French lessons, events & trips
FRENCH LESSONS EVENTS & GIFTS
Watching, reading, listening… We all learn in different ways, and many of our students use music to polish up on their French. If that's you, or if you're simply looking for something to listen to en faisant le ménage*, you might be interested in the playlist from this year's Alliance Française French Film Festival.
*while doing the housework
Au nid*, we’re lucky to receive some great recommendations for French series and films. Whether you’re into crime, medical or period dramas, here are three of our chouchous’* recent favourites. We hope you’ll find some fresh inspiration if tu cherches quelque chose de nouveau à regarder*.
Les Combattantes (Women at War)
France, 1914. As the German troops advance and men leave for the frontlines, four women must grapple with the devastating consequences of war at home.
Starring: Audrey Fleurot, Julie de Bona, Camille Lou
Watch it on: Netflix
Vise Le Cœur (Aim for the Heart)
From childhood antagonists to first loves to fierce enemies, police captain Julia Scola and criminal lawyer Novak Lisica have a long and complicated history that culminated in 20 years of estrangement. When Novak leaves his firm to join the police, he supervises Julia’s squad as the new commissioner, and the two must confront their past relationship as they take on Paris’s most challenging crimes.
Starring: Claire Keim, Lannick Gautry, Noémie Chicheportiche, Zinedine Soualem, Waly Dia, Nicolas Cazalé
Watch it on: SBS On Demand
Hippocrate (Interns)
In this French medical drama, a group of interns are forced to take responsibility when doctors in charge of the intern department find themselves quarantined at home due to drastic preventative health measures in a public hospital. (Apparently, the super squeamish best give this one a miss.)
Starring: Louise Bourgoin, Alice Belaïdi, Karim Leklou, Zacharie Chasseriaud
Watch it on: SBS on Demand
*At the nest | *teacher’s pets’ | *you’re looking for something new to watch
We’re willing to bet une baguette* that lurking in your fridge is a jar of confiture* bearing the name and signature vichy rouge* lid of this French foodie brand. Meaning grandmother or granny, Bonne Maman is a family-owned marque* synonymous with delicious home-style preserves, jellies and fruit spreads. All made to traditional recettes* – jam-packed with fruit, and without artificial flavours, colours or conservateurs* (pas préservatifs*, attention!*).
Founded in 1971 by the Gervoson family, Bonne Maman is based in Biars-sur-Cère, a small village in a beautiful fruit-growing region along the Dordogne in Southwest France. However, the jams’ appeal is much more widespread (pardon the pun), with the range now enjoyed in almost 100 countries across the globe.
In 2021, a rumour also emerged that the company founders sheltered people during the holocaust. While the private family declined to comment, we can’t think of a better reason to pop on la bouilloire* and indulge in something sweet. *Bonne Maman, bien sûr.
To learn more, visit the French website. (We’re sorry to say the madeleines aren’t available on our shores.)
*a baguette | *jam | *red gingham |*brand | *recipes | *preservatives | *not condoms | *be careful | *the kettle | *Bonne Maman, of course
If you’re a fan of La Nouvelle Vague* movement in French cinema, consider adding this lesser-known Truffaut film to your movie night roster. Released in 1964, La Peau Douce (The Soft Skin) failed to reach the critical and box office succès* of some of the celebrated French director’s previous films. Most notamment* Les 400 Coups* (1959) and the iconic Jules et Jim (1962).
But don’t let that put you off. Over the years, the romantic drama has improved its standing and is now considered among the best in his oeuvre.
Centring around an illicit affair, le film* stars Jean Desailly and Françoise Dorléac as the romantic leads. The older sister of Catherine Deneuve, Dorléac – shown in this stunning scene – tragically died in a car accident just two years later at the age of 25.
Intéressé*? Watch la bande annonce* here.
*New Wave | *success | *notably | *400 Blows |*the film | *Interested? | *the trailer
Dreaming of a Christmas that’s white rather than white-hot? Maybe it’s time to start planning a festive trip to France next December. While there’s no guarantee of a blanket (or even a dusting) of neige*, there’s no shortage of Hallmark movie-worthy Marchés de Nöel* that will have you feeling the joys of the season.
Behold two lists of the best French Christmas markets to add to your itinerary. Le Figaro’s 2022 round-up is in French if you’re up for a challenge. But there’s also another option en anglais* if you’ve already checked out for the year – we can’t say we blame you!
*snow |*Christmas markets |*in English
With her silvery, mid-length locks and enviable wardrobe, Sophie Fontanel is a true style icon. The 60-year-old fashion critic, author and one-time Fashion Director of ELLE France has also amassed a 294, 000+ following as an Instagram star – thanks to artful mirror selfies showcasing her bold, intellectual and playful approach to personal style. And her online documentation of her transition to grey.
For this femme française*? Overt sexiness is out, as Sophie tells Vogue:
Ditto, crippling, vertiginous talons*.
But that doesn’t mean elle est contente* to shrink into the background. Her style is punctuated by an eclectic mix of vintage items, men’s clothing and designer pieces. And, of course, that hair – the subject of her bestselling book, Une Apparition*.
Another livre* is dedicated to her 12 years of celibacy, while she won Le Prince Maurice Prize for romantic literature in 2011 for her roman*, Grandir*.
Author, fashion journalist, influencer… Quite the modern-day slashie, non?
We can’t help admiring Sophie’s honesty, esprit* and positive approach to life – and ageing. Follow her stylish moves sur Instagram* or take a peek inside her chic Paris appartement* in this interview with Vogue.
*French woman | *high heels | *she is happy | *A Ghost |*book | *novel | *Growing Up| *spirit | *on Instagram| *apartment
Step into any stylish home. and you’re likely to spot – or smell – at least one product from French fragrance house, diptyque. Founded in 1961 by trois amis créatifs*, the iconic marque* is a world-renowned purveyor of high-end perfumes, bodycare and home fragrance products. Including, of course, those heavenly bougies parfumées* (an ideal cadeau de Nöel*, if you still have some stockings to fill!).
However, it was fabric, not fragrance, that inspired Christiane Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet and Yves Coueslant to set up a bazaar at the bohemian end of the Boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris. Here, the interior designer, painter and set designer sold their own textile designs alongside Indian incense holders, German paper lanterns and other exotic objets* from their travels.
The diptyque website explains…
The meaning behind the name? A reference to the store’s façade.
In 1963, the trio had the prescience to launch their first scented candles, followed in 1968 by a unisex fragrance, L’Eau*. According to The Perfume Society, “Soon, diptyque was scenting all the smartest homes in Paris and beyond – creating the trend for scented candles that we’re still obsessed with today, and carving out an identity with its so-chic iconic black lettering on a spot-it-at-30-paces oval label.”
Intéressé(e)*? Decouvrez* the range and read more about the popular perfumer – en français* or in English.
*three creative friends | *brand | *scented candles | *Christmas gift | *objects |*water | *interested | *discover | *in French
If you’re searching for the perfect cadeau de Noël* for the history-loving Francophile in your life, we have just le truc*. France: An Adventure History is British writer Graham Robb’s lively and vivid exploration of the key moments, faces and themes of l’histoire française*.
Spanning events from the first century BC to today, it’s ‘A quirky, amused, erudite homage to France... ambitious and original' – according to the Times.
To read more glowing reviews or place your order, suivez le lien*.
Christmas gift | the thing | French history | follow the link
To say Simone Veil was une femme incroyable* is an understatement énorme*. Born in 1927, the Holocaust survivor and former avocate* was the first female President of the European Parliament – and a tireless campaigner for les droits de la femme*.
Most notamment*, as Health Minister she presented and successfully argued the passing of the Veil Act – the 1975 law legalising abortion in France.
Learn more about the revered political figure in this short TV5MONDE video. C’est inspirant!*
an incredible woman | huge | lawyer | women’s rights | most notably | It’s inspiring!
The death of Jean-Luc Godard last month set off une vague d’hommages* for the revolutionary French film maker, often referred to as the godfather of New Wave cinema.
Godard, along with a clutch of other directors, turned cinema on its head in the 60s. A famous quote by Godard encapsulates their approach:
"Toute histoire doit avoir un début, un milieu et une fin mais pas forcément dans cet ordre-là."
“Every story must have a beginning, a middle and an end, though not necessarily in that order.”
So what is La Nouvelle Vague* anyway? Read on…
La Nouvelle Vague is a cinematic movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s which sought to casser les règles* of traditional film-making.
Frustrated with the constraints of la Tradition de qualité* style, which they felt was designed to ‘impress rather than express’, a small group including Godard, François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Éric Rohmer, Jacques Demy and Claude Chabrol set about revolutionising the art form.
These Parisian writers and critics, possibly the original film geeks, put their money where their mouths were by directing their own films in the style they championed.
La Nouvelle Vague attempted to allow directors to express their ideas and emotions as freely as other artists, such as a painters or writers. Rather than the sanitised version of reality presented by traditional studio films, New Wave films showed the grit and realism of the streets of Paris and allowed their directors to examine social and political issues in ground-breaking ways.
*a wave of tributes | *New Wave | *break the rules | *Tradition of quality
La Nouvelle Vague was the birthplace of modern day independent cinema, and many of today’s directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson owe much to its style. As Scorsese said “The French New Wave has influenced all filmmakers who have worked since, whether they saw the films or not. It submerged cinema like a tidal wave”.
New Wave classics include:
Les Quatre Cent Coups (François Truffaut)
Lola (Jacques Démy)
À Bout de Souffle (Jean-Luc Godard)
Cléo de 5 à 7 (Agnès Varda)
Le genou de Claire (Éric Rohmer)
Jules et Jim (François Truffaut)
Le Mépris (Jean-Luc Godard)
Definitely worth checking out.
Most of us have heard of La Révolution française*, with its tales of out-of-touch princesses, pantless radicals (les sans-culottes*) and public beheadings by way of guillotine, but how many among us know of a much more recent, and thankfully less violent, uprising?
For the soixante-huitards*, the concerns were of a similar hue to the revolutionaries of 1789: le capitalisme*, le consumerisme* and les institutions traditionnelles.*
Driven by students at the Sorbonne University in Paris, the seven-week period of civil unrest spread throughout France and included manifestations*, general strikes and the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of the troubles, the French economy ground to a halt.
A fascinating topo* below, thanks to TV 5 Monde Plus.
Click image to play video.
*The French Revolution | *without breeches (these commoners not not literally naked from the waist down - they just couldn’t afford the fancy silk knee-breeches worn by the nobility and bourgeoisie of the time, known as ‘culottes’ and had to make do with long cotton pantaloons. I’d rise up against that, too.) | *68ers, or those who took part in the demonstrations and riots | *capitalism | *consumerism | *traditional institutions | *protest marches | *rundown
If you hit your sartorial zenith in the 1980s and fancied yourself an emerging yuppy (not looking at anyone…) you may have found yourself unnaturally drawn to wearing a tiny fabric crocodile close to your cœur*.
The French leisure marque* Lacoste pre-dates this most bewildering decade and its history is as long as its present-day product line is wide.
But what really is the story with that tiny green reptile?
From the Lactose.fr website comes this explanation:
“Boston, 1923, le jeune prodige du tennis René Lacoste a 19 ans et il aime les challenges. Son capitaine d’équipe le sait. Il lui promet la belle valise en cuir de crocodile qu’il admire en vitrine s’il remporte le match difficile à venir. René Lacoste n’a pas gagné le match mais il avait la ténacité du crocodile sur le court, c’est pourquoi il a été surnommé ainsi par un journaliste américain.”
“Boston, 1923, the young tennis prodigy René Lacoste is 19 years old and loves a challenge. His team captain knows it. He promises to buy him the beautiful crocodile-leather suitcase he admires in a shop window if he wins the tough match he has coming up. René Lacoste didn’t win the match but he had the tenacity of a crocodile on the court, which is why he was so-nicknamed by an American journalist.”
Intéressé(e)*? Read more here in French (plus see some great past advertisements).
Feeling a bit paresseux(euse)* maybe? Here’s the English version.
*heart | *brand | *interested | *lazy
Our first steps into listening to French can be slightly harrowing. My mind goes to preparing DELF students for their exams by listening to authentic audio tracks. Until I hit play, they have no idea what they’ll be faced with: are they in a train station, at the supermarket, is it a debate or simply a couple talking about upcoming holiday plans?
A lack of context can be a true impediment to comprehension which is why I really love Radio France Internationale’s Journal en français facile*. The subject matter is international current affairs, giving us at least some immediate context.
The language has been pared back and slowed down for a global audience, and there’s also a full transcript you can use to follow along. If you’re really keen, you could even read the dialogue ahead of time to translate any unknown vocabulary before your first listen. If you’re short on time, though, I still recommend just popping it on in the background (if only for the opening news theme which makes me feel like I’m right back in France).
*News in easy French
If you’ve grown up in your country of birth, you’re likely so steeped in that particular culture that you’re unaware of the extent of the practices, customs and social etiquette you adhere to every day.
This explains why the first foray into navigating a new culture can make us so mal à l’aise* - there are just so many opportunities for embarrassment.
So let’s make a start by coming to grips with le pain* at least, in all its charming complexité*.
Un grand merci* to Géraldine from Comme Une Française* for this very helpful explainer vidéo.
*awkward | bread | *complexity | *A big thank you | *Like a Frenchwoman
La mode* has been on our minds a lot récemment* here at Lingua Franca with some of our more advanced students enjoying an entire term devoted to high fashion, as part of our new Club de Culture series.
In Week 2, we looked at the story of Louis Vuitton, from the very humble beginnings of the man himself to the multi-billion dollar juggernaut it is today as part of the LVMH conglomerate.
With owner Bernard Arnault duking it out with Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk for the title of the richest person in the world, no-one would have been choqué* had he, too, decided to enter the race to Mars.
However, with a strong personal interest in the art world as well as a mission to make art and culture accessible to all, in October 2014, la Fondation Louis Vuitton was opened to the world. Housed in a futuristic Frank Gehry-designed building on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne’s Jardin d’Acclimatisation, it has been off limits to us here in Australia until very recently.
Such are the marvels of technology, though, that even if you’re not yet ready or able to dust off your passeport*, you can still pay a visit. Whether to appreciate the collections à l’intérieur* or to stand in awe of the architectural wizardry of the building itself, it’s all au bout des doigts* and won’t cost you a single centime*.
Simply download the Fondation LV app, and choose the theme of your virtual tour. Be sure to change the language from English to French if you want the full immersive experience, or simply turn the sound off to completely drink in la richesse* before you.
PS A bit bored by the purity of the all-white structure? Go here to see how it was transformed in 2016 by French visual artist Daniel Buren.
*Fashion | *recently | *shocked | *passport | *on the inside | *at the tip of your fingers | *cent | *the richness
Not sure you could pick a Manet from a Monet? According to this article, it couldn’t be more simple: Manet is people, Monet is spots.
If you need a bit more to make it stick, the trick may be in their names. The ‘man’ in Manet represents the people and the ‘o’ in Monet, the dots.
Voilà* (for a start, at least).
*There you go.
Given many of you will be collés* to your TV screens from the 1st July as the Tour de France 2022 kicks off, we thought it timely to take a look back at how it all began.
If you have cinq minutes* and an interest in le cyclisme* or even simply like history, you’ll really enjoy this short video from TV5 Monde Plus.
By the way, you can choose English or French subtitles, or, if you’re really courageux*, none at all.
*glued | *five minutes | *cycling | *brave
With a fresh set of students enjoying the Club de Culture Cinéma series this term, there has been a lot of talk of les films français*.
We were recommended the TV5 Monde Plus site for its enormous gamme* of French content, from movies to series to docos, and there is even a French language section. A word of warning though: I couldn’t click on that option fast enough, but noticed it was pitched more towards native French speakers, so while interesting, it’s probably something to strive for rather than likely to offer any immediate solutions to your French défis*.
That said, there’s a great little animated series called Quelle Histoire* (we’ve mentioned the books in a previous post) which are a fun watch. There is also a brilliant four-season series called La Grande Explication* which serves up five minute bites explaining iconic moments in history.
La meilleure nouvelle*? There are English subtitles on offer, giving you the choice to follow along, or turn them off for a more immersive experience.
*French films | *range | *challenges | *What a Story/History | *The Big Explanation | *The best bit of news
With Paris set to host Les Jeux Olympiques* in 2024, thoughts have turned to the safeguarding of French as the official language.
While in Australia it’s fair to say we’re a nation obsessed by sport, in reading this article you may come to the conclusion that the French drive that passion towards leur langue* instead.
A read that had me giggle at the get-go, frown a few paragraphs later, pause in contemplation au milieu* before feeling queasy at the closing sentence, I couldn’t recommend this piece more highly.
Bonne lecture*.
*The Olympic Games | *their language | *in the middle | *Happy reading
If you’ve studied French for a while or had at least a passing interest in French culture, you’ll most likely have heard of the Citroën 2CV.
It may have cropped up when you learned about the tréma accent it contains (and if you’ve forgotten its impact, here’s Katrina explaining it) or perhaps you’ve heard people reminiscing with beaucoup d’affection* about their travels around France in the 70s and 80s behind the wheel of one of these très petites voitures* or TPVs as they were known in the Citroën factory.
André Citroën had dreams of being the Henry Ford of France but this politically ambitious man was unfortunately also un joueur invétéré*, and soon ran into financial difficulty.
Fortunately, the newly installed patron*, Pierre Boulanger (who, had he been born on British soil would have been plain old Peter Baker) inherited a talented team of engineers. Pierre enjoyed walks in the countryside, and was taken by the pace of the farmers in horse-drawn carts who kept gentle rhythm with their chevaux*. He decided to replace the deux chevaux with deux chevaux-vapeur*, and the idea for the 2CV was born.
A simple edict to the engineers followed:
I’m no engineer, but with only 2CV under the hood, you’d imagine the Citroën 2CV is not exactly at risk of getting away from you on the open road. James Bond, however, would disagree, and a nun with a lead foot gives Louis Funès a lift he’ll never forget in this charming petite vidéo*.
*lots of affection | *very small cars | *chronic gambler | *boss | *horses | *horsepower | *little video