Intermediate Lessons

Our lesson this time was inspired by a recent article entitled “Has the smartphone destroyed a generation?” A provocative title indeed, but one that got us thinking. C’est parti!

A listener wondered if we could do a lesson on the basis of a traffic accident. So that’s what we’ve done : we’ve simulated a discussion on the basis of a minor accident that did actually occur recently at our end. Let’s start with a conversation: then we’ll look closely at the vocabulary.

The withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Accord on climate change caused consternation worldwide, not least as almost all countries signed up to its terms in 2016. Let’s talk about the decision of the U.S. administration to withdraw. We’ll discover how to make use of a whole range of interesting vocabulary. C’est parti!

In some countries, particularly the U.S., a university education has become so expensive that some wonder if it is even worth going to college at all, any more. Let’s start with a conversation. Then we’ll come back and look more closely at some key vocabulary.

It’s holiday season, a time of year when we might discuss a film or TV series we’ve seen. That’s the subject of our conversation this time. First, let’s talk about a French production called ‘Spiral’.

The coral reefs of the world’s oceans are in mortal danger but, as is often the case with environmental concerns, few people seem to appreciate that the dangers are imminent. That is the focus of our lesson this time.

Digital tablets in the classroom were recently described as a 60 billion dollar hoax. Despite these strong words, it seems we’re on an inexorable drive to place a screen in front of every child in the classroom. But to whose benefit? That’s the subject of our conversation in this lesson.

This lesson is inspired by our having heard about Norway in Michael Moore’s latest satirical documentary. Now, no country is perfect but Norway certainly seems to have a lot going for it. Let’s start with a conversation.

A listener asked about ‘tu’ and ‘vous’. In English, we simply use the pronoun ‘you’ but, in French, things are more complicated. In this conversation, we talk about when to use ‘tu’ and ‘vous’… and how to ‘make the switch’ between the two when our relationships have evolved over time. Let’s listen.

A listener asked said he had recently been in France and had heard a few slang words used frequently. In this lesson, our dialogue makes use of a variety of slang words, some of which are very common. Let’s listen…