Sunday, April 30, 2017

Dreaming of France -- Language Practice


This is it -- crunch time. We leave for France in just a few days.
And I'm feeling the pressure to dredge up all that French language I once knew so well. I've been doing Duolingo, but I also have been listening to a podcast called Coffee Break French.

If you haven't discovered podcasts yet, I urge you to give them a try. I listen to some of my favorite radio programs on my podcasts, which I simply download to my phone so that they are there to listen to whenever I have the time.

Coffee Break French has four seasons and I started with the first one. I know the language too well for season one, but it's nice to be reminded about specific sounds.
The lessons last about 15-20 minutes, the time of a good coffee break. The first season goes through the basics like numbers, days, directions, ordering in a restaurant. It's helpful just to listen to the French.
It's also made a bit more fun by the narrator, A Scottish professor of French. I love listening to his accent in English.
We'll see when we arrive if listening to Coffee Break French helped me prepare for my latest trip to France.
It's possible (maybe probable) that the next time I blog, it will be from France.
And, one of the best pieces of news my husband has received is that we scored an exit row for our flight to Paris. That means he'll have a little extra knee room.
Here's how much room he had on the last flight.

So this week, I'm not just dreaming of France, I'm going. Lucky me. 

À toute à l’heure!
Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France today. I hope you'll visit each others blogs and leave comments too.

8 comments:

Jeanie said...

I can't believe you are ready to leave! Oh, Paulita! What an adventure upon which you are embarking! I will look forward to every post. I want to know where you live, where you shop, what you eat, who your neighbors are, what you do for fun! And thanks for the link to the podcast. I will check those out. We're headed to Quebec this summer and while Quebecois has its own idiosyncracies, I'll be able to put it to some practice!

Bon Voyage and Bonne Chance. (I think that's right or close!)

Just Me said...

I was going to tell you about that pod cast even though I clearly hadn't listened in. Splendid Travels my friend.

Anonymous said...

How exciting! I can also imagine the last minute rush, been there several times, keep smiling, good luck and safe travels xx

Paulita said...

Jeanie, Thanks. This is our reconnaissance mission as we search for what area we want to move to. I can't imagine how traumatic it is going to be when we leave -- for good.
Just Me, Yes, I think it's a great opportunity to ease back into French. Thanks for the well wishes.
OurFrenchOasis, I'm glad you can remember the excitement of visiting France, even though you are permanently ensconced in La Belle France.

Louise said...

Ah Bon Voyage Paulita. How exciting to go searching for somewhere amazing to live. The possibilities are endless. Bonne chance. I'm slightly more than a little bit jealous.

Sim Carter said...

Paulita I will be thinking of you everyday living your dream, you continue to be a real inspiration to me. I have a 300 page novel that I'm in the midst of editing, and my own trip to Europe about to start, both owing in part to your inspiration and encouragement. Bon Voyage my friend! I look forward to your posts.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't be able to survive without podcasts. One that I enjoy that's in French is "la Poudre."
Just remember that in the south of France, a coffee with milk is a café crème (not café au lait) and a croissant with chocolate is a chocolatine or choco (not a pain au chocolat). And a pastis/Ricard is "un jaune."
Drop me a line when you are near Carcassonne and perhaps we can meet up.
Bon voyage!

Elizabeth at Eiffel Tells said...

Hmmm....there must be something wrong with me because I find it difficult to learn French through podcasts. I trust that your sojourn in France is parfait. Amicalement, Elizabeth

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