Coucou les French learners,
On Monday we celebrated Saint Nicolas. As a little girl, this story has always terrified yet captivated me. My mum would sing the song to me and I always wondered what the first line exactly meant – Il était trois petits enfants qui s’en allaient glaner aux champs…
Once upon a time, there were three children. But what were they doing in the fields? Glaner ? What does that mean? That was how my brain was wondering at the time. It is only recently that I have come to fully comprehend the action of glaner which means gleaning or gathering.
Our beautiful human brain works that way. You hear words that you do not fully understand at first. You hear those words again and again in different stories and contexts and little by little you start to understand them better. In the case of glaner, I also heard it when a teacher said to me – glaner des informations and then I made the connection with the song. And then one day, it clicked!
That is why your beautiful brain needs countless stories with rich vocabulary to comprehend French.
Comprehension leads to acquisition.
Acquisition leads to fluency.
Read and listen to the story of Saint Nicolas.
We are now starting the special period of l’Avent, Advent in order to prepare for Christmas. A few years ago, we published a series of videos on YouTube about this special time.
If you are short on time, Noël en préparation is perfect for you. These are short videos under 5 minutes which will help you acquire all the vocabulary you need for this special time of the year.
If you enjoy Marie & Médor’s adventures, watch how they both are preparing for Christmas and how they are searching for Papa Noël! You can even download the scripts and read the present and past versions of each story.
NO excuses to sit back with a hot drink, relax and enjoy a sweet story in French! Let you brain do the work subconsciously and store all the new words in your long-term memory.
#inputaloneissufficient
QUOI DE NEUF ?
JOIN US FOR 45 MINS LIVE TO DISCUSS PAINTINGS. It is happening on Friday, December 10 & 17!
We are meeting again this Friday December, 10 to talk about art!
Russian writer, Dostoïveski wrote ” La beauté sauvera le monde “, beauty will save the world.
Taking the time to pause and observe masterpieces connects us as human beings. Let’s look at beautiful paintings, observe and share what we see and how we feel. let’s observe beauty together. Let’s speak French!
5pm UK / 6pm France / 12pm EST / 9am PST
for LA BONNE HEURE = THE HAPPY HOUR
Gain New Friends and Get Involved with the French Learners Community. #youarenotalone
Increase your vocabulary and comprehension #storyispower
Reduce your stress #relax
Communicate with real people in French #youcandothis
La Pause Café
La pause café is back this week. And it is available as a podcast to listen on the go!
Episode #25 is a beautiful conversation with Mathilde Teisseire, a friend of mine and mompreneur. Mathilde’s journey as an entrepreneur and mum of 4 children is truly inspiring. She will for sure motivate you to keep up acquiring French.
This is French optimal input: rich, abundant and compelling input!
2022 live classes
Do you need more accountability to keep up with your French?
I have your back! Starting next year on January 10, choose from three weekly classes for three different levels!
Get a massive dose of rich comprehensible input. Co-create and listen to compelling stories. Engage in conversations about your interests.
There will be framing and scaffolding for everyone to understand the class. The goal is to develop fluency as well as the ability to process the language spontaneously.
All classes are recorded, so you can watch at your leisure if you need to miss a class.
Can’t make it LIVE? You can purchase the recordings and readings only and go through them at your own time.
Not sure about joining next year? Binge watch the 2021 Fall replays!
REVIEW OF THE WEEK
Kaye who started the Baby Stage:
I just love it all! Not only “Learn a new language and get a new soul.” But it’s like I’m getting a new childhood. I feel so full of joy immersed in your stories. The language just finds it’s own home. And then there’s the Dyslexic text! Wow who knew, it’s just so much more beautiful and enjoyable to read! What a complete delight!!!
What are you waiting for? Join us now for as little as 5 Euros/month (so the same as getting a nice drink)!
Happy French acquisition!
P.S. Got friends, family, colleagues or clients who want to become fluent in French? Share this with them, they’ll thank you for it!
P.P.S Have you read and listen to our new eBook yet?
Marie and her dog, Médor are inseparable until one morning Marie wakes up but cannot find Médor. Where is Médor ? Marie sets out on a quest in Montmartre, Paris to find her beloved dog. Will she finally find Médor ?
It is a comprehensible story written in the present tense with unique characters and exciting twists to keep you wanting more! Rich vocabulary and structures are repeated throughout the stories to provide optimal input. They will help you acquire French the natural way.
