La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 1 of the Advanced 1 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Nous étions assis sous un grand chêne près de la rivière. La lumière du soleil passait à travers les feuilles, faisant des taches sur l'herbe douce en dessous de nous. Je me suis appuyée contre Simon et il m'a serrée dans ses bras. Il a repoussé mes cheveux de mon épaule, et pendant qu'il le faisait, la bretelle de ma robe est tombée. Avant que je puisse la remettre en place, il a touché doucement mon épaule et a dit "Oh, tu as un petit coup de soleil là, mon amour." Je me suis retournée pour regarder mon épaule gauche et c'est là que nos lèvres se sont rencontrées.

« Maman, maman, tu dors ? » J'ai entendu une petite voix près de mon visage. « Maman, allez, il est temps de partir ! »

Surprise, je me suis redressée dans mon lit, regardant autour de moi pour retrouver mes repères. L'armoire, la lampe, les rideaux floraux, la serrure de la porte. Où étais-je ?

« Allez, maman ! Lève-toi ! » Anouk a dit en essayant de me tirer les couvertures.

« Anouk ! Arrête ça ! Laisse maman une minute pour se réveiller ! » j’ai dit en frottant mes yeux endormis.

“Mince, j'ai dû faire un sommeil profond avant d'être réveillée, j’ai pensé, un peu grognon. Puis ça m'est revenu. Pas tellement les images du rêve, mais la délicieuse sensation d'être dans les bras de Simon sous le chêne. « Pourquoi m'as-tu réveillée ? » j'ai eu envie de dire, mais dès que j'ai eu cette pensée, une vague de honte m'a envahie. Je suis mariée ! Qu'est-ce que je fais à rêver de mon professeur d'anglais, de tous les gens ! Perturbée par mes pensées, j'ai décidé de me lever, et vite.

« D'accord, allez, mon chéri, préparons-nous et allons retrouver ta tante et ton oncle et les filles. Il ne nous reste pas beaucoup de temps à Londres. Allons-y ! »

Vingt minutes plus tard, nous étions dans le hall de l'hôtel, habillées et prêtes à partir.

« Alors, qu'est-ce qu'on va faire aujourd'hui ? » Hervé a demandé à notre petit groupe.

« Est-ce que je peux voter pour un petit-déjeuner d'abord ? » j’ai demandé. « J'ai une faim de loup. »

« Oh, je pensais que tu serais descendue prendre le petit-déjeuner, Leïla. Tu sais qu'il est inclus, n'est-ce pas ? »

« Oui, je le sais », j’a’i répondu un peu timidement, « mais nous avons un peu fait la grasse matinée, n'est-ce pas Anouk ? »

« Oui, j'ai dû réveiller maman. Elle était une grosse dormeuse ce matin. »

Merci, ma chère fille, je me suis dit.

Amina a souri puis a dit : « D'accord, et si nous nous dirigeons vers Harrods et que nous nous arrêtons pour prendre un petit-déjeuner en chemin ? Je pense que nous aurons tous besoin de carburant dans nos ventres avant d'attaquer le département des jouets avec les enfants. Qu'en pensez-vous ? »

« Ça me semble être un bon plan. Allons-y ? »

We were seated under a beautiful big oak tree close to the river. The sunlight peeked through the leaves, dappling the soft grass below us. I leaned back against Simon and he wrapped his arms around me protectively. He brushed my hair away from my shoulder and as he did so, the cotton strap of my sundress fell to the side. Before I could reach back to straighten it, he touched my shoulder tenderly and said “Ooh, you’ve got a little sunburn there, my love.” I turned to peer at my left shoulder and as I did so, his lips met mine.


“Mummy, mummy, are you sleeping?” I heard a little voice next to my face. “Mummy, come on, it’s time to go!”



Startled, I sat up in bed, looking around to find my bearings. The wardrobe, the lamp, the floral curtains, the lock on the door. Where was I?



“Come on, Mum! Get up!” Anouk said, as she tried to yank the bedcovers from over me.



“Anouk! Stop that! Give mummy a minute to wake up!” I said, rubbing my eyes sleepily.



Gee, I must have been in a deep sleep before being woken up, I thought, a bit cranky. Then it came back to me. Not so much the images of the dream, but the delicious feeling of being in Simon’s arms under the oak tree.

“Why did you wake me up?” I wanted to blurt out, but as soon as I had the thought, a wave of shame came over me. I am married! What am I doing dreaming about my English professor, of all people! Disturbed by my thoughts, I decided to get up, and fast.



“Okay, come on kiddo, let’s get ready and go and find your Aunty and Uncle and the girls. We haven’t got much time left in London. Let’s go!”


Twenty minutes later we were in the foyer of the hotel, dressed and ready to go. 



“So, what are we going to do today?” Hervé asked our little group.



“Can I vote for some breakfast first?” I asked. “I’m starving.”



“Oh, I thought you would have gone down for breakfast, Leïla. You know it’s included, don’t you?”



“Yes, I do,” I answered a little sheepishly, “but we had a bit of a sleep-in, didn’t we Anouk?”

“Yes, I had to wake mummy. She was a big sleepyhead this morning.”



Thank you, darling daughter, I thought to myself.



Amina grinned then said: “Okay, we how about if we make our way to Harrods and we stop for some breakfast on the way? I think we’ll all need some fuel in our tummies before we attack the toy department with the kids. What do you think?”



“That sounds like a plan to me,” I replied. “Shall we go?”

How to Learn French - Gotcha!

I’m not sure about you, but I have memories of being told in primary school that the word ‘get’ was borderline verboten. It’s possible my teachers were stricter than most, but more likely, times have simply changed in the grammar world. Given my primary school days are more than four decades in the past I should not be surprised. Nonetheless, in doing research for this article, I was indeed surprised to see the legitimacy the word ‘get’ is afforded as a highly used, irregular English verb.

Though I likely avoided use of the word ‘get’ in my hunt for scratch ’n’ sniff stickers while at school, I absolutely know I use, even overuse, this verb in my everyday life.

I was first alerted to this through learning French. Since French does not have a verb that directly translates as ‘to get’, once I moved beyond the basics, I was often pulled up short by this missing verb.

Just in case you’re not convinced of its ubiquitousness in English, here are a few examples off the top of my head:

1. To get a drink
2. To get an email
3. To get a new car
4. To get angry
5. To get married
6. To get drunk
7. To get some results
8. To get a cold
9. To get your car cleaned
10. To get your hair cut


In fact, given the multitude of ways we use ‘to get’ in English, this article could run to a smallish book, so, how do we get around this word in the most commonly cases?

The easiest, and probably most ‘correct’ way, is to try to think of an appropriate synonym.

to get a drink = to fetch a drink
to get an email = to receive an email
to get a new car = to buy a new car

So try instead:

Je cherche une boisson (I’m looking for a drink)
J’ai reçu un email (I received an email)
Je vais acheter une nouvelle voiture (I’m going to buy a new car)

What happens, though, when we use ‘get’ to mean ‘to become’ in English, which we do a lot, as in examples #4, #5 and #6 above? This is a little trickier. In my experience, French usually has a dedicated verb for these instances and often it’s a reflexive one.

to get angry = se fâcher
to get married = se marier
to get drunk = se saouler

These verbs are a little tricker to conjugate, granted, but if you practise them enough, they’ll eventually come more naturally to you.

Je me suis fâché(e) (I got angry)
Je me marie ! (I’m getting married!)
Je me suis saoulé(e) (I got drunk).

In some cases, the verb ‘avoir’ will give you a less formal-sounding, but still correct, option. Take these two sentences as examples.

to get some results
to get a cold

Instead of opting for ‘j’ai obtenu des résultats’, you could use ‘j’ai eu des résultats’ instead (literally ‘I had some results’).

Rather than going for the more formal ‘J’ai attrapé un rhume’, ‘j’ai eu un rhume’ works just as well and may even sound more natural to native speakers. Either are fine, though, so the choice is yours.

Those of you who have done advanced courses at Lingua Franca will have certainly encountered le causatif (the causative construction). I didn’t realise the usefulness of this turn of phrase when I first learned it, but having now taught it for several years and listened to a lot of French via the news, podcasts, series and movies I have come to understand its value.

Without realising it, we use it a lot in English as well. Think of the difference in these two sentences:

I clean the house
I have the house cleaned

I know which one I’d rather and this has motivated me to look into this construction more carefully. We use the causative when we’re not performing an action ourselves but having someone else doing it for us. It’s a personal goal of mine to trade active sentences for causative ones for all the menial tasks I don’t want to do.

Sometimes it’s less about la paresse*, it’s just common sense. For example:

I cut my hair
I have my hair cut

So try these:

Je fais nettoyer la maison (I get the house cleaned)
Je fais couper mes cheveux (I get my hair cut)


I predict that the more you think about the use of the verb ‘get’ in English, the more you risk a sense of overwhelm as you realise how heavily we rely on this three-lettered workhorse. Please don’t succumb. The first step is to simply take notice of the ‘get’ phrases including you reach for most often when trying to speak French. Note them down, and see if they fit into one of the four categories above. They most likely will. If they don’t and you really, really want to use one in particular, challenge yourself to dip into a good dictionary to see if you can find the translation and start testing it out for yourself. Bon courage* !

*Good luck!

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, the final chapter of the Intermediate Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

En voyant mon désarroi, Simon a pris ma main tendrement.

“Mais, Leïla, qu’est-ce qu’il y a ? Pourquoi tu pleures ?” il a demandé.

“Ah, je suis désolée, Simon. Je suis vraiment embarrassée.”

“Tu ne devrais jamais être embarrassée devant moi, Leïla, mais je suis inquiet. Pourquoi tu es tellement triste ?”

“Ce n’est pas que je suis triste, Simon, c’est que je ne sais plus où j’en suis ! Je trouve très difficile de réconcilier tous les rôles de ma vie. Je suis femme, maman et étudiante mais c’est vraiment difficile de mélanger les trois. Je sais que je ne devrais pas me plaindre car je suis très chanceuse. Je suis très heureuse de pouvoir faire mes études mais parfois j’ai l’impression d’avoir trop de responsabilités.”

“Jean-Louis ne t’aide pas ?” a demandé Simon.

“Il travaille beaucoup,” j’ai répondu.

“Mais cette semaine, par exemple, il s’occupe des jumelles. Ça aide, non ?”

“Oui, je suppose, mais ce n’est qu’une semaine et il a dû demander l’aide de sa mère ! Moi, je fais les autres 51 semaines de l’année presque sans aide.”

“Tu ne peux pas lui demander pour plus d’aide, Leïla ?” Simon a proposé.

“C’est compliqué. J’adore mon mari mais c’est un homme traditionnel. Lui, il n’était pas très content quand je lui ai dit que j’avais l’intention de reprendre mes études. Il pense que si je décide de faire les études en plus d’être mère et femme que c’est à moi de gérer parce que son travail prend presque tout son temps.”

“Ah, je vois,” a dit Simon, d’un air sérieux. “Je vois. Ça doit être très difficile pour toi, Leïla.”

“Parfois, oui, Simon, c’est vrai,” j’ai admis. “Aujourd’hui, par exemple. Je ne sais pas pourquoi je te raconte mes problèmes. Encore une fois, je suis désolée.”

“Tu ne dois jamais t’excuser auprès de moi, Leïla. Je suis flatté que tu aies choisi de me parler de tout ça. Tu peux me faire confiance, tu sais,” il a ajouté sincèrement.

“Merci Simon,” j’ai dit. “En fait, maintenant qu’on en parle, ce n’est pas tout. Avant de quitter Paris, j’avais l’impression que Jean-Louis avait hâte que je parte. Et puis hier, quand je lui ai téléphoné pour dire coucou, j’ai entendu la voix d’une femme inconnue en fond.”

“C’est sa mère, sûrement ?” Simon a tout de suite répondu.

“Non, Simon. Je connais très bien la voix de sa mère. Ce n’était pas elle.” Et avec cette confession, j’ai recommencé à pleurer.

“Leïla, ne pleure pas, s’il te plaît. Parlons des choses plus agréables. Tu as parlé à Anaïs récemment ?”

“Non,” j’ai répondu, reconnaissante de la distraction. “Pas pendant quelques jours de toute façon. Elle a une vie très chargée. Elle est très sociale.”

“C’est normal, Leïla. Anaïs n’a pas des responsabilités comme toi.”

“Oui, c’est vrai, mais parfois je voudrais changer de place avec elle. Tout serait tellement plus simple,” j’ai dit.

“Oui, peut-être,” Simon a dit, hésitant, “mais à mon avis, Leïla, Anaïs serait incapable de gérer ta vie. Je l’aime bien, mais c’est toi que j’admire,” il a ajouté, en rougissant un petit peu.

J’étais vraiment touchée, je dois admettre. Il y avait un long moment de silence entre nous avant que j’ai noté que Simon me tenait toujours la main. En fait, il était en train de la caresser doucement.

Choquée, j’ai retiré ma main tout de suite, mais je le regrettais deux secondes plus tard.

Upon seeing my distress, Simon took my hand gently.

"But, Leïla, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Simon. I'm really embarrassed."

"You should never be embarrassed in front of me, Leïla, but I'm worried. Why are you so sad?"

"It's not that I'm sad, Simon, it's just that I don't know where I stand anymore! I find it very difficult to reconcile all the roles in my life. I'm a woman, a mother, and a student, but it's really hard to mix all three. I know I shouldn't complain because I'm very fortunate. I'm very happy to be able to pursue my studies, but sometimes I feel like I have too many responsibilities."

"Doesn't Jean-Louis help you?" Simon asked.

"He works a lot," I replied.

"But this week, for example, he's taking care of the twins. That helps, right?"

"Yes, I suppose, but it's only one week, and he had to ask his mother for help! I handle the other 51 weeks of the year almost without assistance."

"Can't you ask him for more help, Leïla?" Simon suggested.

"It's complicated. I love my husband, but he's a traditional man. He wasn't very happy when I told him I intended to resume my studies. He thinks that if I decide to pursue studies in addition to being a mother and a wife, then it's up to me to manage because his work takes up almost all of his time."

"Ah, I see," Simon said, with a serious expression. "I see. It must be very difficult for you, Leïla."

"Sometimes, yes, Simon, it's true," I admitted. "Today, for example. I don't know why I'm telling you about my problems again. I'm sorry."

"You should never apologize to me, Leïla. I'm honored that you chose to talk to me about all this. You can trust me, you know," he added sincerely.

"Thank you, Simon," I said. "Actually, now that we're talking about it, it's not everything. Before leaving Paris, I felt like Jean-Louis was looking forward to me leaving. And then yesterday, when I called to say hello, I heard the voice of an unknown woman in the background."

"It's his mother, surely?" Simon immediately replied.

"No, Simon. I know his mother's voice very well. It wasn't her." And with that confession, I started crying again.

"Leïla, don't cry, please. Let's talk about more pleasant things. Have you talked to Anaïs recently?"

"No," I replied, grateful for the distraction. "Not for a few days anyway. She has a very busy life. She's very social."

"That's normal, Leïla. Anaïs doesn't have responsibilities like you."

"Yes, that's true, but sometimes I wish I could switch places with her. Everything would be so much simpler," I said.

"Yes, maybe," Simon said, hesitating, "but in my opinion, Leïla, Anaïs would be unable to handle your life. I like her, but it's you that I admire," he added, blushing a little.

I was truly touched, I must admit. There was a long moment of silence between us before I noticed that Simon was still holding my hand. In fact, he was gently caressing it.

Shocked, I withdrew my hand immediately, but I regretted it two seconds later.

How to Learn French - you're not alone.

With the new year now underway, I’ve made a return to tennis and its attendant feeling of failure it appears to evoke in me.

As you well know by now, j’adore mon tennis*  but as a beginner there is more than one concept I’m having trouble mastering.

Par exemple*, the coach wants me to hit the ball with an upward motion in order to generate some top spin instead of hitting it so flat. He’s been trying to get me to do this now for about a year and I feel as though I’m no closer to doing it now than when I first picked up la raquette*. He’s explained it to, shown me, drilled me, encouraged me, cajoled and reminded me about mille fois*, and yet my body is just not getting the message.

Today, however, I may have had a breakthrough, and it was all down to just a few words. Those mots magiques*, you ask?

“Everyone finds it difficult, Katrina.”

All of a sudden, it clicked. I still can’t do it, bien sûr*, (the man’s good but he’s not a miracle worker) but with that comment, my mindset completely changed. All of a sudden the (embarrassing amount of) pressure I was putting on myself lifted and I nearly laughed out loud because it’s something I say regularly to my own students.

We all like to think we’re unique and it’s true that no-one else has the same mélange* of DNA, strengths, weaknesses, quirks and foibles. However, when it comes to learning, thinking you’re unique can sometimes hamper your progress, particularly when you think you’re the only one who’s having trouble grasping something.

What we see at Lingua Franca, and what I’m sure coaches the world over see, is that there are certain skills or concepts that the vast majority of learners find difficult to master.

So here’s an incomplete list of some of the most common.

• Not being able to remember the gender of words

• Forgetting the third person plural conjugations of être* (sont), avoir* (ont), aller* (vont) and faire* (font).

• Thinking it’s vous faisez, not vous faites* (it’s irregular)

• Not being sure how to say ‘my friend’

• Not knowing how to say ‘some water’ versus ‘a bottle of water’

• The numbers quatre (4), cinq (5), quatorze (14), quinze (15), quarante (40) and cinquante (50)

• Mixing up pouvoir*, vouloir* and devoir*

• Not remembering the four ‘r’s (retourner*, revenir*, rentrer* and rester*) of the MRS RDP VANDERTRAMP verbs

• Forgetting to make the agreement in the past tense of verbs that take être

• Finding it tough to know when to use the passé composé* and when to use the imparfait*

• Confusing pendant, depuis and pour

• Finding it hard to recognise the difference between the imparfait and the futur simple* when reading

• Not knowing when to use savoir* and when to use connaitre*

• Forgetting it’s always beaucoup de* and beaucoup des

• The subjunctive. Need I say more?
  
  
  Realising we’re all (or have been) in the same bateau* can make us feel less uniquely silly. So, before you turn on yourself when you fais une erreur*, remind yourself that learning something is hard, it takes practice and perseverance and most importantly, that you’re not alone.
  
  C’est difficile, mais c’est difficile pour tout le monde*. Your new mantra.
  
  
  
  
  
  *I love my tennis | *For example | *the racket | *a thousand times | *magic words | *of course | *mix | *to be | *to have | *to go | *to do/make | *you do/make | *to be able to/can | *to want/wish | *to have to/must | *to return | *to come back | *to go back (home) | *to stay | *past tense | *imperfect | *future simple tense  | *to know | *to know | *lots of | *boat | *make a mistake | *It’s hard, but it’s hard for everyone.

French travel phrases that really do the trick

Last month I mentioned one of my favourite French phrases for travel: c’est gentil*. It’s a phrase I heard a lot when I was living in France so decided to add it to my arsenal when thanking someone for a service. ‘Merci, c’est gentil’ means something like ‘Thank you, that’s kind of you’ and from my experience it goes down a treat. In fact, that’s not entirely true. It doesn’t provoke a huge reaction, and perhaps that’s why I like it so much. It’s more inclined to elicit a genuine smile and a nod from the person I’m speaking to, which in turn makes me feel like I fit in a bit more. I think we’re all striving for that to a degree when we’re travelling, non*?

So, sans plus tarder*, here are some other tried and true travel phrases that will take your French  beyond ‘bonjour’, ‘merci’ and ‘je voudrais’. There’s nothing wrong with these phrases, by the way. Au contraire*, they’re extremely useful, but if you’re ready to up your skills, here are five that really pack a linguistic punch.

Literally meaning ‘that works’ this phrase is easy to say and can be used in a variety of situations. Concierge promises to contact you later in the day about a possible reservation? Ça marche. Even better: Merci beaucoup, ça marche. The next train is leaving in 10 minutes from voie* B? Merci, ça marche. A shop assistant tells you there are credits but no refunds for the item you’ve just purchased: ça marche. Even if you’ve been speaking English up to that point, it’s still a good idea to start to throw in these little French phrases where you can. It’s low risk and can work to increase your confidence.

Granted, this is a bit of a mouthful, but if you are able to master it (and it may take a few goes), I believe it will fundamentally change your French experience. It’s so polite: ‘I am sorry to disturb you’, and I find it really disarms French people for that reason. Of course you could use excusez-moi* (and if you’re just starting out this is a very helpful phrase indeed) but if you’ve mastered that and are ready to try something a little more sophisticated, this one’s for you.

To break it down, start with je suis*. Anyone who has done more than a term of French will know this phrase and will likely be able to use it confidently (je suis australienne*, je suis comptable*, je suis divorcée* etc). Now add the fact that you’re ‘desolate’ over having to interrupt your target person and you have je suis désolé(e). This is a useful phrase in itself (so I advise keeping that one sous le coude* for future use). I find the the final touch is fairly easy to remember as the word ‘déranger’ looks so much like ‘deranged’ and it’s a word that is very evocative to me. It brings to mind a person so bothered by the fact that a fellow human being is approaching them that their head starts to swivel around, their hair goes crazy and steam starts to shoot out of their ears. This image makes me laugh (I might be only one…) which takes some of the pressure off. ‘De vous déranger’, translates as ‘to you derange/disturb’ and sounds quite deranged in itself, but trust me when I say it really does lay the terrain for a calm and respectful exchange, so practise stringing it together and try it out. You can do it.

This is both interesting and contentious at once. It’s interesting as it is actually ‘je peux’ (I can) inverted and it’s the only verb in French that changes form when you reverse the order of the subject and verb. 

Now for the contentious bit. As you may know, inverting the subject and the verb is the most formal way to ask a question in French. If you did French at school, it is likely you were taught to ask questions this way. Parlez-vous anglais?* is a classic example which many of us rote-learned all those years ago. The inversion technique, as it is known, is still a legitimate way to ask a question in French, however it is not used extensively anymore in everyday spoken French. It’s not wrong, in fact it’s very correct, almost too correct. Though it literally translates to ‘Can I’ because of the construction, in import it’s probably closer to ‘May I’ and while this is a lovely turn of phrase, it may not be appropriate for use in more casual situations. 

That said, we discussed last month the idea of finding a phrase you like and using it over and over, so if you’re able to get this phrase out, use it! One of its benefits is that you can simply add a verb after it in its whole form and you’re away. For example:

Puis-je avoir - May I have
Puis-je voir - May I see
Puis-je demander - May I ask

Comme vous pouvez imaginer* the list goes on and on.

One of the first phrases you learn as a beginner is ‘j’aime’ (I like), quickly followed by its opposite ‘je n’aime pas’ (I don’t like).

While these phrases are certainly very handy, the negative version can come across as a little too direct, so adding the word ‘trop’ at the end can go a long way to softening your delivery.

’Je n’aime pas trop’ translates roughly to ‘I’m not a huge fan of’ of ‘I’m not fussed on’ and is particularly useful when you want to politely nix a suggestion. Imagine a waiter suggests you try the salmon. A simple ‘je n’aime pas trop le saumon’ is a gentle way of letting them know that you’d rather choose something else. Consider the difference in translations:

Je n’aime pas le saumon - I don’t like salmon
Je n’aime pas trop le saumon - I’m not a huge fan of salmon

Again, there is nothing wrong with a more direct approach but sometimes having the ability to soften your language can feel rather empowering.

If you’re a fan of le shopping*, add this one to your grab bag of favourite phrases tout de suite*.

If you’re keen to buy some time just browsing in a Parisian boutique, offer this phrase up when the shop assistant approaches you. Even if you’re not exactly sure of what he or she has said to you, it’s likely to be along the lines of ‘Can I help you?’ so replying that you’re just looking is a perfectly appropriate response that will enable you to carry on uninterrupted.

Alors, voilà*! I hope you find this mini-list helpful. I’d be very interested to hear of any phrases you rely on when you’re ‘on the ground’. Let us benefit from your experience by noting them in the comments. Merci et à bientôt.*

*That’s kind of you | *Aren’t we? | *without any further ado | *On the contrary | *platform | *Excuse me | *I am | *I’m Australian | *I’m an accountant | *I’m divorced | *I am sorry | *in your back pocket (literally ‘under your elbow’) | *Do you speak English | *As you can imagine | *shopping | *straight away | *So, there you go | *Thank you and see you soon.

Tricky Words to Pronounce in French

From the exaggerated R to all the unpronounced letters, there’s no denying French pronunciation can be difficult for native English speakers. So, if you find yourself regularly tripping over ta langue*, rest assured you’re far from alone!

To help you gain confidence when reading aloud or conversing, here is a list of 10 everyday, notoriously tricky French mots* with helpful pronunciation tips. 

You can also find many of the same words here, plus some new tongue twisters with pronunciation included.

With a little practice (and a dash of bravado), you'll soon be reciting this list les doigts dans le nez*!

*your tongue | *words |*very easily (with your fingers in your nose)

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 5 of the Intermediate Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Au final, on n’a pas parlé un seul mot de français ensemble. Après une promenade le long de la rivière, on s’est arrêté à un vrai pub anglais près de l’université.

Le soleil brillait, qui était assez rare, Simon m’a assuré, et nous avons profité du beau temps pour s’installer dans le jardin à une table en plein soleil.

“Tu n’as pas trop chaud, Leïla ?” Simon m’a demandé. “On peut changer de table si tu préfères.”

“Non, pas du tout, Simon, merci. J’ai l’habitude, après tout. Je vais chaque année au Maroc avec mon mari pour voir sa famille, donc la chaleur ne pose pas de problème chez moi. Mais c’est gentil de me demander, merci encore.”

“Alors, que fait ton mari aujourd’hui, Leïla, pendant que tu visites la bibliothèque ? Désolé, je ne connais pas son nom,” Simon a ajouté.

“C’est Jean-Louis,” j’ai répondu.

“Ah bon ?” Simon a dit. “Il n’a pas de nom arabe ?”

“Non, en fait, oui, désolée, il a un nom arabe, mais il a décidé de le changer quand il a immigré en France quand il était plus jeune.”

“Ah bon, je vois. Alors qu’est-ce qu’il fait aujourd’hui ? Il s’occupe des enfants ?”

“En fait je ne suis pas sûre, Simon. Il n’est pas avec moi ici en Angleterre. Il est resté à Paris car il doit travailler. Mais il s’occupe des jumelles, oui, c’est vrai.”

Simon avait l’air surpris de nouveau. “Alors j’imagine qu’il doit être bien occupé, non ? Deux jeunes enfants et un boulot, c’est pas donné, ça.”

Je ne pouvais pas supprimer mon prochain réflexe. “C’est plus facile que trois jeunes enfants, une maison, un mari et des études, je dois dire.” Le moment que les mots se sont échappés de ma bouche, je les regrettais.

Simon a réagi tout de suite. “Ah, pardon, Leïla. Bien sûr que tu travailles très dur toute l’année.  je suis désolé. Même quand on est conscient, c’est vrai que le sexisme est difficile d’échapper.”

“Non, ça va, Simon. Moi, je suis désolée. Ma réaction est bien plus forte que nécessaire.”

“Du côté positif, Jean-Louis doit être assez moderne s’il te laisse venir ici en Angleterre, non ?”

“Me laisse venir ici, Simon ?” j’ai répondu, en colère pour de vrai maintenant. “Je ne suis pas son animal domestique. Il ne m’a pas laissé venir ici, il m’a encouragé, en fait, et je ne sais pas pourquoi ! Et en plus, il a dû demandé à sa mère de venir l’aider faire quelque chose que moi je fais toute seule tous les jours ! C’est exaspérant !” Et avec ça, j’ai éclaté en sanglots, là, au pub, au soleil avec un homme tellement gentil qui ne voulait pas me faire mal. Qui suis-je, effectivement !

In the end, we didn't speak a single word of French together. After a walk along the river, we stopped at a real English pub near the university.

The sun was shining, which was quite rare Simon assured me, and we took advantage of the beautiful weather to settle in the garden at a table in full sun.

"Do you feel too hot, Leïla?" Simon asked me. "We can change tables if you’d like."

"No, not at all, Simon, thank you. I'm used to it, after all. I go to Morocco every year with my husband to see his family, so the heat isn't an issue for me. But it's kind of you to ask, thank you again."

"So, what’s your husband doing today, Leïla, while you're visiting the library? Sorry, I don't know his name," Simon added.

"It's Jean-Louis," I replied.

"Oh really?" Simon said. "He doesn't have an Arabic name?"

"No, actually, yes, sorry, he has an Arabic name, but he decided to change it when he immigrated to France when he was younger."

"Oh, I see. So what’s he doing today? Taking care of the children?"

"In fact, I'm not sure, Simon. He's not with me here in England. He stayed in Paris because he has to work. But yes, he’s taking care of the twins, that's true."

Simon looked surprised again. "So I imagine he must be quite busy, then? Two young children and a job, that's a lot."

I couldn't suppress my next reflex. "It's easier than three young children, a house, a husband, and studies, I must say." The moment the words escaped my mouth, I regretted them.

Simon reacted immediately. "Oh, sorry, Leïla. Of course, you work very hard all year. I'm sorry. Even when you’re aware of it, sexism is still difficult to escape."

"No, it's okay, Simon. I'm sorry. My reaction was much stronger than necessary."

"On the positive side, Jean-Louis must be quite modern if he lets you come here to England, right?"

"Let me come here, Simon?" I replied, genuinely angry now. "I'm not his pet. He didn't let me come here; in fact, he encouraged me and I don’t know why. And furthermore, he had to ask his mother to come help him do something that I do all by myself every day! It's exasperating!" And with that, I burst into tears, there, in the pub, in the sun, with such a kind man who didn't mean to hurt me. Who am I, indeed?

Breakthrough tips from Paris & Bordeaux

Bonjour! 

Well, the dust has finally settled on our trips to Paris and Bordeaux a couple of months ago and we’re all (somewhat sadly) back into our normal routines here in Australia.

Of course there are plans to go back, but I thought it worth breaking our usual transmission of top tips (last month we were up to numéro 5 sur 10*) to share with you some of the fresh perspectives we gleaned from our time sur le terrain*.

Over the years, I’ve shared these tips with our students, but there’s nothing like being mis sur la sellette* to reinforce best practices. This is why immersion trips are so valuable. They give you the chance to really test out your French and make adjustments along the way as you see what works and what doesn’t.

So, here are a few breakthrough tips that’ll not only help you next time you're navigating your way in a French-speaking world, but in your regular classes as well.

We encourage our students right from the very first lesson to open any interaction with a French person by way of a simple “Bonjour, madame*” or “Bonsoir, monsieur*”. Even an absolute beginner can achieve this (with un peu de courage*), it shows respect and it fundamentally improves the quality of the conversation that ensues.

Where our more advanced students report coming unstuck, though, is when the response to the first question or request is volleyed straight back in rapid-fire French and they’re left open-mouthed and reeling with no idea of how to respond.

Our cobayes* tell us this is often where the French person will break into English. Our students generally know better than to take it personally (the French person is almost always trying to reciprocate the respect you paid in speaking their language to them), but what they found difficult was finding a way to continue in French.

We suggested something like: “Je suis désolé(e), je n’ai pas compris, mais je veux pratiquer mon français. Pourriez-vous répéter plus lentement, s’il vous plaît*?”

If that seems like a mouthful, perhaps go for something simpler, such as:

• “Mon français n’est pas très bon, répétez en français, s’il vous plaît*.

• “Désolé(e), je voudrais pratiquer mon français. Ça va*?”

• “On peut parler en français?”

Said gently and with a little smile, you’re almost guaranteed to get your own way.

Often when we try to speak French in a ‘real’ situation, our nerves get the better of us, causing us to speak more softly that we normally would. If what comes back is “Pardon*?” it’s easy to assume the person you’re speaking to hasn’t understood you, when in fact they simply haven’t heard what you said.

So before you take the leap, take a breath, redressez les épaules* and speak with confidence. You may be happily surprised by the result.

A well-rehearsed phrase that you can get out regularly and with ease is une chance unique* for bolstering your confidence. In the next post, we’ll take a look of some of the favorites our Chouchous* relied on during the trip, but for now I’ll give you one of mine.

I like to add “C’est gentil” just after I’ve said “Merci.” It’s something I picked up when living in France and decided to add it to my repertoire. It means the equivalent of “That’s kind of you” and it’s always met with a positive response. It’s easy to say and makes me feel a bit less like a tourist and more like a local (every little bit helps!).

At the beginning of each morning’s lesson during the Summer School, I’d ask the students to report back on their experiences of the previous day when they’d been out and about practising their French.

As the week wore on, they were more and more willing to take risks, which led not only to some very funny histoires* but some very valuable insights as well.

Time and time again, they reported being told that their little erreurs* were not only unimportant but actually charming. Although at first hard to believe, it does make sense if you were to reverse the situation. Imagine you’re in your home country and you’re speaking to someone for whom English is not their first language. Do you think poorly of them if they make the odd little slip up here and there? Probablement pas*. Well, it’s the same with your French. Even if a French person corrects your mistake, take it as a compliment. In most cases, they’re just highly impressed you’ve taken the time to learn their language and are trying to help you along the way. So don’t let the fear of making une gaffe* prevent you from striking out. You never know what you’ll miss out on.

When I’m tired or under stress (and isn’t that pretty much the definition of travelling, as great as it is?) my accent tends to slip and I can hear a slight Aussie twang come through. This always horrifies me and yet the reaction from French people is almost always a little smile.

After a big week in Paris, compounded by a very long delay at Gare Montparnasse, I arrived in Bordeaux dragging my feet. As much as I was excited to be there, I was absolutely épuisée* so jumped in the first cab I could find, eager to get to my new home. The chauffeur de taxi* was friendly, so we chatted for a couple of minutes about this and that. I was snapped out of my weariness, though, when he said: “J’adore votre petit accent.” The ‘petit’ was what gave it away. He meant he could discern an English accent of some description and my knee-jerk reaction was one of annoyance. To be fair it wouldn’t have taken much to annoy me at that point, but this felt like a low blow. I swear I wasn’t being spiteful but my next question was “Parlez-vous anglais*?”, to which he responded “Yes, a leetle” and went on to tell me he loved speaking English with tourists but was embarrassed by his accent. I, on the the hand, was utterly charmed by it and told him so. The circular nature of our exchange was not lost on me so I settled back and vowed just to enjoy the moment and to stop being so hung up on being perfect. We do learn a lot about ourselves when we travel, ça c’est sûr*.

*number 5 out of 10 | *on the ground | *put on the spot | *Hello, madam | *Good evening, sir | *a bit of courage | *guinea pigs | *I’m sorry, I didn’t understand but I want to practise my French. Could you repeat that slowly, please? | *My French isn’t very good, could you repeat that in French, please? | *I’m sorry, I’d like to practise my French. Is that okay? | *Can we speak in French? | *I’m sorry? | *put your shoulders back | *a golden ticket | *Teacher’s Pets | *really | *stories | *mistakes | *Probably not | *a boo-boo | *exhausted | *taxi driver | *I love your little accent | *that’s for sure

Fun French Word: Pantouflard

Is lounging chez nous* on the weekends more your style than attending a fabulous soirée*? Then you, mon ami(e)*, could quite possibly be un pantouflard*.

Roughly translating as ‘homebody’, this phrase comes from the word, pantoufles* – meaning slippers. A fan of the indoors, a pantouflard is someone who spends life in their house slippers.

The expression has been used for decades by authors, appearing as early as the 1920s. C’est charmant, non*?  

Photo by Lisa Fotios

*at your place | *party | *my friend | *a homebody | *slippers | *It’s charming, isn’t it?

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 4 of the Intermediate Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Dans le train en route à Oxford pour aller visiter la fameuse bibliothèque The Bodleian, j’ai essayé de lire un des petits livres en anglais que j’avais acheté le jour avant à Londres. Le texte était assez simple, mais je ne pouvais pas me concentrer. J’ai décidé alors de profiter de ce moment de solitude après toute l’activité du voyage.

Malheureusement, j’étais incapable de me calmer. J’étais bouleversée par tous les évènements des jours et semaines précédents. “Qui suis-je ?”, je me suis demandée et tout de suite, j’ai rigolé. “Quelle question, Leïla !” je me suis dit, mais je me sentais quand même mal à l’aise. Je ne savais plus si j’étais une bonne mère, une bonne femme, une bonne étudiante…oh là là ! La seule chose que dont j’étais sûre était le fait d’être ravie de me retrouver toute seule pour une fois de ma vie. Toute seule et…libre ? La question me troublait, alors j’étais bien contente quand le train est arrivé à la gare et je pouvais sortir pour commencer mon aventure.

En arrivant au foyer de la bibliothèque je me sentais tout de suite inspirée. Tous les livres, tous les étudiants et tout en anglais! C’était le paradis. Mon bonheur n’a pas duré très longtemps malheureusement quand j’ai vu la petite pancarte “Cardholders only”.

“C’est pas possible !” je me suis dit.

“Can I help you?” le bibliothécaire m’a demandé poliment.

“I hope so,” j’ai répondu. “I’m very sorry, but I don’t have a card. Je suis française.”

Tout d’un coup, j’ai entendu mon nom.

“Leïla ! Super, you’re here.”

“Simon !” je me suis exclamée. “Qu’est-ce que…”

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr Jeffries,” Simon a dit, “This charming young lady is helping me with some research and I, like a dolt, forgot to organise her a temporary card. You don’t mind do you?”

“Of course not, Simon. Off you go.”

Simon m’a dirigé vers l’entrée à la salle principale et a dit rapidement; “Ne dis rien.”

“Mais Simon, qu’est-ce que tu fais ?” j’ai demandé doucement. “Pourquoi tu es ici ?”

“Je peux te poser la même question, non ?” il a répondu, en souriant.

“Moi, je suis ici en Angleterre avec ma famille. Nous sommes venus en vacances. Je voulais pratiquer mon anglais.”

“C’est une très bonne idée, Leïla. Tu restes combien de temps ?”

“Juste une semaine. J’ai passé deux jours à Londres et je suis venue ici pour voir l’université et la bibliothèque en particulier. On me dit que c’est incroyable et je suis d’accord. Demain, je vais aller à Bath pour voir des amis de ma belle-sœur.”

“Vous allez à Bath ? Ah, bon ? Je connais Bath très bien, en fait - “

“Quiet please !” a dit un des étudiants derrière nous.

“Désolée,” je me suis excusée. “I mean, sorry.”

“Tiens, Leïla, je sais que tu veux est ici pour visiter la bibliothèque, mais il fait tellement beau, tu ne veux pas qu’on se promène dans les jardins botaniques avant de faire notre ‘travail’? Comme ça on peut se parler sans interruptions. Il y a même un vrai pub traditionnel près de la rivière où on peut s’installer en terrasse. Tu peux me raconter de ton voyage. En anglais, bien sûr !”

“Les Anglais, toujours à la recherche d’une excuse pour boire de la bière !” j’ai taquiné.

“Pas besoin d’excuse, Leïla. Belle journée, belle femme, belle coïncidence. Allez, on y va !”

J’étais hésitante, mais je n’ai pas dit non.

On the train on the way to Oxford to visit the famous Bodleian Library, I tried to read one of the little English books I had bought the day before in London. The text was quite simple, but I couldn't concentrate. So, I decided to make the most of this moment of solitude after all the hustle and bustle of the journey.

Unfortunately, I was unable to calm down. I was disturbed by all the events of the preceding days and weeks. "Who am I?" I wondered and immediately chuckled. "What a question, Leïla!" I thought to myself, but I still felt uneasy. I didn't know if I was a good mother, a good wife, a good student... oh dear! The only thing I was sure about was being delighted to find myself alone for once in my life. Alone, and... free? The question troubled me, so I was quite pleased when the train arrived at the station, and I could step out to begin my adventure.

Upon arriving at the library foyer, I immediately felt inspired. All the books, all the students, and everything in English! It was paradise. Unfortunately, my happiness didn't last long when I saw the small sign that read "Cardholders only."

"It can't be!" I said to myself.

"Can I help you?" the librarian asked politely.

"I hope so," I replied. "I’m very sorry, but I don’t have a card. Je suis française."

Suddenly, I heard my name.

"Leïla! Super, you’re here."

"Simon!" I exclaimed. "What..."

"I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Jeffries," Simon said. "This charming young lady is helping me with some research, and I, like a dolt, forgot to organise her a temporary card. You don’t mind, do you?"

"Of course not, Simon. Off you go."

Simon directed me to the entrance of the main hall and quickly said, "Don't say anything."

"But Simon, what are you doing?" I asked quietly. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same question, couldn’t I?" he replied, smiling.

"I'm here in England with my family. We're on vacation. I wanted to practise my English."

"That's a very good idea, Leïla. How long are you staying?"

"Just a week. I spent two days in London, and I came here to see the university and the library in particular. I've been told it's amazing, and I agree. Tomorrow, I'm going to Bath to visit some friends of my sister-in-law."

"You're going to Bath? Really? I know Bath very well, actually..."

"Quiet please!" one of the students behind us said.

"Pardon," I apologised. "I mean, sorry."

"Hey, Leïla, I know you're here to visit the library, but it's such a beautiful day. How about we take a stroll in the botanical gardens before we do our 'work'? That way, we can talk without interruption. There's even a real traditional pub near the river where we can sit outside. You can tell me about your trip. In English, of course!"

"The English, always looking for an excuse to drink beer!" I teased.

"No need for an excuse, Leïla. Beautiful day, beautiful woman, beautiful coincidence. Come on, let's go!"

I hesitated, but I didn't say no.

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 3 of the Intermediate Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

“Bon, changeons de sujet. Qu’est-ce que vous pensez faire demain ?” j’ai demandé mon frère, Hervé, en piquant une frite de son assiette.



“On pensait aller voir Big Ben. Amina voulait le montrer aux enfants et, moi, je voudrais le voir aussi. Et toi ? Tu veux venir avec nous ?”



“Oui, tout à fait. Je crois qu’Anouk aimerait aller le voir. Quoique…” j’ai hésité, pas sûre de vouloir continuer.



“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a, Leïla ?” Hervé m’a demandé. “Tu as un meilleure offre ?” il a taquiné.



“Non, bien sûr pas,” j’ai dit, un peu trop rapidement, en pensant au jeune homme qui m’avais tellement flattée cet plus tôt dans la journée. “C’est juste qu’hier, quand j’étais dans la librairie dont je te parlais, le vendeur a mentionné une bibliothèque à Oxford qui est apparemment incroyable. C’est une des bibliothèques les plus anciennes d’Europe et c’est un de mes rêves de la voir, mais bon, c’est loin et je ne peux absolument pas y aller avec Anouk. Tu peux imaginer si elle décide de faire une crise ? Oh, la honte ! Non, je ne peux pas, c’es trop compliqué.”



”Mais non, pas du tout ! On peut la garder, Leïla, ne t’inquiète pas. Elle peut venir avec nous pour voir Big Ben. Les filles seront ravies d’avoir leur grande cousine avec elles. J’insiste !”



“Ah, c’est gentil, Hervé, mais je ne peux pas. Deux jours de suite que vous gardez ma fille ? Je ne peux pas me permettre. J’aurai l’impression d’être une mauvaise mère !”



“Arrête, Leïla, tu es un super mère et tu es en vacances ! S’il te plaît, laisse-nous faire ça pour toi,” il a dit, en tenant me mains.



“Laisse-nous faire quoi, chéri ?” a demandé Amina, en s’installant de nouveau à la table avec les enfants.



“Je disais à Leïla qu’on peut garder Anouk demain. Elle veut aller visiter une bibliothèque à Oxford.”



“Le Bodleian ? Mais si, Leïla. Tu vas l’adorer ! Je suis allée le voir quand j’ai fait mon échange ici. C’est extraordinaire. C’est La Mecque pour les personnes qui adorent les livres. Tu dois y aller. J’insiste.”



“Bon, c’est parti ! Leïla, on peut prendre le petit-déjeuner ensemble à l’hôtel vers 07h00 et puis Amina peut t’expliquer comment y aller. Tu m’as dit que tu y es allée en train, non, mon amour ?”



“Oui, c’est bien ça. C’est vraiment très facile, Leïla, et le voyage est très agréable. Tu peux te détendre, regarder le paysage qui passe, lire un peu. En fait, je vais devenir un peu jalouse si on n’arrête pas de parler de ça, donc c’est décidé. Tu vas aller à Oxford demain et on va garder les trois filles.”

“

Chouette, c’est un plan,” a dit Hervé, avec un grand sourire. “Tu mérites un peu de temps pour toi,” il a ajouté, et il a jeté un coup d’œil à Amina rapidement.



“Mais arrêtez, vous deux, avec ces regards ! D’accord, c’est parti, je vais y aller ! Oh là, là !” j’ai dit en rigolant.

“Anyway, let’s change the subject. What are you thinking of doing tomorrow?” I asked my brother, Hervé, stealing a chip from his plate.

“We were thinking of going to see Big Ben. Amina would like to show it to the kids and I’d like to see it, too. And you? Do you want to come with us?”

“Yes, absolutely. I think Anouk would like to go and see it. Although…” I hesitated, not sure to wan to continue.

“What is it, Leïla?” Hervé asked me. “Do you have a better offer?” he teased.

“No, of course not,” I said, a bit too quickly, thinking of the charming young man who had so flattered me earlier that day. “It’s just that yesterday, when I was in the bookshop I was telling you about, the sales assistant mentioned a library in Oxford that’s apparently incredible. It’s one of the oldest libraries in Europe and it’s one of my dreams to see it, but you know, it’s far away and I absolutely cannot go there with Anouk. Can you imagine if she decided to have a tantrum? How embarrassing! No, I can’t, it’s too hard.”

“But no, not at all! We can look after her, Leïla, don’t worry. She can come with us to see Big Ben. The girls will be delighted to have their big cousin with them. I insist!”

“Oh, it’s kind of you, Hervé, but I can’t. Two days in a row that you look after my daughter? I can’t do that. I’ll feel like a bad mother!”

“Stop, Leïla, you are a fantastic mother and you’re on holidays! Please, let us do that for you,” he said, taking my hands in his.

“Let us do what, darling?” asked Amina, settling in once again at the table with the children.

“I was saying to Leïla that we can look after Anouk tomorrow. She wants to go and visit a library in Oxford.”

“The Bodleian? But yes, Leïla. You are going to love it! I went to see it when I did my exchange here. It’s extraordinary. It’s Mecca for people who love books. You must go. I insist.”

“Right, that’s sorted! Leïla, we can have breakfast together in the hotel at about 7am and then Amina can explain for to get there. You told me you went by train, didn’t you, my love?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s really very easy, Leïla, and the trip is really lovely. You can relax, look at the passing view, read a bit. In facvt, I am going to become a bit jealous if we don’t stop talking about it, so it’s decided. You arte going to go to Oxford tomorrow and we are going to look after the three girls.”

“Great, that’s a plan,” Hervé said, grinning broadly. “You deserve a bit of time to yourself,” he said, and he stole a quick glance at Amina.

“But stop it you two with these looks! Okay, it’s happening, I’m going to go. Oh là là!” I said, laughing.

Swings and roundabouts

If you’ve veered off the French path and onto the chemin* of Russian literature at some point, you’re likely familiar with this quote from Leo Tolstoy:

”Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Tolstoy wrote this in 1875, and yet is was not until nearly 125 years later that his observation was scientifically proven. Psychologists Paul Rozin and Edward Royzman published a study in 2001 showing that humans have a cognitive bias towards the negative. That is, as a race, we feel negative events more intensely and they tend to have a more significant impact on our psychological states than positive events.

When I first found out about this, it made so much sense. I’ve always thought of myself as a positive person in the main, yet my day-to-day thoughts often veer towards the negative. I was curieuse* - why do we do this?

According to the research, it’s a question of l’évolution*. Historically, the potential price to pay for under-reacting to a perceived risk or negative event is much greater than overacting to one that turns out to be benign. Though thankfully in daily life we’ve mostly rid ourselves of the need for a physical ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ response, this negativity bias is still in our history as well as our DNA, it seems. Here are a couple of examples of where it’s in evidence even today:

1. The sensation of pain is more keenly felt than the absence of pain and we therefore have many more words to describe acute pain than we do extreme pleasure.
2. We’re more inclined to look for causes of negative events than positive ones. For example, analyses of wars are plentiful, but very few studies are done on periods of peace.
3. As those clever Russians (again) say: “A spoonful of tar can spoil a barrel of honey, but a spoonful of honey does nothing for a barrel of tar”.

So it seems it’s completely natural to view most of our life’s events, whether quotidiens* or très importants* through a slightly negative lens.
Despite all of this though, I can tell you with 100% certainty that a recent hit of tennis with my friend was just flat out awful. I mean, really bad.

Do you remember that in a previous post I mentioned the goal of a 100-point tennis rally? That day, my friend and I would have been lucky to have made it to three. The harder we tried, the worse it got, to the point where we ended up in fits of laughter because we were both just SO BAD. We’re also both pretty competitive, though, so although we were laughing, in our heart of hearts we just couldn’t give up the fight. Unfortunately, with each renewed effort, things just continued to go south.

To make matters worse, a couple of guys who’d booked the court after us turned up early for their slot. We’d seen them play before and they were absolute guns and (lucky us) that day, they had nothing better to do than to watch as we floundered, missed and shanked our way to the end of our allotted time. As we walked off the court, they asked pleasantly (and without a trace of sarcasm) “Good game, girls?”. You can imagine our reply. We launched into how bad we were, how hopeless, how it was almost a joke how bad we were, and on and on we went until one of them interrupted us with:

“Any day you’re out here is a good day, though.”

We smiled and agreed, but inwardly I was rolling my eyes and I know Tanya probably was, too. The comment seemed flippant and trite and I grumbled my way home vowing to never be that bad again.

It was only a few days later, when teaching a class, that it struck me just how true the statement really is. I’m not even talking from an “every day on earth spent above ground is a bonus” way, though I think can agree on that one as well. What I mean more precisely (and what I think our tennis sage was trying to remind us) is that every day you put a racket in your hand is of benefit to you. In the case of French, each time you pick up a pencil, pull out a verb table, crack the spine of a workbook, think of a word in the shower or turn up to class it is a win. No matter how you feel you perform on any given day, you simply come away with more experience and that in invaluable.

My sincere hope is that you don’t have the exaggerated negative bias I seem to have for my tennis. As a tutor, I have never once thought “Oh gee, so-and-so’s having a bad day today”. Yes, some days you may make more errors than usual, or draw a blank on a word I know you know, but I take it as read that by the end of the lesson, you’ve progressed, because you have! You’ve got more runs on the board, if you’ll allow me to mix my sporting metaphors.

Although most of us don’t revel in making mistakes, they are fantastic teachers. There are words in French I will never, ever forget and they stick because I associate them with embarrassing situations where I mucked them up. I remember when I was living in France there was a canicule* one summer and my little apartment was turning into a rôtissoire* with each passing heure*. I took myself off to my local Monoprix to buy a fan and asked the sales assistant “Où sont les aspirateurs*?” in my best French. It was only when she led me over to the vacuum cleaners that I realised my mistake. Naturellement, j’ai rougi* but I have never forgotten the word ventilateur* and likely never will.

This is one of the benefits of learning in a group setting, as well. You’re able to observe others stumble and stammer where you may not, or look on in awe as someone manages to utter a perfect sentence. And then five minutes later, the tables will likely turn, and turn again, and turn once more and the whole while, you’re learning, both from others’ mistakes and your own.

Whether your faux pas* is a simple slip up or a series of them, the trick is to not let it define your appreciation of what you’re achieving. With every renewed attempt, you’re moving your French along in the right direction. Et tu sais quoi*? The next time Tanya and I played we absolutely creamed it. Ce que l'on gagne d'un côté, on le perd de l’autre*, as the French say. So don’t give up. 

*path | *curious | *evolution | *daily | *very important | *heatwave | *rotisserie | *hour | *Where are the fans? | *Naturally, I blushed | *fan | *mistake (literally: false step) | *And you know what? | *The money that you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts. (literally: what we win on one side, we lose on the other)

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 2 of the Intermediate Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

“Bon, dis-moi tout, Hervé. Je te connais très bien et j’ai vu le regard entre vous deux. Tu as quelque chose à me dire ?” J’étais énervée, mais c’est vrai que j’avais un peu peur aussi à propos de ce que mon frère allait me dire.

“Ben, non c’est rien, Leïla,” il a dit, mais il rougissait un peu et était mal à l’aise. C’était clair.

“Rien ? Je l’ai vu, Hervé ! En fait, j’en ai vu deux ! Pourquoi vous vous regardiez comme ça ?” j’ai insisté.

“C’est juste que tu avais l’air un peu inquiet à propos de ta conversation avec Jean-Louis,” il a répondu.

“Et, alors ?” j’ai demandé.

“Alors, récemment, je ne sais pas comment dire ça, mais Amina et moi, nous avons l’impression que peut-être tu n’es pas complètement heureuse,” il a admis. Il avait une expression grave.

“Comment ça, pas heureuse ?” j’ai demandé. “Hervé, c’est normal ! J’ai trois petits enfants, je fais mes études et j’ai un mari qui…”

“Qui…” a répété Hervé. “Qui quoi, Leïla ?”

“Un mari qui…” j’ai commencé, mais je n’étais pas capable de terminer la phrase. Qui était la femme que j’avais entendu quand j’ai appelé ? Ou est-ce que je l’imaginais ? Perdue dans mes pensées, j’ai sursauté lorsque mon frère a pris ma main avec douceur.

“Leïla, écoute-moi. Comme je t’ai dit, tu me connais très bien. Ben, je te connais très bien aussi, tu sais. Je n’ai pas besoin de connaître les détails, mais je veux que tu saches que tu peux toujours me parler. Je suis là pour toi. Amina, aussi. On t’aime bien, Leïla, et on ne veut pas que tu sois malheureuse. C’est une des raisons pourquoi on t’a demandé de nous accompagner lors de ce voyage. On voyait que tu étais soucieuse, et on s’est dit que ça serait une bonne idée pour toi de venir avec nous pour changer tes idées un peu. Tu es ma petite sœur et mon rôle est de te protéger.”

“Me protéger de quoi exactement, Hervé ?” j’ai demandé, “Je ne suis plus une enfant.”

“Je connais ça bien, Leïla. Peut-être que ‘protéger’ n’était pas le bon mot. Je veux m’assurer que tu sois heureuse, c’est tout.”

“Merci, j’e l’apprécie bien, Hervé. Et tu n’as pas tort. Je ne suis pas totalement heureuse mais je ne sais pas pourquoi. Je vais réfléchir un peu. Peut-être que j’essaie de trop faire en ce moment, avec les enfants, mes études, tout ça. Ce n’est pas facile de tout jongler, tu sais,” j’ai admis. “C’est pour cette raison que je suis tellement connaissante d’être ici, avec vous. Je ne peux pas le croire !”

“Profite bien, alors, frangine !” Hervé a dit et il a souri chaleureusement. “Et n’oublie pas qu’on est toujours là pour toi.”

“Merci mon frangin,” je lui ai dit. “Je l’apprécie beaucoup.”

“Right, tell me everything, Hervé. I know you very well and I saw the look between you two. Do you have something to say to me?” I was annoyed, but it’s true I was also a little afraid about what my brother was going to say to me.

“Well, no it’s nothing, Leïla,” he said, but he was blushing a little and was ill at ease. It was obvious.

“Nothing? I saw it, Hervé. In fact, I saw two of them! Why were you looking at each other like that?” I insisted.

“It’s just that you seemed a bit worried about your conversation with Jean-Louis,” he responded.

“And, so?” I asked.

“So, recently, I don’t know how to say this, but Amina and I, we’ve got the impression that perhaps you’re not totally happy,” he admitted. He had a serious expression.

“What do you mean, not happy?” I asked. “Hervé, it’s normal! I have three little kids, my studies and I have a husband who…”

“Who…” repeated Hervé. “Who what, Leïla?”

“A husband who…” I started but I was incapable of finishing the sentence. Who was the woman I heard when I called? Or was I imagining it? Lost in my thoughts, I jumped when my brother took my hand kindly.

“Leïla, listen to me. You said you know me very well. Well, I know you very well, too, you know. I don’t need to know the details, but I want you to know you can always speak to me. I am here for you. Amina, too. We really love you, Leïla, and we don’t want you to be unhappy. It’s one of the reasons we asked you to come with us on this trip. We saw that you weren’t yourself, so we said to ourselves that it would be a good idea for you to come with us to get away from it all for a bit. You’re my little sister and my role is to protect you.”

“Protect me from what exactly, Hervé?” I asked. “I’m not a child anymore.”

“I know that, Leïla. Maybe ‘protect’ wasn’t the right word. I just want to be sure that you’re happy, that’s all.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate that, Hervé. And you’re not wrong. I’m not totally happy but I don’t know why. I’m going to think about it a bit. Maybe I’m trying to do too much at the moment, with the children, my studies, all that. It’s not easy to juggle it all, you know,” I admitted. “That’s why I am so grateful to be here, with you. I can’t believe it!”

“So make the most of it, sis!” Hervé said and he smiled warmly. “And don’t forget I’m always there for you.”

“Thanks bro,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

Sent to the fence

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably in a bit of a hurry to learn French. By that, I don’t necessarily mean you have an upcoming trip or are about to take a new job in a French-speaking country. I just mean that you’re very keen to get better and dream of the day when French words will flow effortlessly out of your bouche*.

I remember when I first got serious about my French. I have a very clear vision of my bedroom floor being strewn with verb conjugations on lined foolscap pages with those little white circles around the holes to stop them from tearing out of the lever arch files (remember them?). We only graduated to those ever-awkward files in upper school if I recall. I also have no memory of my sister (with whom I shared a room) being mad about the mess for once, so she must have already left to go off to university in Perth. My best guess, therefore, would be Year 11, which means I’d been doing French for several years before I really knuckled down.

Our teachers must have been extremely patient with us as we fumbled our way through our verbs, mangling and mispronouncing the conjugations in our rush to achieve fluency. I imagine they didn’t have a lot of choice, mind you. This was coastal semi-rural Western Australia in the 80s. I suppose they were taking a ‘softly, softly’ approach in order to avoid losing us to the much stronger forces of the time: the beach and boys. I’ll be forever grateful to the language department at my local high school for opening our eyes to the world beyond our Puberty Blues-esque origins. They really were battling a pretty strong cultural current.

So, possibly motivated by a short exchange I did to l’Île de la Réunion* in Year 10, I must have decided it was time to get serious about my French. I did so by writing out reams and reams of verb conjugations. I did it because I loved French, but I must admit, too, that it satisfied the slightly obsessive part of me that dogs/helps me to this day. Yes, I had to brush them up a little many moons later when I started Lingua Franca, but the intellectual muscle memory was there, so the process was more agréable* than laborieux*.

I have no such muscle memory when it comes to tennis, as I must have only played it for a season or two as a child. This is an unfortunate fact for my tennis coach, though he wears it with patience and grace. One of the kindest and friendliest men I’ve ever met, he nevertheless lets me get away with absolument rien*.

At a recent lesson, before I even got a ball in my hand, Vince asked me to shadow his stroke with my racket in an attempt to get the fundamentals of the forehand swing down pat. We did this with our backs to the fence to the side of the court so as to shorten my swing and therefore reduce the margin for error. When he was satisfied I was close to mimicking his stroke, he allowed me onto the court, and started gently lobbing balls to my forehand side, reminding me that the technique was more important than the result.

Though my ears received the message, my body did not react as it was simultaneously receiving a message from my brain that screamed “imagine if I absolutely creamed this ball and hit a winner?”. Naturally, any technique I may have possessed just a minute or two before was instantly forgotten and as though to underscore my recalcitrance as a student, my ball went straight into the net. Vince let this go a couple of times (as I mentioned, he really is très patient*), but as more and more of my balls found the net, he suggested that we may need to return to the fence, sans ballon*, to go over the technique once again.

Naturellement*, I didn’t want to do this, so I tried harder and harder to whack the ball over the net, which caused me to tighten up and, well, you can probably imagine the rest. Being sent to the corner, like when we were in primary school is called aller au piquet* in French, and with my head slightly bowed and my sneakers dragging across the court to the sideline, Vince probably wondered if he wasn’t, in fact, dealing with une petite gamine*, rather than a fully-grown 51-year-old femme*.

In case you haven’t already gathered, being sent to the fence is the sportif* equivalent of being told to learn your verbs.

So many of you express the desire to just “speak, speak, speak!” and we, as your tutors, are here to facilitate that, of course, but it is also truly what we’d love for you to be able to do. There’s nothing better than looking at a student you’ve been teaching for months or perhaps years on end, and one day suddenly realising they actually speak French! It’s as rewarding for us as it is enriching for you. Sometimes, though, achieving that goal does mean we have to suggest that you spend some time back against the fence in order to come back to the playing field of speaking better prepared to claim your victory.

By the way, I’ve noticed over the years that there are periods where you can skate by without really mastering your verbs…and then there are times (often months later, when you’re least expecting it) when that fence will be looming. In my experience, and according to the Lingua Franca system) they are:

1. At the end of Absolute Beginner Revision: you really want to have mastered the verbs être, avoir, aller and faire in the present by then, simply so you can enjoy seeing just how much you can already say based on these crucial verbs. It’s a lot.

2. Intermediate 1: this is where we introduce the imparfait (imperfect tense). While the concept of the imparfait can be tricky, the conjugation is relatively simple. Simple, that is, if you learned the conjugations of the 20 slightly irregular verbs we taught you back in Beginner 1, such as dormir, sortir, mettre, boire, prendre et al. Ringing any bells? The reason' they’re crucial is that in order to find the stem for the imparfait you must go to the ‘nous’ form of the present tense, and if you find yourself guessing at that, put down the ball, slink over the fence and start limbering up.

3. Advanced 2: for a similar reason as above, in order to be able to conjugate the subjunctive tense, you need to know your present tense ‘ils/elles’ conjugations. We find that when students aren’t 100% confident with these, it really does add unnecessary stress to learning this rather abstruse concept.

La morale de cette histoire*? A little bit of effort goes a long way. Do your future self a kindness by committing your current one to learning a verb conjugation a day. Here’s the first one to get you started. It’s one people commonly get wrong when trying to take their first steps in speaking in the imparfait. Je t’en prie*.

BOIRE - to drink

je bois 
tu bois
il/elle/on boit
nous buvons
vous buvez
ils/elles boivent

Therefore, to say ‘I was drinking’, we take the ‘nous’ form of the present tense conjugation, remove the -ons and add the imperfect endings. So, je buvais = I was drinking. Voilà*!

Next month, in an effort to remain at all times contraire*, we’ll look at how every time you turn up to French is a win. Until then, maybe buy a pack of 500 loose leaf A4 sheets and see how much damage you can do. Bon courage*.

*mouth | *Reunion Island | *enjoyable | *laborious | *absolutely nothing | *very patient | *without the ball | *Naturally | *to be sent to the corner | *a little girl | *woman | *sporty | *The moral of the story? | *There you go | *contrary | *Good luck

Fun French expression: Raconter des salades

From chanter en yaourt*  to tomber dans les pommes*, the French language is awash with whimsical phrases. And, if you’re finding your chat a bit lacking, here’s another fun one to spice up your next conversation: raconter des salades*.  

Directly translated as ‘to tell salads’, this expression dating back to the 19th Century means to spin yarns, tell tall tales or, simply, mentir*.

Pourquoi des salades*? Because they’re made with a mix of colourful ingredients. And, if you racontes des salades*, so is your story. Cute, non*?

PS. Here are a few more handy expressions to have up your sleeve if you think someone is pulling your leg.

Tu racontes des bobards – you’re fibbing
Elle raconte des bêtises – she’s talking nonsense
Il raconte des conneries – he’s bullshitting
Tu racontes des craques – you’re lying

*fake singing/ fudging song lyrics | *fainting | *to spin yarns | *to lie | *Why salads? | *no

Go high or simplify

You probably know that English and French share many of the same words. There’s a very good reason for that, and if you’re at all interested in history, you may enjoy this article about the influence of French on the English language during the Norman Invasion in the time of Guillaume le Conquérant*.

To paraphrase, when William the Conqueror invaded England, he brought with him the French Norman language which was spoken at court. The masses, by contrast, continued to speak English. For this reason, words used by farmers, such as cow, pig and deer remained English, whereas when the flesh of those animals was prepared to be eaten at the lavish banquets of the court, the words ‘boeuf’ (beef), ‘porc’ (pork) and ‘venaison’ (venison) were used instead. Though the Normans sont partis* 300 years later, traces of the French language of course remained.

La bonne nouvelle* is that we can use this little history lesson to our advantage when speaking French.

If you find yourself stuck on a word, say for example ‘money’, try elevating your thinking to that of a king. Would he waste his time talking about grubby money? No, he’d be talking finance* of course.

Or perhaps you want to describe something that is ‘over the top’. Rather than search your brain for those three words, which are unlikely to translate directly as the phrase is somewhat idiomatic, try for a more formal way to explain the same sentiment. Extravagant is a word shared by both French and English, so apply your best French accent to it and you’re away! The fact that up to 45% of French and English words are the same or similar means it’s definitely worth a try. And the more soutenu* the word, the more likely you’ll be to pull it off.

As an example, in a recent class, one of our students, Tracey, was searching for the word ‘weather report’. She looked at me quizzically for help and I told to her to ‘go high’, hoping she’d choose the word meteorology (la météo is used in French for the weather bulletin). Instead, and almost as a joke, she said ‘la prédiction’? and guess what? She was right.

Conversely, if ever you’re getting yourself tied up in knots about how to say a word in French, try to bring yourself back to basics. Imagine the vocabulary of a young child. Do they know the word ‘novel’? Probablement pas*, but they do know the word ‘book’ and I bet you do, too, in French. 

Perhaps you want to talk about a politician addressing the nation. Could you instead say she was speaking to them? I know it can be uncomfortable to express yourself in such a rudimentary (simple?) way, but rather get your message across than stop, stumble and then give up. As I’ve said before, the aim of the game is to keep the conversation flowing.

So, if you find yourself stuck, remember, go high or simplify. It’s a skill that takes practice, but I promise you, your efforts will be well-rewarded.


*William the Conqueror | *left | *The good news | *finance | *formal/high level | *Probably not

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, the first chapter of the Intermediate Revision level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

“C’est officiel. J’adore Londres !” Hervé a dit, en regardant autour de lui.

“Moi aussi,” Amina a répondu, en buvant son verre de vin blanc. Nous étions assis sur la terrasse d’un petit pub rue Neal avec les enfants. Il faisait beau, il y avait beaucoup de personnes dans les rues du quartier et l’ambience était fantastique.

“C’est tellement agréable d’être ici de nouveau” a continué Amina. “J’ai de très bons souvenirs de cette ville.”

“Et toi, Leïla, tu as passé une bonne journée ?” a demandé mon frère.

“Pardon ?” ai-je dit.

“Ça va, Leïla ? Tu as l’air distrait” a dit Amina, ma belle sœur. “Ou peut-être tu es fatiguée finalement ? Nous avons fait la sieste, mais pas toi. Tu veux rentrer ? On peut manger à l’hôtel si tu veux.”

“Non, c’est gentil, Amina, mais tout va bien. Alors, qu’est-ce qu’on va manger ?” ai-je demandé pour changer le sujet.

“Je peux avoir le poisson et les frites, maman ?” a demandé Anouk.

“Oui, bien sûr, ma chérie… si tu peux le dire en anglais.”

“Je voudrais….ze…feesh and ships, s’il te plaît.”

“Très bien, ma chérie. Je suis fière de toi. Peut-être qu’un jour tu feras un échange ici en Angleterre, comme ta tatie Amina.”

“Les autres enfants te manquent, Leïla ?” a demandé Amina.

“Oui, bien sûr. Elles me manquent beaucoup.”

“Tu leur as parlé aujourd’hui ?” Hervé a demandé.

“Oui, cet après-midi. Enfin, j’ai appelé pour dire coucou mais elles dormaient,” ai-je expliqué.

“Ah, quel dommage, Leïla,” a répondu Amina. “Jean-Louis va bien ? Il a tout sous contrôle ?”

J’ai regardé la carte avec attention et je n’ai rien dit.

“Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ?” a demandé Hervé, concerné.

“Ah, ce n’est rien. C’est juste que… ah non, ce n’est pas grave,” ai-je dit, hésitante.

J’ai levé la tête et j’ai vu un regard passer entre Hervé et Amina.

“Quoi ?” ai-je dit. “Pourquoi vous vous regardez comme ça ?”

“On ne se regardait pas, Leïla. De quoi tu parles ? Continue, tu disais quelque chose,” a dit Hervé.

“Ce n’est rien, c’est juste que j’avais l’impression que Jean-Louis ne voulait pas trop me parler,” ai-je admis. J’avais trop peur de leur réaction en disant que j’ai cru entendre la voix d’une femme inconnue quand j’ai appelé.

Hervé et Amina se sont regardés une deuxième fois.

“Et voilà ! Vous venez de vous regarder encore ! Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ?” Je devenais un peu agitée.

Amina a rougi, et elle s’est tournée vers les enfants. “Alors qu’est-ce qu’on va manger, les filles ?”

Hervé n’a rien dit.

“Et, alors ?” J’ai regardé Hervé. Tu veux dire quelque chose ? Dis-le, Hervé ! J’ai vu le regard entre vous deux. Qu’est-ce qu’il y a ? Dis-moi !”

“Excusez-moi,” a dit Amina timidement. “Je vais aux toilettes avec les enfants avant que nous mangions.”

“Très bien,” a dit Hervé, et Amina s’est levée et s’est dépêchée d’aller vers les toilettes avec les filles.

“Bon, elle est partie. Dis-moi tout, Hervé.”

“It’s official. I love London!” Hervé said, looking around him.

“Me too,” Amina responded, drinking her glass of white wine. We were seated on the terrace of a pub on Neal Street with the kids. It was nice weather, there were lots of people in the streets of the area and the atmosphere was fantastic. “It’s so nice to be back here again,” continued Amina. “I have very good memories of this city.”

“And you, Leïla, did you have a good day?” asked my brother.

“Sorry?” I said.

“Are you okay, Leïla? You seem distracted,” said Amina, my sister-in-law. “Or maybe you’re tired finally? We had a nap, but not you. Do you want to go back? We can eat at the hotel if you want.”

“No, that’s kind, Amina, but everything’s fine. So, what are we going to eat?” I asked in order to change the subject.

“Can I have the fish and chips, Mum?” asked Anouk.

“Yes, of course, my darling…if you can say it in English.”

“I would like….ze…feesh and ships, please.”

“Very good, my darling. I am proud of you. Maybe one day you’ll do an exchange here in England like your Aunty Amina.”

“Are you missing the other children, Leïla?” asked Amina.

“Yes, of course, I’m missing them a lot.”

“Did you speak to them today?” Hervé asked.

“Yes, this afternoon. Well, I called to say hi but they were sleeping,” I explained.

“Oh, what a shame, Leïla,” responded Amina. “Is Jean-Louis going well? Does he have everything under control?”

I looked at the menu attentively and didn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong?” asked Hervé, concerned.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that…oh no, it’s not serious,” I said, hesitantly.

I lifted my head and saw a look pass between Hervé and Amina.

“What?” I said. “Why are you looking at each other like that?”

“We weren’t looking at each other, Leïla. What are you talking about? Continue, you were saying something,” Hervé said.

“It’s nothing, it’s just that I had the impression that he didn’t want to talk to me too much,” I admitted. I was too scared of their reaction to say that I thought I heard an unknown woman’s voice when I called.

Hervé and Amina looked at each other a second time.

“And there you go! You’ve just looked at each other again! What is it?” I was becoming a bit agitated.

Amina blushed and she turned towards the children. “So, what are we going to eat, girls?”

Hervé didn’t say anything.

“And, so?” I looked at Hervé. “Do you want to say something? Say it, Hervé! I saw the look between you two. What’s up? Tell me!”

“Excuse me,” said Amina timidly. “I’m going to the toilets with the girls before we eat.”

“Very well”, said Hervé, and Anna got up and hurried towards the toilets with the girls.

“Right, she’s gone. Tell me everything, Hervé.”

La Petite Histoire

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, the final chapter of the Intermediate 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

En entrant dans la librairie, j’ai eu le souffle coupé.

“Je crois que je suis au paradis !” je me suis dit. J’ai levé la tête pour voir les cinq étages, totalement bordés de livres de toute sorte.

Tout de suite, un jeune homme s’est approché de moi. “Hello, madam, can I help you at all?”

“Bonjour, euh, pardon…Hello,” j’ai dit en rougissant.

“Vous êtes française, madame ?”

“Oui,” j’ai dit. “Vous aussi ?”

“Non, je suis anglais, mais je parle français aussi,” il a répondu en souriant. “Vous préférez parler en anglais ou en français ?”

Je voulais pratiquer mon anglais (c’était la raison principale pour mon voyage, après tout), mais je me sentais un peu timide, je dois admettre. “French?” j’ai répondu et il a rigolé.

“Oui, bien sûr, madame. Avec grand plaisir.”

“Ah merci, c’est gentil. C’est mon premier jour ici à Londres, et c’est difficile pour moi de trouver les mots en anglais en ce moment.”

“Je comprends totalement, madame. Quand j’ai étudié le français à l’université, nous avons fait un échange en France et je me rappelle très bien de mon premier jour. J’ai eu peur d’ouvrir ma bouche !”

“Mais vous parlez tellement bien français, c’est difficile à croire,” j’ai dit.

“Vous me flattez, madame,” il a dit et j’ai rougi de nouveau.

Pour changer de sujet, je lui ai dit: “Cette librairie est extraordinaire. Cinq étages de livres en anglais, c’est mon rêve !”

“Oui, moi, je l’adore aussi, mais si vous aimez la langue anglaise, vous devez visiter The Bodleian Library à Oxford. C’est magnifique. Il y a plus d’un million de livres.”

“Oh là, là !” je me suis exclamée.

“Oh là, là !” il m’a taquiné, “You really are French ! Si je peux me permettre, comment vous appelez-vous ?” il m’a demandé.

“My name is Leïla,” j’ai dit lentement.

“Well, a pleasure to meet you, Leïla. Je m’appelle Will. À votre service.”

“Enchantée, Will, mais je regarde seulement.”

“C’est dommage,” il a dit et pour la troisième fois depuis cinq minutes, j’ai rougi.

“Je dois…I have to go now,” j’ai dit et je me suis dépêchée vers la porte.

“N’oubliez pas The Bodleian, Leïla !” il a crié “Et profitez de votre temps ici en Angleterre !”

“Oh là, là !” je me suis exclamée de nouveau en fermant la porte. “Ces hommes anglais !”

Je ne savais pas exactement pourquoi, mais tout d’un coup j’avais envie de parler à mes filles.

Il y avait une cabine téléphonique rouge juste à côté de la bibliothèque. J’ai appelé l’hôtel de Jean-Louis, mais le réceptionniste m’a dit qu’il n’était pas là. J’ai décidé d’appeler la maison et j’étais surprise quand il a répondu tout de suite.

“Chéri, c’est moi. Pourquoi tu n’es pas au travail ? Où sont les filles ? Elles sont avec toi ?”

“Ma belle, comment vas-tu? Tout va bien à Londres?” Jean-Louis a demandé. Il avait l’air un peu stressé.

“Oui, super, merci. Mais tout vas bien? Où sont les filles ? Elles sont avec ta mère?”

“Ne t’inquiète pas, Leïla, elles sont ici, avec moi. Nous sommes rentrés pour récupérer plus de vêtements.”

“Oh, elles sont là ? Je peux leur dire coucou ? Elles me manquent tellement.”

“Euh….non, désolée, ma belle, elles dorment.” Jean-Louis avait l’air distrait.

“Elles dorment ? À cinq heures de l’après-midi ?”

Et là, j’ai entendu la voix d’une femme, et ce n’était pas ma belle-mère. 

Upon entering the bookstore, I caught my breath.

“I think I’m in heaven!” I said to myself. I lifted my head to look at the five levels, totally lined with books of all sorts.

Straight away, a young man came up to me. “Hello, madam, can I help you at all?”

“Bonjour, um, sorry…Hello,” I said, blushing.

“Are you French, madam?”

“Yes,” I said. “You too?”

“No, I’m English, but I speak French as well,” he replied, smiling. “Do you prefer to speak in English or in French?”

I wanted to practise my English (it was the main reason for my trip, after all), but I felt a bit shy, I have to admit. “French?” I answered and he laughed.

“Yes, of course, madam. With much pleasure.”

“Oh thank you, that’s kind. It’s my first day here in London, and it’s difficult for me to find the words in English at the moment.”

“I understand totally, madam. When I studied French at university, we did an exchange and I remember very well my first day. I was scared to open my mouth!”

“But you speak French so well, it’s difficult to believe,” I said.

“You flatter me, madam,” he said and I blushed again.

To change the subject, I said to him: “This bookstore is extraordinary. Five levels of books in English, it’s my dream!”

“Yes, I love it, too, but if you like the English language, you must visit the Bodleian Library in Oxford. It’s magnificent. There are more than a million books.”

“Oh là, là !” I exclaimed.

“Oh là, là !” he teased me. “You really are French. If I may allow myself, what is your name?” he asked me.

“My name is Leïla,” I said slowly.

“Well, a pleasure to meet you, Leïla. My name is Will. At your service.”

“Pleased to meet you, Will, but I’m only looking.”

“That’s a shame,” he said and for the third time in five minutes, I blushed.

“Je dois…I have to go now,” I said and I hurried towards the door.

“Don’t forget The Bodleian, Leïla!” he cried, “and make the most of your time here in England!”

“Oh là, là !” I exclaimed to myself again as I closed the door. “These English men!”

I didn’t know exactly why, but all of a sudden I felt like talking to my girls.

There was a red phone box just next to the bookstore.I called Jean-Louis’ hotel but the receptionist told me he wasn’t there. I decided to call the house and I was surprised when he responded straight away.

“Darling, it’s me. Why aren’t you at work? Where are the girls? Are they with you?”

“My beauty, how are you? Is everything going well in London?” Jean-Louis asked. He seemed a bit stressed.

“Yes, great, thanks. But is everything okay? Where are the girls? Are they with your mother?”

“Don’t worry Leïla, they’re here, with me. We came back to pick up some more clothes.”

“Oh, they’re there? Can I say a quick hi? I miss them so much.”

“Um…no, sorry, my beauty, they’re sleeping.” Jean-Louis seemed distracted.

“They’re sleeping? At five o’clock in the afternoon?”

“And then, I heard a woman’s voice, and it wasn’t my mother-in-law’s.

Walk before you can run

Last month, I started down my Top 5 list of tips for speaking French. I hope you’ve been practising recently and have started to see les fruits de tes efforts*. Don’t be discouraged if you feel you’ve not made great strides. As tutors we know it’s sometimes difficult for students to see their progress, but if you’ve made any attempts at all, you’re more experienced and almost certainly better than you were before you did so. Allez*! Let’s get onto Top Tip #2.

Boring, je sais*, especially when you’re dying to speak French fluently. I mentioned in a previous post to think about slowing down your speech, as if communicating an important message to a four-year-old (do…not…put…the mobile phone…in….the toilet), but I feel it’s worth a bit of elaboration again this month.

It’s important not to run before you can walk and one way you can do this is to consciously slow down your speech, or rather, as this is more often the problem, your thoughts.

We’re so used to thinking and speaking at lightning speed in our own language that sometimes we try to do the same in French. You’ve put in so much time to learn your vocabulary, conjugate your verbs, remember the difference between au, du, de la, aux (or is it en, or dans - oh mon dieu*!) that by the time you come to speak, your head is an electric field, firing shots all over the place with the result that when it comes time to open your bouche*, your brain has seized up and you just draw a big, fat blank. Please let me assure you this is incredibly common and absolutely normal. However, if you launch into speaking in that frame of mind, ça va mal finir*. 

If you don’t make a conscious effort to slow down your racing mind and therefore your speech, instead of inching slowly towards the rabbit hole we all know so well, you race right into it and then can’t get out. Remember, le but* is to keep the conversation going. What usually happens by going too fast out of the gates is we strike a word we have no idea how to say very early on. We, as tutors, see it all the time. The student’s brow furrows first, then eye contact is lost because we tend to look up and to the left when we’re trying to remember something. This is followed by an awkward pause and almost guaranteed, our valiant Chouchou* will break into English with “Ugh, how do you say XYZ in French?” and the momentum is lost. Worse (and I know I’ve been guilty of this), the student reaches for their phone or dictionary, picks up their pencil and enters their own little world as they look for the word they think will get them out of their dilemma. In my experience, even I do find it, the person to whom I’m speaking has lost interest by that point and it’s very hard to pick up the thread of the conversation from there. Better to creep toward that potential rabbit hole and give yourself a chance to step around it.

Remember, calmez-vous*, slow it down, lentement mais sûrement is the path to good conversation.

Next month, Top Tip #3 gives you the choice: go high or simplify. Bonne continuation et bon courage!*.

*the fruits of your labour | *Come on | *I know | *oh my god | *mouth | *it’s not going to go well | *the goal | *Teacher’s Pet | *Calm down | *slowly but surely | *Hope it all keeps going well | *Good luck.

The 15 Hardest French Words to Pronounce

Learning grammar and memorising vocab are tough. But for many of our chouchous*, the biggest challenge of all is mastering French pronunciation.

It’s a problem shared by language learners and this article, ’The 15 Hardest French Words to Pronounce (with English Translations)’, will make you feel seen. If not entirely heard.

This list is by no means definitive, but ne vous inquiétez pas*. Our teachers are busy compiling une liste* of the words Lingua Franca students find the trickiest, plus some essential tips to help you parlez* like pros. Stay tuned.

*teacher’s pets | *don’t worry | *a list | *speak