This week I decided to bring you something un peu différent et brand new! I’ve never done this before and I hope it it will help your French comprehension! I’ve decided to record my own voice reading my blog post written down below, so you can listen and read at the same time yay! Do let me know how you like this format as I love the idea and would enjoy sharing more of these with you! This is just a mini version to get us started.
Peut-être vous pouvez commencer par écouter sans regarder le texte ci-dessous puis écouter une deuxième fois avec le texte? Comme vous voulez!
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Livre audio: Voyage à Seattle partie 1
Listen here:
Read below:
Comme d’habitude, j’attends le dernier moment pour me préparer. Bon je ne suis pas là pour m’autoflageller non plus. J’ai aussi attendu jusqu’à samedi parce que j’avais des tas de choses à faire avant. Toujours est-il que dimanche 1er mars, à 6h30 du matin, mon énorme valise rouge, mon ticket de métro à 1,90€ (beaucoup moins cher qu’Uber, ravie que la grève soit terminée!) et moi, sommes prêts pour le grand voyage: départ Paris destination Seattle.
Plusieurs choses me font peur au moment de rejoindre mon siège dans l’avion, être assise:
-à proximité d’un bébé qui hurle ou d’un enfant mal élevé -près d’une femme qui porte un parfum entêtant (c’est la migraine assurée) -à côté de quelqu’un qui déborde de son siège, sur le mien.
Dieu merci, je n’ai eu à faire face à aucune de ces trois situations cauchemardesques, ouf! Je n’avais même pas de voisin, quelle chance!
Dix heures plus tard, me voilà arrivée à Sea-Tac Airport, hurray for direct flights! Moi qui m’attendais à une impression forte en me retrouvant dans mes États-Unis adorés, avec mes amies adorées, je dois avouer que ce ne fut nullement le cas, ni à la vue des panneaux “Welcome to the USA” everywhere, ni à la vue de mon amie H qui m’attendait en haut des escalators, ni même en conduisant sa voiture sur les routes et autoroutes de Seattle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jaded or anything. J’ai juste eu l’impression que rien de tout cela n’était nouveau, que je ne m’en étais en fait jamais séparée.
J’ai apparemment une forte tendance à me sentir complètement chez moi partout où je me sens bien. Et par complètement, je veux dire, spirituellement. Donc, arrivées chez H, je me dirige vers “ma” chambre le plus naturellement du monde, cette maison où jai passé tant de jours, cette chambre où j’ai passé tant de nuits. Mais vite! Il nous faut nous préparer afin de partir chez notre amie Karin, qui a organisé et invité un petit welcoming group, youpi lucky moi!
Et là… c’est pareil. Une fois de plus c’est moi qui conduis, parce que j’adore ça et que H a la gentillesse de me passer ce petit caprice inoffensif, et rebelote! Cette même impression tout le long du trajet: les routes, les bâtiments, les magasins, la végétation, rien ne me surprend, rien ne m’enchante… en surface. Parce qu’en profondeur it’s a different story. Especially as we get close to Karin’s house, which also used to be mon beloved quartier. C’est plus qu’un enchantement. Ce n’est pas non plus un sentiment de paix ou de calme, pour la bonne et simple raison que je ne suis pas exactement quelqu’un de calme. Non, ce que je ressens s’apparente plutôt à un feu intérieur, puissant, discret, mais constant. Une sorte de socle au fond de mon coeur que me procure ma présence dans cet endroit magique. Une énergie qui communique directement avec la mienne et qui résulte en une joie jamais égalée.
Ce n’est pas seulement parce que je me suis créée une nouvelle vie pendant mes sept années vécues ici à Seattle, une vie à laquelle je n’aurais même pas songé en Europe. Non ce n’est pas seulement ça. L’Europe, la France, c’est chez moi, parce que j’y suis née, parce que j’y ai grandi. Seattle, c’est chez moi parce que je l’ai choisie, parce que ma vie rêvée est née ici. Si ma première naissance a eu lieu dans la tristesse et l’instabilité, ma deuxième naissance s’est déroulée dans la joie et la liberté. Le sentiment d’appartenance s’en retrouve évidemment plus fort, plus authentique. Pour cette raison, à chaque retour à Seattle, il me semble avant d’arriver que mon coeur va exploser, et puis en fait non, j’ai juste l’impression de ne jamais être partie. C’est à la fois décevant et apaisant.
Voilà seulement cinq jours que je suis ici et j’ai déjà revu la plupart de mes amies, parcouru mes quatre parcs préférés: the Arboretum, Interlaken, Volunteer Park lundi sous une petite pluie fine, et Lincoln Park mercredi sous un grand soleil. On s’est même promenées le long du superbe Puget Sound (photo above)! Bon je ne peux pas non plus faire du tourisme tous les jours et à longueur de journée car je suis aussi ici pour travailler et je dois m’occuper de tous les derniers préparatifs pour notre premier week-end en immersion pendant lequel huit étudiants pratiqueront leur français avec moi et d’autres Français: l’artiste Géraldine, le vigneron Jean-Claude, Philippe le couvreur, Élise et Patrick les boulangers, Thierry le chef. Nous échangerons, nous mangerons, nous boirons, et nous cuisinerons des macarons au chocolat et des madeleines. Pas mal le programme, n’est-ce pas?
And that’s it for now les amis! If you liked it, and if you’re good, I might just do this again la semaine prochaine 😉
Let me know what your thoughts and impressions!
If you want to receive free fun tips from me to help you improve your French conversational skills, sign up for my free Three Step Mini Course to Become a Little Bit French: videos, audios, stories, songs, photos, games… all in French!
And if you want to practice your French with me personally, c’est très simple: Join my French Immersion Courses in Seattle (March 2020), Pélussin (April & July 2020… aaaah the French countryside!), et Paris (September & October 2020). We have 3 spots lefts for Seattle so check the dates below and book your ticket now! One spot also just opened up for Pélussin April 2020 so make it yours!
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Learn French online with Virginie
Join French Truly’s online school, either by buying the French online course(s) of your choice or by becoming a monthly member. See more details about the membership at the bottom of this page
Each French online course is packed with video & audio files along with written material, to make it as fun, easy, and user friendly as possible for you! Come and learn French online with me!
In this course, you will find 15 videos (+ 10 bonus ones) to help & accompany you every step of the way through the course + for each word, each sentence, each expression, each conjugated verb, I have created an audio file of my voice, slow and slightly faster speed. Your French language learning experience has never been so easy, fun, and fruitful. You can learn French online and benefit from the flexibility working at your own pace offers, while having me with you the whole time.
Did you know…
You can converse (speak + understand) in French with only 600 WORDS?
The average French person only uses between 300 & 3,000 WORDS?
This means that if you can master a relatively short list of words, you’ll be able to express yourself like the average French person! Plus you’re much more likely to understand the French when they talk back to you!
This course will teach you…
1- How to speak French
2- How to pronounce French
3- How to make French sentences
4- How to conjugate all the most common French verbs
5- How to polish your results
6- How to self evaluate your French
More info HERE
It should take you about 30 hours to complete this course, which is made up of 10 lessons
This course is designed for a beginner / intermediate level. If you are intermediate but feel like you could really reinforce your foundations, you will love it.
You can join whenever, either by buying the course or by becoming a monthly member giving you access to my French online courses from $10 / month. See more details about the membership at the bottom of this page
In this course you will find 11 videos + 150 audio files + 92 pages PDF format to help & accompany you every step of the way throughout the course. In some parts of the videos, my face will appear close up and profile so you can easily see how I make these sounds with my mouth. The 150 audio files are composed of the 100 most popular French words and the 50 most common French phrases. They are recordings of my voice, speaking slowly enough so you can easily grasp every syllable. Your French language learning experience has never been so easy, fun, and fruitful. You can learn French online and benefit from the flexibility working at your own pace offers, while having me with you the whole time.
NB: if you are the proud owner of my previous French online course 600 WORDS, don’t worry, this is not a repeat as we are now exploring 1 letter words and up, whereas in 600 WORDS we began at 4 letter words and up.
Combine knowledge with confidence…
For you to be able to have a pleasant and efficient conversation with a French person, one thing is key… can you guess what it is? Confidence! How well do you think you will communicate in French if you don’t feel confident about your accent? If you are scared that people won’t understand you? Or even worse if you think someone might make fun of you? Without a minimum of confidence there is no room for communication. Yet if you feel confident, you can afford to make a few mistakes here and there because people will still understand you. What prevents a conversation from happening isn’t just a lack of knowledge, it’s also a lack of confidence. You need to have both to make it work, not to mention, to make it fun!
This course will teach you…
1- How to pronounce every letter of the alphabet
2- How to pronounce every digraph & trigraph
3- How to make every French sentence flow
4- How to pronounce the 100 most popular French words
5- How to pronounce the 50 most popular French phrases
6- How to avoid the pronunciation mistakes everyone makes
More info HERE
It should take you about 20 to 2 hours to complete this course, which is made up of 11 lessons
This course is designed for a beginner level. If you are intermediate but lack confidence when it comes to talking and feel like you could really benefit from focusing on pronunciation, you will love it.
You can join whenever, either by buying the course or by becoming a monthly member giving you access to my French online courses from $10 / month. See more details about the membership below
In the FRENCH DICTÉES online course you will find 20 videos + 10 audio files to help & accompany you every step of the way throughout the course. Why 20 videos? Because there are 10 dictées in total, each focusing on one particular topic, and for each dictée I have prepared 2 videos. Let’s say the video focuses on both French past tenses called imparfait & passé composé. The first video will go though the grammar, the conjugation, and all the tips on these two past tenses to help you understand and remember how and when to use them. The second video will be the actual dictée, a short story written by me, describing everyday life situations conveniently packed with imparfait and passé composé verbs! Boom! Efficient! The dictée will also be read by me, slowly first and then a little faster, with a close up on my face so you can more easily recognize the words and copy the shapes I make to improve your own pronunciation.
Become a French language expert
How do you become an expert at anything? By focusing on one thing at a time.
I’ve made sure to categorize and isolate either a verb tense, a verb group, a grammar or vocabulary topic per dictée, so you can effectively focus and interiorize concepts separately, which makes it a lot easier to remember them.
Here’s what you’re going to learn
What grammar & conjugation points will each dictée focus on?
Dictée # 1: Present tense
Dictée # 2: Past tenses – imparfait & passé composé
Dictée # 3: Future tenses – futur proche & futur simple
Dictée # 4: Conditional, imparfait, asking questions
Dictée # 5: Imperative form
Dictée # 6: First group verbs all tenses
Dictée # 7: Second group verbs all tenses
Dictée # 8: Third group verbs all tenses
Dictée # 9: Numbers
Dictée # 10: Prepositions
Each dictée is a short story written by me about practical everyday life situations. This means that not only do you get to work on conjugation & grammar drills, but you also improve your conversational skills at the same time: a magic combination for your next trip to France!
Grow your confidence talking about practical everyday topics
The dictées will refer to common topics that you are very likely to hear or very likely to use to express yourself such as:
-Traveling to France
-Socializing
-Childhood memories
-Family dynamics
-Everyday life routines
-How to express your ideas, opinions, and dreams
Two videos per dictée
First video: key grammar and conjugation reminders explained very clearly so you feel prepared and confident entering each dictée.
Second video: the actual dictée. I’ve made sure to categorize and isolate either a verb tense, a verb group, a grammar or vocabulary topic, so you can effectively focus and interiorize concepts separately, which makes it a lot easier to remember them.
And for you challenge lovers over-achievers?
Yes I have prepared something just for you! I have also made 10 audio files, 1 per dictée, so that if you wish to, if you want it extra difficult, if you want to test yourself more deeply, you can solely rely on sound. Indeed there are many occasions in life where we hear a language but we don’t see it: speaking to someone on the phone or listening to the radio for instance.
20 videos? 10 audio files? What else?
This new FRENCH DICTÉES online course also comes with written files with both the French text along with the English translation, so that you can evaluate yourself when you’re done taking notes.
To summarize, you’ll be able to use video, audio, and written material.
Dictées worked for me, they’ll work for you!
Let me tell you, I LOVE dictées because THEY WORK. And clearly you realize this too and that is smart of you. So now let’s see how something as simple as a dictée can truly help you become a little bit French! Your French language learning experience has never been so easy, fun, and fruitful. You can learn French online and benefit from the flexibility working at your own pace offers, while having me with you the whole time.
Become a monthly member!
My goal is to transform your French language learning experience. This is why I’ve decided to offer you a new way to learn French online and gain access to the French Truly Online School! Actually, more than 1 new way, you’ll have 3 plans to choose from so come and learn French online with me!
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FRENCH IMMERSION COURSE – WEEKEND IN SEATTLE MARCH 2020
SEATTLE – US 2020 March 7 & 8: This French Immersion Course is designed for intermediate level students – SOLD OUT 2020 March 14 & 15: This French Immersion Course is designed for beginner level students – SOLD OUT 2020 March 21 & 22: This French Immersion Course is designed for intermediate level students – 3 SPOTS LEFT
If you’re unsure about your level, contact me to schedule a free Skype call
FRENCH IMMERSION COURSE – WEEK IN PÉLUSSIN APRIL & JULY 2020
PÉLUSSIN – FRANCE 2020 April 6 to 12: This French Immersion Course is designed for intermediate level students – 1 SPOT OPEN 2020 July 20 to 26: This French Immersion Course is designed for intermediate level students – SOLD OUT
If you’re unsure about your level, contact me to schedule a free Skype call
FRENCH IMMERSION COURSE – WEEK IN PARIS SEPTEMBER 2020
PARIS – FRANCE 2020 September 14 to 20: This French Immersion Course is designed for intermediate level students – SOLD OUT 2020 September 28 to October 4: This French Immersion Course is designed for beginner level students – 8 SPOTS LEFT
If you’re unsure about your level, contact me to schedule a free Skype call
100% French Experience
What inspired me to create this French Immersion Course? C’est très simple: how best to improve your French conversation skills than by being in France, surrounded with French culture and French people who will ONLY speak French to you? Yet so many times I have heard visitors express their disappointment at not really being given the chance to practice their French. Why? Because more & more French people, especially in big cities, speak English fairly well and are just so excited to practice their new skills with you! This ends up being nice and comfortable for you but not so satisfying or helpful for improving your French speaking ability! So to fix this and make sure you have the most enjoyable, and at the same time profitable, French learning experience, I decided to create the perfect environment for you by organizing this hands-on French Immersion Course.
Daily French Classes & Activities
This is the reason why I have created this 7 DAY FULL FRENCH IMMERSION COURSE for you, filled with daily classes & enriching adventures with French people who will only speak French with you. No English! It’s amazing how much you can learn and retain in such a conducive atmosphere in as little as 7 days. Mornings will be dedicated to French language classes and afternoons will be filled with interesting activities such as: visiting local artists or entrepreneurs workshops, meeting with local wine makers and farmers, guided hike in nature, cooking class, painting class, cinema, & museum… all in French!
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