an invitation in a future Le Chouchou News.

If you’d like to be notified as soon as the programme comes out, sign up to the festival website here.


*is back | *trailer | *the Teacher's Pets | *film selection | *at the moment | *Let's cross our fingers

Review : Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong

Sometimes things come to you at exactly the right time in your life. And sometimes they don’t.

I would loved to have read this book before I lived in France, not after I got back. I winced my way through each chapter, as it dawned on me the myriad cultural faux pas I’d made in my two years there. Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong is written by a Francophone husband-and-wife team, Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow. In 1999, Jean-Benoît received a grant from the Institute of Current World Affairs to study the French, in particular why they were resistant to globalisation.

It only took Jean-Benoît two weeks to work out that the French were not in fact resisting globalisation at all, though they were being portrayed by the press as doing just that. Intrigued, the couple set about uncovering the reasons for the antipathy toward the French, and whether it was a reasonable response to an arrogant and intransigent people or whether they were simply highly misunderstood.

What adds a certain authenticity to the book is that as fluent French-speakers Jean-Benoît and Julie had expected to settle into their French life with barely a ruffled plume*. To their great surprise, they were confronted with cultural clashes on an almost daily basis, providing further impetus to déchiffrer le code*.

We travel in search of difference. Voyaging to the other side of the world only to find they do things exactly the same as us would be a huge disappointment. And yet, when we feel this cultural dissonance, it often feels confronting, confusing or just plain irritating. This is where this book really excels. It covers a wide range of topics, from religion, money, privacy, education and history, and brings to light the reasons why the French do what they do. Unsurprisingly, once you’re aware of the background and context, it all starts to make a lot of sense, and this is where, for me at least, the cringe set in.

I had no idea how ingrained my Anglo-Saxon ways were until confronted with an alternative approach. Isn’t it normal to be friendly (answer: non*), to ask for someone’s name after a conversation (non!), to grab something to eat on the run (non, non, non!)?

If, as I do, you love France and the French and have been mystified by their ways at times, I highly recommend you read this book. We have a copy you can borrow in the bibliothèque* if you’re keen to start the debunking process, or it is available at good book stores or online.

*feather | *crack the code | *no | *library

Great Champagne Houses

Founded in 1829 by three men, one aristocratic and the two others experts de vin*, Champagne Bollinger is today one of the oldest family-owned independent champagne houses in France.

As a member of an aristocratic family, Athanase de Hennerquin de Villermont was unable to commercialise the family name, thus the champagne house was originally called Renaudin Bollinger, after local wine fanatic Paul Renaudin and his friend, German wine negociant Jacques Bollinger.

When Jacques married Athanase’s daughter in 1837, the bonds grew stronger and by 1918, it was Jacques’ great-grandson, also named Jacques, who was running the company. When Jacques died in 1941 without leaving an heir, the management of the house fell to Jacques’ widow, Lily Bollinger. Described as une perle rare* by those who knew her, she was nothing if not a master promoter of the product.

“I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it—unless I’m thirsty.”

For the first time in its history, Champagne Bollinger is now managed by a non-family member, Jérôme Philipon, though with the full support of the Bollinger descendants.

Image par Andreas Winterer de Pixabay

*wine experts | *a rare gem

Yuka

If one of your Résolutions de Nouvel An* involves taking a more considered approach to your supermarket shopping, it might be worth downloading the Yuka app.

Created in Paris in 2016 by a small team of three who won a Food Hackathon competition, the app scans barcodes to break down the ingredients and nutritional value of products you’d find in the course of your weekly shop. It also analyses beauty products and gives ratings based on their potential for adverse health effects.

By the way, though the developers are cent pour cent français*, the name Yuka was inspired by the Mexican wife of one of the founders who is from the state of Yucatán.

[Visit the Yuka website]

*New Year’s Resolutions | *100% French

French Films on SBS

With les vacances d’été* just around the corner, you may already be in the process of lining up tout ce qu’il faut* to enjoy some seriously relaxing couch time. Bol de cerises, coupe de champagne et un film français?*. We can’t help you with the first two but we can certainly point you in the right direction for the third, thanks to our friends at Rendez-vous Australie.

A web-magazine designed for French speakers who live in Australia, Rendez-vous Australie is a trésor caché* and our own Fiona Berrocal is on the editorial team (elle touche à tout* as they say). Dedicated to Australian news and culture but written in French, it’s a great way to take the first step in reading a French newspaper, which we know is a goal for many of you.

The team at RVA know their French films and where to find them. SBS On Demand has a fantastic collection of foreign films and their French compilation is particularly impressive. The full list is here, ranked by year and with links to bandes-annonces*, or if you trust our taste, we’ve selected a few of our coups de cœurs* below. Bon visionnage*!

En liberté !
(The Trouble With You)

2018

[MORE INFO + PLAY]

Au revoir là-haut
(See You Up There)

2017

[MORE INFO + PLAY]

Un homme à la hauteur
(Up For Love)

2016

[MORE INFO + PLAY]

La famille Bélier
(The Belier Family)

2014

[MORE INFO + PLAY]

La Môme
(La vie en rose)

2007

[MORE INFO + PLAY]

*summer holidays | *everything you need | *Bowl of cherries, glass of champagne and a French film? | *hidden gem | *she has a finger in every pie | *trailers | *favourites | *Happy viewing!

Who is The New Parisienne?

Most people who have fallen in love with the French language came to it by the way of French culture: fashion, literature, movies, ballet, food, wine…the list goes on.

If you own a television or have ever flipped through a fashion magazine, you’ll know how ubiquitous the French aesthetic is. We often hold up French chic as the gold standard of style.

But how do we know if we’re being fed the true story? What does it mean to be Parisienne? Has it changed? Does asking these very questions make us feel slightly uncomfortable, like something’s about to be taken away from us?

Are we ready to have the dream not shattered, but perhaps adjusted to better represent the Parisienne of today? If you’re curieux(euse)* enough to consider the questions, you’re going to love this book.

[BUY THE BOOK]

[READ THE FULL ARTICLE]

*curious

Fleur de sel

I remember being in France on a trip with our students once and becoming almost overwhelmed with the enormous richness of the French culture. Admittedly, we’d been on a mission to soak it in, but at that moment it seemed like it was coming from every direction and permeating my very pores. Music, history, wine, fashion, language, art, cuisine…and I could tell I’d barely scratched the surface.

I’ll never forget that feeling and it’s what will propel me back to France for the rest of my life (if I’m very, very lucky).

So it was no surprise to me when I happened across the famous Fleur de Sel from Île de Ré recently that there was a history and tradition behind it qui fait rêver.*

In a tradition that spans more than 1000 years, paludiers* have hand gathered sea salt from the salt marshes in the north of Île de Ré. Known as “l’or blanc” or white gold, fleur de sel* production is once again a flourishing commercial pursuit. It was first traded in the Middle Ages, when monks from Saint-Michel-en-l’Herm, aware that the island was ideally situated at the crossroads of important shipping routes, decided to enter the market, trading with their Nordic neighbours the Danes, the Dutch and the Germans.

The arrival of railways and the Industrial Revolution spelled the end of the trade and the marshes fell into disuse, until in 1942, when a rehabilitation program was instigated which saw the patrimoine* of this ancient practice conserved.

So what makes fleur de sel so special? The reason lies in the fact the vast majority of the salt contained in the salt pans settles on the bottom of the marsh during the evaporation process. However, each day some salt crystals float to the surface of the water, forming a delicate crust on top. Its fragility necessitates that it be gathered by hand, and historically, workers who harvested fleur de sel were women, since it was believed they needed to be collected by "the more delicate sex." Today, both men and women do the harvesting, lifting the crystals from the salt marsh, like cream from milk. All of this care and attention doesn’t come cheaply of course, earning fleur de sel the nickname of "the caviar of sea salts."

Happening upon this website by chance is where the story kicked off, et quel voyage*! If you’re keen to treat yourself or someone you love for Noël, bringing a touch of tradition to the table has never tasted so good.

*that makes you dream | *salt mongers | *flower of salt | *heritage | *and what a trip!

Emily in Paris : info ou intox*?

Tout le monde en parle*, that’s for sure.

The new Netflix series, Emily in Paris, is causing a stir the world over.

“Emily in Paris Is Going to Seduce You” - New York Magazine

"Emily in Paris review – an excruciating exorcism of French cliches." - The Guardian

The debate reached Lingua Franca the day after the series dropped, with students either totally beguiled by the depiction of a young American (the titular Emily) who lands a dream transfer to Paris to work in a boutique marketing firm, or absolutely horrified by the unrealistic portrayal of expat life in La Ville Lumière*.

Intrigued, we decided to take a straw poll here au nid* among our six French team members to answer the question: Emily in Paris - info ou intox?

*fact or fiction? (intox is short for intoxication, which is a false friend. In French it means poisoning or brainwashing) | *Everyone’s talking about it | *The City of Light | *at the nest

Petit Poulet

We often have beginner students ask us if we know of any children's books that would be suited to their level. It makes sense - as a beginner you're really starting from scratch, as you do as a bébé*. What we tend to forget, though, is that before we start reading in our native language, we've already had years of exposure to words and sounds and our comprehension of the spoken word is almost perfect. Therefore, picking up a children's book in French is not as easy as it may sound.

This is why we were so delighted to discover this lovely little site. If you're a current Chouchou*, you may have seen a post about this great little site last week in the group Slack channel. In case you missed it, or for those who are not yet doing lessons chez Lingua Franca*, we thought you might enjoy it, too.

The French Experiment is a site dedicated to learning the French language. It's small but very well done, and when we saw the list of French contes* available, we knew we had to faire passer la parole*.

Though there are several tales available (there’s even an original love story between a whale and a bird), the one below is the only one to have been animated (so far). Though this is a high intermediate level, it is suitable for everyone as you can choose to have English subtitles, French subtitles or no subtitles at all. For the others, you'll find the story in French accompanied by lovely illustrations as well as the option to translate the text into English.

NB: Be sure to click on the red text “Watch the video” to see the animated version. If you click only on the play button, you’ll just hear the audio.

Alors, lancez-vous!* Les Trois Petits Cochons*, Boucle d'Or* and Le Petit Chaperon Rouge* are waiting for you.

*baby | *Teacher's Pet | *at Lingua Franca | *fairytales | *spread the word | *So, give it a go! | *The Three Little Pigs | *Goldilocks | *Little Red Riding Hood