👑"Galette des Rois",🎥French Movies and some tips to get better in French😉

Learning French should NOT be difficult!

French Teacher Carlito

Jan 13, 2023

Bonjour tout le monde😉

And hello to the new subscribers (you are more than 300 this week🤯)

It’s Carlito, your sidekick for everything French.

The Robin to your Batman. The milk to your Oreos. The Siri to your questions.

“Hey Carlito, what’s going in French learning today?"

Are you ready to add some “je ne sais quoi” to your language skills?

Look no further. I'm here to take you on a journey to fluency in the language of love (yeah, I’m talking about French)

No more boring grammar drills, I'm making French fun and accessible for everyone.

Let's get started, and elevate your French to the next level!

Here’s what's on the menu today:

✍️French Word of the week
📚Lesson of the week
💡Tips of the week
🎲Quiz of the week

✍️French Word of the week

Let’s start with a picture📷

Do you know what it is? (Try to guess how much does it cost and for how many people is it🙂)

Well, it’s “une galette des rois” (I don’t know how to translate it in English… Maybe the cake of the Kings🤔)

“La Galette des Rois” is a delicious and festive pastry that is traditionally enjoyed in France during the Epiphany, a Christian holiday celebrating the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus👶

This delicacy is made of a flaky puff pastry filled with frangipane, a creamy almond paste.

Not only is it a tasty treat, but it also holds a significant place in French culture and tradition.

Want to know how to make a good one (and practice your French) ?

Check this👈

Bon appétit!

Wanna sing something in French (and have fun), listen to this!

Btw, here is the answer for the cost of this “Galette des Rois”👇

📚Lesson of the week

In this week's lesson, we'll be exploring the beautiful world of French movies (and how you could use them to learn French)

First, I have to give you my point of view when it comes to watching movies to learn a new language🙂

I believe it’s a super hack several reasons🚀

Listening comprehension: Watching movies in French can help improve your listening comprehension skills by exposing you to a wide range of accents and speaking styles.
Vocabulary: Movies can introduce you to new vocabulary words and phrases, which can be reinforced through repetition and context.
Grammar: Watching movies can also help with grammar by providing visual cues and context, helping you to understand how words are used in sentences.
Cultural understanding: Movies can also provide insight into the culture and society of the target language, helping you to understand the context and meaning behind the language you are learning.
Entertainment: Watching movies can be an enjoyable and engaging way to learn a new language, making the process of learning more fun and less of a chore.
Natural way of learning: It's a natural way of learning as it's closer to real-life situations and interactions, it allows you to learn new vocabulary, idioms, and expressions in context and also to improve your understanding of spoken language, as movies have a natural flow of dialogue.

Okay, this was the theoretical part😉

Let's get down to business!

There are many great movies that can be used to learn French

Some popular options include:

"La Haine" (1995) directed by Mathieu Kassovitz: This powerful and thought-provoking film explores the lives of three friends living in a low-income housing project in Paris, and is a great way to improve listening comprehension and learn about French culture.
"Amelie" (2001) directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet: This charming and whimsical film is set in Paris and follows the life of a young woman who decides to change the lives of those around her for the better. The film is known for its beautiful cinematography and unique storyline.
"La Grande Illusion" (1937) directed by Jean Renoir: This classic film is set during World War I and deals with themes of human connection and the futility of war. The film's portrayal of soldiers from different backgrounds is a great way to learn about French culture and history.
"La Vie en Rose" (2007) directed by Olivier Dahan: This biographical film is based on the life of French singer Edith Piaf and covers her rise to fame and the struggles she faced during her life. This film is a great way to improve listening comprehension and learn about French culture.
"La Femme Nikita" (1990) directed by Luc Besson: This action film is about a young woman who is transformed into a professional assassin, the film's fast-paced nature, and strong female lead make it an engaging and exciting way to learn French.

These are just a few examples, but there are many other great French films to choose from.

My favorites?

“Intouchables”, “Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis” and “Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu ?”

💡It's a good idea to watch movies with subtitles in your native language to help you understand the dialogue and improve your vocabulary and grammar

💡💡There are several websites where you can watch French movies for free (YouTube, Dailymotion, Archive.org (this website has a vast collection of public domain movies, including some French films), Frenchculture.org, Frenchfilmclub.com, Arte, on Streaming services…

I will create a file with all the links on my website (for the lazy ones)😃

I will send you the link when it is done (probably middle of next week😉)

💡Tips of the week

Debunking Myths!

I need to get rid of any myths that might be buried in your subconscious. Like any skill, language learning is challenging, but what makes it more challenging is having excuses in your head to justify giving up.

The game of language learning is like a mental battle. You need to have all the weapons possible in your arsenal in order to fight off the excuses that will try to wiggle into your brain.

Myth #1: Learning a language is hard

The myth that learning a new language is hard is prevalent but untrue🙂

With the right resources and a clear path to follow, language learning can be easy.

However, many people lack direction and become demotivated by using the wrong resources, resulting in them quitting their language learning journey.

In addition to a lack of direction, other challenges such as discipline, consistency, patience, and perseverance also make language learning difficult.

But these are universal challenges that apply to all new skills, not just language learning🙂

⚠️Btw, I'm super excited to tell you this now…

I just released my first French course for Beginners: French101, But Fun.

It focuses on what is effective and fun to help keep you motivated and make the language learning process easy and efficient😃

If you are a student (meaning you don't have enough money or you are just a cheapskate BUT you really want to learn French, you can send me a message😉)

Check French101, But Fun.

Myth #2: It takes too long

The time required to learn a language will vary depending on the innate difficulty of the language😉

Myth #3: You’re not smart enough

The myth that only people with high IQ or a rare "language-devouring brain" can learn languages easily is not true.

Learning a language is all about having the right method and knowing the proper way to learn it, and it doesn't require to be a genius.

It's important to remember that it's easy to be swept up in the hype, and it's easy to believe that certain people are more accustomed to learning languages, but it gives an excuse for failure.

Please, stop being hard on yourself and stop doubting yourself too!

Remember that languages are for everyone and that you have already done the hard part by learning one language😃

🎲Quiz of the week

You will receive all the quizzes on Sunday evening (so that you will have ALL quizzes of the week, not just those from Monday to Friday😉)

I promise you😇

If you don't know what I'm talking about (that’s alright🙃), I do French quizzes EVERYDAY on Instagram to help you learn some French (and have fun)