Coucou ☕️🇫🇷🥐 I'm Amélie Laurent and this is my French newsletter, where I supercharge your progress from A2 to B2 through colloquial dialogues.
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Bonjour mes étudiants préférés! 
Joyeux Noël ! 🎅🏼

It’s Christmas so this one’s free for everyone. 🎁

I’m sure everyone’s up to their ears in various deadlines and holiday necessities atm.. so perhaps this lesson will be best enjoyed snuggled up with some mulled wine near a fireplace next week.. or perhaps I’m dreaming to myself.

But here I am again with another lesson in your inbox about the iconic Christmas morning.

Christmas however is nearly always a difficult time for everyone as well, and no one talks about it enough.. so look enjoy your loved ones, treat yourself a little and look after yourselves my dear students! ❤️

I'll see you on the other side, January 5th.

Gros Bisous
A x

Le matin de Noël 🎅🏼

Dialogue Audio 🎧

Slower Audio 🐢

Dialogue du Jour

Nolan: Joyeux Noël ma cheri ! Regarde, il commence à neiger dehors. 

Célia: C'est magnifique ! Les enfants vont adorer. As-tu mis du bois dans la cheminée ✪ pour allumer le feu ?

Nolan: Oui, et j'ai aussi préparé une playlist de musiques de Noël. Ça va être festif !

Célia: Super ! Et les cadeaux, sont-ils tous sous… non, attendez, désolé... le Père Noël est arrivé ? 

Nolan: Mais évidemment ✪ ! …  J'ai hâte de voir leurs visages en les ouvrant. Tu penses qu'ils vont aimer ce que nous avons choisi ?

Célia: Bien sûr ! Mais avant, parlons du dîner de Noël. J'ai prévu une dinde aux marrons ✪ et tous les autres éléments essentiels. Le dessert est prêt ?

Nolan: J'ai acheté tous les ingrédients pour faire une bûche de Noël ✪ en dessert. 

Célia: Parfait ! Il semble que tout soit en place ✪. Ah, les enfants descendent. Prêts pour la magie de Noël huh ? 

Nolan: Toujours ! Après avoir ouvert les cadeaux, que dirais-tu d'une promenade dans la neige ?

Célia: Une excellente idée ! Un peu d'air frais après cette matinée excitante.

Nolan: Et on pourra faire un bonhomme de neige ✪ ! Les enfants ne nous laisseront pas le choix, je pense !

♡ 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨 👇

✪ Notes

la cheminée = le foyer = the fireplace. "J'adore lire un livre au coin de la cheminée." (I love reading a book by the fireplace). Sounds like ‘chimney’ means both! One santa comes down, the other out.. same word in French.

Mais évidemment ✨ = bien sûr = of course. Honestly might be one of my favourite Frenchie phrases of all time. Dropped with the right intonation and it’s just so … French. “But obviously.. (a blind man with a stick could see that/ are you a fool? / are you drunk / i can’t believe you’ve even had to ask etc etc)” .. all in one phrase.

une dinde aux marrons 🦃 = a turkey with chestnuts. "Pour Noël, nous aurons une dinde aux marrons." (For Christmas, we'll have a turkey with chestnuts). The classic French Christmas.

une bûche de Noël 🔗 🪵 = a Yule log cake. "Chaque Noël, ma grand-mère fait une bûche de Noël délicieuse." (Every Christmas, my grandmother makes a delicious Yule log cake). The traditional Christmas dessert in France, Christmas puddings be damned. 

un bonhomme de neige ☃️ = a snowman. "Les enfants adorent faire un bonhomme de neige en hiver." (Children love making a snowman in winter). In France snowmen aren’t just men.. they’re good men!

*✨ = especially ‘Frenchie’ words/phrases you should try and use more
*🧩 = ‘canned’ expressions or phrases that are best learned as a whole, like puzzle-pieces.

Translation

N: Merry Christmas my darling! Look, it's starting to snow outside.

C: It's beautiful! The kids will love it. Did you put some wood in the fireplace to light the fire?

N: Yes, and I also prepared a Christmas music playlist. It's going to be festive!

C: Great! And the gifts, are they all under... no, wait, sorry... has Santa Claus arrived?

N: But of course! ... I can't wait to see their faces when they open them. Do you think they'll like what we chose?

C: Of course! But first, let's talk about the Christmas dinner. I've planned a turkey with chestnuts and all the other essential elements. Is the dessert ready?

N: I bought all the ingredients to make a Yule log for dessert.

C: Perfect! It seems that everything is in place. Ah, the kids are coming down. Ready for the magic of Christmas, huh?

N: Always! After opening the gifts, how about a walk in the snow?

C: A great idea! A bit of fresh air after this exciting morning.

N: And we can make a snowman! The kids won't leave us any choice, I think!

Writing Prompt ✍️ Alors, quel est le moment le plus important de la journée de Noël ?

All answers are welcome. One word.. or one sentence.
Write me your answer in the comments. I can’t wait to read them! 👇🏼

Leave a comment

Exercise 1 - Fill in the blank 💪

Quickly test your comprehension, accelerate your learning. 🚀

1. Après le dîner, nous allons nous asseoir près de _ et écouter des histoires.
   After dinner, we're going to sit by the fireplace and listen to stories.

2. J'espère que _ pour la fête de ce soir.
   hope everything is in place for tonight's party.

3. Les enfants étaient si heureux de faire _ dans le jardin.
   The kids were so happy to make a snowman in the garden.

4. Cette soirée est tellement _, je ne veux pas qu'elle se termine !
   This evening is so exciting, I don't want it to end!

5. _, le Père Noël a toujours de bonnes idées de cadeaux.
   Of course, Santa Claus always has great gift ideas.

If you’re struggling the ✪ Notes section is always a good place to look. 😉 The answers are all in the dialogue or notes section.

[NO PEEKING] Answer Key: 1. la cheminée  2. tout soit en place  3. un bonhomme de neige  4. excitante  5. Mais évidemment

Exercise 2 - Translate ⚡

If you can translate each of these sentences after the lesson then you’re making real progress. They can also me used as flashcards.

1. Après avoir vu le Père Noël, j'ai décidé de cuisiner une dinde.  

2. En observant les visages étonnés des enfants, j'ai réalisé qu'il se mettait à neiger.  

3. "Regardez, c'est le Père Noël !" cria l'un des enfants, pointant vers le ciel enneigé.  

4. La dinde au four, je me suis assis pour contempler les flocons de neige tombant doucement.  

5. "Demain, on ira faire un bonhomme de neige", ai-je promis aux enfants, leurs visages illuminés de joie.

1. After seeing Santa Claus, I decided to cook a turkey.
2. Watching the astonished faces of the children, I realized it was starting to snow.
3. "Look, it's Santa Claus!" one of the children yelled, pointing at the snowy sky.
4. With the turkey in the oven, I sat down to watch the gently falling snowflakes.
5. "Tomorrow, we'll go make a snowman," I promised the children, their faces lit up with joy.

✉️ Votre invitation à Paris

𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 ♡ 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕊𝕦𝕓𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜👇

Tu te sens d'humeur festive et généreuse ?

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Je vous donne rendez-vous pour la nouvelle année et je vous souhaite un joyeux Noël ! 🎁

Amélie x

It’s not Christmas yet… so please ignore that last email.

Lots of love
Your local French teacher Amélie.

*Yes, new lesson on Sunday :)

I’ve been hinting at new paid features for a while, and the day has finally arrived!

It’s taken me a bit to get up to speed in 2024 (winter days are so short and dark here in Europe!) but thanks to your wonderful feedback, some creative thinking, and some hard work, I’m proud to announce new goodies for everyone. 🤩

Dialogue d'hier 💭

Most of you will already have seen the new Dialogue d'hier 💭 feature—where the previous dialogue is now included at the top of each new lesson, allowing you to effortless review.

Progress is so often silent, which means we can’t be encouraged by it.
So one of my big hopes for this feature is that you’ll now be able to see in real time the new vocabulary you’re picking up!

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C’est vaut son pesant d'or (It’s worth it’s weight in gold).

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Amélie 😊

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