Sneak Peek into le Nid | Marque

France is home to many iconic brands. Think Evian, Moët & Chandon, L’Oréal, Longchamp, Sofitel, Peugeot and Bic. The list is as impressive as it is extensive. So which are the favourite marques françaises* of the Lingua Franca team? Read on.

*French brands

Sneak Peek into Le Nid

Quels sont les produits français les plus appréciés par l’équipe Lingua Franca ? Voyons*….

*Which are the French products the Lingua Franca team enjoy the most? Let’s take a look…

Meet the Team - Julie André

Le départ de David* left a big hole here at Lingua Franca but we are absolutely delighted to announce we’ve found someone equally engaging to fill his chaussures*.

Nous vous présentons Julie André*.

From touring around Australia in a camper van toute seule*, to building and managing holiday accommodation in Bali, this is a woman who wears many hats.

If you have the opportunity to meet her (or even better be in one of her classes), count yourself truly chanceux*.

*

*David’s departure | *shoes | *Allow us to introduce you to Julie André | *all by herself | *lucky

Notre ami Thibaut

If you’ve been a student at Lingua Franca for a few years, it is likely you’ve come across Thibaut Guigues. Thibaut was kind enough to appear in a series of videos where we asked local French friends to respond to a series of questions about their lives.

Thibaut fielded beginner questions such as ‘comment vous appelez-vous*?’ and ‘vous avez des enfants*?’ all the way through to those requiring much more reflection such as ‘quel livre a le plus marqué votre vie et pourquoi*?’ and ‘si vous étiez votre animal domestique, que feriez-vous de vos journées*?’

At the time Thibaut was 34 years old, the owner of Le Comptoir Français (a business he set up importing classic French clothing brands into Australia) and he and his wife Kate had just had a baby, the delightful (and noisy!) Arthur.

Our students have very fond memories of him, even though they’ve never actually met him. Until now, that is…

Last weekend at the inaugural French Christmas Market in West End, Thibaut was spotted by one of our students and she couldn’t resist the chance to ask for an update on sa vie*.

PS: The affection goes both ways. Thibaut has very kindly offered Lingua Franca readers a 15% discount across his whole range, just in time for Christmas!

LF: Tu peux te présenter, s’il te plaît?

TG: Bonjour, je m’appelle toujours Thibaut mais j’ai maintenant presque 39 ans. Je suis Franco-Australien. J’ai mon propre business qui s’appelle Le Comptoir Français et je suis marié à une australienne.

LF: Tu as combien d’enfants maintenant?

TG: La famille s’est agrandie, en plus d’Arthur (qui a maintenant 6 ans), nous avons une fille qui s’appelle Margaux (comme le vin).

LF: Tu habites où?

TG: Nous avons déménagé et nous habitons maintenant à Toowoomba.

LF: Tu as un animal domestique?

TG: Nous avons un chat qui s’appelle Pomme (comme le fruit) 

LF: Comment vont tes sœurs?

TG: Mes sœurs vont très bien. Une habite en Bretagne et l’autre près de Paris.

LF: Et ton papa? Il joue toujours au golf?

TG: Mon père pratique toujours le golf et le bridge, toutes les activités d’un bon retraité. Il a hâte que les frontières ouvrent pour pouvoir venir nous rendre visite.

LF: Comment va ton business?

TG: Le business continue à grandir car en plus de mon site internet je suis en charge de la distribution pour la marque Saint James pour toute la région Australie/Nouvelle-Zélande. Je trouve de nouveau magasins et je présente les nouvelles collections deux fois par an.

LF: Finalement, tout le monde veut savoir si Arthur crie toujours en se réveillant?

TG: Arthur ne crie plus le matin. Il est passé directement de bébé à adolescent et aime bien faire la grasse matinée.

LF: Can you introduce yourself, please?

TG: Hello, I am still called Thibaut but I am now nearly 39 years old. I have my own business called Le Comptoir Français and I am married to an Australian woman.

LF: How many children do you have now?

TG: The family has grown, in addition to Arthur (who is now 6 years old), we have a little girl called Margaux (like the wine).

LF: Where do you live?

TG: We’ve moved and we now live in Toowoomba.

LF: Do you have a pet?

TG: We have a cat called Apple (like the fruit).

LF: How are your sisters going?

TG: My sisters are going really well. One lives in Brittany and the other close to Paris.

LF: And your Dad? Is he still playing golf?

TG: My father still pays golf and bridge, all the activities of a good retiree. He is keen for the borders to open so he can come and visit us.

LF: How is your business going?

TG: The business continues to grow because in addition to my website I am in charge of the distribution for the Saint James brand for the whole of the Australia/New Zealand region. I’m finding new boutiques and I present new collections twice a year.

LF: Finally, everyone wants to know if Arthur still wakes up crying?

TG: Arthur no longer cries in the morning. He has gone straight from being a baby into adolescence and loves having big sleep-ins.

*what is your name? | *do you have any children? | *which is the book that has most affected you and why? | if you were your pet, what would you do with your days? | *his life

Our favourite desserts

We wish there was a French phrase quite as good as ‘sharing is caring’ but English wins on that one - there simply isn’t a cute translation.

Cela dit* it won’t stop us from sharing with you our team’s favourite French things. From movies to meals, books to places, singers to perfumes, we’ll partage* it all and would love to hear what yours are so don’t be timide*. Add to the list by commenting in our “Sneak Peek into Le Nid’ series.

Here, nos desserts préférés*…

*That being said | *share | *shy | *our favourite desserts

Sneak Peek - acteurs

Even with the Alliance Française French Film Festival firmly in the rétroviseur* for another year, there are still quite a few French films showing here in Brisbane at the moment.

• The Godmother

• De Gaulle, Two of Us

• Antoinette in the Cévennes

• Breathless

• La Vie en Rose

• Bye, Bye Morons

So with le ciné* front of mind, the team from Lingua Franca has cast their votes for their acteurs/actrices préféré(e)s*.

*rearview mirror | *movies | *favourite actors

Sneak Peek into Le Nid*

Speaking of films, the team au nid* have been known to have an opinion or two on the very best of French cinema. Voici leurs choix*.

*the nest | *at the nest | *Here are their choices

Quel est ton film français préféré?

What’s your favourite French movie?

Les Misérables

KATRINA

Intouchables

DEBORAH

L’arnacœur

CAROLINE

L’auberge espagnole

JOSEPHINE

Les trois frères

DAVID

Le dîner de cons

FIONA

Instagram Lessons

If you're looking for some short and sweet French lessons from your very favourite French tutors (that's us, in case you're wondering), then jump over to our Instagram page! We've been posting a video every Monday for a number of weeks now so there is a good little stock to choose from. They're filed under our Instagram Stories.

For those of you who are unsure how to access them, click on our logo when there’s a red circle around it to watch the story of the day. To watch previous tips and lessons, click on the tutor’s icon just below, in the ‘highlights’ section.

By the way, we've received some really lovely comments recently about how you're enjoying our revamped social media which of course we love hearing, but if ever you have any other ideas as to what we could include please ne soyez pas timide*! We'd love to hear what sort of content you feel you'd really benefit from and enjoy.

*don’t be shy

Casting call

À quelque chose, malheur est bon*...

Though I'm sure none of us would voluntarily submit to another year like 2020, it is true that every cloud has a silver lining. In Lingua Franca's case, it has shown up in the form of a grant from the State Government to develop the business in a way that increases its future resilience. So, starting very soon, we'll be filming our first ever series of lessons to be offered online in perpetuity. That is, students from around the globe will be able to sign up for an Absolute Beginner 1 course which will be delivered to them in bite-sized chunks which they can consume at their own pace.

One aspect of lessons in the nest we're very keen to replicate for our online learners is the feeling of being en classe*. Hopefully, you know what I'm talking about: the feeling of camaraderie, support and pure enjoyment you get from being around a small number of like-minded people in pursuit of a common goal. We're convinced it is la formule secrète* to learning and therefore want to share it with as many people as possible, from Brisbane to Broken Hill to Bagdad!

We'll be looking for some volunteers to act as students in the 'class', and since you, our Chouchous* already know some French, unfortunately we can't call upon you. But we thought you might know some absolute French beginners who'd be up for being filmed as they learn their first words of French. We'd offer them the Absolute Beginner 1 course for free and in return they'd need to be available for filming. We'll know more soon once we've met with the film crew, but if you do think you may know someone who fait l'affaire*, please do let us know.

*Every cloud has a silver lining | *in class | *the secret ingredient | *Teacher's Pets | *fits the bill

Digital ‘coups de cœur’

We took a straw poll recently here at Lingua Franca to find about the team’s coups de cœur* in the world of digital platforms, whether they were des sites web*, des applis* or des podcasts*, and here are the results.

Remember, there is always value in taking a look at a wide range of media when you're learning French. Even if you don't think you understand much at all, you will pick up the odd word or phrase here and there and equally importantly, you'll be getting un petit aperçu* of true contemporary French culture.

*crushes | *websites | *apps | *podcasts | *glimpse

Ressource Peintures

Katrina

"C'est un bon compte Insta juste pour zapper et se détendre"

"This is a great Insta page to use to just relax your brain"

Marie Claire - Idées

Josephine

"Vu que je fais une tonne d'arts manuels, de la couture et du bricolage, je suis souvent sur ce site à chercher de nouvelles idées."

"Since I do a LOT of craft, sewing and DIY, I'm often on this site looking for new ideas"

Une souris dans mon dressing

Caroline

"Je suis le blog d'une femme créative et que je trouve très amusante : "une souris dans mon dressing". Voici sa page Instagram."

"I follow the blog of a female creative who I find very funny: "a mouse in my wardrobe"" Here is her Instagram page.

Marmiton

David

"Aimant cuisiner et pâtissier j'utilise très souvent le site Marmiton."

"Since I love cooking and baking, I often use the Marmiton site.

Nouvelles Écoutes

Fiona

"J’écoute beaucoup de podcasts et celui-là est mon préféré car il donne la parole à des femmes inspirantes."

"I listen to lots of podcasts and this is my favourite because it highlights inspiring women."

TED Talks - French

Deborah

“J’aime avoir la possibilité de filtrer les vidéos par langue et regarder des TED Talks en français.”

”I like being able to filter videos by language and watch TED Talks in French.”

Le Vlog de Deborah

We all miss Deborah, but luckily for us she's going to be checking in via the Chouchou News each month. Being janvier*, it's all about la galette des rois* and who gets to be king for a day and wear the crown.

For those of you who don't know Deborah...well, you missed out! Deborah worked at Lingua Franca in Brisbane for 7 years as a tutor and also took over the design from me (Katrina) in the early years of Lingua Franca (trust me, you should be thankful for that). In December 2019, Deborah and her family moved back to France but Deborah continues to be a very valuable member of the Lingua Franca family, taking care of all our graphic design work à distance.*

*January *Epiphany cake *remotely

Au nid | In the nest

Au nid | In the nest

links

If you’ve been meaning to do it all year, grab your last chance to come along to a Free Trial lesson here au nid. We’d love to get you started on your French apprentissage* before the year is out.

If you’re plein d’enthousiasme* about your French, these upcoming school holidays offer you a chance to hone your skills even more. Whether it’s travel French you’re after, or you want to clean up all of those pesky little words (en, à, aux, mon, du…ringing bells?) our September workshops could be just the solution*. Learn more here: En Voyage and Les Petits Mots.

Can you believe we’re heading towards the end of the year already? Before things get too crazy, be sure to sign up for Term 4. Classes start the week of the 2nd October and we look forward to seeing you en classe*.

Youpi!* It’s finally happening. Many of you have been asking us for years and in September 2018 we’re going to make it une réalité. Yes, our inaugural France trip. We’re in the planning stages, but if this announcement make your oreilles* prick up, go here to learn more. 

For those of you who prefer to stay a little closer to home, we will once again be heading off to Nouméa in April next year. We’d love to have you come along. Let us know you’re keen. For all you rats de bibliothèques* out there, in Term 4 we will once again be running our Club de Lecture on Thursdays at 10am. This term, we have chosen a slightly easier book called Et si c’était vrai*, which will be a relief to those who participated in Term 3’s bookclub. By the way, huge félicitations to those very students. You certainly did not shy away from the challenge! Your vocabulary will thank you, c’est promis.

Finally, a lovely thing happened au nid* this week. Katrina was named as a finalist in the Australian Institute of Managers and Leaders ALEA awards. She did not take out the gong this time, but what a wonderful feeling to be nominated. To the mystery person who made it happen, un grand merci*.

*learning | *all fired up | *answer | *in class | *Yippee! | *ears | *bookworms | *And if it were true | *I promise | *in the nest | *a huge thank you.

Au nid | In the nest

Au nid | In the nest

links

It's not too late to join us in Akaroa. We have someone who has had to pull out so there is a Seaview Studio going begging at the moment. Jetez un œil. If you're keen to know more, just let us know.

We have had a huge response to our annual Raclette Dinner and it is sold out. It’ll be back on next year, but if you can't wait that long, you might want to register your interest for our upcoming Dégustation de Vin* scheduled for September.

Great news here au nid*. Deborah is back and she’s available for conversation classes and private lessons. In Term 4, Deborah will be taking on a full roster of evening group lessons, but in Term 3 she has a couple of spots available of an evening and would love to see you.

If you’re keen to put your French to the test, register your interest for the DELF in 2018. As you know, since the DELF classes are so small (max. four students) we decide their place on the timetable to suit the participants, autant que possible*. So if you think you may be interested, let us know and we'll start the ball rolling.

Want an introduction to French wines in a fun, relaxed setting? Come and join us as Constant Beguin Billecocq, from Noble Wines joins us to give us an intro into les vins français*. We'll be tasting un vin blanc*, un vin rosé*, un vin rouge* and un champagne, bien sûr*. Places limited, lots of fun to be had.

Don't forget, Speaking Practice starts in just two weeks' time, and it’s not too late to benefit from the ‘Catch the Worm’ Price. Following straight on from Speaking Practice, in the September school holidays, we have two fantastic workshops, En Voyage and Les Petits Mots. En Voyage will have you speaking more like a local and less like a tourist. Les Petits Mots is for any of you who have ever exclaimed ‘It's the little words that get me!”. Limited places.

*wine tasting | *at the nest | *as much as possible | *French wines | *a white wine | *a red wine | *of course

AU NID | IN THE NEST

AU NID | IN THE NEST

links

NEW! French book club. Are you a lover of la lecture*? This could be great for you.

Term 3 starts the week of the 10th July. Book your spot now.

We still have a couple of spots left for our October Akaroa trip, so if you're keen on yacht cruises, Pohatu penguins and world-class cooking schools, just let us know. We'd love you to come.

Don't forget our free monthly Meetup events. Talks in a a mixture of French and English on an aspect of French culture.

Are you counting down the days to Le Festival? We are, and hope to see you there. It's shaping up to be a great year.

Celebrate La Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) by attended an event ou deux* during La French Week. More info here.

Our conversation classes run all year. Thirty minutes, a maximum of four in each class.

Did you miss this month's My French Story, featuring our very own student, Clinton Hanney? Read his touching, funny and romantic tale here.

*reading | *or two

AU NID | IN THE NEST

AU NID | IN THE NEST

LINKS

What's the most expensive property in French Monopoly? Come along to our French games afternoon to find out.

Next up in classes? Speaking Practice starts this coming week - alors ne tardez pas*!

We are running two great little workshops during the June/July school holidays.

Term 3 starts the week of the 10th July. Book your spot now.

Our October Akaroa trip is filling up fast. If you're keen to come, please let us know ASAP. A $500 deposit will secure your booking. We'd love you to come.

Don't forget our free monthly Meetup events. Talks in a a mixture of French and English on an aspect of French culture.

Katrina will be running a Masterclass on asking questions at the end of June. For high intermediate/advanced students only, classes are limited to six participants. 

Enrolments are open for the June DELF intake.

Our conversation classes run all year. Thirty minutes, a maximum of four in each class.

*so don't delay

AU NID | IN THE NEST

AU NID | IN THE NEST

LINKS

Don't forget our free monthly Meetup events. 

We now run 30-minute conversation classes  which you can book on an ad hoc basis.

Think you might prefer private lessons? Until the 25th May you can book a free trial to find out.

Enrolments are open for the June DELF intake.

The French Fest in beautiful Akaroa, NZ is on again and we'd love you to come.

Fan of le fromage? Come to our cheese tasting on the 19th May.

What's the most expensive property in French Monopoly? Come along to our French games afternoon to find out.