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77: "Do you mind if I smoke?" Sep 08, 2007

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Some people love them, others hate them. Still more cannot do without them. But, what if someone asks you if it is ok to light up a cigarette in your presence? Let’s listen to a role-play and see how such an exchange might unravel.

76: "That guy has a bit of a (personal) problem..." Sep 01, 2007

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It’s an issue none of us likes to talk about but one we occasionally confront in the workplace. So what about the delicate subject of personal hygiene ? How do we discuss it in French ? In this lesson we'll find out. Allons-y!...

75: The holidays are over! Aug 24, 2007

Show notes

It is perhaps the most hated word in the French language. In fact, the noun itself - 'la rentrée' - means simply, 'the return' but, for secondary school students it means the end of 'les grandes vacances' and the return to a new school year. In this lesson we’ll hear Amélie and Alex talk about what needs to be organised before the kids go back to the classroom.

74: 'Vélib'... it's fantastic! Aug 17, 2007

Show notes

In this lesson, Amélie will tell us about 'les Vélib' (vélos libres), an initiative in the French capital which puts bicycles at the disposal of those looking for a healthier option for getting around. We'll learn new expressions including 'Ça marche du tonnerre!' and 'prendre un abonnement'. We'll study some verbs, too, including 'assombrir', 'se réjouir de' and 'mettre en place'.

73: "What did you do for the environment today?" [Part II] Aug 10, 2007

Show notes

Continuing our theme of the last lesson, this time we look at the promises made by President Sarkozy in relation to the environment during the run-up to the French presidential elections. Let’s examine what he said … and what he promised. We'll hear Jacques' and Laure's views on some of those promises, too…

72: "What did you do for the environment today?" [Part I] Aug 01, 2007

Show notes

Though he wasn’t in the final reckoning for the French presidential election, the participation of Nicolas Hulot, a prominent environmentalist, drew the attention of many French voters to the precarious state of our planet. In this lesson, let’s focus on some vocabulary which relates to environmental issues. We’ll start with a role-play between Natacha and Matthieu.

71: "I had to do overtime..." Jul 27, 2007

Show notes

The number of hours worked per week by French employees has been a hot topic in France recently. In this lesson, let’s study some of the vocabulary which will enable us to talk about overtime, in particular. Let's listen to a conversation between Christian and Marie in which Christian chastises Marie for not standing up to her boss and saying enough is enough…

70: "Is there a special ticket I can buy?" Jul 17, 2007

Show notes

Perhaps the first thing tourists to the French capital must think about is how best to get around. In this lesson, lesson 70, let’s hear a conversation which takes place at the ticket counter to find out how to approach this task. We'll revise the expression 'I'd like [+ infinitive]…', we'll discuss the verbs 'exister' and 'circuler' and we'll see how to respond to the expressions 'Ça fait' and 'Ça fera' when making a payment.

69: "I'd like to hire a car" [Part II] Jul 13, 2007

Show notes

In the last lesson, we were talking about hiring a car. In this second part of the two-part lesson, let’s complete the task. We’ll hear the final part of the discussion between the customer and agent of the car hire company. We'll study the expressions 'être garé', we'll practice the Imperative in the context of giving directions and we'll discover the names of specific parts of the body of a car. Let's begin...

68: "I'd like to hire a car" [Part I] Jun 28, 2007

Show notes

It's summer vacation time. In this lesson, let's discover how to carry out a common task for tourists - to hire a car. We'll learn how to ask the basic questions related to this undertaking, as well as some more specific vocabulary including 'car insurance', 'driving licence', 'deposit', 'petrol', 'a refill (of the tank)', and more.

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