One Thing In A French Day | Stories from Paris in French

Dans ce sixième épisode de la série de l’été, direction le 16e arrondissement avec Pauline pour visiter la maison de Balzac — un petit coin de campagne en plein Paris, avec vue sur la Tour Eiffel. Le 90 se glisse distinctement dans cet épisode très parisien — à vous de tendre l’oreille !

A real, unscripted visit to the house where Balzac once lived in hiding from his creditors – a hidden garden tucked into the 16th arrondissement, with an unexpected view of the Eiffel Tower. Pauline and I wander through, talking about the writer, his sprawling body of work, and what it felt like to spend a morning somewhere that feels like the countryside in the middle of Paris.
This episode is packed with the kind of casual, natural French you’d actually hear between two friends on a day out – full of small conversational habits that rarely make it into textbooks.

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 : 
2133 — Quitter la maison de Balzac et découvrir le quartier de Passy
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/
Que pense Pauline de Victor Hugo décorateur ? (Victor Hugo’s Interior Design)
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/que-pense-pauline-de-victor-hugo-decorateur-victor-hugos-interior-design/

What is the Maison de Balzac?
Where is the Maison de Balzac located in Paris?
Things to do in the 16th arrondissement Paris
Who was Honoré de Balzac?
Hidden gardens in Paris to visit
French podcast walking tour of Paris
What is La Comédie humaine by Balzac?

French podcast for advanced learners
Real French conversation podcast Paris
Best museums in the 16th arrondissement

Maison de Balzac · Passy · 16e arrondissement · littérature française · Tour Eiffel · Paris · french podcast · real french · spoken french · walking tour paris · french culture

Dans ce cinquième épisode de la série de l’été, je vous emmène à la librairie Mots en marge pour une interview avec l’écrivain David Foenkinos, à propos de son roman Numéro deux (Editions Gallimard). Le 90 se cache dans notre échange — tendez bien l’oreille !

A real conversation with David Foenkinos, one of France’s most popular contemporary novelists, recorded at a Paris bookshop. We talk about his novel Numéro deux, tthe strange true story that inspired it, and a trip back to a very different Paris.
Because Foenkinos is a writer, he expresses himself with unusual clarity – this is spontaneous, unscripted French, but easier to follow than most everyday conversation, making it a great entry point into real interviews.
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, a line from the interview worth repeating out loud for its rhythm alone, 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 :
2083 — Le ridicule ne tue pas la podcasteuse : début de rencontre avec David Foenkinos
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2083-%e2%80%94-vendredi-28-janvier-2022-%e2%80%94-le-ridicule-ne-tue-pas-la-podcasteuse-debut-de-rencontre-avec-david-foenkinos/
2012 — Adèle Breau, à propos des personnages de son roman Haute saison chez Mots en marge
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2012-%e2%80%94-vendredi-9-juillet-2021-%e2%80%94-adele-breau-a-propos-des-personnages-de-son-roman-haute-saison-chez-mots-en-marge/
2215 — Gabrielle Filteau-Chiba, autrice québécoise, à la librairie Mots en marge
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2215-%e2%80%94-gabrielle-filteau-chiba-autrice-quebecoise-a-la-librairie-mots-en-marge-%e2%80%94-vendredi-17-fevrier-2023/
2206 — Des livres en français pour les enfants : la sélection de Félicia et Lisa
https://onethinginafrenchday.podbean.com/e/2206-%e2%80%94-des-livres-en-francais-pour-les-enfants%c2%a0-la-selection-de-felicia-et-lisa-%e2%80%94-vendredi-27-janvier-2023/

Who is David Foenkinos?
What is Numéro deux by David Foenkinos about?
French podcast interview with authors
Best French novels 2020s
How to understand spoken French interviews
French podcast for advanced learners
What was France like in the 1990s?

French bookshop recommendations Paris
Real French conversation podcast
French podcast with native speaker interviews

David Foenkinos · Numéro deux · interview écrivain · littérature française · librairie · années 90 · french podcast · real french · spoken french interview · french authors · french literature

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

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 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