French the natural way: top Christmas stories

Coucou les French learners,

When I was living and teaching in England, I used to sing in a choir. Yesterday my amazing conductor, Hannah Brine posted an inspiring quote:

I hear so many people around me saying things like “I am not an expert in languages”

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French the natural way: countdown to Christmas!

Coucou les French learners,

Aujourd’hui, today c’est le premier décembre, it is the first of December! French children have opened la première porte, the first door of le calendrier de l’Avent, Advent calendar. C’est excitant,

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French the natural way: l’armistice

Coucou les French learners,

Novembre, November is un mois sombre, a dark month. Last week I mentioned La Toussaint when the French commemorate the dead. Tomorrow the French commemorate the end of la Première Guerre Mondiale,

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French the natural way: la Toussaint

Coucou les French learners,

This week was special in France. Not because of Halloween, but because of La Toussaint which literally means All Saints Day. France being traditionally and historically a Catholic country, the French celebrate all the saints, known and unknown. In the Western Christian practice,

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French the natural way: two cultural aspects of a story

Coucou les French learners,

Culture is intrinsically tied to a language. That is why my motto is a Czech proverb “Learn a new language and get a new soul“.

According to Benjamin Lee Whorf and his theory of linguistic relativity,

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French the natural way: la rentrée !

Coucou les French learners,

In France, the summer holidays are coming to an end. La Rentrée is approaching!!!

La Rentrée is a word of utmost importance for the French, it basically means the Return with a capital R!

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French the natural way: table manners

Coucou,

here is your weekly dose of French comprehensible and compelling input to acquire the language naturally.

My boys including my 11 years old love to hear a good story before going to bed. In fact, they need their bedtime story, it is part of the daily routine and even if they have heard the same story for the hundredth time,

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