Coucou les French learners,

The Advent period has officially begun, marking the start of a special time of year filled with anticipation and reflection.

Advent, which comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “coming” or “arrival,” is traditionally observed in the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

It’s a season of preparation, not just for the festivities ahead, but also for personal growth and renewal.

C’est la période idéale pour vous préparer à la fin de l’année tout en progressant en français. Je vous propose donc, de vous immerger dans la langue française tout en ralentissant le rythme.

Car oui ! il est important de prendre le temps de respirer et de réfléchir pendant cette période souvent frénétique.

Give time to your brain

As we enter this season, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of holiday preparations. We often find ourselves rushing to decorate our homes, buy gifts, and attend various gatherings.

However, you could consider a different approach this year: one of contemplation.

Contemplation, a practice deeply rooted in medieval times, involves thoughtful observation and reflection.

Instead of French language “gluttony”, such as binge-watching French series on Netflix or listening to countless French podcasts, why not slow down and savor a single story or book in French?

The process of acquiring French involves more than just exposure to the language.

Language input refers to the French content you are exposed to, such as listening to conversations, reading texts, or watching French media. However, not all input automatically becomes part of your linguistic knowledge. Your brain needs time to digest and assimilate this input, and to transform it into intake.

Intake is the portion of input that is actually processed and integrated into your developing language system.

This transformation is a complex cognitive process which involves various brain areas responsible for sound processing, comprehension, and speech production.

That is why you should prioritize a slower, more contemplative journey. By giving your brain time to digest French input, you increase your chances of converting that input into lasting intake, ultimately improving your proficiency in the language.

Instead of overwhelming your brain with excessive French input, focus on quality over quantity!

A Free French Resource: La Légende de Saint Boniface

Voici une seule ressource pour contempler : la légende de Saint Boniface et du sapin.

Saint Boniface, né en Angleterre au VIIe siècle, était un moine bénédictin qui est devenu missionnaire en Germanie. Selon la légende, il voulait convaincre les druides germains que le chêne n’était pas un arbre sacré. Il a donc coupé un chêne. En tombant, le chêne a tout écrasé à l’exception d’un jeune sapin.

C’est ainsi que serait née la tradition du sapin de Noël. Cette coutume s’est d’abord répandue en Alsace, à l’est de la France. On mentionne le sapin pour la première fois comme « arbre de noël » en Alsace vers 1521. Les décorations étaient alors composées de pommes, de confiseries et de petits gâteaux.

Vous pouvez écouter et lire gratuitement la légende de Saint Boniface sur notre site. Cliquez ici!

À la fin du récit, vous pouvez également me regarder raconter l’histoire pour vous aider à mieux la comprendre.

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I can recommend her content without hesitation. I had a rough journey with learning French, but that changed in this year since I found comprehensible input and the Alice Ayel Platform that provides exactly that. Since then I found real motivation and joy in learning French and I believe this is how we learn best. My journey is still ongoing, yet being subscribed here helped immensely. If you are looking for good immersion material as a very beginner or even if you are already further along, I would give it a go 🙂 I find it’s also a very fair deal in terms of price.

This Advent season, give yourself the gift of French acquisition in a relaxed and contemplative manner.