Public Holidays

French holidays - jours fériés
Everyone loves a good public holiday, n'est-ce pas ? France has 11 of them, but they're not always paid days off from work. Learn about jours fériés in this audio article.


Demonstrations and Strikes

Demonstrations and strikes in France
For better or for worse, demonstrations and strikes are an important part of French society. Here's some vocabulary to help you understand the news as well as links to further information.

Gilets Jaunes Dancing Remix

Gilet jaune
Fun for your French class! This video combines music with current events (French President Emmanuel Macron talking to gilets jaunes) and includes interactive subtitles.


un gilet

GiletMot du jourThe normally innocuous word gilet is all over the news lately, so this French word of the day is free!



French news vocabulary
If you want to know what's going on in the world, this vocabulary related to news and current events will help you understand what you read and hear.


Irma in Guadeloupe

Hurricane Irma
In early September 2017, Hurricane Irma destroyed several Caribbean islands and affected many others. Guadeloupe, where I live, was one of them.



Jours fériés - French holidaysFrance has 11 public holidays (bank holidays), known as jours fériés, jours chômés, fêtes chômées, or fêtes légales.

Vive la France ! (excerpts)

Vive la France
Want to hear the patriotic French expression Vive la France ! in the wild? Check out these clips taken from speeches by French presidents and presidential candidates.



Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron
Video of French President-elect Emmanuel Macron's victory speech with transcript and translation, plus grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation notes.