Où t’es allée en vacances la dernière fois ? 🏖️

Where was the last place you went on vacation?

Coucou ☕️🇫🇷🥐 I'm Amélie Laurent and this is my French newsletter. I supercharge your progress from A2 to B2 through colloquial dialogues.
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Bonjour ma communauté francophone! 🌍 Je suis ravie de vous présenter une nouvelle édition de Français avec Amélie!

Today’s lesson is about holidays. You’ll learn how to talk about all the things the best holidays are: rafraîchissant, ressourçant, reposantes (refreshing, rejuvenating, restorative). And the best things the best holiday have… like watermelon, and bikinis, and no phone signal ! 🍉👙🤳🏼

Thanks to the well over 300+ of you who cast your vote for the giveaway last week, the results are conclusive. I’ve excited to get on that and have some community fun! 🥳

On the subject of community fun, some of your comments were so good last week I’m sharing them with the class! Check ‘em out below.

I’m constantly rolling out new features atm and trying new ideas to try and improve the newsletter for everyone and ultimately support your learning journey in the best way possible! 💜 And if you’re a new reader, welcome aboard!

As always, if you have feedback or suggestion - comment below or simply reply to this email.

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. They’re how real French people actually speak.

Gros Bisous! A x

👑 Comment of the week

Each issue I ask my readers to write their own response to the day’s dialogue question—it’s a great habit and helps take your French to the next level. Reading these comments is a real highlight for me, and some of them are so good I have to share!

T’as déjà pleuré parce que tu étais si heureuse ? 💬 Jenny a répondu:

Je n'oublirai jamais la première nuit que j'ai passé dans un petit hameau à 2.000 mètres d'altitude dans les Alpes Suisses. Au réveil, l'air si pur, si frais, et la vue du sommet de la Jungfrau m'a fait pleurer de joie. A travers des 40 ans depuis, j'ai passé beaucoup de temps là haut, mais rien ne vaut la première fois!

Maintenant, je veux visiter la Suisse !

Le pire travail que tu as jamais eu ? 💬 La réponse de Tom m'a fait rire et a fait ma matinée! 😂 Il a répondu :

Une fois, quand je travaillais dans un très grand magasin, ils m’ont fait mettre un costume de Winey l’ourson.

Thanks Jenny and Tom! If you want to get in on the action and write a comment (maybe be featured here if you make me laugh or cry or feel other strong emotions!) see the Writing Prompt ✍️ below👇

✨New Feature: Dialogue Audio 🎧

Dialogue du Jour

Noah : Où es-tu allée en vacances la dernière fois, Julie ?

Julie : Ah, la dernière fois, je suis allée dans un petit village en Provence. C'était un peu un trou perdu ✪, mais très charmant. Et toi, Noah ?

Noah : J'ai fait un voyage aux quatre coins du monde ✪, mais le dernier endroit que j'ai visité, c'était la Thaïlande. Les plages étaient incroyables.

Julie : Ça a l'air génial ! En Provence, j'ai passé la plupart du temps à manger de la pastèque ✪ à l'ombre. C'est tellement rafraîchissant quand il fait chaud.

Noah : Ah oui, la pastèque, c'est le meilleur ! En Thaïlande, j'étais toujours en maillot de bain ✪, prêt pour une baignade à tout moment.

Julie : Quel délice ! Tu sais, même si j'étais dans un trou perdu, j'aimais le calme et la tranquillité. Ça change du bruit et du chaos de la ville. Et c'était une zone blanche ✪, donc je n'avais pas de signal téléphonique ni ✪ d'accès à l'internet mobile.

Noah : C’est original, pour ne pas dire super ressourçant ! Je pense qu'il est important d'avoir des vacances reposantes de temps en temps.

Julie : Exactement. Même si vous ne partez pas loin, je pense que vous pouvez toujours trouver un petit coin ✪ de paradis près de chez vous... peut-être même dans votre jardin !

♡ 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨 👇

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✪ Notes

un trou perdu = the middle of nowhere, a backwater. Depending on the context it can also be quite negative: a godforsaken hole.. that kinda deal.

la pastèque = watermelon. avoir la tête comme une pastèque = avoir mal à la tête = feel like your head is going to explode ie. have a headache. Not a super common phrase, but we were talking watermelons and I love the imagery!

un maillot de bain = swimsuit

la baignade = bathing/swimming. to swim = nager.

une zone blanche = a dead zone

je n'avais pas de signal téléphonique ni de… = ne..pas..ni (a little tricky to identify here perhaps) is the the less formal french version of neither/nor. Dig deeper here🔗

un coin✨ = a corner, yes. But coin is more expansive than this, and often means ‘in the local area’, or ‘around here, in these parts’. un bon coin = a nice spot, dans le coin = nearby. Ex. “Il y a un bon resto dans le coin ?” (Is there a nice restaurant nearby?)

*✨ = especially ‘Frenchie’ words/phrases you should try and use more.

Writing Prompt ✍️

The last place I went on vacation was the west coast of Ireland, as I shared with you in June. I’ve wanted to do it for the longest time, and it was a breathtaking experience. The Irish coast was breathtaking, I got this sense of wildness that people talk about but I didn’t realise was so palpable. I have to go back because I want to climb Croagh Patrick—Ireland’s holy mountain!

Alors, où tu es allée en vacances la dernière fois ?

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

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hmm Provence...

Translation

N: Where did you go on vacation last time, J?

J : Ah, the last time, I went to a little village in Provence. It was a bit of a backwater, but very charming. And you, N?

N: I've been all over the world, but the last place I went was Thailand. The beaches were incredible.

J: Sounds great! In Provence, I spent most of my time eating watermelon in the shade. It's so refreshing when it's hot.

N: Oh yes, watermelon is the best! In Thailand, I was always in my bathing suit, ready for a swim at any moment.

J : What a delight! You know, even though I was in the middle of nowhere, I loved the peace and quiet. It's a nice change from the noise and chaos of the city. And it was a white zone, so I had no phone signal and no mobile Internet access.

N: It's original, not to say super-resourceful! I think it's important to have a relaxing vacation once in a while.

J : Exactly. Even if you don't go far away, I think you can always find a little piece of paradise close to home... maybe even in your garden!

Exercise - Fill in the blank 💪

Quickly test your comprehension, accelerate your learning. 🚀

1. J'ai oublié mon __ à la maison, je ne peux donc pas nager aujourd'hui.
   I forgot my swimsuit at home, so I can't swim today.

2. Il y a un charmant petit café __ , tu devrais l'essayer.
   There's a charming little café around the corner, you should try it.

3. Après une longue journée sous le soleil, boire de l'eau froide est tellement __ .
   After a long day under the sun, drinking cold water is so refreshing.

4. J'ai toujours rêvé de voyager __ , mais je n'ai pas encore eu la chance.
   I've always dreamed of traveling to the four corners of the world, but I haven't had the chance yet.

5. En été, rien ne vaut une tranche de __ pour se rafraîchir.
   In the summer, nothing beats a slice of watermelon to cool down.

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 PEAKING] Answer Key: 1. maillot de bain  2. dans le coin  3. rafraîchissant  4. aux quatre coins du monde 5. pastèque

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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. 
Here’s one way you could use the dialogue this week:

• 💬 Use the question as a topic with your tutor (online or in-person).

Use the ideas or new expressions from the dialogue in your conversation! It allows you to study *before* a tutoring session so you can feel more confident and prepared.

Check out my quick guide🔗 for different ways you can learn with these dialogues. Perfect if you’re finding them too easy or too hard. 🙌🏻

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Private French Lessons

If you’re a serious intermediate student, and would like a private lesson, you can book one here →. Please note there are limited spots available, it is '“first-come first-served” as you say in English.

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𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕥 𝕥𝕠 ♡ 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕊𝕦𝕓𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕔𝕜👇

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Signing off for now.
Remember, keep going! 🐌

Amélie x