Learn French by Podcast

It’s a physical feeling we experience frequently, after sport, a day’s gardening, whatever. We’ll be talking about feeling stiff in this lesson – lesson 65. We'll see how to say 'What's the matter?', 'What did you do to yourself!?', 'You should have...' and a range of othe useful expressions and vocabulary. Allons-y!...

A good deed - giving blood, to be precise - is the topic of this lesson, lesson 64. We'll study a variety of expressions, including 'I did a good deed...' and 'It's for that (very) reason that...'. We'll also learn the meaning of an amusing expression: 'tomber dans les pommes'. At first sight, it appears to have something to do with falling into apples but, in fact, means something quite different! Let's get started...

We're looking for someone to help us with a specific task, once again, in this lesson. The job in question is electrical work: we'll discover some electricity-related vocabulary and we'll revise some key expressions from previous lessons including: 'venir de (+ infinitive)', 'avoir besoin de', and 'falloir (+ infinitive)'. We'll also learn how to say 'When it comes to...' and 'You mustn't joke about that!' Allons-y!

We're looking for someone to help create a website in this lesson - Lesson 62. We'll learn some useful computing-related vocabulary. In addition to this, we'll study the useful expressions 's'y connaître en', 'donner un coup de main (à quelqu'un)' and 'se débrouiller'. Let's get started...

When we bump into someone we haven’t met for a while, we’ll commonly ask them what they’ve been up to. That’s the topic of this lesson. We'll work with a variety of useful expressions including: 'Ça fait…?', 'pas mal de' and 'Ça a mis…'. We'll also see how to make use of the verbs 'devenir', 'intervenir' and 'se permettre de'.

In this lesson, we'll study the vocabulary needed to ask someone how he or she is progressing at an art course. We'll examine a range of useful expressions, including 'avoir peur de', 'il y a toutes sortes de' and 'se moquer de (quelqu'un)'. We'll also look at 'plaire (à)', a common verb but one which is often the cause of errors for learners of French.

We'll discover how to discuss a programme from last night's TV schedule in this lesson. In particular, Xavier talks about a documentary he saw on the life of Henri Troyat, a prolific French writer. We'll meet - and practice - new expressions including 'passer à la télé', 'être décédé', 'être crevé' and 'rester éveillé jusqu'à'. Allons-y!

In our recent discussion of American politics, we mentioned Barack Obama. This time our role-play will focus on whether America is ready for a woman to take the top job at the Oval Office. Let's hear what Caroline, in particular, thinks of Hillary Clinton and her chances of landing the ultimate position in politics. We'll learn some new expressions including 's'exprimer', 'être persuadé que', 'être ouvert d'esprit', and more.

France will soon have a new President. So, too, will the U.S. In London, Tony Blair will be leaving 10 Downing Street after 10 years as British Prime Minister. In this lesson, let's study some vocabulary and expressions related to the political scene in the U.S. as eyes are turning towards the White House. Allons-y!…

Hardly a day passes without the terrible conflict in Iraq making the news headlines. In this lesson, lesson 56, we'll study vocabulary which will allow us to offer an opinion on a situation for which a solution seems more elusive than ever.

This time, our dog is in trouble and requires a trip to the vet. We'll learn how to say that something is wrong and we'll study a number of useful verbs, including 'rester', 'se mettre à', 's'attarder' and 'se rétablir'. It's a longer lesson this time, so let's get started...

In our last lesson, a trip to the dentist resulted in a filling. The dentist and patient had a brief chat at the end of the appointment. Let's see how their conversation ended up. We'll study the expressions 'to finish [doing]', 'to be in agony' and 'to find it difficult [to do]'. We'll also discuss using the Imperfect Tense to describe physical states in the past. Allons-y!

In our last lesson, we saw how to make an dental appointment. This time, we’re in the dentist’s chair… The drill, fillings, injections, cavities – we’ll meet them all in this first part of a two-part lesson.

We'll see how to make an appointment to see the dentist in this lesson. We'll meet a variety of useful expressions, including 'prendre rendezvous avec quelqu'un', 'ressentir (une douleur)' and 'le plus rapidement possible'. To see what all these mean - and how to use them - let's get started!

Our task is a simple but common one in this lesson - that is, to make a restaurant reservation. We'll learn to recognise some common questions which are likely to be put to us by the receptionist and we'll revise how to spell some words, including one or two surnames.

A ski-wear shop is the setting for this, our 50th Learn French by Podcast lesson. We'll see how to make effective use of the verbs 'aimer', 'suivre', 'passer' and 'essayer' and we'll also learn revise the object pronouns 'le', 'la' and 'les'.

A hotel guest makes contact with the front desk in relation to a problem in his room. We'll discover how to say 'I can't get it to work'. We'll also practice using several verbs, including 'se mettre en marche', 'appuyer' and 'arriver à'. We meet a noun, too, which can either refer to a technical fault - or a flaw in one's character.

We'll learn how to carry out a common task in this lesson - to book a hotel room. We'll see how to ask the receptionist how we should pay, if we can have our luggage taken up to our room, if we can be called early for breakfast, and more.

With the presidential elections in France just around the corner, it’s time to learn some vocabulary related to politics and voting, in general. That will be the topic of this lesson. We'll learn how to say 'I'm exhausted!' and 'They really get my back up!' We'll also meet several useful verbs. Allons-y!

In lessons 21 and 22 we spoke about a vacation we’d had. This time, in lesson 46, we’ll hear about a winter vacation and, with the World Ski Championships taking place at the moment, it's an opportune time to learn a few key terms related to skiing. We'll also see how to use the verbs 'adorer', 'partir' and 's'inscrire (à)'.

In this lesson, lesson 45, a father brings his son to playschool for the first time. Let's hear the conversation between Mr. Jones and the playschool teacher. We'll meet the expressions ‘Je vais faire en sorte que’ and ‘jusqu'à ce que’, both of which require that the verb which follows be in the subjunctive form.

The French tendency to drive fast will form the basis of our lesson this time - our conversation will deal with a near miss on the road. We'll learn how to say 'I had a narrow escape', we'll meet the expression 'il m'a mis hors de moi' and we'll see how to use the verbs 'doubler' and 'faillir'. Let's get started.

An incident in a shop where a customer drops and breaks something is the subject of this lesson. The reaction of the shop assistant will bring up the topic of the subjunctive and one particular situation in which this form of the verb is required.

Our food is almost prepared. But we want to ask when exactly it will be ready and when we should sit at the table. Let's see how to do that in this lesson. We'll also meet the expressions 'Je meurs de faim!' and 'passer à table'.

We'll be talking about someone who is quite religious in this lesson. We'll meet the adjectives 'croyant' and 'pratiquant' to describe such a person, we'll see how to use 'ne... jamais', we'll use the verb 'se souvenir de', and we'll practice other interesting expressions, too. Let's get started...

Relationship problems are the topic of this lesson! We'll learn how to ask someone what's wrong, we'll meet the reflexive verb "se séparer" and we'll ask ourselves the question, "How am I going to explain it to him?" We'll also distinguish between "ne... pas" and "ne... plus".

We'll deal with a common scenario in this lesson: we've lost our keys. We'll learn how to say we can't find them and where to look for them. We'll also meet the expression 'jeter un coup d'oeil'. Let's get started.

'annuler', 'reporter' and 'modifier' are three verbs we'll meet in this lesson, as well as the expression 'C'est (vraiment) pas de chance!' In this lesson, lesson 38, we'll be examining the vocabulary we would need in order to cancel or postpone a meeting.

We sometimes find ourselves in a position where we need to borrow money from someone. In this lesson - lesson 37 - let's find out how to do just that. We'll meet the verbs 'prêter', 'rembourser' and 'embêter', as well as other useful expressions. Let's get started.

Some people choose to pay their mobile phone bills by monthly standing order. Many others, however, simply choose a pay-as-you-go option, buying credit whenever necessary. In this lesson, let's see what vocabulary we'll need in order to purchase that phone credit.

Putting on weight is a topic we'd sometimes prefer not to think about but that's the topic of conversation in this lesson, lesson 35. We'll meet the verbs "grossir" (to put on weight) and "voir" (to see) in the Past, as well as the expression "être à deux doigts de faire quelque chose" (to be on the verge of doing something). Allons-y!

We often pass comment on fragrances - food, perfume, flowers, nature, and so on. Let's study, in this short lesson, some expressions which will allows us to do that. We'll meet the verbs "sentir" and "mettre", in particular. We'll also see how to say that something smells quite strong.

Whether we like it or not, our modern lives are ruled by the clock. Let's study one of the basics in this lesson: how to tell the time. We'll also meet the expressions: "I'm going to be late!", "I'm going to be early!" and "I'm going to be on time!"

In this lesson, lesson 32, we'll be talking about Amélie's new colleague at work. Let's see what his responsibilities are and discover a little about his linguistic abilities. We'll meet the verbs "s'occuper de" and "apprendre" as well as the expression "avoir l'air de".

Let's listen to Xavier tell us a little about his home town in this lesson. We'll work with a number of useful expressions which could be used in a wide variety of situations. We'll discover the verb 'appartenir à', the expression 'à la rigueur', as well as the prepositions 'loin de' and 'près de'.

In this lesson, we'll be talking briefly about wine, and the kinds of food we might eat with the various types of wines. We'll meet some useful vocabulary and expressions related to food, too. It's an intermediate lesson because there's quite an amount of new vocabulary. Let's get started!

In this lesson, lesson 29, we'll find out how to say "It's been a while!" or "It's been a long time!" We'll also see how to ask what someone's been up to recently.

In this lesson, we'll be dealing with some internet-related vocabulary. We'll meet some other useful expressions, too, including "I don't want to complicate my life!", "I'm not promising anything" and "It would be good if..." This last expression will require the subjunctive. Let's see how that will work...

In this lesson, we're talking about someone's new hairstyle. We'll discover some "technical" terms in relation to hairstyling, we'll look at two different uses for "chez", and we'll see how to say we're "bored by" or "fed up with" something. Allons-y!

In this lesson, our goal is to find out how to ask someone to do a favour for us. We'll meet the expression "rendre un service à quelqu'un". We'll also re-visit the expression "il y a" but in the Immediate Future form. Finally, we'll study how to deal with the English verb "to get".

Hello from Learn French by Podcast. This is a special announcement regarding our audio French lessons and accompanying Lesson Guides. Those of you who have been following our lessons since we started in June 2006 will be aware that both our podcasts and our Lesson Guides have been free until now. However, we have reached a stage where we must start charging a small fee to help us continue creating high-quality French lessons. If you wish to continue following our podcasts, you will still be able to do so for free. However, our PDF Lesson Guides will now require a paid registration via our website. We have done our best to keep this membership fee as low as possible while allowing us to cover the costs of maintaining our site and the quality of our lessons which take us a great deal of time to prepare. We hope that you will continue to improve your French with our lessons. Please visit our website at www.learnfrenchbypodcast.com and consider becoming a member. Thank you for listening.

You're in a restaurant, looking forward to your meal. That menu, however, is a little confusing: what about all those ingredients... and the names of those dishes! How can we make sense of it? We'll need to know how to ask some key questions. Let's find out...

It's a situation we find ourselves in regularly. We're in a bar or an auditorium looking for a seat. But... is the one we have our eye on actually free? How should we ask? Let's find out in this short, but practical, lesson.

In this lesson we'll discover how to postpone an appointment we've made. We'll study the expression "Je ne vais pas pouvoir ... [+ infinitive]" and we'll work with the verb "décevoir", to disappoint (someone).

In the second part of this two-part episode we'll meet the verb "profiter (de)", we'll use the verb "devoir" to say things like "It must have been [difficult, shocking, fantastic]" and we'll revise the verb "prendre" in the Perfect tense, in relation to food.

You're just back from a fantastic vacation. The first question you'll be asked, of course, is "How did it go?" There's so much to talk about: the weather, the food, the people, the location. Let's try out some of the vocabulary you're likely to need. (This is part 1 of a 2-part lesson.)

A trip abroad can often lead to some unexpected physical condition - an upset stomach, itching from insect bites, blistered feet, or whatever. That, in turn, can lead us to the local pharmacy. But, what do we say when we get there? Let's find out.

"My cell phone isn't working. I'd like to have it repaired, please..." In this lesson, we'll find out what to say if we need to have something repaired. First, we'll describe the problem. Then we'll see how long it will take to sort everything out.

In this lesson, let's find out how to buy a train ticket. The vocabulary we'll meet will be just as useful when purchasing inter-city bus tickets, plane tickets, and so on. Let's see, also, how to say we'd prefer a window or aisle seat, or travel in the smoking or non-smoking section. Allons-y!

You make a phone call, but the person you're looking for isn't there. Should you leave a message? Or maybe that's not necessary - you'll call back later. Let's see, in this lesson, how the conversation might unravel.