Bonjour à tous,
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Cette semaine, j’ouvre ma saison d’immersions de français à Paimpol avec la charmante Stéphanie, qui nous vient des États-Unis. Pour commencer son séjour, nous avons découvert une mystérieuse allée couverte néolithique cachée dans la lande bretonne. C’était une première pour mon étudiante, qui n’avait jamais vu de monument préhistorique d’aussi près.

This week, I’m opening my French immersion season in Paimpol with the charming Stéphanie, who comes to us from the United States. To begin her stay, we discovered a mysterious Neolithic passage grave hidden in the Breton countryside. It was a first for my student, who had never seen a prehistoric monument from so close.

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Nous sommes ensuite allées admirer le magnifique panorama sur le Trieux et les îles de Bréhat depuis la Roche aux Oiseaux. La lumière était douce et le paysage absolument splendide.

We then went to admire the beautiful panorama over the Trieux river and the Bréhat islands from La Roche aux Oiseaux. The light was soft and the scenery absolutely stunning.

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Et bien sûr, nous avons célébré cette première journée à la française : une coupe de champagne rosé dégustée sur le célèbre granit rose, face à la mer.

And of course, we celebrated this first day the French way: enjoying a glass of rosé champagne on the famous pink granite, overlooking the sea.

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À la semaine prochaine,

Camille
​French Today

FRENCH VOCABULARY WITH AUDIO

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HOW TO LEARN FRENCH

How To Learn French For French Intermediate Level (B1, B2) ​ It’s typical for intermediate students to feel frustrated. You may even feel that your French level has regressed: "I can’t speak French anymore". "I freeze when I try to speak French"… Sounds familiar? ​ ​Read & Listen on French Today​

EXCLUSIVE FRENCH TIPS

1. The verb "tomber" - ‘to fall’ is part of many common expressions:
"Tomber malade" = to become ill
"Tomber enceinte" = to become pregnant
"Tomber dans les pommes" = to faint
"Tomber amoureux/amoureuse" = to fall in love
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​2. Be careful: "les relations" = acquaintances vs. "les membres de la famille" = relatives
More family related vocabulary on French Today.
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​3. Don't say "dehors le/la" - say "en dehors de" or "à l'extérieur de".
​En dehors de la maison, il y a un grand jardin.
Outside the house, there’s a large garden.​
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​4. Avoid an embarrassing mistake!
To introduce someone, say "je vous présente…" or "je te présente…". NEVER say " je vous introduis...". "Introduire'' means to put a smaller item into a hole, like a key… We don’t use this verb at all with greetings and it could even have a sexual connotation. ‘Introductions’ in French are "les présentations".
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​5. "De base" is a new kind of colloquial expression used to say ‘to start with’.
​Déjà, de base, je ne suis pas très grand.
Already, to start with, I’m not very tall.

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FREE FRENCH LESSON

Beware of "Salut"​
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"Salut" is a colloquial way to greet people in France. It can replace both "bonjour" and "au revoir". Note that the final "t" is silent so it sounds like [salu].
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Many methods say "salut" is the equivalent of ‘hi’, and I strongly disagree.
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As you may know, I lived in the US for 17 years. Over there, I used to say 'hi' a lot; for example when greeting a storekeeper when entering a shop.
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As an adult in my early fifties, I would never say "salut" to someone I didn’t know in France. I may use it with friends and family when I greet them 'good day' as well aswhen I leave. Note however that I do use "bonjour" and "au revoir" quite a lot as well.
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Kids, teens, even some adults may use it with people they don't know.
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"Salut" conveys the impression that you are 'peers': it's extremely informal, much closer to 'hey' in American English than 'hi'.
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So, yes, you will hear it. And we do use it. But it's not appropriate to use in every occasion. If I were you, I'd stick with "bonjour" and "au revoir" which are extremely used and a no-brainer!

FRENCH GRAMMAR

Understanding "en" This little word is everywhere in French. It can be a pronoun, an adverb, a preposition... Learn how to understand and use "en" thanks to my free audio lesson featuring in-depth explanations, 14 expressions with "en" and even a dialogue... ​ ​Read more on French Today​

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