Coucou ☕️🇫🇷🥐 I'm Amélie Laurent and this is a very special edition of my newsletter, where I supercharge your progress from A2 to B2 through colloquial dialogues. Your support means the world to me.
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Quel est le meilleur conseil que tu aies reçu ? 💡
Dialogue Audio 🎧
Dialogue du Jour
Tim : Salut Mélanie, quel est le meilleur conseil ✪ que tu aies reçu ?
Mélanie : Coucou Tim ! Hmm, laisse-moi réfléchir ✪... Ah oui, c'était ma grand-mère qui me disait toujours "On ne peut pas avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre". Et toi ?
Tim : Ah oui, un classique ça ! Pour ma part, c'était mon coach sportif au collège qui m'a dit un jour : "La vie, c'est comme une bicyclette, il faut avancer pour ne pas perdre l'équilibre". C'est un peu cliché, mais ça m'a vraiment marqué.
Mélanie : Oh, j'aime bien ça ! C'est vrai que ça peut sembler cliché, mais ces phrases ont tendance à rester dans nos esprits ✪.
Tim : Exactement ! En fait, j'ai un autre conseil qui m'a beaucoup aidé, c'est "Qui ne risque rien n’a rien". Ça m'a toujours encouragé à sortir de ma zone de confort.
Mélanie : C'est un excellent conseil. Parfois, il faut prendre des risques pour atteindre nos objectifs, pas vrai ✪?
Tim : Absolument, Mélanie. J'essaie de garder ces mots à l'esprit dans tout ce que je fais. Ils m'aident à rester motivé et à aller de l'avant ✪.
Mélanie : Ces conseils sont vraiment précieux. Ils nous aident à mieux comprendre la vie et à prendre les bonnes décisions.
♡ 𝕃𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕨 👇
✪ Notes
conseil = piece of advise / suggestion. “À mon avis, c'est un conseil très judicieux” (In my opinion, this is very sound advice)
conseiller = recommend, advise. “Je vous conseille vivement de prendre ce médicament sans tarder” (I strongly advise you to take this medicine without delay.)
laisse-moi réfléchir🧩✨= let me think / let me see. More formal form: “Laissez-moi réfléchir”. Another great phrase for conversation, it gives you time to think on your feet.. all while sounding like a native! What more could you want from three words?
l’esprit = partie spirituelle d'un être = the mind. Bit of a false friend this one for English speakers, and I’ve seen plenty of students get confused. Your instinct will be to connect it with ‘spirit’ and while it can mean that, it’s important for your first thought to be ‘mind’.
esprit✨, also means ‘humour’ or ‘wit’. “En réalité, il a beaucoup d'esprit” (In fact, he has a great sense of humour). sains d'esprit = sane (a difficult thing to be these days!)
pas vrai ?✨ = right ? There are a few other versions a French speaker may throw in there instead, you can find them in a previous dialogue note here➹.
à aller de l'avant = to move forward, to make progress.“Nous sommes déterminés à aller de l'avant, ensemble” (We are determined to move forward together)
*✨ = 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
T : Hi M, what's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
M : Hi T! Hmm, let me think ... Oh yes, it was my grandmother who always told me "You can't have your cake and eat it too". How about you?
T : Oh yes, that's a classic! As far as I'm concerned, it was my sports coach at college who said to me one day: "Life is like a bicycle, you have to keep moving so you don't lose your balance". It's a bit of a cliché, but it really stuck with me.
M: Oh, I like that! It's true that it may sound cliché, but these phrases tend to stay in our minds.
T : Exactly! In fact, I've got another piece of advice that's helped me a lot: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". It's always encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone.
M: That's excellent advice. Sometimes we have to take risks to achieve our goals, don't we?
T : Absolutely, M. I try to keep those words in mind in everything I do. They keep me motivated and moving forward.
M: This advice is really valuable. They help us to understand life better and to make the right decisions.
Writing Prompt ✍️ Alors, quel est le meilleur conseil que tu aies reçu ?
All answers are welcome. One word.. or one sentence.
Write me your answer in the comments. I can’t wait to read them! 👇🏼
Exercise 1 - Fill in the blank 💪
Quickly test your comprehension, accelerate your learning. 🚀
Ce que tu dis est surprenant, ___ ?
What you're saying is surprising, isn't it?Si tu as besoin d'aide, n'hésite pas à demander ___ .
If you need help, don't hesitate to ask for advice.Je ne suis pas sûr de ce que je veux faire après l'université. ___ un moment.
I'm not sure what I want to do after university. Let me think for a moment.Quand je me sens perdu, je ferme les yeux et j'essaie de clarifier mon ___ .
When I feel lost, I close my eyes and try to clear my mind.Après une rupture difficile, il faut du temps ___ .
After a difficult breakup, it takes time to move forward.
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. pas vrai ? 2. un conseil 3. laisse-moi réfléchir 4. esprit 5. à aller de l'avant
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.
Il est essentiel de rester sains d'esprit dans cette situation difficile.
Pour éviter la déception, je vous conseille de gérer vos attentes.
Pour ma part, je préfère passer du temps avec ma famille pendant les weekends.
Mon ami a tendance à exagérer les choses, ce qui le rend parfois difficile à comprendre.
En lisant beaucoup de livres, vous aiderez votre cerveau à mieux comprendre différents points de vue.
1. It is essential to stay sane in this challenging situation.
2. To avoid disappointment, I advise you to manage your expectations.
3. For my part, I prefer to spend time with my family during the weekends.
4. My friend tends to exaggerate things, which sometimes makes him difficult to understand.
5. By reading a lot of books, you will help your brain understand different viewpoints better.
⏪ Catch Up On Recent Dialogues
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:
🥪 Listening sandwich - Listen to the recording x3 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. It’s also encouraging as you can see what you’ve learned !
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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À plus tard, mes chers élèves!
Amélie x
Quel est le meilleur conseil que tu aies reçu ? 💡