Pourquoi Pauline et moi allons chez Duvelleroy? Nous sommes à la recherche de l’accessoire de l’été, celui qui est entre les mains de toutes et tous depuis queqlues semaines : il est élégant, léger et procure de l’air. Nous sommes rue Saint-Dominique dans le 7e pour découvrir une maison parisienne qui fabrique cet objet depuis 1827.

In this episode, my friend Pauline and I head to a historic Parisian boutique to discover a summer accessory that's been spotted everywhere in the city this past week. It's part of my ongoing series of real, unscripted conversations recorded on the go in Paris — made for learners who want to hear authentic spoken French, not textbook dialogue.

This episode works well for B1 through C1 learners, though for different reasons. For B1-B2 listeners, the value is in following Pauline explain and justify her choice out loud — why the object interests her, why it would make a good gift. For C1 listeners, the real payoff is the natural rhythm of an unscripted two-person conversation: overlapping turns, mid-sentence reformulations, and the kind of cultural subtext (what "une maison" implies versus "une boutique", the weight of a date like 1827) that rarely comes up in graded material.

Want to go further with Pauline into the world of Parisian chic?

Quel cadeau chez Design & Nature : une autre balade shopping avec Pauline, entre objets inattendus et déco parisienne → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/quel-cadeau-chez-design-nature-paris-inattendu-genuine-paris-conversation/

Que pense Pauline de Victor Hugo décorateur ? : le regard de Pauline sur le goût et le style d'un autre siècle → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/que-pense-pauline-de-victor-hugo-decorateur-victor-hugos-interior-design/

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, petites rues, lieux et cafés : flânerie dans un autre quartier chic et historique → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2197-%e2%80%94-saint-germain-des-pres%c2%a0-petites-rues-lieux-et-les-cafes-%e2%80%94-mercredi-21-decembre-2022/

La Maison de Balzac en plein 16e arrondissement : une autre "maison" chargée d'histoire à découvrir → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2132-%e2%80%94-la-maison-de-balzac-en-plein-16e-arrondissement-%e2%80%94-mercredi-15-juin-2022/

Quitter la maison de Balzac et découvrir le quartier de Passy : suite de la balade dans un quartier élégant → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2133-%e2%80%94-quitter-la-maison-de-balzac-et-decouvrir-le-quartier-de-passy-%e2%80%94-vendredi-17-juin-2022/

spoken french, learn french, french stories, paris stories, authentic french, real french, life in paris éventail, Duvelleroy, accessoire parisien, mode française, rue Saint-Dominique, French fan, Paris fashion accessory, French heritage brand

What is a "duvelleroy" fan and where can you buy one in Paris? Where is Duvelleroy's flagship boutique located? What is the history of the Duvelleroy fan house? Which European royals were historically clients of French fan makers? What are the most popular summer fashion accessories in Paris right now? Where is Rue Saint-Dominique and what is it known for? What does "chic" really mean in French fashion culture? How do Parisians accessorize simple outfits to look elegant? What French luxury brands date back to the 19th century? Why do French speakers say "une maison" instead of "une boutique" for heritage brands?

Comment un objet emblématique du 19e siècle redevient-il aujourd'hui un accessoire de mode à part entière ? Direction la maison Duvelleroy, où Inès nous ouvre les portes des collections et nous raconte l'histoire de l'éventail.

In this episode, Pauline and I continue our visit to a historic Parisian fan house, where Inès — who works at the boutique — walks us through the different collections, materials, and craftsmanship behind each fan. It's part of my ongoing series of real, unscripted conversations recorded in Paris — made for learners who want to hear authentic spoken French.

This episode works well for B1 through C1 learners, though for different reasons. For B1-B2 listeners, the value is in following a guided explanation — new vocabulary (materials, techniques, collections) introduced naturally and repeated in context, which makes it easier to absorb. For C1 listeners, the real payoff is in the unscripted back-and-forth between Pauline and Inès: overlapping questions, spontaneous clarifications ("on appelle ça comment ?"), and the kind of cultural subtext — like the historical "language of the fan" — that rarely comes up in graded material.

Want to go further into the world of Parisian chic and historic houses? Quel est l'accessoire élégant de l'été à Paris ? : l'épisode précédent, où Pauline et moi partions à la découverte de cet accessoire mystère avant de pousser la porte de Duvelleroy → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/quel-est-laccessoire-elegant-de-lete-a-paris-paris-chic-summer-accessory/ Quel cadeau chez Design & Nature : une autre balade shopping avec Pauline, entre objets inattendus et déco parisienne → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/quel-cadeau-chez-design-nature-paris-inattendu-genuine-paris-conversation/ Que pense Pauline de Victor Hugo décorateur ? : le regard de Pauline sur le goût et le style d'un autre siècle → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/que-pense-pauline-de-victor-hugo-decorateur-victor-hugos-interior-design/ Saint-Germain-des-Prés, petites rues, lieux et cafés : flânerie dans un autre quartier chic et historique → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2197-%e2%80%94-saint-germain-des-pres%c2%a0-petites-rues-lieux-et-les-cafes-%e2%80%94-mercredi-21-decembre-2022/ La Maison de Balzac en plein 16e arrondissement : une autre "maison" chargée d'histoire à découvrir → https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2132-%e2%80%94-la-maison-de-balzac-en-plein-16e-arrondissement-%e2%80%94-mercredi-15-juin-2022/

spoken french, learn french, french stories, paris stories, authentic french, real french, life in paris — mots-clés épisode : Duvelleroy, éventail, artisanat français, savoir-faire, maison française, French fan house, French craftsmanship, 19th century fashion accessory

Frequently asked questions: Where to find Marin Montagut fans? Where to find a fan with a cord/strap? Looking for a mini fan Which fan to buy in Paris? How to store a fan? Looking for a peacock feather fan Where to find a haute couture fan? What is the language of the fan? What is the difference between prêt-à-porter and couture fan collections? Why did fans become fashionable again in modern Paris?

Dans ce deuxième épisode de la série de l’été, on part en Bretagne cueillir des cerises avec Lisa, on fait une tarte, et on croise une Mamie. À vous de trouver où se cache le 90 !

A trip back to Brittany, 2013: cherry picking with my daughter, a homemade tart, and an old neighbor lending me her rolling pin. This episode is a slice of real family life in French – and a little puzzle: can you spot where the number ninety is hiding in the story? Along the way, I pick up something linguistically fascinating: the Mamie speaks with subject-verb inversion, a pattern shaped by a lifetime of speaking Breton. It’s the kind of authentic regional French you won’t find in a textbook.

This summer, no pen, no notebook – just listening and speaking. Subscribers receive a podcast letter with this episode: a question to think about before pressing play, cultural markers to go deeper into the episode, three everyday expressions to say out loud, and a comprehension question to answer once you’ve heard the whole story. A different way to make progress in French.

D’autres épisodes à écouter aujourd’hui : 2499 — Courses gourmandes et littéraires — pour prolonger le plaisir gourmand
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2499-%e2%80%94-courses-gourmandes-et-litteraires-2%e2%80%94-vendredi%c2%a018%c2%a0avril-2025/ 2500 — La dégustation de tartes — en écho direct à la tarte aux cerises
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2500-%e2%80%94-la-degustation-de-tartes-%e2%80%94-lundi%c2%a021%c2%a0avril-2025/ Sur la route des Monts d’Arrée — pour rester en immersion bretonne
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/sur-la-route-des-monts-darree/ Au domaine de Menez-Meur — encore la Bretagne, entre nature et grands espaces
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/au-domaine-de-menez-meur/

Why do some French speakers invert subject and verb? How does Breton influence spoken French? French recipe for cherry tart (tarte aux cerises) What does ‘au pif’ mean in French? Natural ways to say ‘good idea’ in French French podcast set in Brittany Real French family conversations podcast How to talk about dessert in French French expressions for everyday conversation

tarte aux cerises · Bretagne · breton · inversion sujet-verbe · au pif · expressions françaises · french podcast · real french · spoken french · french daily life · family life in France

C'est l’été : le rythme change à la maison. Que font les filles cet été?

This episode is in French because it's a slice of real, everyday family life — not a scripted lesson, but the kind of natural, spontaneous storytelling that French learners rarely get access to. If you want to hear how a French family actually talks about summer plans, exams, and daily life, this episode is for you.

Level: B1-B2. Much of the vocabulary here is everyday and accessible — jobs, weather, family updates — but the episode also touches on more elevated register when discussing Lisa's baccalauréat exam and French literature spanning two centuries, from Graffigny's 18th-century Lettres d'une Péruvienne to Baudelaire's 19th-century prose poems, giving learners exposure to both conversational and more literary French in a single episode.

Curious how the rest of the family navigated the infamous French bac exam? Dive into these related episodes:

Pour comprendre les débuts du bac dans la famille : https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2224-%e2%80%94-micaela-a-passe-le-bac-%e2%80%94-lundi-27-mars-2023/

La suite de l'aventure du bac de Micaela : https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2257-%e2%80%94-les-epreuves-du-bac-sont-enfin-terminees-pour-micaela-%e2%80%94-lundi-26-juin-2023/

Felicia, elle aussi, face au bac de français : https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2381-%e2%80%94-commentaire-compose-ou-dissertation%c2%a0-c-est-le-bac-de-francais-pour-felicia-%e2%80%94-vendredi%c2%a014%c2%a0juin-2024/

french stories, paris stories, french daily life, authentic french, real french, life in paris, spoken french, learn french — family, summer in france, baccalauréat, french teenagers, viola da gamba, baroque music

This episode answers to the following questions: What is the French baccalauréat exam? How does the French bac oral exam work? Who was Françoise de Graffigny? What is Lettres d'une Péruvienne about? Who wrote Petits poèmes en prose? What is a viola da gamba? Where is Ploërmel, France? What is life like for French teenagers in summer? What jobs do French students do in summer? When is the French grape harvest (vendanges)?

Le 90 fait sa star sur le podcast cet été ! Un nombre dont les multiples aspects sont présents sur le podcast. Je vous raconte comment un simple « Pomme F » sur mon Mac a fait surgir cette série de l’été.

Ninety. In French, there’s no single word for it – you have to say ‘quatre-vingt-dix,’ literally ‘eighty-ten.’ It’s one of those quirks that makes French famous among learners. In this launch episode, I explain how a simple search on my computer turned ‘ninety’ into the theme of this summer’s rebroadcast series: nine archive episodes, from 2013 to 2025, all connected by the many faces of this number.

This episode kicks off ‘Les épisodes du 90,’ a special summer collection open to both One Thing In A French Day and Cultivate Your French listeners. Expect real, both crafted and unscripted storytelling – the kind of French you’ll actually hear in Paris, not in a textbook.

This summer, no pen, no notebook – just listening and speaking. Subscribers receive a podcast letter with this episode: a question to think about before pressing play, cultural markers to go deeper into the episode, three natural expressions to practice out loud, and a comprehension question to answer once you’ve listened all the way through. A different way to make progress in French.

D’autres épisodes à écouter aujourd’hui : 1698 — Raconter les vacances à Dieppe — la rencontre avec Olwen Morris, pianiste anglaise nonagénaire à Dieppe 2484 — Voyage mère-fille, deux épées à Lyon — pour le clin d’œil kung-fu (les épées !) en écho au 90 mains nues Jean-François, la série de l’été — pour la continuité avec la série de l’été précédent

Why does French say eighty-ten instead of ninety? What is quatre-vingt-dix in French? Best summer French podcast series 2026 French podcast for intermediate learners What is a nonagénaire in French? Difference between chiffre and nombre in French French podcast with real conversations not scripted How to improve French listening comprehension this summer What is Cultivate Your French podcast 


quatre-vingt-dix · nombre vs chiffre · french numbers · spoken french · learn french · french stories · real french · podcast d’été · rediffusion · authentic french · french daily life · Dieppe

Dans ce septième épisode de la série de l’été, direction 2023 pour une soirée pizza-ciné en famille — cette fois avec un film d’Éric Rohmer, Conte de printemps. Le 90 se cache quelque part dans cet épisode — saurez-vous le débusquer ?

A Saturday night pizza tradition, a family film club, and a lively debate between a mother and her teenage daughters over an Éric Rohmer classic. This episode captures something wonderfully real: how a French family actually talks about a movie together – the reactions, the disagreements, the running commentary. Along the way, there’s a glimpse into an older, slower version of France – landline phones, a very different school grading culture, and a snapshot of everyday Parisian life that feels both familiar and gently out of time. This summer, no pen, no notebook – just listening and speaking. Subscribers receive a podcast letter with this episode: a question to think about before pressing play, cultural markers to go deeper into the episode, natural turns of phrase to notice on a close relisten, and a comprehension question to answer once you’ve heard the whole story. A different way to make progress in French.

D’autres épisodes à écouter aujourd’hui : 2425 — Dimanche soir : une soupe et un débat
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2425-%e2%80%94-dimanche-soir%c2%a0-une-soupe-et-un-debat-%e2%80%94-lundi%c2%a014%c2%a0octobre-2024/ 2186 — Visite de l’Assemblée nationale
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2186-%e2%80%94-visite-de-l-assemblee-nationale-%e2%80%94-mercredi-23-novembre-2022/ 2359 — Le Parlement européen de Strasbourg
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2359-%e2%80%94-le-parlement-europeen-de-strasbourg-%e2%80%94-mercredi%c2%a024%c2%a0avril-2024/

What is Conte de printemps by Éric Rohmer about? Best Éric Rohmer films to watch Classic French cinema recommendations French podcast about family life How French grading system works (bac, notes) What does ‘à la télé’ mean vs ‘à la télévision’?

French podcast for advanced learners Real French family conversations podcast French movies with English subtitles What is Arte (French TV channel)? 
Conte de printemps · Éric Rohmer · cinéma français · soirée en famille · bac philo · french podcast · real french · french cinema · family life in france · spoken french

Dans ce troisième épisode de la série de l’été, direction 2013 pour une séance chez l’orthoptiste, une vitrine qui retient mon regard, et un manteau bleu que je porte encore aujourd’hui.

A weekly eye exercise, a detour through a shop window, and a coat that turns out to be exactly the colour I’d been looking for. This episode is a small slice of everyday French life in 2013 – the kind of ordinary moment that, in French, comes with its own little vocabulary: window shopping, trying something on, giving in to curiosity.

This summer, no pen, no notebook – just listening and speaking. Subscribers receive a podcast letter with this episode: a question to think about before pressing play, cultural markers to go deeper into the episode, three natural expressions to practice out loud, and a comprehension question to answer once you’ve listened all the way through. A different way to make progress in French.

D’autres épisodes à écouter sur le thème du shopping Shopping au printemps
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/shopping-au-printemps/ Du printemps au Petit Palais
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/du-printemps-au-petit-palais/ 1531 — Dialogue shopping 1 — Le palais de la gourmandise
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/1531-%e2%80%94-dialogue-shopping-1%c2%a0-le-palais-de-la-gourmandise/ 1532 — Dialogue shopping 2 — Erreur de caisse et macarons
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/1532-%e2%80%94-dialogue-shopping-2-erreur-de-caisse-et-macarons/

What does ‘bleu canard’ mean in French? French color names and their meanings How to say ‘try it on’ in French What does ‘par curiosité’ mean? Natural ways to say ‘go home’ in French French podcast about everyday life in Paris French expressions for shopping Real French conversations podcast for learners French podcast archive episodes summer 2026 How to improve spoken French this summer

manteau bleu · bleu canard · couleurs en français · vitrine · par curiosité · expressions françaises · french podcast · real french · spoken french · french daily life · shopping in french

Dans ce quatrième épisode de la série de l’été, on quitte les archives les plus anciennes pour un épisode plus récent : 2021, chez mon amie Pauline, où nous dressons une belle table pour un brunch au jardin.

A real, unscripted conversation between two friends setting a table for brunch in the garden: which plates to use, where to put the flowers, what goes with what. It’s the kind of everyday moment where spoken French really comes alive – natural, unrehearsed, full of small details worth noticing. This episode continues a mini-series with my friend Pauline – we’d already done the grocery shopping in the previous episode, and now it’s time to make the table beautiful before the food comes out. This summer, no pen, no notebook – just listening and speaking. Subscribers receive a podcast letter with this episode: a question to think about before pressing play, cultural markers to go deeper into the episode, real conversational patterns to notice and copy, and a comprehension question to answer once you’ve listened all the way through. A different way to make progress in French.

Ecouter d’autres épisodes aujourd’hui : 1989 — Une belle table pour un brunch : trouver de belles fleurs (Les belles, La Garenne-Colombes)
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/1989-%e2%80%94-lundi-17-mai-2021-%e2%80%94-une-belle-table-pour-un-brunch%c2%a0-trouver-de-belles-fleurs-les-belles-la-garenne-colombes/ 1991 — Une belle table pour un brunch : simplicité et couleurs
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/1991-%e2%80%94-vendredi-21-mai-2021-%e2%80%94-une-belle-table-pour-un-brunch%c2%a0-simplicite-et-couleurs/ 2513 — Pauline et Laetitia, journalistes auto dans la toute nouvelle R5 électrique
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2513-%e2%80%94-pauline-et-laetitia-journalistes-auto-dans-e-la-toute-nouvelle-r5-electrique-2%e2%80%94-vendredi%c2%a023%c2%a0mai-2025/

How to say ‘we could’ politely in French (conditional) What does ‘comme ça’ mean in French? Difference between ‘dehors’ and ‘à l’extérieur’ French brunch recipe ideas How to set a table in French (dresser la table) What does ‘une de chaque’ mean? French podcast with real friend conversations Natural spoken French podcast for learners French expressions for everyday hosting How to sound more natural speaking French

dresser la table · brunch · conditionnel présent · comme ça · une de chaque · expressions françaises · french podcast · real french · spoken french · french daily life · conversation entre amies