Learn French with the podcast Balades. This clip from episode 1 has 62 words in 24 seconds. Listen and transcribe as many as you can. Try it!
Learn French with a podcast snippet! This clip is from Balades Episode 1. Listen and fill in what you hear below. Read more and find a translation below. Find the full podcast here.
Why this clip of Balades?
I am continuing to work my way through this first podcast one bite at a time.
This longer clip packs a punch. Isabelle is unpacking the first part of today’s topic – the follow up to the new year and returning to the office. While this is a longer snippet, her repetition of phrases like returning to work and new year help make it manageable.
It’s not the fastest bit of French on this site, but it does move at a quick clip with its 62 words coming at your fast. Two areas where this tripped me up was with the phrases “parce que ce jour-là” and her pronunciation of the words “même temps”. I can barely hear the first m in that word and it throws me for a loop every time. Where are you getting caught up in this clip?
How much of this snippet are you understanding?
Can you only hear the articles or are you catching keywords?
There’s absolutely no way that I could get through an entire podcast in French without melting my brain, that’s why I broke it up into snippets like this. Join me for the next snippet.
The snippet in English
Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?
La nouvelle année a donc commencé et vous avez sûrement repris le chemin du travail. Je me rappelle que ma tante en France redoutait toujours la première journée de retour au travail en janvier après les fêtes. Pourquoi ? Eh bien, tout simplement parce que ce jour-là, il faut se souhaiter la bonne année et, en même temps, se faire la bise.
So the new year has started and you have surely returned to work. I remember my aunt in France always dreading the first day back to work in January after the holidays. Why ? Well, quite simply because on this day, you have to wish each other a happy new year and, at the same time, kiss each other.
The above text courtesy of Google Translate. Source
What does “retour au travail” mean in French?
“Retour au travail” is a French phrase that translates to “return to work” in English. It refers to the act of going back to work after a period of absence such as vacation, leave, or a break. The phrase can also be used to describe the transition from unemployment to being employed again.
Examples:
“Il est heureux de retourner au travail après sa longue maladie” (He is happy to return to work after his long illness)
“Elle a pris un congé parental et maintenant elle est de retour au travail” (She took parental leave and now she is back to work)
“Il a été licencié mais il a finalement trouvé un autre emploi et c’est de retour au travail” (He was fired but he finally found another job and is back to work)
In general, “retour au travail” is used to describe the act of going back to work after a period of absence such as vacation, leave, or a break and it can also be used to describe the transition from unemployment to being employed again. It’s often used to describe someone who is back to his/her daily routine of working.
What words did I look up in this snippet?
Find keywords for this snippet below.
sûrement
repris
chemin
me rapppelle
ma tante
redoutait
toujours
parce que ce jour-là
souhaiter
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