Four wheels under an umbrella

If you’ve studied French for a while or had at least a passing interest in French culture, you’ll most likely have heard of the Citroën 2CV.

It may have cropped up when you learned about the tréma accent it contains (and if you’ve forgotten its impact, here’s Katrina explaining it) or perhaps you’ve heard people reminiscing with beaucoup d’affection* about their travels around France in the 70s and 80s behind the wheel of one of these très petites voitures* or TPVs as they were known in the Citroën factory.

André Citroën had dreams of being the Henry Ford of France but this politically ambitious man was unfortunately also un joueur invétéré*, and soon ran into financial difficulty.

Fortunately, the newly installed patron*, Pierre Boulanger (who, had he been born on British soil would have been plain old Peter Baker) inherited a talented team of engineers. Pierre enjoyed walks in the countryside, and was taken by the pace of the farmers in horse-drawn carts who kept gentle rhythm with their chevaux*. He decided to replace the deux chevaux with deux chevaux-vapeur*, and the idea for the 2CV was born.

A simple edict to the engineers followed:

I’m no engineer, but with only 2CV under the hood, you’d imagine the Citroën 2CV is not exactly at risk of getting away from you on the open road. James Bond, however, would disagree, and a nun with a lead foot gives Louis Funès a lift he’ll never forget in this charming petite vidéo*.

*lots of affection | *very small cars | *chronic gambler | *boss | *horses | *horsepower | *little video

Swoon Biarritz

Biarritz is located in the Basque Country which straddles France and Spain at the foot of Les Pyrénées and has enough on offer to warrant multiple visits.

Whether you come for le surf*, le cidre* or les crampottes*, be sure to leave plenty of time for lazing about on the beach before feasting on une piperade* and un bon verre d’Irouleguy*. Paradis*.

*the surf | *the cider | *the whitewashed fishing huts | *a local omelette-like dish made of espelette peppers and tomatoes | *a good glass of the local wine | *Heaven

La Petite Histoire

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 the Intermediate 1 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Noëlle et moi étudiions quand mon mari, Jean-Louis, est rentré. Il est entré dans le salon, a mis son manteau sur le canapé et a souri.

“Ah, les intellos ! Comment ça va?”

Noëlle a rigolé et je me suis levée pour lui faire la bise.

“Bonjour, mon chéri, je te présente mon amie Noëlle. Noëlle, mon mari Jean-Louis.”

“Enchantée, Jean-Louis,” Noëlle a dit poliment.

“Vous aussi, Noëlle. Bienvenue chez nous. Vous êtes américaine? Vous parlez très bien français, mais est-ce que j’entends un petit accent?”

“Merci, c’est gentil. Je suis australienne, en fait, de Sydney.”

“Oh là là, c’est loin! Depuis combien de temps vous habitez en France?” a demandé Jean-Louis.

“Ça fait presque trois ans maintenant, Jean-Louis. Je suis venue ici pour étudier le français et pour profiter ce cette belle ville. J’adore habiter ici. Je voudrais rester après mes études, si possible.”

“Ah, bon?” a répondu Jean-Louis. “Vous pensez que ça va être possible?”

“J’aime penser que tout est possible, Jean-Louis, mais c’est une question de visa, bien sûr. Je vais essayer de trouver un travail comme professeur d’anglais après l’université si je peux.”

“Et Noëlle est une très bonne tutrice. Elle m

aide beaucoup donc je ne vois pas de problème pour elle dans le futur,” j’ai dit. “Est-ce que tu vas nous joindre pour un petit café, Jean-Louis? Nous allons prendre une pause.”

Jean-Louis a hésité pour un instant, et puis m’a surpris quand il a dit “Volontiers!”

Noëlle and I were studying when my husband, Jean-Louis, came home. He came into the living room, put his coat on the couch and smiled.

”Ah, the intellectuals! How are you going?”

Noëlle laughed and I got up to give him a kiss hello.

”Hello, darling, this is my friend Noëlle. Noëlle, my husband Jean-Louis."

"Delighted, Jean-Louis," Noëlle said politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

”You too, Noëlle. Welcome to our house. Are you American? You speak really good French, but can I hear a little accent?”

“Thanks, that’s kind of you. I’m Australian, in fact, from Sydney.”

“Oh wow, that’s far away! How long have you lived in France for?” asked Jean-Louis.

“It’s almost three years now, Jean-Louis. I came here to study French and to make the most of this magical city. I love living here. I’d like to stay after my studies, if possible.”

“Oh really?” responded Jean-Louis. “Do you think it’s going to be possible?”

“I like to think that everything is possible, Jean-Louis, but it’s a visa question, of course. I am going to try to find a job as an English teacher after university if I can.”

“And Noëlle is a very good tutor. She helps me a lot so I don’t see a problem for her in the future,” I said. “Are you going to join is for a quick coffee, Jean-Louis? We’re going to take a break.”

Jean-Louis hesitated for a second, and then surprised me when he said “Sure!”

More French Cinéma - Jacques Tatie retrospective in May

The Brisbane multi-cultural cinema scene se porte de mieux en mieux* !

With the curtain only just coming down on the 2022 Alliance française French film festival, Dendy Cinemas have taken up the relais* with the announcement of a Jacques Tatie retrospective from the 11th - 22nd May.

While Tatie is known to French cinema fans as a comic genius in the vein of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, he was a man of many talents….et professions*. We have two tickets to give away. To win, be the first to éliminez l’intrus*. The question: which of the professions below can Jacques Tatie not claim as his own?

Bonne chance* !

*is going from strength to strength | *reins | *and professions | *find the odd one out | *Good luck!

Meet the Team - Julie André

Le départ de David* left a big hole here at Lingua Franca but we are absolutely delighted to announce we’ve found someone equally engaging to fill his chaussures*.

Nous vous présentons Julie André*.

From touring around Australia in a camper van toute seule*, to building and managing holiday accommodation in Bali, this is a woman who wears many hats.

If you have the opportunity to meet her (or even better be in one of her classes), count yourself truly chanceux*.

*

*David’s departure | *shoes | *Allow us to introduce you to Julie André | *all by herself | *lucky

Papier dominoté

If you have an eye for design, you’re going to love indulging in your own research à propos du papier dominoté*. So what is the name of the craft behind it and what is it exactly anyway?

The charmant* website Madame Décore gives this definition:

Dominoterie : désigne la conception, la fabrication ou le commerce de papiers peints et imprimés en couleur de motifs géométriques ou floraux que l'on trouve fréquemment à l'intérieur des coffres, des armoires, des tiroirs, mais également dans les cartons à chapeaux et même les cheminées. Très en vogue au XVIIIème et début du XIXème siècle, le papier dominoté servait de garnissage pour les livres et le mobilier, en ce temps où chaque détail avait son importance.

Dominoterie : refers to the design, production or trade of colour-printed and painted paper in floral or geometric design which one often finds on the inside of chests, wardrobes and drawers, but also in hatboxes and even chimneys. Very fashionable in the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, papier dominoté was used as the trim for books and furnishings, at a time when every detail mattered.

Le papier dominoté is experiencing a resurgence in popularity actuellement*. Not sure you're ready to commit to a whole wall of pattern? How about framing a more modest échantillon* as a nod to this fine craft? Start here.

Source: site web Madame Décore

*about papier dominoté | *charming | *currently | *sample

The new Call My Agent?

If you’re anything like us, the wait for the fabled fifth series (and film!) of Call My Agent commence à traîner*, so if you’re casting about for a stand-in, why not try Standing Up instead?

The latest offering from Fanny Herrero (who also happens to be the showrunner of Dix Pour Cent*) is available on Netflix right now.

Here’s what she has to say about it:

“Drôle, il faut le prendre dans tous les sens. “Drôle” comme ce qui fait rire, évidemment, mais aussi “Drôle” comme ”étrange”, “singulier”, qui ne ressemble pas aux autres.”

— Fanny Herrero, créatrice de Stand Up.

Picture : ft.com

“Funny, you have to take it in all senses. ‘Funny’, as in, something that makes you laugh, obviously, but also ‘funny’ as in ‘strange’, ‘different’, that which is unlike anything else.”

Jetez un œil*…

*is starting to drag | *literally ‘Ten Per Cent’ | *Take a look…

Brave New Word

In researching portmanteau words for a recent blog post, I came across this 2011 article all about another set of words: les néologismes*.

Where a portemanteau is created by the merging of two or more existing words (think ‘brunch' or ‘brainiac’ in English and ‘franglais’ and ‘courriel’ in French), a neologism is a brand new word, freshly invented….and often created by merging two or more existing words. So in theory all portmanteaux started life as neologisms but not all neologisms are portmanteaux, si ça a du sens*...

Interesting to see that the verb ‘textoter' (to text) is still waiting to take off more than ten years after the article’s publication. It must be said, it doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, though, does it?

Dommage* about ‘watture’ though, 2013’s winner. Created by combining the English word ‘watt’ and the French word for car (voiture), it’s a new word for an electric car. Not only intelligent* but très utile* these days, non*?

Enjoy.

*neologisms | *if that makes sense… | *Shame | *clever | *very useful | *don’t you think?

Keep it in your life (cont…)

Welcome to the third article in our new series: How to Learn French. Not just les rouages*, but tips on the attitudes and practices you can adopt to ensure your success.

Last month we looked at ways to keep French in your life even when things take a turn and you’re forced to put your learning on hold for a moment or two.

We’re so determined not to have that (almost) inevitable occurrence spell the end of your French, we’re offering up a second suite of suggestions this month, and we hope they’ll serve as triggers for you to come up with little strategies of your own. Read on…

About ten years ago, I had a student whose French exam was approaching au galop*. I recommended that in the lead-up to the exam she surround herself with as much French as possible.

I was imagining French radio, films and music but after our lesson, Roxanne decided to take it one step further. She changed her phone settings over to French and by the time I saw her the next week she was une épave nerveuse*. She wasn’t highly tech-dexterous in English, let alone in French, so our precious avant-dernière* lesson started with her thrusting her phone into my hands with instructions to “Just fix it!” before we could get down to her exam prep.

As an aside, Roxanne’s life did tend to the absurdly chaotic, anyway. She once accidentally had an entire government building evacuated post-911 when she sent a birthday invitation filled with very fine sparkly confetti to a colleague through internal mail. The envelope didn’t make it past the mailroom, where someone suspected it was anthrax and, alarmed rather than alert, notified the authorities. Roxanne had knocked off for the day and only found out about it when a family member called her to ask if that was her workplace being evacuated on the six o’clock news.

So, while this trick didn’t work for poor Roxanne, I have heard of success stories. We’re also a lot more familiar with our phones de nos jours* so if you think you can handle a few uncomfortable days until you can get used to it, try it out.

Another student I recall went from being mediocre at best with les numéros* to an absolute champion in a very short period of time. He admitted he’d changed over the language of his sat nav to French and the results spoke for themselves. The trick is to get your eyes and ears used to the sights and sounds of French, which leads us on parfaitement* to numéro sept*.

When we’re training students for the DELF exams here at Lingua Franca, we’ve noticed that the listening exercises are almost always the most challenging. For ears habituated from birth to the sounds of English (as is the case for many of our students), being able to decipher French train station announcements, for example, under exam conditions and with a belly full of nerves, is a big ask.

We’ve found some success in helping our students to minimise the shock by encouraging them to seek out French sounds in la vie quotidienne*. My favourite tip is to listen to French radio on the commute to and from work, or to put it on in the background when you’re doing le ménage* or going for a walk, par exemple*. Rather than actively listening, I believe there is a huge amount of value in letting the sounds of French wash over you (a similar effect can be had by listening to French music), while your focus is actually elsewhere.

It’s when our ears are no longer scared of the tonality and melody of the French language that they can start to perceive individual words, rather than the terrifying wall of sound that seems to barrel towards us when we first start to tune in to French. My own listening improved a great deal a couple of years ago (and many years after I’d returned from living in France) when I committed to simply plugging in my phone as I started the car in the morning and listening to France Info (part of the Radio France suite of stations) via their app on the way to work. Try it, be patient with yourself, and in a few weeks or months, I think you’ll be agréablement surpris(e)* by your progress.

Become a French detective as you move about your daily life. The shower is a good place to start. Instead of absentmindedly staring off into space during your daily douche*, take a closer look at the beauty and grooming products that are most likely close to hand. From supermarket to luxury brands, many of the products we use are French, and words like gel douche*, gommage* and crème à raser* will soon be part of your French arsenal.

The same opportunity may lie in your bathroom cabinet. Look out for fond de teint*, rouge à lèvres* and crème solaire* for starters.

Don’t stop there, though. Care labels, pantry staples and stationery items have all been known to leave les empreintes françaises* as well.

Actually, if time is not on your side, forget cooking une recette française* and just try reading one instead. You’ll find that the first two or three you tackle are hard going as they contain a lot of cuisine-specific terminology, but soon enough you’ll see that the vocabulary (and the verbs for that matter) tend to repeat themselves, much as they do in English.

And naturellement*, if la lecture* inspires you to la création* of a mouthwatering French dish, tant mieux*.

So now it’s up to you to passer à l’action*. No matter how determined you are to learn (or continue learning French) it is more likely than not you’ll experience a roadblock or two in your French adventure. If you truly love it, though, j’ai l’impression* that you’ll instinctively find ways to keep it in your life, but juste au cas où*, take five minutes now to write up a quick action plan to safeguard your bonheur*. List two or three ways you'll keep French in your life, even if your rue* becomes a bit rocheuse*. Allez*!

*the nuts and bolts | *at a clip | *nervous wreck | *second-last | *these days | *numbers | *perfectly | *number seven | *daily life | *the housework | *for example | *pleasantly surprised | *shower | *shower gel | scrub | *shaving cream | *foundation | *lipstick | *sunscreen | *French fingerprints | *a French recipe | *naturally | *reading | *creation | *so much the better | *take action | *I have a feeling | *just in case | *happiness | *road | *rocky | *Go!

La Petite Histoire

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 the Intermediate 1 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Cet après-midi, Noëlle est venue chez moi pour notre leçon. On était en vacances alors ma belle-sœur ne gardait pas les enfants. Ils étaient à la maison avec moi. Je ne sais pas comment, mais tous les trois dormaient quand elle est arrivée.

”Hello, my friend!” elle a crié quand elle est entrée.

“Chut!” j’ai dit. ‘Les enfants dorment.”

“Ah, désolée, Leïla, j’oublie toujours que tu as des enfants.”

Noëlle est entrée dans notre petit salon et a mis son sac sur le canapé.

“Ah, j’adore ton appartement. C’est tellement intime !”

”Petit, tu veux dire” j’ai dit, et j’ai rigolé. Noëlle n’est pas toujours très directe.

“Ton mari est ici ?” elle a demandé.

“Non, pas encore. Il va arriver bientôt. Il est au travail.”

"Mais il est 14h30 et tu as dit qu’aujourd’hui il travaille jusqu’à 22h30.”

“Oui, mais il veut te rencontrer,” j’ai dit. “Il aime toujours rencontrer mes nouveaux amis. Il va retourner au travail après.”

“D’accord, je vois,'“ Noëlle a répondu. “Il travaille beaucoup, non ?”

“Oui, c’est vrai. Il travaille tout le temps. Il est très ambitieux et il adore son travail. J’ai de la chance.”

“Tu as de la chance, tu penses ?” Noëlle a dit, surprise. “Mais tu n’es pas un peu seule ? S’il est au travail tout le temps, tu es ici toute la journée avec les enfants. Toi, tu travailles beaucoup, je pense !”

”Oui, c’est vrai, mais ma belle-sœur garde les enfants quand je suis à l’université, et c’est le salaire de Jean-Louis qui paie mes études, donc, comme j’ai dit, j’ai de la chance.” J’étais un peu agitée, je dois dire.

“Mais…” a protesté Noëlle.

“On commence ?” j’ai dit. “On a beaucoup de travail à faire et je n’ai pas beaucoup de temps, malheureusement.

“Oui, d’accord,” a répondu Noëlle mais elle avait l’air contrarié.

This afternoon, Noëlle came to my house for our lesson. We were on holidays so my sister-in-law wasn't minding the children. They were all at home with me. I don't know how, but all three were sleeping when she arrived.

"Hello, my friend,"" she cried when she came in.

"Shhh!"" I said. ""The children are sleeping."

"Oh, sorry, Leïla, I always forget that you have children."

Noëlle came into our little living room and put her bag on the couch.

"Oh, I love your apartment. It's so cosy!"

"Little, you mean,"" I said, and I laughed. Noëlle is not always very direct.

"Is your husband here?" she asked.

"No, not yet. He's going to arrive soon. He's at work."

"But it's 2:30pm and you said that today we works until 10:30pm."

"Yes, but he wants to meet you," I said. "He always likes to meet my new friends. He is going to go back to work afterwards."

"Okay, I see," Noëlle responded. "He works a lot, doesn't he?"

"Yes, that's true. He works all the time. He's very ambitious and he loves his work. I'm lucky."

"You're lucky, you think," Noëlle said, surprised. "But aren't you a bit lonely? If he's at work all the time, you're here all day with the children. It's you who works a lot, I think!"

"Yes, maybe, but my sister-in-law looks after the children when I'm at university and it's Jean-Louis' salary that pays for my studies, so, as I said, I'm lucky." I was a bit agitated, I have to say.

'But..." protested Noëlle.

"Shall we start?" I said. "We have a lot of work to do and I don't have a lot of time, unfortunately."

“Yes, okay," responded Noëlle, but she seemed unhappy.

Keep it in your life

Welcome to the second article in our new series: How to Learn French. Not just les rouages*, but tips on the attitudes and practices you can adopt to ensure your success.

Last month I wrote that the secret to learning French is not to give up. That may seem self-evident, but it’s a little more nuanced than one might think at first glance.

At Lingua Franca we meet people every week who come to us after a huge break in their French learning (sometimes up to 50+ years) who are keen to get stuck into it again. We love helping these people (in fact they account for a very large part of our clientele) but I often reflect on where their French might have been had they somehow managed to hold on, even in the most tenuous of ways. When I think about the progress our students make in just one or two years and extrapolate that to cover a decades-long break, I can’t help but feel a bit sorry for the person in front of me.

Again, that’s not exactly for the reason you might be thinking. Yes, they would have been a lot more advanced had they not taken an extended break (which, by the way, is often not by choice but necessity). What concerns me more is the angst that can accompany the decision to return to a long-dormant skill. So often, by the time they turn up at le nid*, they’ve been wanting to come back to French for a period of months if not years, but have been held back by the fear that they will have forgotten everything they know or worse, are worried they’re no longer even capable of learning. What I really admire is that despite these doubts, they still do take the leap and in almost every single case, they are pleasantly surprised by how much does come back and how much they enjoy learning French again, even with their ‘ancient brains’, as they often refer to them.

So, let’s get into my top tips for keeping French in your life when you need to prendre une pause* from your lessons.

PS This will be a two-parter - look for more tips next month.

If you really love French, you may have a tendency to idolise French people, imagining that they’re cooler, as well as more sophisticated, interesting and cultured than you (am I giving myself away here?). Even if you don’t go to such lengths in your admiration, you’ll still likely want to engage with them when your paths cross, if only to practise your French. I say do it! Sometimes even the briefest of exchanges with a real, live French person can put a pep in your step and, at worst, you’ll probably learn a new word or two. At best, you’ll gain a friend for life. Just square your shoulders, and in a big, brave voix*, hit them with your best bonjour* and see what happens next.

One note of caution, though. While we love practising our French on les Français* we cross paths with in our lives here in Australia, remember that the same is also true for them. Many French travellers are here for the express purpose of improving their English, so be generous. Once you’ve had your say, switch back to English if you get the feeling your interlocutor would appreciate the practice.

Many of us have had the demoralising experience of travelling in a French-speaking country and screwing up the courage to trot out a rudimentary French sentence on an unsuspecting waiter or taxi driver, only to have them reply in perfect English.

I remember with much chagrin when I was working in a café in Perth while at uni, and doing exactly that but in reverse to a lovely young French woman who was seated in my section. She placed her order in careful, heavily-accented English and I, suspecting she was French, and busting to use my skills (and being a show-off at heart, to be honest), responded in rapid-fire French that “Yes, I would be happy to get you a mineral water and a tuna salad and would you like anything else?” I absolutely cringe when I think back to that moment, because now I can see that she'd been sitting there for ages, working up the courage to speak to me in English, and I just trampled all over her moment. I remember my response didn't get the reaction I was hoping for, and at the time I couldn't understand why. I do recall now, though, that her shoulders visibly dropped, and not in a relieved way but in a defeated one.

Now that that very same scene has been played out in reverse to me on countless occasions I finally get it. There's a time and place for everything and these days I think there should be some sort of international rule: he or she who is doing the travelling should be the “practiser” and the local the “practisee” and vice versa. Qu'est-ce vous en pensez*?

Look straight ahead of you wherever you are and take a mental snapshot of what you see. Now, see how many things you can name in French in the image you’re seeing in your mind’s eye. If I do it now, the first three things I see are une chaise*, des livres* and un crayon*. If you’re feeling enthousiaste*, add another two for a total of five (une fenêtre*, le jardin*) and then for top points, take it up to ten (un tapis*, une bibliothèque*, un cable*, des coussins*, une table basse*).

You may need a dictionary at any stage of the game, but that’s what our phones are for, non*? We always recommend Word Reference but there are dozens of options for online dictionaries and apps. Or you could even use one made on an actual printing press - très original*.

If you can remember to do this even once a week, you’ll be keeping le français* swimming around your head, which is notre but*, after all.

We’ve never had so much entertainment available to us at the touch of a button and a lot of it is free, aussi*, which means there are few excuses for not watching a French series or film de temps en temps*.

Between streaming services, free-to-air on demand and French film festivals, make it your mission to watch something in French once a quarter. And of course if you decide to faire un marathon* (we can recommend The Bureau, Spiral, The Hookup Plan or Call My Agent for starters) then that counts as your annual intake. Bon visionnage*.

I’m ready to accept that French may not be your one and only true love. You may even be a well-rounded person who is able to entertain a variety of interests and activities (though why you would cheat on French like that when there is such richesse* contained in this one subject matter alone escapes me, but I digress…).

Our aim here is to ensure French stays in your life as you hit the pause button, so I’m going to suggest a bit of a commingling of intérêts* for your own benefit. Love tennis? Do a bit of research on a French tennis player, or even the home of French tennis, Roland Garros. Who was Roland Garros anyway? And why is there a Bugatti named after him? Vous voyez ce que je veux dire*?

I picked tennis at random, but there are as many pistes* to explore as you have the energy to pursue. Simone de Beauvoir, Pierre Cardin, Le Nôtre, Le Corbusier, Baudelaire, Roland Barthes, Monet, Louis Braille, Charles de Gaulle, the Lumière brothers (Alice Guy-Blaché for that matter), Inès de la Fressange, Joey Starr…la liste est longue*.

Many students tell us they speak French perfectly in their heads, it’s only when it comes time to get the words out in class that they stumble. I think we can all sympathise with that.

Recently a student told me they’d found a woman on Youtube who was able to speak several languages fluently, and one of her tricks was to talk to herself out loud in French. She’d pick an activity a day, and then describe what she was doing à voix haute*. So if she was cooking, she may say: “Je coupe les oignons*” or “Je lave les salades*”. You may be surprised at just how much you can say when in a comfortable environment. Getting used to the sound of your own voice speaking French will make it all the more likely you’ll get your words out when faced with a ‘real’ French language opportunity.

This short list is just a soupçon* of the ways you can keep French trotting along by your side, even along when other priorities in your life seem to be conspiring to tear you apart. Be sure to check in again next month for plus d’idées*.

*the nuts and bolts | *the nest | *take a break*voice | *the French | *What do you think of that?
*a chair | *some books | *a pencil | *keen | *a window | *the garden | *a rug | *a bookcase | *a cable | *some cushions | *a *coffee table | *aren’t they? | *very original |* French | *our aim
*as well | *from time to time | *binge watch | *Happy viewing
*richness | *interests | *avenues | *Do you see what I mean? | *the list goes on
*out loud | *I am washing the salad leaves
*taste | *more ideas

Portmanteau words

If, upon hearing the word portmanteau, your mind immediately conjures a vintage Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, félicitations*, you know your luxury leather goods brands. And you’re not wrong, either. The hinged trunk that opens out into a travelling wardrobe is indeed called a portmanteau, and possibly hints at its second meaning as well.

A portmanteau is the combination of two words to create a new word with its own meaning. Portmanteau itself is such an example. Porter (meaning to carry or wear) and manteau (meaning coat) come together to give us the word that describes a mobile wardrobe. While in English we call this combination a portmanteau word, in French it’s called a mot-valise, or word suitcase, which makes sense in a complicated way.

We use portmanteau words all the time in English. Some are so ubiquitous we may not recognise them as such: electrocute (electricity + execute), smog (smoke + fog) and fortnight (fourteen + night). Others are more obvious (and amusing) in their origins: affluenza (affluent + influenza), hangry (hungry + angry) and Brangelina (Brad Pitt + Angelina Jolie) spring to mind.

The French have at least as many portmanteaux as we do in English. Below, a short list of our favourites.

*congratulations

Chanel

The Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion Manifesto exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria inspired us to do a bit of digging into her back catalogue.

For a period of time in the 80s, the Chanel brand was considered fusty and démodé*. The arrival of Karl Lagerfeld in 1983 quickly put paid to that, but what is so striking is that her iconic designs, many of which appeared for the first time in the 20s, feel so fresh and contemporary today.

Jetez un œil*.

*out of fashion | *Take a look

Doctor Qui

Here’s a very quick solution for you if the word for ‘who’ in French occasionally escapes you.

Listen to this three-and-a-half minute video by British humoriste* Bill Bailey and c’est promis* you’ll always have it to hand dans le futur*.

*comedian | *I promise | *in the future

La Piscine

A few of us went to see la version remasterisée* of Plein Soleil* recently, starring Alain Delon as the duplicitous Tom Ripley and Maurice Ronet as his favourite frenemy, Dicky Greenleaf. If the characters’ names sound familiar, it’s likely you saw the 1999 American remake called The Talented Mr Ripley starring Jude Law, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Philip Seymour Hoffman and our own Cate Blanchett.

In the same vein and once again pairing Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet is the 1969 classic La Piscine*. The movie also stars the stunning Romy Schneider and an extremely young Jane Birkin (mother of Charlotte, wife of the inimitable Serge and the inspiration for the Hermès Birkin bag).

La Piscine is un film à huis-clos, meaning a movie that takes place in one location. Huis is a literary word for front door and clos means closed, so it is literally a film (or theatre piece) where the plot unfolds behind closed doors. Despite the languid beauty of the holiday home in the hills of the Côte d’Azur, there is a foreboding sense of claustrophobia which leads to mounting tension and culminates in a very uncomfortable scene in the titular piscine.

The plot is well-executed and there are some very strong performances, and as noted in the bande annonce* below, it stars four of the most photogenic actors ever, and for that alone it is worth a watch. Recommandé*.

Le film entier* is available here on Youtube.

Attention*: there are no English subtitles, so this is the perfect opportunity to simply let the language wash over you, si vous me pardonnez ce jeu de mots*.

*the remastered version | *literally Full Sun but called Purple Noon or Blazing Sun in the English title | *The Swimming Pool | *trailer | *Recommended | *The whole film | *if you’ll pardon the pun

The Parisian Agency

Ils sont de retour*! The French series that epitomises what it means to be photogénique* is back for a second season on Netflix.

This time, the family is trying to extend their influence beyond le périphérique* so expect some tantalising glimpses of regional France, notamment* the uber-chic Cap Ferret near Bordeaux as well as a trip to a magnificent ski lodge in Les Alpes*.

The luxury quotient reaches its summum* when the family pulls out all the stops to try to win the business of the improbably named Daniel Daggers - a James Bond type who is the king of the UK luxury property market.

À voir pour le pur plaisir*.

Read on…

*They’re back! | *photogenic | *the ring road around central Paris | *notably | *The Alps | *peak | *To watch for the pure pleasure of it

French but stupid.

Some of you may have seen Paul Taylor perform here in Australia a few years ago when he served as the ambassador for Le Festival.

An Englishman who spent part of his childhood in France, he speaks French absolutely flawlessly, but as he explains in cette vidéo*, that comes with its own set of problèmes*.

Attention* - he uses the odd gros mot*, so be careful when and where you press play.

*this video | *problems | *Be careful | *swearwords

La Petite Histoire

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, the first chapter of the Intermediate 1 level.

*The Little Story | *The Prequel

Je regardais mon texte avec attention et j’écoutais Noëlle qui parlait (et parlait, et parlait) à propos de Roger.

“Il est juste tellement super, Leïla. On sort tout le temps, il adore faire la fête comme moi, il est drôle et il m’adore. C’est la relation parfaite !”

“Fantastique, Noëlle,” j’ai répondu. “Je suis heureuse pour toi. Bon, est-ce qu’on peut continuer avec les verbes irréguliers ?” Je faisais une leçon d’anglais avec Noëlle dans le café à l’université et je voulais continuer.

“Et est-ce que tu sais qu’on est allés chez ses parents pendant les vacances ?”

“Oui, tu as dit ça la semaine dernière…”

Mais Noëlle n’écoutait pas.

“Leïla, leur maison est énorme ! C’est à Deauville, au bord de la mer, et ils ont une cabine sur les planches, tu peux imaginer ? C’est juste comme Un Homme et Une Femme. Tu connais ce film ? Oui, bien sûr, tout le monde connaît ce film. Roger a dit que nous sommes comme Anne et Jean-Louis, dans le film. Incroyable, non ? Il est tellement romantique, Leïla. C’est le paradis pour moi ! “

Et c’est l’enfer pour moi, je me suis dit.

“Noëlle, est-ce qu’on peut continuer avec la leçon ?” j’ai demandé.

“Ah, oui, bien sûr, Leïla, je suis désolée, c’est juste que je suis tellement amoureuse de lui. Mais bon, oui, on va continuer. Tu as du temps après la leçon aujourd’hui, peut-être ? Je peux finir mon histoire là. Tu connais Roger un peu, donc tu vas adorer mes histoires.”

“Ah, quel dommage, mais je ne peux pas, je suis désolée. Je dois rentrer tout de suite pour voir les enfants.”

“Ah, oui, bien sûr, Leïla. J’oublie tout le temps que tu as des enfants. Tu es tellement responsable.”

“Bon, on peut continuer ? On n’a pas beaucoup de temps.”

“Oui, bien sûr, Madame,” elle a taquiné.

J’ai souri, mais je n’étais pas très contente, je dois dire.

I was looking at my textbook and I was listening to Noëlle who was talking (and talking and talking) about Roger.

“He’s just so great, Leïla. We go out all the time, he adores partying like me, he’s funny and he adores me. It’s the perfect relationship!”

“Fantastic, Noëlle,” I responded. I am happy for you. Right, can we continue with the irregular verbs?” I was doing an English lesson with Noëlle in the café at the university and I wanted to continue.

“And do you know we went to his parents’ place during the holidays?”

“Yes, you said that last week…”

“Leïla, their house is enormous! It’s in Deauville, by the seaside, and they have a cabin on the wooden walkway, can you imagine? It’s just like A Man and a Woman. Do you know that film? Yes, of course, everyone knows that film. Roger said that we’re like Anne and Jean-Louis, in the film. Incredible, isn’t it? He is so romantic, Leïla. It’s heaven for me!”

And it’s hell for me, I thought.

“Noëlle, can we continue with the lesson?” I asked.

"Oh, yes, of course, Leïla, I’m sorry, it’s just that I am so in love with him. But, right, yes, we’re going to continue. Do you have any time after the lesson today, perhaps? I can finish my story then. You know Roger a bit, so you’re going to love my stories.”

“Oh, what a pity, but I can’t, I’m sorry. I have to go home straight away to see the kids.”

“Oh, yes, of course, Leïla. I always forget you have children. You are so responsible.”

“Right, can we continue? We don’t have much time.”

“Yes, of course, Madam,” she teased.

I smiled, but I wasn’t very happy, I have to say.

En Vogue

FLASH INFO* !

After more than 100 years, Vogue Paris has undergone a name change.

Continuer à lire*…

PS: Merci à Jillian pour le tuyau*.

*NEWSFLASH | *Read on… | *Thanks to Jillian for the tip-off.

Napoleania?

Imaginez* if instead of learning French, we trying to get our heads around l’anglais* instead!

This is not as far-fetched as it may seem. Those of you who have done a trip with us to Akaroa in New Zealand to attend the. bi-annual French Fest know that the French explorers were only days away from claiming the Banks Peninsula as a colony before les Anglais* swooped in and planted the Union Jack.

According to this article from The Guardian, a very similar story could have been played our here in Australia during the height of the Napoleonic Wars.

Très intéressant*…

Nicolas-Martin Petit and Charles Lesueur were crew members of Le Geographe. They were among the first Europeans to portray the land, people, animals and plants of South Australia. Lesueur’s ‘Le Wombat’ was sketched on King Island, Tasmania. Photograph: State Library SA

*Imagine | *English | *The English | *Very interesting