Rillettes recipe

Since it’s not commonplace for rillettes* to be included on the menu at Australian restaurants, I jumped at the chance to order them recently when on a p’tit week-end.*

So inspired was I by the ritual of spreading the confit pork onto toasted baguette on a cold winter’s day, I thought I might have a go at making some myself. I found a recipe, but fainéante* that I am, as soon as I saw an ingredient I didn’t recognise and a cooking time that totalled six hours, my desire mysteriously vanished.

I then remembered that one of the équipe*, Caroline, had brought in some homemade tuna rillettes a few months previously and they were absolutely délicieuses*, and even more importantly très simple* to make. So, if you have a can of tuna, some other fairly basic ingredients and 10 minutes up your sleeve, making this recipe will be time very well spent, indeed. Bon courage!*

PS c à s =cuillère à soupe (soup spoon), and
c à d = cuillère à dessert = dessert spoon

*Meat, fish or poultry that's been chopped or shredded, seasoned with salt and pepper and preserved slowly in its own fat | *weekend away | *lazybones | *team | *delicious | *very simple | *Good luck!

Duo Lingo Podcasts

If you’re looking to take your first step towards listening to French podcasts, we may just have la solution* for you!

Many of our students are keen users of the Duo Lingo app. It’s especially great for beginner students and really helps to build confidence.

Duo Lingo has been improving consistently over the years, but this latest addition is really quelque chose de spécial*. Not only are the subjects interesting and varied, but the structure is very clever and particularly good for upper-beginner and intermediate learners.

There is an introduction by the host in English, then the interviewee speaks for a short time in French, before the host chimes in to give a brief summary in English of what they’ve said. This is repeated throughout the interview, and better yet, a full transcript is included.

I would highly recommend you give at least one episode a go. Tu ne le regretteras pas*.

Simon Hérault
Simone Hérault had the gift of a unique voice, but as a child, she was too insecure to believe in it. Still, her talent and dedication would end up taking her places she never expected…until she became one of the most familiar and beloved voices in all of France.

Aliénor Le Gouvello
At 30, Aliénor Le Gouvello set off to ride solo across Australia’s toughest trails. She gave herself one year to train wild horses and complete the journey. Riding ten hours a day, every day, Aliénor was determined not to quit — not for crocodiles, fire ants…not even for the handsome helicopter pilot she met along the way.

Les Moines Brasseurs
At age 27, Matthieu Landri said goodbye to his family and shared one last beer with his friends…then began his new life as a Benedictine monk. He longed for a spiritual life of contemplation and prayer. But soon he found himself embarking on a new journey: reviving the lost French art of monastic beer-brewing.

*the solution | *something special | *You won’t regret it

Vive La Révolution!

In the May édition* of Le Chouchou News, I did a round-up of the French films showing on Brisbane cinemas screens. I was happy to report that although the Alliance Française French Film Festival was over for another year, there was still a small range of films on offer.

1959

2007

2011

2001

1961

1937

1967

1994

2011

1991

1967

1928

Imagine my delight, then, when this email floated into our account a couple of weeks ago. Voici un extrait*:

Sacré Bleu! From François Truffaut to Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Dendy presents a magnifique curation of essential classic French cinema. Celebrating Bastille Day, and running July 1-28, the same month as the 2021 Festival de Cannes,

Dendy has collated twelve iconic titles, each either hugely influential in their own right, modern classics exemplifying the titanic talents of France’s celebrated film industry, or just possessing a certain je ne sais quoi. Between romance and drama, comedy and adventure, experience these films as they were meant to be - on the big screen- and rediscover the artistic cinematography, creative directing, and the classic splendour of these truly essential masterpieces of French cinema.

If you love French cinéma, please support this fledgling festival to ensure we have access to another 12 films (or more) in years to come. Bon ciné*!

Dendy Coorparoo line-up

Dendy Portside line-up

*edition | *Here is an extract | *Happy film-going!

Mika: Elle me dit

Here at Lingua Franca, our students have a variety of learning styles. We try to cater to all styles as much as we possibly can, but there is no replacement for the ideas our students bring to us about their preferred ways of learning.

Recently, one of our students, Nora, was telling her class that she’d found a song that helped her learn the placement of direct and indirect object pronouns. This is an intermediate-level subject, so for you débutants* out there just know that these pronouns are a future pleasure (!) laying in wait for you.

Before I get to Nora’s song, though, which involves a double object pronoun nightmare…pardon* “challenge”, here’s a song that shows the placement of a single object pronoun, in this case, the indirect pronoun me, meaning ‘to me’.



The song is called Elle me dit and translates as ‘She says to me’. Literally, it’s ‘She to me says’, as object pronouns are placed between the subject (elle) and the verb (dit) as you’ll hear over and over in this song.

By the way, for les curieux*, here’s a link to the lyrics in both French and English.

Also, look out for a star turn by celebrated French actress Fanny Ardant, who appeared in a blog post last month and whom many of you will know from 2019’s Belle Époque*.

Now here’s Nora’s chanson préférée*, which contains not one, but two, object pronouns. Called Je te le donne, it translates as ‘I give it to you’, or literally ‘I to you it give’. Clair*?

Though the placement and order of double object pronouns can be very complicated, this song gives you an idea of a rule that works for the most part (if you’ve been learning French for even the briefest times, you’ll know it’s not afraid of an exception, like all languages). That rule is this:

Indirect before direct and placed between the subject pronoun and the verb.



PS For those of you who are très, très enthousiastes*, here is the exception:

If both of your object pronouns refer to third person objects, the order is reversed. That is, direct before indirect. For example: Je le lui dis. I say it to him/her. Or literally, I it to him/her say.

*beginners | *sorry | *curious people | *Beautiful Era | *favourite song | *Clear? | *very, very keen

Expressions françaises

Some French expressions can be translated directly into English and retain their exact meaning. For example, the saying “better late than never” is mieux vaut tard que jamais in French.

Others, however, are more difficult to reconcile with their French counterparts, and therefore much more fun, too.

Allons-y*! See if you’re able to make le lien* between the following French and English sayings.

*Let’s go! | *the link

Crêpe Bretonne

Love a crêpe*? If so, you’ll be highly motivated to read the following passage en français*. If you find the task a bit fatigant*, though, we’ve provided an English translation for you below. Bonne lecture*.

La crêpe bretonne est un plat traditionnel consommé couramment en Basse-Bretagne. Devenue particulièrement renommée en France et ailleurs, elle est également servie dans des crêperies, nature ou garnie d’ingrédients divers, salés ou sucrés suivant la recette de base.

La crêpe bretonne peut être confectionnée à base de froment (crêpe sucrée) ou de sarrasin (crêpe salée, typique de Basse-Bretagne). Cette dernière est moins connue et ne doit pas être confondue avec la galette de blé noir, typique de Haute-Bretagne, et dont la recette diffère.

Compliqué, oui! Délicieux ? Sans aucun doute.

Breton Crêpes are a traditional dish widely enjoyed in Basse-Bretagne (Lower Brittany). Known not only in France but elsewhere around the world as well, you can get them from crêpe vendors where you’ll find both plain or stuffed with various ingredients, and savoury or sweet according to the recipe.

Breton Crêpes can be made from wheat (sweet crêpes) or from buckwheat (savoury crêpes, typically from Basse-Bretagne). Buckwheat crêpes are less well-known and should not to be confused with buckwheat pancakes, which are typically from Haute Bretagne (Upper Brittany) and follow a different recipe.

Complicated, yes! Delicious? Without a doubt.

*crepe | *in French | *tiring | *Happy reading!

MAI : La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 4

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 4 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Aujourd’hui je suis allée à la fac pour mettre une petite annonce sur le panneau d’affichage dans le café près du Département d’Anglais. J’ai écrit:

Bonjour, j’ai besoin d’aide! Je cherche un tuteur/une tutrice d’anglais. Je suis francophone mais je suis étudiante en littérature anglaise et je veux parler (et écrire) mieux.
Deux heures par semaine, ici à la fac. Préférence pour un(e) anglophone natif/native. 20F/heure. Contactez-moi au 01 33 57 98 22. Merci.

J’attends avec impatience les réponses. Je dois améliorer mon anglais. Mon professeur, Simon, est très gentil avec moi. Après notre classe hier après-midi, il a demandé que je reste deux minutes. Il a dit qu’il a réfléchi après notre conversation dans le café, et il a offert de m’aider avec mon anglais. Il comprend que je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps avec toutes mes responsabilités. Il a dit que c’est dommage parce que je suis très douée en anglais et que je fais des petites erreurs qui sont simples à corriger. Simon a dit qu’il a beaucoup de temps libre parce que sa famille habite en Angleterre. J’ai dit non mais j’étais tentée, je dois dire.

---

*Today I went to uni to put an ad on the noticeboard in the café near the English Department. I wrote:

Hello, I need some help! I am looking for an English tutor. I am a French speaker but I am a student of English literature and I want to speak (and write) better. Two hours per week, here at the uni. Preference for a native English speaker. 20 francs/hour. Contact me on 01 33 57 98. Thank you.

I’m impatiently waiting for replies. I have to improve my French. My professor, Simon, is very kind to me. After our class yesterday afternoon, he asked that I stay back for two minutes. He said that he reflected after our conversation in the café, and he offered to help me with my English. He understands that I don’t have much time with all my responsibilities. He said it’s a shame because I am very gifted and that I make simple errors that are simple to correct. Simon said that he has a lot of free time because his family lives in England. I said no but I was tempted, I must say.

A real name changer

You may know that Snow White is called Blanche Neige in French, but could you name her sept petits amis*?

As a reminder, in English they are: Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy and Sleepy.

Can you match the images to the French versions of their names? Bon courage*!

*seven little friends | Good luck

Sneak Peek - acteurs

Even with the Alliance Française French Film Festival firmly in the rétroviseur* for another year, there are still quite a few French films showing here in Brisbane at the moment.

• The Godmother

• De Gaulle, Two of Us

• Antoinette in the Cévennes

• Breathless

• La Vie en Rose

• Bye, Bye Morons

So with le ciné* front of mind, the team from Lingua Franca has cast their votes for their acteurs/actrices préféré(e)s*.

*rearview mirror | *movies | *favourite actors

Do ya’ think I'm sexy?

I think most us us would agree that French is a seriously sexy language. We’ve even done an informal study here at Lingua Franca to look at the particular elements that appeal to our English-speaking ears. The letter ‘j’ does some heavy lifting. Thinks of works like janvier, jupe, joli et j’adore*. The letter combination ‘ge’ plays a part, too: visage, montage, bricolage*. Words ending with ‘ette’ are pretty gorgeous, too: allumette, coquette, courgette et silhouette*. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Even when the French speak English we generally find their accent fairly appealing. There is something very sexy about hearing ‘ze’ for ‘the’ and ‘otel’ for ‘hotel’, don’t you think? Without wanting to break the mood, it’s interesting to note that when French people speak English with a French accent like that, they are speaking English ‘badly’ in their eyes. That is, they have not perfected the sounds of English, meaning they’re unable to reproduce the words as exactly as they’re supposed to be pronounced. Sound familiar? I thought so. Embrace your French pronunciation mistakes - trust me, they go over very well with a French audience.

So which languages do the French find to be douces aux oreilles*? And which language tops the list as the sexiest language in the world? Lastly, who on earth finds an Australian accent super sexy*? Take a look. You may be surprised…

From Australia to Costa Rica and from Sweden to the USA, it seems a French accent has extremely broad appeal.

*January, skirt, pretty and I adore | *face, montage, DIY | *match, a flirtatious woman, zucchini and silhouette | *music to the ears | *extremely sexy

Chaussures VEJA

Next time you’re at your French lesson au nid*, cast your eyes towards the floor. Chances are, you’ll see someone wearing a pair of baskets VEJA*.

VEJA was founded in 2005 by French entrepreneurs Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion after a trip to Brazil to do a social audit on a major fashion brand. Disturbed by the living conditions of the factory’s workers, they decided against going into tech ‘like the rest of their generation’. Instead, they decided to take the very symbol of conspicuous consumption, les baskets*, and produce them in an ethical way.

Source: www.veja-store.com

Since 70% of the price of a high-end pair of trainers is eaten up by la publicité*, Sébastien and François-Ghislain realised that in removing this line item, they could revolutionise the production of fashion sneakers.

Their story is inspiring and you’ll find it on their website. Try the French version first, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much you understand if you read along as the founders recount their parcours*. Getting lost? Switch to English to finish off the story. Desperate to own a pair? Jump onto their site web* and get scrolling!

*at the nest | *VEJA trainers | *trainers | *advertising | *path | *website

Romance your way to French

If, as Frédéric Chopin said, la simplicité est la réussite absolue*, then the French Hacking Instagram account @frenchhacking is a huge hit.

The concept couldn’t be simpler: a post a day with a French phrase or quote on a plain black background. Not only does this solve the problem of how to insert more French into your vie quotidienne*, but if you take the time to scroll through a dozen or so posts in a row, I’ll be surprised if you don’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the exercise. Short enough to translate in just a minute or two (even for beginners), the posts tend towards the romantic, nostalgic and sweet.

Vivement recommandée* and thanks to one of our Chouchous*, Tania, for the tip off!

*simplicity is total success | *daily life | *Thoroughly recommended | *Teacher’s Pet

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 3

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 3 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Je suis très contente aujourd’hui. Ce matin je suis allée voir mon professeur d’anglais, Simon. J’ai demandé des conseils parce que j’ai reçu une mauvaise note pour mon essai cette semaine et j’étais vraiment déçue.

Simon a préparé un café pour nous, et puis on a parlé un petit peu de nos vies. Simon est anglais, de Londres, mais il habite à Paris depuis quelques mois. Ses enfants habitent en Angleterre avec leur mère, j’imagine. J’ai parlé de ma situation et Simon était très gentil avec moi. Il comprend que je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps mais que j’adore mes études et que je veux avoir de bonnes notes. Il a dit que mon anglais était super, mais que je fais de petites erreurs, qui est normal. Il a proposé que je trouve un tuteur et je pense que c’est une excellente idée.

---

I am very happy today. This morning, I went to see my English professor, Simon. I asked for some advice because I received a bad mark for my essay this week and I was really disappointed.

Simon made a coffee for us, and then we spoke a bit about our lives. Simon is English, from London, but he’s been living in Paris for a few months. His children live in England with their mother, I suppose. I spoke about my situation and Simon was very kind to me. He understands that I don’t have a lot of time but that I love my studies and that I want to have good marks. He said that my English was great, but that I make little errors, which is normal. He suggested that I find a tutor and I think that’s an excellent idea.

What is a cognate?

A cognate is a word that comes from the same origin as a word from a different language. Below, three of our favourites.

MIRAGE

Both French and English use the word ‘mirage’ to describe the bending of light which produces an optical illusion, but do you know where the word originally comes from? It’s most likely via the Latin word ‘mirare’ (to admire/gaze) which is where we get the word ‘mirror’. In French we have the reflexive verb ‘se mirer’ which means ‘to gaze at oneself/to be reflected’, hence mirage. There is, though, a chance it comes from the Latin word ‘mirus’ (wonderful) which is where we get the word miracle. Cool, non*?

HORS D’ŒUVRE

Un œuvre in French is ‘a work’, so to say 'a work of art' we say un œuvre d’art. Even in English we can use the word ‘œuvre’ to describe the body of work of an artist. As we know, the French take la cuisine* very, very seriously and if you’ve ever had a sublime French meal you’d probably be happy to consider the chef un or une artiste*. So, since hors means ‘outside of’, it makes sense that both languages call a small savoury dish, typically served as an appetizer, un hors d’œuvre, since it arrives at your table outside the main œuvre d’art which is of course le plat principal*.

POT POURRI

If you’re a person of un certain âge* you’ll remember the pot pourri craze that swept the nation in the eighties. No domestic surface was safe from the little terracotta pots of dried petals we used to add a touch of country style to our homes.

I wonder if we would have been quite so keen had we known the verb pourrir at the time which means ‘to rot’. Yes, that’s right, pot pourri translates to rotten pot which somewhat takes away the appeal, non*?

*Cool, isn’t it? | *cooking | *an artist | *the main course | *a certain age | *doesn’t it?

Brisbane's best French restaurants

With hiver* just around the corner, your senses may be longing for a full-blown French dining experience.

If so, the Brisbane website Gourmand & Gourmet has put together the most recent wrap-up of restos français* we could find. Have they covered the crème de la crème* or do you think they’re missing an absolute jewel? Let us know in the comments below for the bien-être* of all.

*winter | *French restaurants | *cream of the crop | *well-being

Where do the French eat their lunch?

I’m sure many of us believe France to be the home of the long lunch, but is it really?

We imagine French workers taking a couple of hours for lunch, repairing to the nearest restaurant with a group of collègues* and sharing a leisurely entrée, plat et dessert* with bread, wine (bien sûr*) and stimulating conversation.

The following article may just tip that idée reçue* on its head, as well as where they eat, how much they spend and with whom they choose to break bread. Of course, France is not immune to the increasing rhythm of daily life, so naturally habits are changing. It is heartening to note, though, that the majority of French workers tend to eat in the company of their fellow workers, a practice we’ve adopted here at Lingua Franca thanks to the influence of notre équipe française*.

For the full article (en français!*) go here.

Source : https://resofrance.eu/tendance/habitudes-alimentaires-francais-midi-28515

English modified version of French original

PS
You may remember we published the results of another study a while back on our social media channels which looked at the length of time spent à table* across an entire day. The French topped that list with more than two hours a day spent eating. What this study above shows us, therefore, is it’s generally not at lunch where the time is spent, rather at le petit-déj* or le dîner. Interesting, isn’t it?

*colleagues | *entree, main and dessert | *of course | *common preconception/cliché | *our French team | *in French | *sitting down to eat | *brekky | *dinner

Tips for learning a language

Finalement*! An article on language that tells the truth.

There’s a whole swathe of companies in the language learning cadre* who claim you can learn a language ‘easily!’, ‘in five minutes a day!’ or in ‘only three months!” (and yes, they usually are followed by des points d’exclamation* to drive home the idea that it’s ‘easy!’ to learn a language and that you’re a bit of a fool if you find it harder than that).

Learning a language is an undertaking and depending on what you want to achieve, it can take a few hours (phrases for an upcoming trip) or a whole lifetime (if you love French, this is a thrilling idea, not a depressing one).

C’est un long article*, but if you have the time, I recommend you read the whole article because it’s quite inspiring. Most of our keenest students already complement their learning with other methods such as apps, language exchanges and TV shows. This article has a host of great ideas for embedding more French in your life, and that is always a great thing.

*Finally! | *arena | *exclamation marks | *It’s a long article

Exhibition Melbourne

We know travel is tricky at the moment but the National Gallery of Victoria is nonetheless trying to seduce us southwards with their upcoming French Impressionist exhibition.

With over 100 works on loan from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, you have the chance to see some of the most famous paintings from artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt and more.

Ça vous tente*? Jump onto the NGV website for more information. The exhibition opens 4th June and runs through to October.

*Sound tempting?

Emma Stone speaks French

When we feature celebrities speaking French it has a demotivating effect on some of our Chouchous* (désolée!*). Rather than inspiring them, some report feeling exasperated that Bradley Cooper and Jodie Foster, par exemple*, are not only genetically blessed, talented, wealthy, creative and charismatic, but also happen to speak French beautifully.

This clip of Emma Stone may make such Chouchous take heart. Watch as Emma tries to express her thoughts in French and gets herself all tangled up to the point where she starts trying to communicate by way of gestures - it’s a little bit cringey because we’ve all been there. You know that feeling when you know exactly what you want to say and you know you know the words but they just won’t come out? That’s Emma (and all of us) in this clip. Then listen to how eloquent she is in her native language. The difference is striking and leads me on to a petit conseil* (see below).

When you’re taking your first steps into speaking French, remember you have nowhere near the pool of words to choose from that you do in English. That is completely normal as you’ve likely spent your life immersed in your native language. What we tend to try to do is express ourselves with the same sophistication as we do in English and that gets us into trouble. We start on a thought and then a few words in we realise we have no idea how to finish that sentence so we get stuck, and that’s often when the arms start flailing and we feel our faces going red. An alternative technique is to pause before you speak and think of a way to say what you mean in very, very simple language, then go from there.

Case in point: Emma tries to say that she doesn’t speak very well but that she understands better. Halfway through she realises she doesn’t know the word for ‘better’. Luckily, the French journalist helps her out, but she could have said: Je ne parle pas très bien mais je comprends bien*. See what I mean?

Try it next time you find yourself being interviewed by a French journalist to promote your smash hit movie. You’ll thank me.

*Teacher’s Pets | *sorry | *for example | little tip | *I don’t speak very well but I understand well

La Petite Histoire | Beginner 3 | Épisode 2

If you've ever done a group lesson here at Lingua Franca, you've probably come into contact with La Petite Histoire*. A tale with the very humblest of beginnings, it winds up becoming a rollicking schlockbuster as you move up the levels and your French improves enough to handle the outrageous (some would say impossible) turns of events of the six young friends.

La Petite Histoire is currently only available to our students, however La Préquelle is for everyone’s enjoyment. Below, another instalment of this new series, Chapter 2 (of 6) of the Beginner 3 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Aujourd’hui était un peu difficile. Cet après-midi à l’université, notre professeur, Simon, a rendu nos essais et j’ai reçu une mauvaise note! J’étais déçue car j’ai fait beaucoup de travail et j’étais contente de mes efforts. C’est difficile quand on est plus âgé que les autres étudiants. J’ai mes responsabilités: j’ai un mari qui travaille beaucoup, trois petits enfants, je dois cuisiner, faire le ménage et faire mes devoirs, aussi.

Quand je suis rentrée, mon mari, Jean-Louis, a vu ma tête et il a demandé s’il y avait un problème. J’ai parlé avec lui et il a dit que peut-être ce n’est pas le bon moment pour moi de faire mes études. Est-ce qu’il a raison? Je ne sais pas mais je sais que ce soir je suis un peu triste. J’adore faire mes études, j’adore lire et apprendre l’anglais et il y a des gens très intéressants dans mes classes. Je vais aller parler à mon professeur, Simon, demain. J’ai besoin des conseils.

---

Today was a bit difficult. This afternoon at university, our professor, Simon, gave back our essays and I received a bad mark! I was disappointed because I did a lot of work and I was happy with my efforts. It’s hard when you’re older than the other students. I have my responsibilities: I have a husband who works a lot, three little children, I have to cook, do the housework and do my homework, as well.

When I went back home, my husband, Jean-Louis, saw my face and he asked if there was a problem. I spoke to him and he said that maybe it’s not the right time for me to do my studies. Is he right? I don’t know but I do know that tonight I am a bit sad. I love doing my studies, I love to read and learn English and there are very interesting people in my classes. I am going to go and speak to my professor, Simon, tomorrow. I need some advice.