Mariager Podcasts

When students write in French, I often see words spelled with an initial uppercase which shouldn’t be: the English language uses capital letters in more situations than the French language does – typically with days of the week or months of the year. Let’s go through a useful checklist of words that require a capital letter in French. Vocabulary an…

Live workshops are back! More information and bookings open on my events page: https://frenchyourway.com.au/events If you can’t attend, don’t worry: you will receive the replay video as well as the worksheet and answers. Upcoming events: Dictée en français / French dictation Sunday May 22nd at 9pm Paris time. Imparfait vs passé composé Thursday May…

As if it were not challenging enough to get to understand French spoken at normal speed, how to understand a French conversation when there is background noise/music, or a piece of French audio that’s not clearly audible? In this episode inspired by a question from Fiona, I will share some tips on how you can work on this and improve and I will als…

Fiona from Melbourne Australia asked me to explain the difference between the verbs “sentir” and “ressentir” in French. Let’s go through the differences in their use and in the structure of the sentences. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode L’odorat (nm) sentir des fleurs / un parfum / l’odeur de l’herbe coupée. Tu…

Here’s a selection of 5 mistakes commonly made by English students learning French. Some may be a “simple” refresher (but we really need to drill those in, don’t we!), some of them may be new to you depending on your level of French. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Je vais bien. Je suis bien. Comment allez-vous…

This episode was inspired by a question from listener Philip: “Recently, a thunderstorm damaged my internet connection. The router displayed the error message “réseau non détecté”. I was surprised, because I would have said “pas détecté”. When should we use “pas” or “non” to mean “not”?” Let’s see examples and learn about the difference between spo…

By popular demand, I have recorded a series of episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different! Warning : in this episode, I’ve gathered some very familiar, common French expressi…

In my last newsletter and YouTube video, I asked for your input/feedback on what you struggle most with in French and I took note of your difficulties (some of which I still need to think about how to best address them.) One aspect of French grammar which came back several times was how to tell whether a noun is masculine or feminine. Listen for my…

This recording is in French, here’s the outline of what I talk about to help you follow: A comeback video in a new environment: we’re in France! We’ve been settling down, enjoying family time after two years of separation, finally meeting my little (and very cute nephew), creating memories (e.g we took the kids to the snow!) The children have start…

In this video we speak a credit specialist, that will show you how to use credit to your advantage!By Get In Yo Bag Podcast

In this episode we discuss how to manage finances while in a marriage.By Get In Yo Bag Podcast

In this episode we disect being a small business owner or entrepreneur and owning your craft. We discuss what it takes to be successful in business.By Get In Yo Bag Podcast

Are you worthy enough to be a business owner? Is a great question that we all need to ask ourselves! When starting a business we need to know who we are, and continue to emphasize this to others so that they can realize your worth as well! Podcast available on all podcasting platforms! https://open.spotify.com/show/1XR4akz0bpx1eE9xMU7AAT?si=uazRw85…

Who's Motivating You? Is a great question that we all need to ask ourselves! When starting a business we need supportive friends and family who will motivate us to be the best that we can be! Podcast available on all podcasting platforms! https://open.spotify.com/show/1XR4akz0bpx1eE9xMU7AAT?si=uazRw85fTja0k9fVUE-5fw&dl_branch=1 https://podcasts.app…

In this episode we discuss how success is a mindset and, and how you have to to believe in yourself to achieve your goals.By Get In Yo Bag Podcast

Age Ain't Nothing But A Number? In this episode we talk about the mindset of building wealth in different life stages! Podcast available on all podcasting platforms! Interested In Collabing? Send us an email at: deandre@sukazarealty.comBy Get In Yo Bag Podcast

A sneak peak into Get In Yo Bag Podcast. First episode will be posted on August 29th.By Deandre

By popular demand, I’ll record some episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different ! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also find my short eBook “How to improve your French con…

A simple French grammar tip can help you go a long way to efficiently translate common expressions from English to French! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Rien/quelque chose / quelqu’un / personne + DE + adj SING MASC rien de spécial / de grave / d’important / d’urgent quelqu’un d’important / de généreux / d’ho…

I received an email from Abhijit’s, Tasmania, who is struggling to translate some sentences from English to French. He says he prefers to learn phrases as opposed to grammar and asks for my opinion and any potential book recommendation. This is a good opportunity for me to share MY thoughts about the best way to learn French language. Vocabulary an…

By popular demand, I’ll record some episodes to help you learn or recognise common French slang expressions. As you may know, the French you learn in the classroom and the French you hear in the street or in the movies can sometimes sound quite different ! If you enjoyed this episode, you may also find my short eBook “How to improve your French con…

What’s the difference between SUR and DESSUS, or SOUS and DESSOUS? Can they be used interchangeably? In this episode we’ll see how to use these words in sentences, along with more examples and a vocabulary booster! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Le livre est sur la table. Il est dessus. Sur, dessus Sous, desso…

This is yet another question from Artur, who was featured in the previous episode! “I recently stumbled upon one hitch in one exercise in a course, namely: “Si quelque chose tente Robert, il l’achète” becomes “Il achète ce qui le tente.” According to you, it should be: “Il achète ce que le tente”? I am confused here. Could you clarify this?” The di…

Here’s a question from Artur: “I wonder if the last letter “t” is pronounced in the phrase “Il part en chantant”, because of the liaison? Same question for “c’est une bonne idée.” I’ve heard some folks pronounce “t” and some not.” What do you think? How would you pronounce the above sentences? Give it a try then listen to find out! LINKS and RESOUR…

I received the following question from Jane: Hi Jessica, I am new to your podcasts but hoping to work my way through them slowly as I study French. I am very much enjoying them. I have just listened to episode 6 (FYW 006 : “To demand” vs “Demander”: ) and have a question about agreement in the following sentence : “Mon mari m’a demandée en mariage …

An end-of-the year message for you in both English and French, with the French text below Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Bonjour à tous, J’espère que vous allez bien. Je voulais dire avec vous “au revoir” à cette année 2020 et vous adresser mes meilleurs vœux pour 2021 ! En français, on dit “Meilleurs vœux”, o…

What’s the difference between TROUVER and RETROUVER in French? Listen in! And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode J’ai trouvé des clés dans la rue. J’ai retrouvé mes clés dans la poche de mon pantalon. Après des mois de confinement, nous retrouvons la liberté. Mes anciens ca…

Martha from Cape Cod in the USA is confused about when to use the verb FALLOIR and when to use DEVOIR in French. As a result, she says she exclusively uses DEVOIR. The two verbs actually have the same meaning but the structure of the sentence will be different. Let’s see how they work, with concrete examples. I’ll also give you additional meanings …

Lacking a sense of direction is the surest way to ending up nowhere, feeling all over the place, overwhelmed and eventually discouraged. Find out how you can define your French learning goals and stay focused using the SMART goals tool. Links and Resources “How long does it take to learn French?” (article) “How long does it take to learn French?” (…

Listener Rebecca is confused about the different forms of the French word “nouveau” and how it is different from the word “neuf”. Let’s clarify the difference and learn new expressions along the way! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Nouveau(x), nouvel(le) un nouveau jour, une nouvelle nuit un nouvel ordinateur u…

This episode complements episode 222: “What are these strange ” LE ” and “NE” words with no actual meaning in French ??”. We’ll see examples of letters being added with the only purpose of making French pronunciation easier. There will also be examples of common spelling alterations to achieve that same purpose. So, if you want to get more clarity …

Joanna asked me : Why is the ” l’ ” neccesary in “Tu verras ce que l’on gagne à vouloir vivre libre”? What is it a pronoun referring to? it is direct or indirect? Merci! Good question! It may be very surprising but this “l’ ” doesn’t mean anything and is not compulsory! Ok, I think you need to listen to this episode so I can explain! Vocabulary and…

Thanks to Tina for suggesting to talk about French expressions on the podcast. Idiomatic expressions can be so difficult for language learners because they often don’t make sense when they are translated literally. However, they’re rather fun and also commonly used, therefore it is always useful to know them. Of course, I also find it very interest…

Pronunciation rules around the verb “acheter” (and more!) Listener Nuvia is in doubt on how to pronounce the verb “acheter” in the present tense. There are indeed a few opportunities for you to learn or brush up various aspects of the French language in this seemingly short and simple question. Let’s dive in! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French W…

If you haven”t taken the challenge yet, grab your pen and paper and test yourself with the free French dictation I ran live in August! This is a great opportunity for you to brush-up your French listening, grammar and phonetic skills. As always, I”ll also comment on and explain a few tricky points The text used for the dictation is below, no cheati…

This episode complements episode 217 (“How to convert a verb into a noun or adjective in French?”) and sheds light on some special spelling rules that may happen inside a same family of words. You’ll get a grammar brush-up and become a French spelling Jedi if you can remember these rules! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in thi…

This weekend, challenge your mind and join me on the live sessions that I’ll be running for you! I’m always delighted to see you, the familiar faces, as well as the new ones! There will be: A free Games in French session and A French Grammar Clinic with a dictation and practice around tricky verb forms (the imperative, the agreements of the past pa…

I have to thank Abdulelah from Saudi Arabia for inspiring me to make this episode because what follows is just what I l LOVE to explain: you’re both going to work on your grammar AND increase your vocabulary in a blink of the eye (or so I hope!) In English, you may convert a verb into a noun by adding _ing to it (sail à sailing, read/reading, etc) …

While the topic of the previous episode was light and rather fun (How to talk to your pet in French), today’s episode is more serious and I hope will be very useful to you. Listener Kate emailed me the following question: “I am a relatively new French learner and there is something important that I need to get right. I have a severe nut allergy (th…

This episode inspired by a question from Philip was a particularly fun one to prepare. Philip lives in Saint-Tropez, a beautiful and town on the Mediterranean coast in the South of France which attracts many visitors and celebrities in the summer. He did pet sitting for French friends and had many questions around how to talk to your pet in French.…

Many episodes ago, I recorded a series of lessons about the use of the various French pronouns. I think it’s time for a quick brush-up! Here’s the question I received from a Joanna, a listener of French Your Way podcast: “Why would the pronoun for the Louvre not be “y” in the following example: Tu visiteras le Louvre – Tu le visiteras (you’ll visit…

Listen to a real French lesson that I recorded with John, a student from the USA! John wanted to focus on a general conversation. I interrupted him here and there to correct or point out a few grammatical or pronunciation points and give him relevant vocabulary. If you’ve enjoyed learning from a real French lesson situation, I encourage you to part…

What is the difference between “Bonne chance” and “Bon courage” in French? Can they be used interchangeably? Find out in this episode and learn a few more common French expressions to wish someone well! This episode was inspired by a question from Joan. If you also have a question about the French language or French culture, email me Vocabulary and…

Live French Grammar Clinic workshops : Launching on July 18th and 19th 2020!! You know how curious I am about how the language works. In my French Your Way Podcast, I not only investigate about the origin of French words and expressions; I also always strive to explain grammar in the simplest, most memorable way possible to help you. Breaking down …

Join other students from around the world and let’s play in French together! This recording is an excerpt from the latest Games in French session I ran on Zoom last weekend. You’ll hear us play “Le Petit Bac” (I explain the rules and point system) in the recording. For these two rounds, we played with the following categories: Nourriture (= food) V…

While trying my hand at new baking techniques, I have come to learn a few valuable lessons which can also apply to learning a language… French for instance! In this episode I’m sharing a personal baking experience and talking about fear, analysis-paralysis, trial and error and even failure! All of them are part of any learning experience, and part …

This is the last episode about my reading of “Le Petit Prince” to you! Contact me if you think you can help me grow my collection of Petit Prince books in a foreign language Full text available online: “E-books libres et gratuits“ I’m reading: “Le Petit Prince”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le grand livre pop-up, Gallimard Jeunesse My article about “L…

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available online: “E-books libr…

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available online: “E-books libr…

Don’t miss this special rendez-vous with Le Petit Prince for a daily dose of French literature and poetry. I’ll read you two chapters on YouTube each day to keep you entertained and work on your French comprehension while you’re stuck in quarantine! Subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t miss an episode! Full text available online: “E-books libr…