French with Flo

 France is a very diverse country. Each region has its own geography, landmarks, culture, characteristic landscapes, and even its own language in some cases. To complicate things, the administrative entities known as régions were re-arranged in 2016. The new map is supposed to be simpler, but personally, I'm still getting a bit confused! I guess it will take some time getting used to it... Here are a few activities to discover French geography and famous landmarks. Geography exercise :  La France, tu connais?  (document created by  FranRC91  at ISLCollective). In this exercise, you'll have to identify France's main rivers and mountain ranges, and associate cities, regions and pictures. Here's the answer key . [Beginner] French landmarks and regional features , based on the map from the exercise above. We started in class to identify and explain the numerous illustrations appearing on the map. This is an ongoing, collective effort. Here's the list (in progress)...

Here is everything we studied in connection with Chapter 16 of our textbook, French Made Simple .           1. The Second Group Verbs (-IR) This is a set of regular verbs whose conjugation follows the verb FINIR . Remember, not all verbs ending in -IR belong to the second group. There are also some verbs, such as partir or venir , that belong to the third group and are irregular. See my previous blogs on the first + second groups and the third group for more information. Besides the grammar notes in the textbook, here is what we studied in class on this topic: Lesson on the 2nd Group Verbs  at Podcast Français Facile , with their handout .  This lesson includes a useful list of 2nd group verbs that are derived from adjectives, with the corresponding adjectives. (Be careful, there is a typo in their handout. the verb épaissir means "rendre  épais ", not "rendre paix". ) Also from Podcast Français Facile: a  dialogue (wit...

Between Chapter 14 and Chapter 15 of French Made Simple , there is a review section covering chapters 10 to 14. We completed the book with a few other exercices, mostly about numbers. At the Train Station [BEGINNER] This is an easy listening exercice to review numbers and hours. Click on the sound file to listen to a short dialogue between a customer and an employee at the train station's ticket window, then answer the questions by using the information on the right of the screen. At the Farmer's Market This is another exercice about numbers and prices. Listen to each sound bite and complete the chart, using the information at the top of the screen. For each line, you need to indicate what fruit or veggie is sold, what is the price and what is the quantity for that price. Understanding a Phone Message Answering the phone is one of the hardest things to do in a foreign language. Understanding a phone message is slightly easier because you can hit the repeat but...

Here is everything we've seen in connection with chapter 14 of French Made Simple .           1. The Numbers (part 3) Although our study of numbers technically ended with chapter 13 , we kept practicing with progressively larger numbers. Here is what we did in class. All the exercises come from the Podcast Français Facile website. A Few Dates : This is a listening exercise about well-known (and less known) dates in French history and culture. Click on the " Exercise " icon to access the handout. Numbers from 1,000 to 9,999 - List A : Another listening exercise, with slightly bigger numbers. Click on " Imprimer le document " to print the handout. Car Prices (numbers between 10,000 and 99,999) : The first audio link is an easy "listen and repeat" exercise that you can do at home. The Car Price exercise we did in class is the second audio link. There was no handout on the website, but I had fun creating this one . 😊       ...

Here is everything we studied in connection with Chapter 13 of French Made Simple . 1. Shopping for clothes Our study of numbers took us on a detour down the clothing aisle of our favorite department store. We started with the following exercise from Podcast Français Facile : Listen to the price  (numbers from 1 to 400): t his text describes a customer's shopping trip to a boutique. Listen to the audio file from the link above and fill in the prices in  the class handout . I adapted my handout from   this original pdf , which includes the answers.  Buying Clothes   (created by tkdana at ISLCollective ): w e took the shopping theme a little further with these two short dialogues between a customer and a clothing store attendant. In class, we used these as templates to improvise little dialogues.  [BEGINNER] Clothing vocabulary : t his is a useful vocabulary list, also created by Podcast Français Facile . You can hear an audio vers...

Music Day , la fête de la musique , is celebrated on June 21st, the longest day of the year and the first day of Summer. In this video by FrenchPod101.com , Ingrid tells us everything about this special Holiday: In class, we also studied the text " La fête de la musique " (with audio version) from Podcast Français Facile . I reformatted their pdf to create the class handout , which includes a fill-in-the-blanks exercise, vocabulary notes and comprehension questions. We also took this opportunity to study a song in class: "Parce qu'on vient de loin" ("Because we Come from Far Away") by singer-songwriter Corneille . Here is the official music clip: Here are the chords with guitar tabs I used for the class handout . You can also find here the French lyrics with English translation. In order to fully understand this song, it is necessary to know the singer's story. Corneille grew up in Rwanda. At 17, his whole family w...

In chapter 12 of French Made Simple , we are continuing our study of numbers and we're having a look at two other verbs in the present tense.           1. Faire and croire Both verbs belong to the 3rd group, so they are irregular and their conjugations need to be memorized. Generally speaking, the verb faire corresponds to the English verbs to do or to make , but there are some idiomatic uses. For example: faire faire quelque chose : to have somebody do something, to have something done. ex.: Je fais réparer ma voiture = I'm having my car repaired faire de... (+ sport or leisure activity): to do / practice an activity, to play a sport... I handed out in class this exercise (created by Paugaliza on ISLCollective ) to practice using the verb faire with names of sports or activities. You can also practice conjugating the verb faire with the following exercises: http://www.didieraccord.com/exercices/index.php?ex=2.2.10 https://fog.ccsf.e...

I'm going to gather in this post everything we've studied in connection to  chapter 11 of the French Made Simple textbook.           1. Vouloir, pouvoir, etc. The grammar point in chapter 11 is the conjugation of the verbs  vouloir  and  pouvoir  in the present tense. To get a little more practice, I handed out  this exercise  (created by  silvialefevre  on ISLCollective), in order to review the verbs vouloir, pouvoir, as well as savoir et devoir. You may also be interested in  this online quiz  on the same topic.          2. The numbers (part 1) In chapter 11, we're also learning the numbers from 1 to 69. Here are some extra ressources, including the exercises done in class: Numbers from 1 to 20 on Podcast Français Facile. [BEGINNER] We did the first addition exercise in class. If you'd like extra practice, you can do the second one on your own! 😉 I also...

Here we are with two (hopefully) fun classes dedicated to food in France (a topic of national importance), and more specifically to the different meals of the day. "Un  repas de noces à Yport" (détail), Albert Fourié, 1886 Our first link is a text with audio version from Podcast Français Facile: Les repas . The class handout  (created by  BEZOYA15  at  ISLcollective ) includes an exercise based on the audio document above, as well as the transcript and questions that can be found on the Podcast Français Facile page. The next handout  (created by mariaf at ISLcollective ) is a series of crosswords and exercises aimed at practicing vocabulary around food and learning how to describe what you eat as well as your likes and dislikes. It's also a good opportunity to review the use of the definite/indefinite/partitive articles when talking about food. (Document created by arliette at  ISLcollective .) And finally, here's a video ab...

NOTE: This post was originally published on 12/12/18. Since I have new material to add, I'm re-posting it today with the latest updates.  —————— The grammar lesson today was about the liaison, which is not an easy topic. It is an important one to master, though, because it occurs in virtually every sentence. I've compiled several sources I've found into this class handout: liaison.pdf . (*NEWLY UPDATED*) Writing this document was very useful for me, too. It definitely helped clarify things in my mind! The problem I ran into is that the list of necessary and forbidden liaisons is a bit different in all sources I consulted. I tried to summarize what I've learned. I hope the result is more useful than confusing. The third page of this document compiles exercises I've found on several web pages, including those linked below. 3/6/19 UPDATE: The link above is a new version of the class handout. I've taken into account the feedback I received in class (t...

French Made Simple - Chapter 3 Meet Mr. Brown!  I recorded the dialogue twice: a first time at normal speed, and a second time a little slower, with space for students to repeat. Dialogue pp.15-16: Qui est Monsieur Brown ? 🔊FMS 03-01 Pronunciation and Spelling Aids p.16: 🔊FMS 03-02 Note: in #1, the book recommends to pron ounce the liaison between " affaires " and " américain " in the phrase " un homme d'affaire s a méricain ". However, in this case the liaison is optional and, actually, it is very often omitted. I demonstrated both possibilities in the recording. Vocabulary p.17-18: 🔊FMS 03-03 Exercise 1 p.18: Completion of Text 🔊FMS 03-04 Say the right answer after I call the question number, then listen to the answer. Exercise 2 p.21: 🔊FMS 03-05 Exercise 3 pp.21-22: 🔊FMS 03-06 Some Common Verb Constructions p.22: 🔊FMS 03-07 Exercise 4 p.22: 🔊FMS 03-08 Exercise 5 p.23: Questionnaire 🔊FMS 03-09 You can ei...

French Made Simple - Chapter 2, Part 3 The third part of chapter 2 starts with a few grammar / pronunciation notes. ©Amberly Maxwell at https://slideplayer.com/slide/10293639/ The liaison : 🔊 FMS 02-10 (For more information on the liaison, see this blogpost .) The élision : 🔊 FMS 02-11 The stress in words and sentences: 🔊 FMS 02-12 Chapter 2 then concludes with three short dialogues. Dialogue 1: 🔊 FMS 02-13 Dialogue 2: 🔊 FMS 02-14 Dialogue 3: 🔊 FMS 02-15 Congratulations, you've finished the introductory chapters! 🙌 You're now ready to start with the book's main story in the next chapter.

On February 2nd, the French celebrate  la Chandeleur (Candlemas in English). For Catholics, this Holiday commemorates Jesus' presentation at the temple, but it also corresponds to very old folk rites celebrating the beginning of Winter sowing and the lengthening of daylight. But first of all, for everyone in France, la Chandeleur is Crepes Day ! This video, produced by FrenchPod101.com , explains what you need to know about this Holiday, with both French and English subtitles. We also practiced listening with the next video, aimed at young French speakers. The class handout  that goes with this second video includes Chandeleur-related vocabulary, as well as a fill-in-the-blank exercise and comprehension questions. Finally, after talking about crepes so much, you may feel a bit hungry.  If that's the case, here's the Crepes Recipe ! With pictures and in French, of course... (document created by crisbarto at ISLCollective .)

French Made Simple - Chapter 2, part 2  And now we can start speaking French! In this section, you will learn some simple, useful phrases. Here is the vocabulary: 🔊  FMS 02.05 Exercise p.10-11: Combien coûte...? 🔊  FMS 02-06 Exercise p.11: Pardon Monsieur. Où est...? 🔊  FMS 02-07 (Note: in France, the word "toilette" - restroom - is usually used in plural form: les toilettes. The verb "être" needs to be plural, too: Où sont les toilettes?) Exercise p.11: Je voudrais... 🔊  FMS 02-08 Image: Eulalie Lopez at slideplayer.fr/slide/173343/ Numbers from 1 to 21: 🔊  FMS 02-09 (Note: as an example, I also added the words "dollar" and "euro" after the numbers. Note the liaison before the word "euro".) In class, I also handed out this sheet that expands on the vocabulary and exercises of this section, as well as the Color Adjective List (document created by  Nathalie74160 on ISLCollective.com .)

Using properly the casual address "tu" or the formal address "vous" is very important when you speak French. Use "vous" at the wrong time and you'll sound strange and overly formal ; use "tu" wrongly and you might very well offend the person you're talking to... which is what happened to Boris, a young French learner, in the video above. Poor Boris, he learned the hard way! This text comes from the book "Je vis en France : vingt lectures faciles pour découvrir la civilisation française" by Marie Barthe and Bernadette Chovelon. Here is the class handout (slightly reformatted from the original.) There are many, many resources on the Internet about this topic. Here is one I like:

To my knowledge, our classroom textbook " French Made Simple " doesn't come with an audio version, which makes things difficult for beginners who try to study on their own. To help them, I intend to record the French examples, texts and (possibly) exercises as we progress in our study of the book. Tall order! Wish me luck... And now, let's start at the beginning. French Made Simple - Chapter 1 This is a general presentation of the French language, including many words that are very similar between French and English. Page 1: Words with same spelling, same meaning, different pronunciation 🔊 FMS 01-01.mp3 Page 1-2: Words with same meaning but slightly different spelling 🔊 FMS 01-02.mp3 Page 2: Words directly borrowed from French, with similar pronunciation 🔊 FMS 01-03.mp3 French Made Simple - Chapter 2, Part 1 : Pronunciation Pages 4-6 - Introductory section: some basic French vowel sounds 🔊 FMS 02-01.mp3 Pages 6-7: French Vowe...

As we've seen, feasting takes a prominent place in Christmas and end-of-year celebrations in France. So, after all these excesses, in early January, what do French people do? They eat cake! 😂 The "fête des Rois", or Épiphanie, is a popular holiday for French people, no matter their religion (or absence thereof.) The video shown in class, from FrenchPod101.com, gives a very good overview of the subject. Our first handout this week was a crossword puzzle with accompanying vocabulary (adapted from this webpage .) We also worked on a fill-in-the-blanks exercise . You can find here the audio document the exercise above is based on. Scroll up and click on the first video to hear the text. Just under the video is a multiple-choice exercise you may find entertaining, and a little below is the full transcript of the text. And, by the way, how do you make this famous galette des Rois? Well, apparently, it's child's play. Enjoy! 😋

As we end 2018, here are some handouts and links that, for some reason (such as me being absolutely terrible with anything having to do with the Internet) never made it to the blog after I taught the corresponding class. This is material we studied between June and September 2018. Hopefully, posting this, even late, will be useful for returning and new students alike.       Texts / Dialogues La fête des voisins: Neighbors Day      1. Text and exercises:  Voisins, voisines      2. Learn more about France's Neighbors Day  here Booking a Table      1. Dialogue:  Réserver une table au restaurant      2.  Dialogue in pictures  (both documents created by  carolebim  at  Tes )       Exercises Crosswords to Practice the Present Tense      1. Mots Croisés:  présent des vacances  (created by  dodeuil  at ISLC...

The first part of our class about devinettes (guessing game) was a couple of beginner-level dialogues from Podcast Français Facile , introducing the vocabulary and sentence structure needed to describe an object. Here are the two dialogues (with the audio recordings), and the accompanying vocabulary . [BEGINNER] We then used a vocabulary in pictures about classroom items in order to practice the guessing game. (source: ISL Collective, originally created by mafaldita47 and updated by me.) [BEGINNER] And finally, here is the list of 10 devinettes we went over today. You all did a great job guessing the answers. Congratulations! 👏

I hope you enjoyed the yogurt cake I baked for the class the other day... even though it didn't rise properly! 😥 Here is the recipe , from Podcast Français Facile once again, with the audio version. I hope you'll try this cake at home. Let me know how it comes out! Picture: www.podcastfrancaisfacile.com By the way, I really enjoyed our lunch at Casse-Croute Bakery today... and it looked like Juan enjoyed it too! 😁 Becky, thank you again for this great idea.