French Please French Please

"Encore" is what we say to request, encourage or beg a performer to return to the stage. Although we are using it in a sense that sort of means the same thing as it can in French, it is NOT used like this in French. In French, it is "bis!"

So where does that leave the poor wanna be French speaker? Let us explore the ways together today; all that "encore" can be. You will be amazed!

Our brand new, hope-filled (may travel begin again in earnest!) e-course is French Abroad! In one easy place, find all you need to know and know how to say to enjoy your next voyage!

Check out our lessons for families: French with kids. We help you create the space, time, and connections that bring French alive chez you, away from a screen. Delivered online, to be used face to face. Don't wait: speak today, the way that makes speaking another language as natural and useful as your native tongue. You are already having a blast with French with Kids? Chouette! Add in one of the following to bring your couple into full French communication too. Fill your ears, your vocal cords, and your life with French!

French at Home: a Conversation  Be prepared for your next trip, do not wait one more day to "be ready".  Now is the time: learn and practice request and response together and unplugged. Course for those who perhaps spoke French once upon a time and need to refresh and reinvent the language.

For beginners: French at Home: a Debut We walk you through it, request and response, short, to the point, and always relevant, building confidence, vocabulary, and the thrill of another language.

Don't miss another episode, video, blog post, or special offer on classes. Subscribe to the podcast with the "subscribe" or  "follow"  button. AND

Feedback? Requests? We would love to hear from you! Add to the comments below or send questions and comments here: pierre@commenceledream.com

Land of French, land of snow, what else do you not know about Canada and in particular, that bit of it that is Quebec? If you come from France, you learn of the Great Separation that almost was, the New France Quebec could have become, that there are bears and cabins in the woods, and great, peaceful expanses of wilderness. As a US citizen, I know almost nothing of the very European metropolis that is Montreal. 
Today's guest brings us the music, literature, film, sports, and fine cuisine of this sliver of heaven in the north. Charles André Marchand, a gifted author, sports radio host at 91,9 Sports, journalist, interpreter, actor, and more, kindly agreed to sit down and chat with Thierry and me, and we discovered just how cool (how French for Thierry, how French AND North American for me) is the land of Quebec, and how much one life can contain. All three of us being fervent fans of being outdoors for ice-skating, skiing, and walks in the winter woods, we also connect over the weather. Join us for a rollicking walk through the quartiers of Montreal, football, history, and culture.
Books by Charles André Marchand, first, his latest work of fiction, Arcade et Gail, Volume One, Les Amours Impossibles, and Volume Two, co-authored with Katherine Girard. I cannot wait to read these, a copy has been sent to me...merci! 
His latest non-fiction works are two volumes of Pégre QC, a history of the underworld of Quebec which was simply fascinating, the most fast-paced non-fiction I have read in ages. These are in French, as are his earlier works, but if you are looking for a good audiobook to slow down and listen to, Pègre Quebec is a great choice. 
Canadian music suggestions from today: Harmonium, Charles le Bois, Plume Latraverse, Fiori Seguin. The quartier of Montreal known also as N.D.G. for No Damn Good, is Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.
Don't miss another episode, video, blog post, or special offer on classes. Subscribe to the newsletter below and the podcast, s'il vous plaît!
Check out our lessons for families: French with kids. We help you create the space, time, and connections that bring French alive chez you, away from a screen. Delivered online, to be used face to face. Don't wait: speak today, the way that makes speaking another language as natural and useful as your native tongue. You are already having a blast with French with Kids? Chouette! Add in one of the following to bring your couple into full French communication too. Fill your ears, your vocal cords, and your life with French!
French at Home: a Conversation  Be prepared for your next trip, do not wait one more day to "be ready".  Now is the time: learn and practice request and response together and unplugged. Course for those who perhaps spoke French once upon a time and need to refresh and reinvent the language.
For beginners: French at Home: a Debut We walk you through it, request and response, short, to the point, and always relevant, building confidence, vocabulary, and the thrill of another language.
Feedback? Requests? We would love to hear from you! Add to the comments below or send questions and comments here: pierre@commenceledream.com
You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at frenchdialogues
Angela's blog on France, language learning, travel, and everyday adventures: http://www.ahomeschoolstory.com/

Have you made and kept or maybe already made and broken your resolutions for this new year? Does anyone do that in France? A tiny episode all about the subject and its cultural implications here and abroad. 

Our brand new, hope-filled (may travel begin again in earnest!) e-course is French Abroad! In one easy place, find all you need to know and know how to say to enjoy your next voyage!

French from today:

journal de femmes/feminine magazines, le premier mois/the first month, de l'année/of the year, jurer/to swear, promettre/to promise, prendre la décision/make a decision, faire une résolution/make a resolution.

Next up, an interview on all things Canada; music, literature, and memorable criminal trials of Quebec. Join us for a wide-ranging conversation with Charles André Marchand, legendary sports radio host, author, and interpreter. Subscribe below to listen as soon as it comes out.

Check out our lessons for families: French with kids. We help you create the space, time, and connections that bring French alive chez you, away from a screen. Delivered online, to be used face to face. Don't wait: speak today, the way that makes speaking another language as natural and useful as your native tongue. You are already having a blast with French with Kids? Chouette! Add in one of the following to bring your couple into full French communication too. Fill your ears, your vocal cords, and your life with French!

French at Home: a Conversation  Be prepared for your next trip, do not wait one more day to "be ready".  Now is the time: learn and practice request and response together and unplugged. Course for those who perhaps spoke French once upon a time and need to refresh and reinvent the language.

For beginners: French at Home: a Debut We walk you through it, request and response, short, to the point, and always relevant, building confidence, vocabulary, and the thrill of another language.

Don't miss another episode, video, blog post, or special offer on classes. Subscribe to the podcast with the "subscribe" or  "follow"  button. AND

Feedback? Requests? We would love to hear from you! Add to the comments below or send questions and comments here: pierre@commenceledream.com

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at commence_le_dream

Angela's blog on France, language learning, travel, and everyday adventures: http://www.ahomeschoolstory.com/

This is the fourth and final episode in our series on the traditions for Christmas and more in France. I promised a gift that will go out to our newsletter subscribers (because you cannot publish a free thing this beautiful in the podcast notes!), so here is the link for signing up for the newsletter, in case you are not already a member of Commence le Dream: Sign up for our newsletter here!



French from today's show:

Le gui/mistletoe

Le hou/holly

La mousse au chocolat/does it need a translation? 

Joyeux Noël/Merry Christmas!!!



Our brand new, hope-filled (may travel begin again in earnest!) e-course is French Abroad! In one easy place, find all you need to know and know how to say to enjoy your next voyage!

Check out our lessons for families: French with kids. We help you create the space, time, and connections that bring French alive chez you, away from a screen. Delivered online, to be used face to face. Don't wait: speak today, the way that makes speaking another language as natural and useful as your native tongue. You are already having a blast with French with Kids? Chouette! Add in one of the following to bring your couple into full French communication too. Fill your ears, your vocal cords, and your life with French!

French at Home: a Conversation  Be prepared for your next trip, do not wait one more day to "be ready".  Now is the time: learn and practice request and response together and unplugged. Course for those who perhaps spoke French once upon a time and need to refresh and reinvent the language.

For beginners: French at Home: a Debut We walk you through it, request and response, short, to the point, and always relevant, building confidence, vocabulary, and the thrill of another language.

Don't miss another episode, video, blog post, or special offer on classes. Subscribe to the podcast with the "subscribe" or  "follow"  button. AND

Feedback? Requests? We would love to hear from you! Add to the comments below or send questions and comments here: pierre@commenceledream.com

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at commence_le_dream

Angela's blog on France, homeschooling, language learning and life: http://www.ahomeschoolstory.com/ 

Our Holidays in France series continues with a special interview with or entretien avec Dominique Weiner. I am just tickled to have had the opportunity to speak with Dominique. She is a lovely human, an excellent French interpreter, and a friend, but a long-distance one that I do not know as well as I would like. Despite this, (malgré cela) she was kind enough to open up on a topic that is very private for much of the population in France, religion and her own Jewish traditions. Presenting...Hanukkah in France in the middle of a country celebrating Christmas. Merci, Dominique! who can be found on Linked In under: Dominique Stora-Weiner.

French from today's show:

Un cadeau de fin d'année (an end of the year gift, used in France rather than "a gift for Hanukkah")

Bonne fête! (Happy holiday!) 

Bonne année! (Happy New Year!)

Hebrew from today: 

חַג חֲנֻכָּה שָׂמֵחַ

Happy Hanukkah! 

As always, check out our lessons for families: French with kids. We help you create the space, time, and connections that bring French alive chez you, away from a screen. Delivered online, to be used face to face. Don't wait: speak today, the way that makes speaking another language as natural and useful as your native tongue. You are already having a blast with French with Kids? Chouette! Add in one of the following to bring your couple into full French communication too. Fill your ears, your vocal cords, and your life with French!

French at Home: a Conversation  Be prepared for your next trip, do not wait one more day to "be ready".  Now is the time: learn and practice request and response together and unplugged. Course for those who perhaps spoke French once upon a time and need to refresh and reinvent the language.

For beginners: French at Home: a Debut We walk you through it, request and response, short, to the point, and always relevant, building confidence, vocabulary, and the thrill of another language.

Don't miss another episode, video, blog post, or special offer on classes. Subscribe to the podcast with the "subscribe" or  "follow"  button. AND

Sign up for our newsletter here!

Feedback? Requests? We would love to hear from you! Add to the comments below or send questions and comments here: pierre@commenceledream.com

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at commence_le_dream

Angela's blog on France, homeschooling, language learning and life: http://www.ahomeschoolstory.com/

Episode 2 in our Holidays in France series. What happens in France on Christmas Eve?  

French from today's episode: les huitres/oysters le saumon/salmon les rillettes de veau/veal dish la bûche de Noël/yule log dessert la messe de minuit/midnight mass En attendant/in the meantime Je vous souhaite une bonne fête/I wish you a happy holiday! If you are looking for more French, check out our lessons for home and abroad. 

Our brand new, hope-filled (may travel begin again in earnest!) e-course is French Abroad! In one easy place, find all you need to know and know how to say to enjoy your next voyage!

For families: French with kids. We help you create the space, time, and connections that bring French alive chez you, away from a screen. Delivered online, to be used face to face. Don't wait: speak today, the way that makes speaking another language as natural and useful as your native tongue. You are already having a blast with French with Kids? Chouette! Add in one of the following to bring your couple into full French communication too. Fill your ears, your vocal cords, and your life with French! 

French at Home: a Conversation  Be prepared for your next trip, do not wait one more day to "be ready".  Now is the time: learn and practice request and response together and unplugged. Course for those who perhaps spoke French once upon a time and need to refresh and reinvent the language. Coming January 1: French Abroad: all you need to travel in style and confidence...in French! 

For beginners: French at Home: a Debut We walk you through it, request and response, short, to the point, and always relevant, building confidence, vocabulary, and the thrill of another language. Don't miss another episode, video, blog post, or special offer on classes. 

Subscribe to the podcast with the "subscribe" or  "follow"  button. 

AND Sign up for our newsletter here!

Feedback? Requests? We would love to hear from you! Add to the comments below or send questions and comments here: pierre@commenceledream.com You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at commence_le_dream  (photos of la bûche de Noël, the dog, and more Christmas) Angela's blog on France, homeschooling, language learning and life: A Homeschool Story