On aime | We like

on aime | we like

Quelle histoire

One of our lovely students brought back this charming petit livret* on Coco Chanel from a recent trip to France. We frequently have people ask us to recommend children's books as a starting point to reading French, which in theory sounds like a good idea. However, if you think of the average vocabulary of a five or six-year-old, it is quite extensive: they can ask for pretty much anything they want.  Therefore, children's books are often more difficult to read than one would expect. At the time of writing, we still haven't found a series of simple story books for learners of French. If you know of one, we'd love to hear about it.

This series by Quelle Histore, while not extremely simple, is great because they tell the story of a known figure, using illustrations help to flesh out the tale. While you're unlikely to understand every single word, with the help of a good dictionary (we recommend www.wordreference.com) you'll be well on your way to reading your first French book.

Coco Chanel is just one of many mini-biographies produced by Quelle Histoire. Bonne lecture!*

*little book | *Happy reading!

DE QUOI? | say what?

DE QUOI? | say what?

REtournons à nos moutons | Let's return to our sheep

If I had a euro for every time I've pulled this one out in a lesson...

I love this French saying as it not only evocative but effective as well.

Our French lessons here at Lingua Franca are casual affairs. Of course, we want our students to learn, and we're happy to report they do, but with groups of like-minded people passionate about French as well as countless other topics, we can sometimes become side-tracked. 'Retournons à nos moutons' (which literally means 'let's return to our sheep' or more colloquially 'let's get back to the subject') is a gentle and amusing way to remind everyone to come back to the topic at hand - le français*.

Apparently the saying originated from a 15th century French play called La Farce de Maître Pierre Pathelin. It tells the story of five characters, each more dishonest than the next, and includes a courtroom scene where the accused is instructed by his lawyer to answer all questions directed at him by saying 'Baaa' in an attempt to have him declared mentally instable. Sounds très drôle* indeed.

*French | *very funny

COIN CULTURE | culture corner

COIN CULTURE | culture corner

le premier mai | The First of May

I hope you all have, or had, a lovely day on Monday, 1st May. For us here in Australia of course it is Labour Day, and the French, too, benefit from a jour férié* to celebrate the Fête du Travail*.

However, the French have a celebration the pre-dates the Fête du Travail by several hundred years: la Fête du Muguet* (pronounced mew-gay). So strong is the tradition of giving these delicate flowers to loved ones, that in 2013 the French forked out €31.8 million euros on them. The flowers are considered porte-bonheurs* and it is said you must give at least one sprig of lily of the valley every year. Quelle belle tradition.*

*public holiday | *Labour Day | *Lily of the Valley | *good luck charms | What a lovely tradition

Le chouchou | teacher's pet

le chouchou | teacher's pet

jessica white

Name/nom: Jessica White

Age/âge: 39

Level/Niveau: Intermediate Transition

LF: Jess, quelle est ta profession?

JW: I am an academic and a writer. I’ve published two novels and currently I have a postdoctoral fellowship to write about Georgiana Molloy, a nineteenth century West Australian botanist. I’m trying to use her story to raise awareness of environmental problems and climate change.

LF: Pourquoi tu étudies le français?

JW: I have a vision of living in Paris for a year to write a novel and shop in the boutiques, and to see the golden light of Provence. French is also très romantique!

LF: Ton mot préféré en français?

JW: Ah, that is a difficult question – there are so many beautiful words in French! I would say that my favourite word is papillon, which means ‘butterfly’. A number of native pea flowers in Western Australia were given the family name Papilionaceae because they look like butterflies.

LF: Est-ce que le français est difficile?

JW: I lost 75% of my hearing to meningitis when I was four which makes learning French quite difficult, mostly because the words are so soft and fluid (as opposed to Italian, the sounds of which are quite distinct, or sign language, which is fairly straightforward). However, deafness has never stopped me from doing anything, and my best French moments are when (usually after actually having done some homework!) I can finally understand what is before me on the page. It’s thrilling when everything falls into place.

LF: Quel est ton but?

JW: My goal is to read Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary in the original. I love frocks, and some days when I come home and guiltily (and happily!) unwrap my latest purchase, I think that I must have been Emma Bovary in a former life.

LF: Merci Jess et bon courage!

JW: You’re welcome, LF!

http://www.jessicawhite.com.au/

À LA DÉCOUVERTE DE | discover Carcassonne

À LA DÉCOUVERTE DE | discover

carcassonne

"… you have created a prison called “The Wall”, which would be better called “Hell”. Some prisoners remain in fetters … and are unable to move. They excrete and urinate where they are … Some are placed on the chevelet*; many of them have lost the use of their limbs because of the severity of the torture … Life for them is an agony, and death a relief."

Now if that's not a sales pitch for Carcassonne tourism I don't know what is. 

Thankfully the Carcassonne of today extends hospitality far kinder than that described in the extract above from a letter written in 1285 to a Dominican inquisitor describing the conditions in the Inquisition Tower.

Sitting in the verdant valley of the Aude River in the region of Occitanie, the citadel was restored at the end of the 19th century and in 1997 it was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. According to some sources, it is the second-most visited French site after the Eiffel Tower, which either indicates the bloodthirsty history has been forgotten, or is the very reason for the city's continuing popularity.

A friend of ours has a lovely apartment situated close to the city which is available for rent. Please remember to mention Lingua Franca when you make your booking to receive le traitement de faveur*.

*an instrument of torture | *the full treatment

AU NID | IN THE NEST

AU NID | IN THE NEST

LINKS

Don't forget our free monthly Meetup events. 

We now run 30-minute conversation classes  which you can book on an ad hoc basis.

Think you might prefer private lessons? Until the 25th May you can book a free trial to find out.

Enrolments are open for the June DELF intake.

The French Fest in beautiful Akaroa, NZ is on again and we'd love you to come.

Fan of le fromage? Come to our cheese tasting on the 19th May.

What's the most expensive property in French Monopoly? Come along to our French games afternoon to find out.