N.B.
Links in blue will work for you, but if they are red, then they will only work for me while in class.
This post is for the French Advanced Improvers Class at the City of Portsmouth College (Highbury Campus) on Wednesday evenings from September to November 2023.
Classes for next term are now live to be booked on to. Click Here to be taken to further information.
The classes are due to run from 19:00 to 21:00 on Wednesdays.
27th September
4th, 11th, and 18th October (25th is half term)
1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th November & 6th December.
To improve your listening and speaking skills in a social setting, why not come to the evening or afternoon events I organise in the city?
Tips for refreshing and reinforcing your French
Listen to French Music - Watch French TV series and films (or at least videos/news in French)
There is a lot of stuff online for the French language and learning (not all of it, correct!) The sites below are usually accessible for free and have French-language content.
Free sources for TV
All 4 (Walter Presents on Channel 4 has some French Series among the many foreign series)
France 24 (online news 24/7 in French)
TV5 Monde (an online bank of Francophone TV and Film)
BBC iPlayer (often under BBC 4 programming)
France Info has a live stream on YouTube below...
Free Sources for Radio
Radio.Garden (Sadly, since October 2022, the UK government has blocked this website for working outside the UK). However, click on the ellipsis (...). You can see the option to visit the website - click there, and you can go to the website - click on 'écouter la radio', and it gives all the France Bleu regional stations in France... then you can listen (this option will work on most radio stations based on 'Radio.Garden').
mercredi, 6 décembre
Classes for next term are now live to be booked on to. Click Here to be taken to further information.
Would anyone like to host with a view to returning to Caen in 2025, the year of Caen's 1000th Birthday? The French Exchange visit from Caen coming here in June 2024. (14th to 17th).
La Saint Nicolas et la féerie de noël. Internaute 2023 Le père Noël
mercredi, 29 novembre
Classes for next term are now live to be booked on to. Click Here to be taken to further information.
Would anyone like to host with a view to returning to Caen in 2025, the year of Caen's 1000th Birthday? The French Exchange visit from Caen coming here in June 2024. (14th to 17th).
This evening, we can look at some parallel stories/ideas/songs. Texts which are in both English and French. What has happened in the translation... is the translation the same or has it been adapted...?
This website has some updated fables, it is often interesting to see how similar or different the various versions of the same story are...
There are two free ebooks here to read - the rest cost £10 each!
Project Gutenberg is a website with a whole host of free ebooks.
Such as Cantique de Noël or A Christmas Carol by Portsmouth's son Charles Dickens.
The opening chapter of A Christmas Carol in English and French.
The Christmas Dove! Paroles
Hark the Herald Angels Sing!
mercredi, 22 novembre
There is a chance to come and meet and have dinner with some 'real' French people this Sunday evening (26th).
Would anyone like to host with a view to returning to Caen in 2025, the year of Caen's 1000th Birthday? The French Exchange visit from Caen coming here in June 2024. (14th to 17th)
This evening, we will look at talking about the cinema and movies.
La famille Bélier Film Review.
mercredi, 15 novembre
Classes for next term are now live to be booked on to. Click Here to be taken to further information.
There is a chance to come and meet and have dinner with some 'real' French people this Sunday evening (26th).Â
There is also the French Exchange visit from Caen coming here in June 2024. (14th to 17th) Would anyone like to host with a view to returning to Caen in 2025, the year of Caen's 1000th Birthday?
This evening, we can look at the French love of demonstration and complaining... viewed from the point of view of French Canadians from EN3.
Quelles en sont les clichés que vous avez eus dans le passé que vous avez dû changer après avoir rencontré des gens du pays même ?
Val Edmond's Blog about English Stereotypes that the French have
Les clichés Le Figaro
mercredi, 8 novembre
Tonight, with Remembrance Day coming up this weekend, we will look a little at what the French and French Canadians do to mark the Armistice of 1918. Bleuet de France
Entre Nous 3 - Making your voice heard and complaints Piste 28
mercredi, 1er novembre
Entre Nous 3 - Making your voice heard and complaints Piste 28
mercredi, 25 octobre
We are on half term holiday this evening, so do not come into the college!
mercredi, 18 octobre
Classes for next term are now live to be booked on to. Click Here to be taken to further information.
This evening, a brief look at Halloween (not much celebrated) and Toussaint festivals in France.
Pour passer du coq à l'âne ...
mercredi, 11 octobre
There is a chance to come and meet and have dinner with some 'real' French people this Saturday evening. Also, Sunday afternoon from 3 pm too until about 9 pm.
A deposit of £6 is required for Saturday evening... I can give you the BACS details.
This evening, we will look at scams and swindlers...
La chanson cette semaine (pour les gosses, (apparement), mais concernant des choses qui ne vont pas!)
mercredi, 4 octobre.
This evening, we are going to look at Greater Tunis and Nouvelle Calédonie as some francophone places in the world.
We will also begin to talk about things that are just not on!
False advertising, when the weather is just too good, scams, etc etc
Pour passer du coq à l'âne
Mes 5 sens poème << Have a look at this if you can and translate into English.
Grammar beginning of Camus' L'Étranger - tense use
mercredi, 27 septembre.
This evening, we shall discuss our motivations for learning French.
Here are some questions to get you started...
Qui êtes vous?
Pourquoi voulez-vous améliorer votre français?
Parlez-nous d'une visite en France ou dans un pays francophone...
Que faites-vous dans la vie?
Quels sont vos passe-temps préférés?
Parlez nous de votre famille...
Parlez nous de votre ville...
... et vos passe-temps qu'est-ce que vous aimez faire dans votre temps libre?
Using Entre Nous 3 - Over the next few weeks, we will tour some Francophone cities and learn a little more about their culture.
Tonight:
Strasbourg en France
Tunis en Tunisie
Chanson - M. Pokora (né à Strasbourg) - Cette année lÃ
One for Strasbourg to watch at your leisure
Christmas in Strasbourg.
Quelques virelangues bizzares - pour la prononciation
Le ver vert va vers le verre du verre vert.
Un ver vert en vair va vers un verre vert, mais verra un verre vert à l’envers vers vingt heures. Mur pourrit, trou s'y fit, rat s'y mit, chat l'y prit.
Si six scies scient six cyprès, six cent six scies scient six cent six cyprès.
Ton thé t'a tôt ôté ta toux.
Les chausettes de l'archi-duchesse, sont-ils sèches, archi-sèches?
Dans ta tente ta tante t'attend.
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Here are the Adult Education Dates for the Academic Year 2023-2024...
Autumn Term:
18th September 2023 - 30th November 2023 (Half term w/c October 23rd)
Spring Term:
8th January 2024 - 21st March 2024 (Half term w/c February 12th)
Summer Term:
15th April 2024 - 17th June 2024 (Half Term w/c May 27th)