To our circle of French Story Listeners,
Something wonderful arrived in our Telegram group this week!
Nadya shared the most delightful photograph of her handmade crochet cats, all in shades of violet and lavender, settled cosily among a little stack of French books.
There’s something about them that makes you want to lean in and listen.
They look as if they have something to say.
And here’s the thing: Nadya told us there are no stories for these purple cats yet. They are waiting.
So this week’s narration invitation is a playful one.
Look at the picture. Let your imagination wander.
Who are these cats? Where do they live? What are they plotting, or perhaps, who are they looking for?
A sentence or two is perfectly lovely. A single thought. A title for a story that doesn’t exist yet.
Whatever comes to you, share it with us on Telegram, we would genuinely love to read it.
👉 https://t.me/+kj7F0mWZ8Uo4OWE0
Before you tell a story, let one in first
Here is something language researchers have known for a long time: we cannot produce language we haven’t first absorbed.
Reading and listening — receiving French before we try to speak it — fills the well that narration draws from.
It’s not a detour. It is the way.
So before you imagine a tale for Nadya’s purple cats, spend a little time with this week’s French story, a gentle African fable about a cat wandering the savanna in search of a friend.
The sentences are short, the vocabulary is accessible, and the story has a warmth that lingers.
Let it inspire you. You may find the cats suddenly have quite a lot to say.
And if you feel moved to narrate Un ami pour le chat itself, that’s wonderful!
Retelling a story you’ve just heard is one of the most natural ways to consolidate French, quietly and joyfully, without even feeling like study.
Read and listen here: 👉 https://www.aliceayel.com/resources/un-ami-pour-le-chat/
A small tip for this week: this is genuinely how your brain begins to absorb a language.
Not through drills or conjugation tables, but through stories that matter to you, images that catch your eye, moments that make you smile.
One small story at a time, something is quietly taking root.
You’ve got this.
Alice 💕
P.S. Did you know that every Monday and Thursday at 4pm UK / 5pm France / 11am EDT / 8am PDT, we gather live to share stories, ask questions, and simply enjoy French together? Our Community Live sessions are one of the loveliest things about being a member — there’s real warmth in hearing each other’s voices. If you haven’t joined one yet, this week would be a beautiful time to start. 👉 https://www.aliceayel.com/members-community-live/