Emma Stone speaks French

When we feature celebrities speaking French it has a demotivating effect on some of our Chouchous* (désolée!*). Rather than inspiring them, some report feeling exasperated that Bradley Cooper and Jodie Foster, par exemple*, are not only genetically blessed, talented, wealthy, creative and charismatic, but also happen to speak French beautifully.

This clip of Emma Stone may make such Chouchous take heart. Watch as Emma tries to express her thoughts in French and gets herself all tangled up to the point where she starts trying to communicate by way of gestures - it’s a little bit cringey because we’ve all been there. You know that feeling when you know exactly what you want to say and you know you know the words but they just won’t come out? That’s Emma (and all of us) in this clip. Then listen to how eloquent she is in her native language. The difference is striking and leads me on to a petit conseil* (see below).

When you’re taking your first steps into speaking French, remember you have nowhere near the pool of words to choose from that you do in English. That is completely normal as you’ve likely spent your life immersed in your native language. What we tend to try to do is express ourselves with the same sophistication as we do in English and that gets us into trouble. We start on a thought and then a few words in we realise we have no idea how to finish that sentence so we get stuck, and that’s often when the arms start flailing and we feel our faces going red. An alternative technique is to pause before you speak and think of a way to say what you mean in very, very simple language, then go from there.

Case in point: Emma tries to say that she doesn’t speak very well but that she understands better. Halfway through she realises she doesn’t know the word for ‘better’. Luckily, the French journalist helps her out, but she could have said: Je ne parle pas très bien mais je comprends bien*. See what I mean?

Try it next time you find yourself being interviewed by a French journalist to promote your smash hit movie. You’ll thank me.

*Teacher’s Pets | *sorry | *for example | little tip | *I don’t speak very well but I understand well

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 2

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 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Aujourd’hui était un peu difficile. Cet après-midi à l’université, notre professeur, Simon, a rendu nos essais et j’ai reçu une mauvaise note! J’étais déçue car j’ai fait beaucoup de travail et j’étais contente de mes efforts. C’est difficile quand on est plus âgé que les autres étudiants. J’ai mes responsabilités: j’ai un mari qui travaille beaucoup, trois petits enfants, je dois cuisiner, faire le ménage et faire mes devoirs, aussi.

Quand je suis rentrée, mon mari, Jean-Louis, a vu ma tête et il a demandé s’il y avait un problème. J’ai parlé avec lui et il a dit que peut-être ce n’est pas le bon moment pour moi de faire mes études. Est-ce qu’il a raison? Je ne sais pas mais je sais que ce soir je suis un peu triste. J’adore faire mes études, j’adore lire et apprendre l’anglais et il y a des gens très intéressants dans mes classes. Je vais aller parler à mon professeur, Simon, demain. J’ai besoin des conseils.

---

Today was a bit difficult. This afternoon at university, our professor, Simon, gave back our essays and I received a bad mark! I was disappointed because I did a lot of work and I was happy with my efforts. It’s hard when you’re older than the other students. I have my responsibilities: I have a husband who works a lot, three little children, I have to cook, do the housework and do my homework, as well.

When I went back home, my husband, Jean-Louis, saw my face and he asked if there was a problem. I spoke to him and he said that maybe it’s not the right time for me to do my studies. Is he right? I don’t know but I do know that tonight I am a bit sad. I love doing my studies, I love to read and learn English and there are very interesting people in my classes. I am going to go and speak to my professor, Simon, tomorrow. I need some advice.

Poisson d'Avril

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

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

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

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

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

*feathers | *April Fish!

Easter Bells

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

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

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

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

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

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

Funny expressions with avoir

If you’ve studied French for a while, you’ll know that the verb avoir* ranks just behind être* as the language’s most useful verb.

When we’re just starting out, we tend to use avoir to talk about our friends, family and age.

J’ai deux sœurs et un frère.
I have two sisters and a brother.

Je n’ai pas d’enfants
I don’t have any children

J’ai 34 ans.
I am 34 years of age.

So as you can see, though avoir is worth its weight in gold, its application can sometimes seem a little…banal*. With that in mind, we’ve rustled up the following expressions, all of which contain avoir, as well as just a touch more personnalité*. 

*to have | *to be | *pedestrian | *personality

Swoon : Québec city

Québec City is the capital of the French-speaking province of Québec, in Canada. The indigenous Algonquin people named it Kébec, meaning where the river narrows, before a French explorer created a European settlement in 1609.

With a population of just over 500 000, it is one of the oldest European cities in the Americas and Vieux Québec (Old Québec) was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985. There’s a lot to swoon over in this petite ville magique*. Enjoy.

*magical little city

Jean de Florette

Jean de Florette - Marcel Pagnol

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recette: Gâteau au yaourt

The French have a love of simplicité* and it would be hard to find a better example of it than in this recette* for gâteau au yaourt (yoghurt cake).

Traditionally the first cake a child would learn to make, at around three or four years of age, it’s perfectly designed for de petites mains*.

Even if a child has not come to grips with the metric system, they will certainly know their way around a yoghurt tub, and this is the only measurement needed to pull off this delicious recipe.

The first step is simply to empty a small tub of yoghurt (150g) into a bowl, and the empty tub then becomes the measuring cup for the rest of the ingredients. Génial*!

Lingua Franca tutor David has kindly offered up his version for you. Let us know how you go!

*simplicity | *recipe | *little hands

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 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Il est maintenant 17h45, je suis chez moi avec mes filles et mon mari va bientôt arriver, j’espère. Je veux parler de ma journée à l’université avec lui.
Je suis retournée à l'université il y a quelques* mois et j'adore l'expérience. Bien sûr, c'est difficile avec des enfants, un mari et des devoirs, mais la langue et la littérature anglaise sont vraiment une passion pour moi. En plus, j'aime être avec des gens qui partagent* mes intérêts.
Mon professeur de littérature est anglais. Il s’appelle Simon et j’adore écouter quand il parle anglais. Son accent est (naturellement) parfait et quand il lit les poèmes* de Wordsworth, par exemple, c’est un rêve* pour moi.
Je suis un peu plus âgée que mes collègues parce que je suis restée à la maison avec nos trois enfants et par conséquent*, je suis un peu plus sérieuse comme étudiante.

---

It is now 5:45pm, I am at home with my girls and my husband is going to arrive soon, I hope. I want to talk about my day at university with him.
I went back to university a few months ago and I am loving the experience. Of course, it's difficult with children, a husband and homework, but the English language and literature is really a passion for me. Also, I like to be with people who share my interests.
My literature professor is English. His name is Simon and I love listening when he speaks English. His accent is (naturally) perfect and when he reads Wordsworth's poems, for example, it's a dream for me.
I am a bit older than my colleagues because I stayed at home with our three children and as a consequence I am a bit more serious as a student.

*some | *share | *poems | *dream | *as a consequence

Swoon : Le Médoc

If plages* and fruits de mer* appeal to you as much vin* and châteaux*, be sure to add Le Médoc to your next itinéraire*.

*beaches | *seafood | *wine | *castles | *itinerary

Compétition - je suis prof.

See if you’re able to find and correct the mistakes in the following sentences. The first Chouchou* to contact us with the answers below will take home a Lingua Franca grammar cheat sheet. Bon courage!*

*Teacher’s Pet | *Good luck!

Funny reflexive verbs

Reflexive verbs are rarely fun, but we find using them through colloquialisms makes them a little more intéressants*.

So, what do pelles*, sucettes* and encre* have in common? Not a lot on the face of it, but they do all make an appearance in these strangely funny phrases.

If you can’t remember what reflexive verbs are (or haven’t learned about them yet), they are verbs where the subject and the object are the same, so the action is ‘reflected’. That is, the person doing the action also receives the action.

For example :

Je me lave.

“I wash myself” is reflexive as I’m doing and receiving the washing.

Je lave la voiture.

“I wash the car” isn’t reflexive as I’m doing the washing but not receiving it.

*interesting | *shovels | *lollipops | *ink

Tout le monde parle français!

Many months ago, we included a post in a newsletter with a link to a well-known person speaking French. Vous, les Chouchous*, really seemed to like it, though we suspect the interest was somewhat amplified by the fact it was Bradley Cooper who was doing the talking.

We feel an une étude de marché* is in order, so here we are, another video for you enjoy with Matt le Blanc, Tom Hiddleston, Audrey Hepburn, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Serena Williams all speaking en français* (and with just a snippet of Bradley this time au tout début*, for the true fans).

*You, the Teacher’s Pets | *a bit of market research | *in French | *at the very start

Beurre d'Isigny

Although not a stand-out star of French cuisine like foie gras or confit de canard, the taste of le beurre français* is nonetheless sure to remind you of your travels.

There are three butters in France which have been granted their own AOP (appellation d’origine protégée*), which guarantees they will be produced in a consistent and traditional manner, with ingredients from specifically classified producers in certain geographical areas.

When we heard that Chouquette in New Farm will soon be selling arguably the best of these butters, Beurre d’Isigny, we thought it time to lift the lid on why French butter tastes better.

There are three main reasons for the goût supérieur*.

French butter typically has a higher fat content (quelle surprise!*). Where Australian butter usually has a fat content of around 80%, French butter can go as high as 87%, which accounts for its texture onctueuse*.

Isigny-sur-Mer, the town which gives its name to the butter, is an important centre of dairy production in Normandy. Apart from butter, Isigny is also the home of Mimolette, Pont L’Évêque and Camembert cheeses. With a mild, damp climate and proximity to the sea, les vaches* graze on grass rich in iodine and particularly beta carotene which gives the butter its storied buttercup-yellow colour.

French butter is also cultured, a process whereby live active cultures are added to the cream before the butter is churned. Though this process is now deliberate, in days gone by, bacteria formed in the butter as farmers waited to have enough cream to churn. In any case, it is the fermentation process that means the butter takes on its own lightly tangy flavour, and in the case of Beurre d’Isigny, leaves a slightly hazelnut trace en plus*.

*French butter | *protected designation of origin | *superior taste | *what a surprise! | *creamy texture | *the cows | *as well

Did you know?

Walt Disney’s forefathers came from Isigny (his surname is a variation on the town’s name). So if you’re ever at Disneyland Paris you can be assured the butter will be of superior quality, since, in a show of loyalty, only Beurre d’Isigny is served. More about Disney’s French connections here…

Quick fix

We all have things in French we’re not totally clear about and if you’re anything like me, they can sometimes remain unclear for months if not years, as there always seems to be something more pressing to learn.

That’s why it’s sometimes a good idea to do a quick sweep through the most commonly asked questions, to clear them up in one fell swoop. You may already know some and not others, or perhaps the whole list will be a total revelation to you. In any case, we hope you find it utile*.

A very small caveat: since it’s a quick fix, we’ve given preliminary explanations only. As you well know, French is replete with exceptions, so for more detailed information, come along to a lesson, or consult your favourite French grammar site (we recommend Lawless French).

Écouter means ‘to listen (to)’ whereas entendre means ‘to hear’. To me, entendre looks a bit like ‘enter’ so I imagine the sound actually entering my ear canals.

J’écoute la chanson sur Spotify - I am listening to the song on Spotify
J’entends les voisins qui font la fête - I hear the neighbours who are having a party

Parler means both ‘to speak’ and ‘to talk’.

Elle parle russe - She speaks Russian
Elle parle à son copain au téléphone - She talks to her boyfriend on the phone.

Dire means both ‘to say’ and ‘to tell’.

Vincent dit qu’il est de Lille - Vincent says he’s from Lille
Je lui dis la vérité - I tell him/her the truth

Voir is ‘to see’ whereas regarder means ‘to watch’ or ‘to look’

On ne va pas voir Mathieu demain - We’re not going to see Mathieu tomorrow
Elles regardent le film ensemble - They’re watching the film together
Je veux regarder la carte d’abord - I want to look at the menu first

This is a tricky one, since both verbs mean ‘to know’. There are a couple of different ways to approach the difference between the two verbs, but as a quick fix, this is a very solid start:

Savoir is used with verbs
Connaître is used for nouns (I like to translate it as ‘to be familiar with’ rather than ‘to know’)

Martin sait nager - Martin knows how to swim.
Tu connais un peu Paris? - Do you know Paris a little (are you familiar with Paris a little?)

Thinking of se promener as the equivalent of ‘to go for a stroll’ and marcher as more ‘to walk with a purpose’ should help make the right choice.

Je me promène dans le parc en face de chez moi - I go for a walk/stroll in the park opposite my house
Je marche lentement - I walk slowly

What's on Netflix

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*during the holidays | *curious

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

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

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

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

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

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

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

Swoon : La Neige

Have you simply had enough of cette chaleur*? Refresh your spirit with these belles photos* of snowy French landscapes. Guaranteed you’ll feel un frisson*, whether from the cold or the anticipation of future travel.

*this heat *beautiful photos *a shiver

Alliance Française French Film Festival

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

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

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

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

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


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

Review : Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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