aixcentric

A useful article and a new book to recommend for those of you who are learning French and/or learning to be like the French!  

The article from The Guardian is written by a woman who lived in Brussels for 12 years and has a French husband – so her French is pretty good to start with; but she wanted to further her ability

to express complex ideas and improve her grammar too.  https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/01/how-to-get-better-at-french-victor-hugo-becomes-a-sex-god-in-my-mind?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other.

This article gives a link to the Alliance Francaise online test which takes 1/2 an hour and gives you your place in the official European Language framework, (CEFR), very useful to know; plus info on podcasts, downloads and classes.

There’s a different entry point from Keith van Sickle in his second book, ‘Are We French Yet?‘.  The Californian writer and his wife Val have spent many years visiting Provence, and have decided to dedicate even more time to being here and becoming fluent in the language.  They have made firm friends with French couples, explored widely, taken classes, and dipped into as many Provencal experiences as possible. Keith writes about wine, entertaining and being entertained, his experiences with the French medical system, books that changed French lives, going to the butcher’s, trying to fathom French politicians and fonctionnaires, even trying to ‘dress in French’.  For the latter he dedicates  a chapter to the art of tying scarves…and their link with saving the planet.

The 230pp book, like his first, ‘One Sip at a Time’, is a series of 33 short chapters, each with a theme, making it an ideal book for dipping into when getting to grips with local life.

Details here: https://keithvansickle.com/