Coucou âïžđ«đ·đ„ I'm AmĂ©lie Laurent and this is my French newsletter. I supercharge your progress from A2 to B2 through colloquial dialogues.
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Bonjour mes amis! đđŒ
10,000 ! Weâve grown to TEN THOUSAND subscribers you guys! đ±
Did I let out a little scream? Maybe. Did I do a little dance? Also maybe. Am I exceptionally grateful to all my readers whoâve helped me get here? Uh, most definitely! Am I going to stop myself from doing a little mini Oscar-award speech thanking my mom and da⊠yes, Iâll try and stop myself.
Itâs so exciting. Thank you to all my readers. And like we talked about I think itâs the perfect moment to have a giveaway! Celebrate the community, have a bit of a party. So weâre doin it!
10,000 Subscriber Giveaway! đ«
The Prize
The results of the community poll (weâre an absolute democracy round here) mean the prize will be either an:
đ InnerFrench Course [âŹ150] - Hugo has either B1 or B2.
đ Amazon Gift Card [âŹ100] - It was the runner-up, so Iâll let the winner choose this if they like. *If you really want the Super Duolingo instead, thatâs possible.
A word on Inner French đȘ
Some (most?) of you will know the Inner French podcast, which is really the best free French comprehensible-input podcast available. But Hugo and the team have also created two of the highest quality intermediate courses available. One of these will be the prize!
How to Enter:
âš 1 friend = 1 entry âš
To be in with a chance all you have to do is refer 1 friend using the button below đ
However, the more friends you invite the more entries you get!
Click the button above and register (name and email) to get your custom link.
Share the custom link with friends learning French (as many as possible).
Every friend that subscribes getâs you an entry.
Win.
*You must use your custom link for referrals to count - forwarding this email wonât count.
Closes midnight Monday 14th August.
Terms and conditions apply.
Best way to refer friends? đŻââïž Try this:
Take your link and ask your French group or class to share it with everyone via their weekly/monthly emails or facebook group.
Or, share that thing across social media + group chats and watch your chance of winning go upâŠ
Donât hang around, youâve got about a week â°
Quelque chose de nouveau pour la communautĂ©, je suis enthousiaste, j'espĂšre que vous l'ĂȘtes aussi.
Nous essayons toujours de nouvelles choses, on verra ce que ça donne.
Weâre always trying new things, letâs see how it goes!
Bonne chance Ă toutes et Ă tous !
Gros Bisous
Amélie x
We all secretly know the only way to truly learn a language are real-life conversations and experiences. Lessons and grammar can only take us so far.
While real-life experiences are difficult to recreate, my colloquial conversational dialogues help you learn authentic French in context. Theyâre how real French people actually speak.
If you have any questions or concerns - comment below or simply reply to this email.
âšNew Feature: Dialogue Audio đ§
Dialogue du Jour
Lucas : Qu'est-ce que c'est le truc le plus fou que t'as jamais fait, Emma ?
Emma : Ah, Lucas, tu ne me croiras pas ! Une fois, j'ai décidé de sauter en parachute. J'avais tellement peur, mais j'ai réussi à le faire.
Lucas : Emma, mais tâes tarĂ©e ou quoi ? âȘ Sauter d'un avion, je ne peux mĂȘme pas imaginer ça. Moi, j'ai le vertige âȘ juste en y pensant !
Emma : Haha, je sais, c'est un peu fou, mais c'était une expérience incroyable, je te le jure ! Et toi, Lucas, quel est le truc le plus fou que tu aies fait ?
Lucas : Oh, je ne sais pas si ça compte comme "fou", mais une fois, j'ai dĂ©cidĂ© de courir un marathon sans aucune prĂ©paration prĂ©alable âȘ. J'ai enfilĂ© mes baskets et je me suis lancĂ©, les doigts dans le nez âȘ!
Emma : Lucas, c'est incroyable ! Mais tu devais ĂȘtre Ă©puisĂ© Ă la fin, non ?
Lucas : Bien sĂ»r, j'Ă©tais complĂštement fatiguĂ©, mais c'Ă©tait tellement gratifiant Ă la fin. Et maintenant, je peux dire que je l'ai fait. Tu sais, ma devise âȘ c'est "il faut tout essayer une fois dans la vie".
Emma : C'est une excellente philosophie, Lucas. Je suppose que c'est aussi ce qui nous pousse Ă faire des choses folles, non ? AprĂšs tout, la vie est une aventure, et nous devons en profiter au maximum.
⥠đđđđ đđđđ đš đ
âȘ Notes
tâes tarĂ©(e)âš= youâre crazy/nuts (colq.). A stronger (colq.) version? = Mais t'es malade ou quoi ? (insinuation that you really might be crazy, so be careful with it)
le vertige = feel dizzy. Itâs showed up before heređŒ
préalable = preceding/prior to
les doigts dans le nezâš= hands down / standing on one's head (very easily). A fun and very current French expression for when something is a piece of cake. Cutting edge colloquial speech even makes it Englishâto up the absurdityâso youâll hear âfingers in ze noseâ. A strange experience for English-speakers! But the height of cool in French.Â
More advanced students can read moreâincluding the origin storyâheređ.
ma devise = ma philosophie / mon credo = my motto/philosophy/creed
profiter au maximumâš = a repeat from a few weeks agođ. Repetition is efficiently used to make sure new words and phrases stick with ease! Trust the process đđŒ
*âš = especially âFrenchieâ words/phrases you should try and use more.
Writing Prompt âïž
You know.. growing a newsletter this big might be it! đ I think it might even be a bit clichĂ© nowâwith the explosion of social media travel influencers, and every teenager in the western hemisphere apparently wanting to aimlessly travel well into their 30sâbut the craziest thing Iâve ever done (to me) was spontaneously deciding to go on a solo backpacking trip after college. Very liberating.
Alors, qu'est-ce que c'est le truc le plus fou que t'as jamais fait
All answers are welcome. One word.. or one sentence.
Write me your answer in the comments. I canât wait to read them! đđŒ
Translation
L: What's the craziest thing you've ever done, E?
E: Ah, L, you won't believe it! Once, I decided to skydive. I was so scared, but I did it.
L: E, are you crazy? I can't even imagine jumping out of a plane. I get dizzy just thinking about it!
E: Haha, I know, it's a bit crazy, but it was an incredible experience, I swear! And you, L, what's the craziest thing you've ever done?
L: Oh, I don't know if that counts as "crazy", but I once decided to run a marathon without any prior preparation. I just put on my sneakers and went for it!
E: L, that's incredible! But you must have been exhausted by the end, right?
L: Of course, I was completely exhausted, but it was so rewarding at the end. And now I can say I've done it. You know, my motto is "you have to try everything once in your life".
E: That's a great philosophy, L. I suppose it's also what drives us to do crazy things, isn't it? After all, life is an adventure, and we have to make the most of it.
Exercise - Fill in the blank đȘ
Quickly test your comprehension, accelerate your learning. đ
Quand elle m'a dit qu'elle allait faire de la randonnĂ©e seule en forĂȘt, je lui ai dit : "___, ou quoi ?"
When she told me she was going hiking alone in the forest, I said to her, âAre you crazy, or what?"Quand je regarde vers le bas du gratte-ciel, j'ai __.
When I look down from the skyscraper, I get vertigo."Vis la vie pleinement" est __.
"Live life to the fullest" is my motto.J'ai résolu le puzzle complexe ___.
I solved the complex puzzle easily.Il est important de faire une inspection __ avant d'acheter une maison.
It is important to carry out a prior inspection before buying a house.
If youâre struggling the âȘ Notes section is always a good place to look. đ The answers are all in the dialogue or notes section.
[NO PEAKING] Answer Key: 1. tâes tarĂ©e 2. le vertige 3. ma devise 4. les doigts dans le nez 5. prĂ©alable
Une Façon d'utiliser ce Dialogue
These dialogues are a very simple tool. Yet this allows them to be versatile and endlessly flexible to you and your learning style.Â
Hereâs one way you could use the dialogue this week:
đ„Ș Listening sandwich - Listen to the recording (2-3 times), then read the dialogue and fill in your understanding, then listen again.
This is a great way for beginners to boost their oral comprehension in small helpful doses. Listening first exercises your brain, and listening again after studying allows you solidifying the connections. Itâs also encouraging as you can see what youâve learned !
Check out my quick guideđ for different ways you can learn with these dialogues. Perfect if youâre finding them too easy or too hard. đđ»
Private French Lessons
If youâre a serious intermediate student, and would like a private lesson, you can book one here â. Please note there are limited spots available, it is 'âfirst-come first-servedâ as you say in English.
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Ă plus tard, mes chers Ă©lĂšves et bonne chance pour le giveaway!
Amélie x
Jâai grimpĂ© le pont au port Ă Sydney, Australie!
Il y a 30+ ans, on a fait une grande randonnée en vélo de GenÚve jusqu'à Bordeaux. Avec ma femme et trois enfants parmi qui deux étaient toujours dans les couches. Et avec trois tentes et tous les trucs de camping (sacs de couchage etc) et mon petit réchaud pour faire mon café.