Intermediate Lessons
(Lessons are listed in groups of 10, with the newest lesson at the top. Click the page numbers below to navigate to other lessons. Use the 'Choose Lesson…' option in the right-hand column to go to a specific lesson. (The 'Choose lesson…' menu is visible only when you're logged in.))
The focus of our lesson this time is something which could be described as a modern-day disorder, afflicting a huge number of people. We're not talking about a physical disorder, per se... more of a social one. Béatrix and I are having a coffee but Béatrix is getting frustrated at my inattention. Let's listen...
Lesson #: 166
Our lesson this time focuses on a concert Béatrix attended, a classical concert. Bertrand wonders what makes the difference between a concerto on the one hand and a symphony on the other. Béatrix gives him a very basic music lesson. Let's listen. Then we'll come back and take a closer look at the key vocabulary.
Lesson #: 165
Our lesson this time centres around a film called “Dallas Buyers’ Club”, the story of a Texan cowboy who contracted AIDS at a time when most people had not yet heard of the disease. Let’s listen. Then we’ll take a closer look at the key vocabulary.
Lesson #: 164
If ever the term 'great statesman' were relevant, it could surely be attributed to Nelson Mandela. In our conversation this time, Bertrand puts some questions to Béatrix to discover why, exactly, Mandela became such an icon. Let's listen.
Lesson #: 163
Our conversation this time focuses on working conditions as Qatar develops its infrastructure for the football World Cup in 2022. The tournament is some years away but the controversy surrounding the plight of workers is current, and real. Let’s listen to a conversation between Béatrix and Rémy.
Lesson #: 162
Just recently, Edward Snowden was living a normal life. Now, however, he is a hunted man with a future that is very uncertain. Once he revealed that U.S. authorities were monitoring the daily communications of ordinary citizens, his life effectively changed forever. In this lesson, Zoë and Jules discuss the Snowden affair. Let's listen.
Lesson #: 161
Florida was home to a recent winner of the Powerball jackpot of around 400 million dollars. As always, there was a media frenzy. In this lesson, Lucien and Zara discuss lotteries in general. Zara thinks they're scandalous. Lucien, on the other hand, thinks that Zara needs to lighten up. Let's listen...
Lesson #: 160
Today, several hundred million people around the world are 'tweeting'. In this lesson, let's hear a conversation between Bertrand and Amandine. Bertrand is a regular Twitter user, but Amandine is not. Let's listen...
Lesson #: 159
One of our listeners, a doctor working in a French-speaking community in New York, suggested that we devote a lesson to a dialogue between a doctor and patient. That's the subject of this lesson. The patient, Mr Gauthier, has just come into the doctor's clinic, which is where the conversation takes place...
Lesson #: 157
More than a few people seem to suffer from the modern-day 'affliction' of almost constantly sending texts. That’s the topic of conversation in this lesson. Alain and Thérèse are out for dinner but they have not yet said a word to each other. Let's listen.
Lesson #: 156