Learn How to Understand Spoken French and Speak it Right
Would you like to understand spoken French and speak it right?
Now is the time to join our French Pronunciation class at your own pace!
Who is teaching?
Brigitte is! She is an experienced French teacher, native to France.
What will you learn?
– All the sounds of French and their various spelling.
– Their cadence within a sentence.
– Understand what makes French a pleasure to hear but difficult for beginners to understand.
– No worries though, it is not that hard, once you know the principles
– Each lesson comes with exercises for you to practice.
Testimonials:
Some of the students who have already done it say:
“I would recommend the class, definitely. It’s a great exploration of the sounds of French and how to improve them. I thought I had a pretty good grasp of pronunciation and the “rules” but I learned something new every class.”
“First rate course! A must if you are a French learner and want to improve your pronunciation! The instructor is very attentive and gives excellent feedback on your homework!”
“This is a complete introduction to all the sounds of French. The teacher is very detailed and organized.”
“This course is a journey to:
– Learn sometimes difficult but necessary French sounds, understand the different accents on letters, practice the rules of pronunciation, and discover the areas outside of the rules that you must memorize.
– Vocalize and improve the sounds you have never made in English but must master in French to be well understood.
– Get the feel of the cadence of the language”
To the question: What part of the course did you enjoy the most? Students answered: “I liked the dictations the best. They are a true reflection of your level of French”. “I most enjoyed doing the poems – reading through them gave us a chance to really work on the sounds we were making in normal sentences.”
What do you get?
The 28 Core Training Videos Each video focuses on one point so you can go back and drill it as needed. Download them on your computer. ($300 Value)
The 26 Training Audio Files These consist of dictations to do, French texts to listen to and record with your own voice. ($250 Value)
Bilingual French/English PDFs of all videos and audios Once you have watched a video or listened to an audio file, you have access to its PDF so you can drill without having to go through the whole video or audio again. ($100 Value)
A complete course worksheet available in English and French. To keep track of your progress, you can download a course worksheet that guides you through all studies and exercises. ($30 Value)
Private Access to Monthly Live Q&A and Practice Once a month, you’ll have access to myself for any questions you may have and for some practice. ($100 Value)
Périodique de la langue française – Numéro de mai 2023
Sous le signe des marguerites
Nous vous présentons notre numéro du mois de mai. Si vous voulez écouter l’audio au lieu de lire le texte ou tout en le lisant, cliquez ci-dessous. Version anglaise ici.
Le fameux dicton : « En mai fais ce qu’il te plait ! »« In May, do as you please ! »
C’est aussi le mois où vous trouverez une multitude de marguerites dans les prairies. Il est coutume de les effeuiller ou défeuiller, les deux mots s’emploient, c’est-à-dire d’enlever chaque pétale un à un, ce qui bien sûr laisse le bouton jaune dépourvu de sa fragile corolle blanche.
Nous les effeuillons en disant : « Je t’aime, un peu, beaucoup, à la folie, pas du tout ! », tout en recommençant jusqu’à ce que tous les pétales soient partis. Mais cela doit être une torture pour la pauvre marguerite.
en mai fais ce qu’il te plait
Saviez-vous que la marguerite est une fleur composée ? En fait, une marguerite est un composite de composites. Je m’explique.
Chaque pétale blanc est une fleur ainsi que chaque disque qui forme le bouton jaune du milieu qui de droit s’appelle un capitule. Le mot vient du latin capitulum qui signifie « petite tête ». La définition d’un capitule est la suivante : Ensemble d’innombrables petites fleurs insérées côte à côte sur un large réceptacle.
Et ces deux fleurs (le pétale blanc et le disque jaune) forment une fleur à elles deux et toutes ces composites forment une marguerite ! Ouf, j’espère que vous me suivez. C’est hallucinant ! La nature ne finira jamais de m’émerveiller. Si vous voulez en savoir plus lisez cet article qui entre dans tous les détails !
Les nouvelles du mois
Nous commençons par un tour en Amérique du Nord. Du 20 avril au 20 août 2023, il y a un grand chapiteau que l’on appelle Cirque du Soleil ECHO sur le vieux port à Montréal au Canada. Il offre un nouveau spectacle : un conte basé sur le principe que le monde devient ce que vous décidez de créer et représente l’évolution et les liens symbiotiques qui sont essentiels à notre survie en illustrant l’évolution de l’homme et de l’animal au travers d’un ensemble d’acrobaties, de poésies, de technologie et de chorégraphie.
Photo : Michelle Maria
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Nous nous envolons ensuite pour la Côte d’Azur à Cannes, où se déroule le soixante-seizième festival du film entre le 16 et 27 mai 2023.
Tant que vous y êtes n’oubliez pas d’assister le 23 au grand prix formule 1 sur le circuit de Monaco.
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Le coin des chansons
Pour mai nous allons écouter « L’oiseau et l’enfant », écrite par Joe Gracy et composé par Jean-Paul Cara. La chanson, interprétée par Marie Myriam, remporta le concours de l’Eurovision en 1977. Vous trouverez les paroles ici.
Je ne laisserai pas se faner les pervenches
Sans aller écouter ce qu’on dit sous les branches
Et sans guetter, parmi les rameaux infinis,
La conversation des feuilles et des nids.
Il n’est qu’un dieu, l’amour ; avril est son prophète.
Je me supposerai convive de la fête
Que le pinson chanteur donne au pluvier doré ;
Je fuirai de la ville, et je m’envolerai
– Car l’âme du poète est une vagabonde –
Dans les ravins où mai plein de roses abonde.
Là, les papillons blancs et les papillons bleus,
Ainsi que le divin se mêle au fabuleux,
Vont et viennent, croisant leurs essors gais et lestes,
Si bien qu’on les prendrait pour des lueurs célestes.
Là, jasent les oiseaux, se cherchant, s’évitant ;
Là, Margot vient quand c’est Glycère qu’on attend ;
L’idéal démasqué montre ses pieds d’argile ;
On trouve Rabelais où l’on cherchait Virgile.
Ô jeunesse ! ô seins nus des femmes dans les bois !
Oh ! quelle vaste idylle et que de sombres voix !
Comme tout le hallier, plein d’invisibles mondes,
Rit dans le clair-obscur des églogues profondes !
J’aime la vision de ces réalités ;
La vie aux yeux sereins luit de tous les côtés ;
La chanson des forêts est d’une douceur telle
Que, si Phébus l’entend quand, rêveur, il dételle
Ses chevaux las souvent au point de haleter,
Il s’arrête, et fait signe aux Muses d’écouter.
Enfin voici des précisions sur des termes qui sont souvent mal compris.
Une quinzaine = 8 jours + une semaine de 7 jours – équivalent en anglais à ”a couple of weeks” or “a fortnight”. « je vous vois dans une quinzaine »
Quand on parle, on peut dire : « je vous vois lundi en 8 ». Ce qui veut dire : non pas le lundi qui vient mais le lundi suivant (dans deux semaines).
Si vous voulez dire le lundi qui vient, vous dites : « je vous vois lundi prochain » ou« je vous vois dans une huitaine »
Une huitaine représente le même jour de la semaine suivante. « Le papier sera signé sous huitaine. » (Dans une semaine ou moins)
Maintenant vous éviterez toute erreur pour prendre un rendez-vous.
Nous avons aussi « une dizaine » ou une « douzaine » pour exprimer soit environ 10 jours ou 12 jours, ou bien
n’importe quoi d’autre qui est approximatif : il y avait une dizaine/douzaine de participants (plus ou moins), j’ai acheté une douzaine d’œufs (décidément 12 ou le client ne sera pas content !)
De la même façon vous trouverez « une vingtaine, trentaine, quarantaine, cinquantaine, centaine, soixantaine ».
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Si vous avez des amis qui veulent accélérer leurs connaissances de français pendant l’été, envoyez-les-moi ! J’offre une intensive spéciale de 12 heures pour rafraîchir leur français. Tous les détails sont sur cette page.
Avez-vous aimé avoir un enregistrement ? Commentez ci-dessous.
Our next French workshop happens on October 7, 2022 at 7 pm PST
L’atelier se déroule en français et en ligne via Zoom. Venez découvrir les trésors des Pays de la Loire :
– Quelle est l’île que l’on peut rejoindre à marée basse sans utiliser un pont ? – Quelle est la pâtisserie régionale qui s’est répandue un peu partout? – Qui étaient les chouans et d’où vient leur nom? – Découvrez pourquoi l’anglais a quelques 25000 mots français à cause de cette région.
– Les endroits à visiter.
– Et beaucoup d’autres choses…
10 seats available for this French workshop. Prix de l’atelier : $35.00
Use either below to reserve your seat.
New French words spoken by the people force them to eventually enter the French Dictionaries every year. They come from what the French borrow from what they live day in, day out, from other languages such as English, or areas such as Africa, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.
Maybe those which have taken the less time to get into the dictionary are related to the current pandemic. French and foreign newspapers made a big deal out of it. As a comparison, in 1990 a review of the French language brought about several changes. However, it took until 2016 for these to appear in the French dictionaries!
New French Words of Our Times
According to an article in Le Monde published in May 2019, the 2020 Petit Larousse dictionary has an addition of some 150 new French words.
For example, “divulgâcher,” which obviously comes from to “divulge” and “spoil,” (“gâcher” in French) and means to reveal prematurely.
“Ubériser” which is to make an existing business model obsolete.
The Bio-plastic Word Case
Another new French word: le “bioplastique,” which indicates either biodegradable plastic, or plastic originating from biodegradable resources. However it may not be necessarily biodegradable, depending on what processes were applied to it. It took a considerable amount of time for the word to enter the French dictionary.
Indeed, it is interesting to note that bioplastic already existed in ancient Egypt and reappeared in the 17th century with the discovery of natural rubber. However, what is considered as the first plastic is a mixture of cellulose, nitric acid and camphor discovered in 1855 by Alexander Parkers (English chemist and metallurgist) and marketed in 1869 in the United States by the Hyatt brothers.
In the early 1920s, IG Farben began manufacturing petroleum-based plastics. The use of bioplastics is somehow “disappearing” until humanity begins to realize the damage to the aquatic fauna due to the tons of plastics thrown into the ocean that do not break down.
Next, a new word coming from the English language: “bore-out” which means to be professionally depressed by uninteresting work.
The Pandemic New Words
And now let us have a look at Le Petit Robert 2121. It welcomes the words of the pandemic, among others, “la Covid,” which is Covid-19 of course.
As a point everyone in France is talking about “le Covid” but l’Académie Française has decided that it should be “la Covid” because it is referring to an illness which stands for “la maladie” and is a feminine noun. But when this word came out, everyone was saying “le coronavirus” because “virus” is masculine, thus people transferred “le coronavirus” into “le Covid.” We do need our Academicians to keep us on the rails.
Then we have “le déconfinement,” this is ending the lockdown, “télétravailler,” meaning telecommuting, “le patient zéro,” which represents the patient from which a viral disease originates.
English Origin Words
There are many others that cover other fields. Here are a few:
Un “texto,” to name a digital text, la “story,” which is to tell one’s story, “Lady Gaga,” le “cloud,” le “bot, “brainstormer” and “spammer,” all coming from the English language. None of these should be new words for you.
To get help with French new words or old French words write to learnfrenchwithbrigitte@gmail.com
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to brush up on your French, these phrases, from greetings and introductions to common expressions used in daily life, will help you build a foundation for basic French conversation. Mastering these 100 essential phrases will set you on the path to becoming a confident French speaker. You get the text and the audio. And we’ll send you more. If there is a particular topic you want covered. Write back and let us know.
Welcome to some casual French conversation. We’ve been having them for the past 10 years and enjoy sharing our knowledge.
French Conversation Gatherings Happen When?
We’re meeting for a casual French conversation on various topics every month. I usually set a point of interest for the only reason that without one many people do not dare speaking.
I actually run three different meetups organized around the level of speaking skills of the participants.
For those who have the basics and want to improve speaking skills and vocabulary, I suggest our book reading hour. We read several chapters aloud together, I correct pronunciation and explain new vocabulary as needed. Each participant read individually in turn: French Conversation Online.
Finally we have the beginner group where we do various things. We may watch a video, read a poem or a small book, explain some grammar rules or French expressions to look like a French speaker, drill the pronunciation etc.Simi Valley French Language Meetup Group
How Do we Go About it?
Since the main purpose of our meeting is for you to practice your French speaking skills, you’ve got to say something! Listening is not enough. Sharing is important. Knowing in advance what you will be talking about brings up your confidence so you can get the most of out it.
I specifically require that each participant prepares a little presentation to the group of his take on the subject. From there, French conversation can occur. It also ensures that everyone gets the opportunity to communicate in French. Otherwise, you have those who overpower those who are shy and half of the assembly does not say a word. This doesn’t happen in our group. Each person has his/her time to practice and express themselves. Well, of course, the homework is not mandatory but If you’re not fluent, I highly recommend it to not be put on the spot! Yes, I do go around the table and make sure everyone has a chance to put their thoughts out loud.
We Are Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary (updated in 2023)
This coming August, we’ll be factually celebrating our 10th anniversary. During that time, we’ve touched just about everything and anything: any particulars on a date on the calendar such as 4th and 14th July, scuba diving, astronomy, health, recycling, entertainment, travel, books, films, Noble prizes, French expressions, bridges in the world, favorite songs, geography, customs, history, science, etc. etc. We’ve played games, had strolls, shared a French pastry, been to the movies. In short, we never out of imagination to stimulate our brains with the French language.
Enjoying French Conversation with a French Pastry
The best is all what we learn from one another as our participants are very creative and always bring up new interesting tidbits about so many different aspects of life and livingness.
Is This French Conversation Group for You?
So now you’re wondering if this French conversation group really fits your hopes.
As long as you love the French language, the French culture, its exquisite cuisine, its diverse coastline and peaceful countryside, the “je ne sais quoi” in Paris that turns your heart upside down, the love for freedom, you’re a good candidate for our group.
Whether you’re a beginner or fluent, you can find your place and what you’re looking for, improving your French, brushing it up, taking the rust off, finding friendships with similar likes, simply relax and have a good time enjoying one hour of French conversation.
Frankly it is also simply fun and relaxing. You discover new habits and customs. Your mind’s view of the world enlarges and takes on a whole new level of perceptions.
To experience all the fun and the exhilaration of sharing a new language, I invite you to our next meeting if you can make it. This group is for those who are fluent or close to, or those who can read it and write it but cannot speak. You’ve got to get your feet wet. Prepare what you’re going to say and go from there. Click here to RSVP.
For any question make a free 30-minute appointment
Grammar is the user’s manual to put words in the correct sequence to make sentences. Refer to “grammar” here for a more complete definition. As a grammar tutor I will help you understand the structure of a sentence. I’ll teach you how to spot when you’re in trouble and how to get on top of it before it is too late. A language consists of various spoken sounds and their written representation are what we call words. Assembled words according to the rules of grammar is what makes communication possible.
When you know the function of each word in a sentence then, any study or communication becomes easy. This, as long as you ensure you understand the words you’re using. I’ll help you on this too.
Not clear in your mind? Get help!
Why Cannot you Write in your Mother Tongue or Understand Another Language?
The majority of my students come to me because they simply cannot follow in French. Very often it is a matter of straightening some basic English grammar. The structure of our language is unfortunately taught in a way that most students have a hard time to grasp. In fact, there is no reason for this difficulty, as basic grammar is easy. It isn’t that the student is stupid, it is the fact that the teacher gives an obscure explanation and thus creates a confusion. Fortunately, this is easily remedied.
I teach grammar to anyone who has problems with writing in his own language or difficulties to acquire a second language.
The whole purpose of grammar is to be able to write a sentence that communicates to the reader or listener. Grammar is also needed when you want to learn another language. Indeed, grasping its basics will facilitate your understanding and mastering of the other language.
Grammar is a very simple subject. Most of the time a couple of hours will be all what you need to handle the original difficulty. It goes hand in hand with the understanding of words. There is a method of understanding words and remember their meaning.
If you’re struggling writing an essay in your native language about a subject you are familiar with, if you’re struggling learning a second language, the first thing you should check is your comprehension of basic grammar in your mother tongue. Once the basics are cleared, the rest flows. One or two hours spent learning the basics of grammar are well worth their while. Contact me here.
