This episode is a request from a dear listener, her name is Samin. She contacted me on Instagram and told me about the difficulties she has when she wants to compliment in French. We're going to study different phrases so that you'll be able to say something more than "c'est beau". You'll know several phrases to compliment and to show admiration. Don't forget to download the infographic that sums up all the things you'll learn today. Head over to frenchblabla.org In this episode Compliment like ...
Jul 17, 2021•13 min•Ep. 51
All the great news regarding the French Blabla community Music by Podington Bear - Wavy Glass
Jul 09, 2021•7 min•Ep. 8
This episode is a confession, I think I should feel a smidgen of shame by revealing the kind of litterature I read on the beach but what wouldn't I do for the French language. If you have a little guilty pleasure like me, you're very welcome to share in the comment section, so that I feel a little bit less lonely. The grammar focus today is for A levels but please, B levels, I suggest you review it too if you don't master the demonstrative pronouns. Check them out in your grammar book to know wh...
Jul 02, 2021•4 min•Ep. 31
Today, our episode is inspired by my partner. I said it many times already but he's not French. Despite that I tend to forget that he's a foreigner and I make zero effort to adapt my French to his level. Sorry. I want to point out though that his level is really good so I'm not being cruel here. He understands pretty much everything that I say but there are occasional conversational phrases that he doesn't get. I thought it would be good to talk about this so that you don't end up completely con...
Jun 19, 2021•8 min•Ep. 50
As you could see from the title, we'll talk about something light. It will be surprising for you maybe but it was my first time going to a circus show. It was a good experience but don't imagine I went to a kind of Cirque du soleil performance. Anyway, with the pandemic, I don't think that they have shows going on. This episode is full to the brim with words and phrases regarding the circus. I know it's not really your typical vocabulary you would learn in a lesson or in a french news podcast, b...
Jun 05, 2021•5 min•Ep. 30
I've been sick and it's still going on this week. I've spent a lot of days in bed, in the dark because I suffer from migraine every month. I thought I would talk about this today and I will use this excuse to infuse this episode with phrases and words you will need if you ever get sick in France and need to see a doctor or if you go to the pharmacy. In episode 6 of "A day in French", we covered several useful phrases to explain your symptoms, go listen to it if you need a refresher. As for the g...
May 29, 2021•4 min•Ep. 29
I hope you're fine because I was not happy for sure when the week started. I happened to find leaky pipes in my home. I wasn't planning on talking about this today but I couldn't let this occasion pass. I don't know if you remember but it's not the first time I'm not happy with something. In episode 16, I got angry at a sales rep. Go listen to it if you want to know the full story, and in today's episode I get very displeased again. To make it short, if you happen to rent a place in France and y...
May 14, 2021•4 min•Ep. 28
I hope you enjoyed last week's episode. If you have missed it, I suggest you go listen to it as in today's "A day in French" we will use what we have learnt. Last week, we did the theory and today we'll practice. I will tell you about my dreams and things I wish I could do. The grammar focus is for everybody, that's quite unusual, since we will review the verb "manquer" and there will also be some B level grammar with a review of the hypothesis. Everything can be found in the study guide I have ...
May 08, 2021•4 min•Ep. 27
With the pandemic still going strong, I'm sure that most of us are longing for better days and we may feel a bit nostalgic. I've been thinking all week about the things I'd like to do. I, then, asked you on Instagram what you were nostalgic about and today's topic hit me. Today is going to be short and sweet as we will talk about how to express "I miss you" in French. I know that the way we build this phrase is very confusing as everything is inverted so we're going to untangle all of this in th...
Apr 30, 2021•10 min•Ep. 49
This episode is for you, my intermediate level listeners. There will be a lot of structure and syntax twisting and a basic command of the French grammar is needed. Hold on tight and stay focused because it won't be a walk in the park. However as the saying goes "no pain no gain" right? The reward is big, it's going to change completely the way you ask questions. In this Episode Difference between the questions you've learnt and questions today How to create questions the natural way A challenge ...
Apr 23, 2021•13 min•Ep. 48
There's a topic that I haven't really delved into and that is completely overlooked in this podcast. People may think that for a podcast whose claim is to teach you real spoken French, it's a bit strange that I haven't talked about that sooner. Frankly, I don't think today's topic is a requisite for sounding like a true French person. This episode comes from one dear listener, Oliver, he asked me to cover slang in French. And that's what we're going to do today. Stay tuned! In this Episode Why s...
Apr 18, 2021•12 min•Ep. 47
In this episode, you'll learn everything, to buy or order what you need for gardening so that if you happen to go to a garden centre in France or to order from a French website, you'll know what to ask and look for. Today, the grammar focus is for A students as we will review simple ways to ask questions. As usual, with this episode comes a study guide that contains the transcription, the vocabulary and the grammar focus. You might want to check it out. Don't forget to download it. Stay tuned! I...
Apr 09, 2021•4 min•Ep. 26
Last time, we talked about ice cream and today we will talk about croque monsieur. If there's one dish you can make at home that is super easy and really French, it's the croque-monsieur. With a side of salad, you've got yourself a perfect lunch. I encourage you to try. If you do, please let me know. Coincidentally, Marcel Proust will make an appearance again in this episode. Today, the grammar focus is for B students as we will review the two conditionals, present and past. As usual, with this ...
Apr 02, 2021•4 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, Candice comes back for a chat. We had a nice talk about her dream house in this episode . Today, we will discover her shopping habits. It will be a good opportunity to review how to properly use articles. If you struggle with them, it's time to listen and download the study guide to practice. In this Episode Real conversation with real fillers and regional pronunciation Learn or review how to use articles Vocabulary about grocery shopping...
Mar 26, 2021•6 min•Ep. 46
Today, I'd like to continue on the topic of finding a language partner to talk to since it's a big struggle for many of you . In episode 42 , I shared my tips to be able to find a conversation partner. If you haven't listened to it yet, go check it out and grab yourself a French friend. However, finding somebody is only the first step in an efficient language practice. There are some other important things to consider. In this episode, I'd like to share with you a few strategies that you will ne...
Mar 19, 2021•7 min•Ep. 45
In this episode, we're going to talk about the intricacies of the pronouns "tu" and "vous". Today's title is a bit misleading and I'm sorry about that. My intent isn't really to have a definite guide of the different uses of these pronouns, instead I would like to go deeper into the complexity of French social interactions. These two words really reflect that. Obviously, as always, I'll give you some etiquette tips to behave like a French person, but today is more of a cultural episode. In this ...
Mar 12, 2021•8 min•Ep. 44
In this episode, I will share some anecdotes related to taste and ice cream. It's strange to talk about this in winter but I'm longing for sunny days. The grammar focus is for A levels as we will review the negative. As for the vocabulary, it will be useful for when we get to travel again during the summer. You'll become ice cream professionals as we will learn many words that you will hear when you order in France. If you struggled understanding the different possibilities on a menu, listen to ...
Mar 05, 2021•4 min•Ep. 24
It's been almost two months that 2021 has started and I haven't even asked you if you had any good French goals for this year. Every new year is always an opportunity to start fresh and I thought it would be a nice change on the podcast to have a guest. Her name is Ines and she used to be a French teacher, a regular one, just like me, years ago. Now she's a French coach and she specializes in neurolanguage. She has kindly accepted my invitation to share with us her expertise. If you need a kick ...
Feb 26, 2021•27 min•Ep. 43
A few weeks ago, I sent you an email asking you what your biggest struggle was. The answers were overwhelming. Almost everybody asked me how to find natives to talk to. Christine for example told me "finding someone to speak French with". David, who also answered my email, faces the same problem. "Finding opportunities to practice" he told me. I also received emails directly in my inbox asking me the same question. Today we're going to go over some solutions we have to finally find where these F...
Feb 19, 2021•7 min•Ep. 42
Today, we're going to dive into the world of movies. We'll learn some useful phrases to describe them. I don't usually talk about movies I watched because I'm not really into this. I rarely go to the cinema and I don't even watch that many tv shows. If you've listened to episode 5 of "A day in French", then you know that I like to watch hockey instead. I decided to talk about the movie called "Amelie Poulain" because I learnt that one character and what he does were inspired by real events. I co...
Feb 05, 2021•3 min•Ep. 23
In the special episode of "Quoi de beau Caro ?" we will recap 2020 and talk about the great project coming ahead this year. Music by Podington Bear - Wavy Glass
Jan 29, 2021•7 min•Ep. 7
Guys, it's time for the truth! Are you guilty of answering "comme ci comme ca" when somebody asks you how you are? I have no idea where it comes from, maybe from a song but when I was teaching in schools, students sometimes answered with this phrase. Frankly, I don't know anybody in my relatives nor friends that ever said this. Today, we're gonna drop the comme ci comme ca and study how to answer properly like French people would. In episode 22 , we talked about how to translate the phrase "I'm ...
Jan 22, 2021•8 min•Ep. 41
Welcome to the twenty-second episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. I hope you're hungry because we're going to talk about food, my favourite topic. In the previous episode , we talked about food as well but about a very strange Christmas menu. I wonder if there were any vegetarians who listened to that episode. Today, nothing disgusting I promise, i...
Jan 15, 2021•3 min•Ep. 22
I noticed that a lot of learners struggle with the translation of "let's", especially since it's very different from the translation of the verb "to let". This can be confusing. Today we're going to talk about it. Before listening, I suggest you refresh your mind with the episode 26 , where we covered when to use "nous" and when to use "on". You will need it to fully grasp this new episode. Stay tuned! In this Episode Three phrases to properly translate "let's" The number one sentence you need t...
Jan 08, 2021•9 min•Ep. 40
Welcome to the twenty-first episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. What is the weirdest or most disgusting thing you have ever eaten in your life? For me, it was silkworm pupae, that I ate when I was in Korea. I put it in my mouth a bit reluctantly. I really thought it was going to be disgusting but to my surprise, I enjoyed it. I won't say it was de...
Jan 01, 2021•4 min•Ep. 21
Welcome to the thirty-ninth episode of the French Blabla podcast where we will cover tips to increase your fluency while boosting your way of learning. Today's episode is a special request from a dear listener, Sarah. She contacted me on the chat and she told me "Caroline, in french you usually drop the last letter. But how is it with the "plus" I can't figure out when to say plu or plus". When I read her question, I panicked a little bit because there was no way I could explain the rules in jus...
Dec 18, 2020•7 min
Welcome to the twentieth episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. In this new episode we'll be talking about my birthday and what I will do on this special day. I will also talk about the joy of bathing and the bath culture. Don't forget to download the study guide to get access to the transcription. Stay tuned! In this Episode Winter and snow vocabula...
Dec 11, 2020•3 min•Ep. 20
Welcome to the nineteenth episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. Did it ever happen to you that you woke up in the middle of the night and an idea popped into your mind, for no reason whatsoever. That's exactly what happened to me for this episode. I got up and suddenly this idea knocked on my door. She said (because idea is a feminine word in French...
Dec 04, 2020•4 min•Ep. 19
Welcome to the thirty-eighth episode of the French Blabla podcast where we will cover tips to increase your fluency while boosting your way of learning. In episode 36 , we talked about different ways to express the phrase "je ne sais pas". One of these ways was "alors là", my personal favourite. I thought about this phrase and realized that this word "alors" is really multifaceted. So today, we will dive into some meanings that the word "alors" has. Stay tuned! In this Episode Five new ways to u...
Nov 27, 2020•7 min•Ep. 38
Welcome to the eighteenth episode of this series that will transport you to the daily life of a French woman. We will cover specific vocabulary to increase your fluency while practicing particular grammar points. Days ago, I was working on the last Day in French in the living room while the other members of my family were watching TV. In France, the national public TV service loves historical documentaries about famous figures who influenced our History. They were watching a tv program about Mar...
Nov 20, 2020•4 min•Ep. 18
