Melbourne-based French Australian painter Guy Trinquet, is a finalist in the 2021 Glover Prize, one of Australia’s most prestigious landscape painting awards. Vocab List croquis (nm) = sketch, rough outline, first draft déceler = to detect, to spot ébauche (nf) = sketch, rough outline, first draft être tenu(e) de (faire quelque chose) = to be required / bound (to do sth) gosse (n) = kid gribouillage (nm) = scribble grimper = to climb passer (ça passe) = to be acceptable, to be admissible subjuguer = to captivate, to enthrall, to conquer tiquer = to twitch, to cringe toile (nf) = canvas vente … Read More →

In the second part of this interview with Belgian consul Pierre Steverlynck, we discuss the languages he speaks at home and at work - since Belgium is a multilingual country. You'll learn the difference between an ambassy and a consulate, what a "carte d'identité" may be used for (I know that not all countries have one such thing). Also find out how one becomes a diplomat. And, you'll hear about the "flying kit", a really cool system for expats living on faraway islands! Vocab List avancée sociale (nf) = advance, progress chauvin,e (adj) = chauvinistic, partisan concours (nm) = competitive … Read More →

Pierre Steverlynck is a Belgian consul, a diplomat representing Belgium abroad. When we started the interview, I was nervous because I had been wondering for weeks what to call him. I was worried about coming across as impolite, not knowing whether I should call him "Pierre", "Monsieur", or any specific term of address related to his status. Find out the answer to this thorny issue in this first of two episodes of our conversation! Pierre will tell us about his different missions and roles and will regularly draw parallels between the French and Belgian systems (uni, admin and … Read More →

Natacha is a young Frenchwoman qui "a la patate" and a contagious passion for improvised play. She's the founder, coach, and one of the improvisers / actresses of The French Loop, a theatre company based in Melbourne. (If you also live in the area and would love to practice your French and have a go, Natacha welcomes non native speakers too, hint hint!). In this second episode, Natacha is presenting the French Loop : who can attend ? From what age? We'll also talk about a not so well-known aspect of improvisation called social theatre / Shake Theatre. You'll see that this activity can be a … Read More →

Natacha is a young Frenchwoman qui "a la patate" and a contagious passion for improvised play. She's the founder, coach, and one of the improvisers / actresses of The French Loop, a theatre company based in Melbourne. (If you also live in the area and would love to practice your French and have a go, Natacha welcomes non native speakers too, hint hint!). In this first episode, we're discussing how Natacha pivoted to deal with the Covid-crisis, at a time when her classes could not operate normally and people needed entertainment. We'll also talk about her background and the history of the art … Read More →

Natacha is a young Frenchwoman qui "a la patate" and a contagious passion for improvised play. She's the founder, coach, and one of the improvisers / actresses of The French Loop, a theatre company based in Melbourne. (If you also live in the area and would love to practice your French and have a go, Natacha welcomes non native speakers too, hint hint!). In this first episode, we're discussing how Natacha pivoted to deal with the Covid-crisis, at a time when her classes could not operate normally and people needed entertainment. We'll also talk about her background and the history of the art … Read More →

Ceci n'est pas un épisode (nous profitons de quelques jours de vacances en famille), mais un petit message pour vous montrer que je ne vous ai pas oublié et, évidemment, vous souhaiter une bonne année et surtout une bonne santé pour 2021. Prenez soin de vous et rendez-vous le 15 janvier pour la première partie d'une belle interview avec Natacha de The French Loop ! … Read More →

Meet François Forget, a planetary scientist at the Laboratoire de Météo Dynamique in Paris.  François is an atmospheric dynamicist: he and his team model other planetary atmospheres including Mars, Titan and exoplanets. In this second episode, I asked François whether he thinks we will get to see a man go on Mars in our lifetime. What processes and challenges would this involve? What are the upcoming projects in terms of space exploration? François will also draw a parallel between space and Antarctica missions (he did spend time in Antarctica this year). The personality of people who … Read More →

Meet François Forget, a planetary scientist at the Laboratoire de Météo Dynamique in Paris.  François is an atmospheric dynamicist: he and his team model other planetary atmospheres including Mars, Titan and exoplanets. In this second episode, I asked François whether he thinks we will get to see a man go on Mars in our lifetime. What processes and challenges would this involve? What are the upcoming projects in terms of space exploration? François will also draw a parallel between space and Antarctica missions (he did spend time in Antarctica this year). The personality of people who … Read More →

Meet François Forget, a planetary scientist at the Laboratoire de Météo Dynamique in Paris.  François is an atmospheric dynamicist: he and his team model other planetary atmospheres including Mars, Titan and exoplanets. In this first episode, François will explain in simple terms what he does. We'll also talk about Mars and what makes it such an interesting planet to study. Are we alone in the universe? Does life necessarily need water to develop? How can we look for evidence of water / life under the surface of planets we can't even reach? Listen in! François Forget's personal site Watch … Read More →