Learn French by Podcast

What an incredibly uplifting story it was to hear about the three boys rescued in the south Pacific. In case you didn’t hear about them, let’s listen to Gabriel and Énora discussing them. We'll make use of a range of powerful vocabulary and expressions, including 'De quoi s'agit-il?', 'atteindre', 'se dérouler', 'davantage', 'maigrir', and more. Let's get started...

Since President Obama utilised modern technologies so cleverly en route to the White House, world leaders have come to appreciate the power of social networking sites and services. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is acutely aware of the advantages afforded by these technologies, too. In this lesson – lesson 144 – Julien and Manon discuss President Sarkozy’s ‘web presence’ on Facebook. C'est parti!

In this lesson, lesson 143, we talk about the controversial expulsion of members of the Roma community from France. The tough stance taken by President Sarkozy's government on the matter has been sharply criticised in certain quarters. Let's begin with a conversation between Cédric and Amandine. We'll meet the expressions "ce n'est qu'une tempête dans un verre d'eau", "en faire tout un plat", "éclaboussé dans les médias", and more.

Our lesson, this time, centres on an event that captured everyone's attention - the situation regarding the trapped miners in Chile. Let's begin with a converstation between Olivier and Béatrix. We'll meet the expressions 'tenir le coup', 'mettre tout en oeuvre', 'faire venir [quelqu'un] sur place' and 'éviter que'. C'est parti!

The economic situation in Greece has slipped off the front pages of newspapers… for the moment. However, Greece's problems and those of Portugal, Ireland, Italy and Spain are largely responsible for recent instability in the Euro zone. In this lesson, we hear a conversation in response to the question: "Que se passe-t-il donc en Grèce?"

The subject of this lesson - lesson 140 - is the oil spill which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama is adamant that B.P. will resolve the problem and pick up the bill. Nonetheless, it represents another environmental disaster. Let’s hear a conversation on the subject. We will pick up a lot of useful vocabulary, not least of which is the expression 'une nappe de pétrole'.

In this lesson, lesson 139, we are talking about the phenomenon that is Google. But people have mixed feelings about this commercial entity that has become synonymous with searching for information on the Internet. Is it a monopolistic monster we should be wary of, or is Google we something we should all be grateful for? Let’s hear the views of Pascale and Raphaël.

In this lesson, our task is to find out how to transfer money to someone elsewhere in France. The Post Office can help us with this task but there are different options available. Let’s study some of the key vocabulary. Let’s begin with a role-play between the customer and the counter clerk.

In this lesson, lesson 137, Paul and Julie are talking about Julie's friend, Anne, who has moved back to Europe having lived for a decade in the U.S. We examine the verb "vivre" again and we practise using the expressions "s'adapter bien à", "s'habituer à", "faire défaut" and "avoir tôt fait de". Let's get started!...

The subject of this lesson, lesson 136, is Haïti. Not, in fact, the dreadful tragedy which befell the country in the form of an earthquake, but the reasons why Haïti continues to be such an impoverished country. The dialogue is a rather long one this time, between Arnaud and Élodie. It is a lesson which makes extensive use of the passé simple. Let's get started.