“On le met en VO avec les sous-titres ?”
C’est le jeudi soir et la journée du boulot, c’est fini. Woohoo !
La vaisselle est dans la machine et même si le plat de lasagnes moitié vide est encore posé sur le plan de travail…eh. It can wait.
Ce soir, c’est House of Cards sur Netflix ! Double woohoo!
Ah, les séries américaines. Rien de mieux pour travailler ta compréhension des dialogues en
anglais.
Enfin…quand on arrive à les comprendre…
Quand Kevin Spacey se tourne vers la caméra pour te parler, ça va à peu près peut-être.
Quand c’est un dialogue en anglais entre plusieurs personnes…disons que, heureusement il y a sous-titres !
Normal.
Moi, j’ai mis quelques bonnes années avant de pouvoir suivre facilement des séries et des films en français. Quand j’étais (beaucoup) plus jeune et mon français beaucoup moins bon, Romain voulait me faire découvrir un de ces films préférés : La Cité de la Peur.
Et depuis 10 ans maintenant, j’entends ça :
Romain : “Tu sais, le film que tu as pas aimé et qui t’a pas fait rire ?”
Et je réponds ça : “Mais non, c’est juste que j’ai pas compris !!”
Pas facile quand c’est du vrai langage parlé. Real English.
Pas de sous-titres. Tu as l’impression que ce n’est pas des mots, mais un flux de son continu qui sort de leur bouche. Ils parlent en même temps. Il y a du bruit autour. “Punaise, j’entend rien !”
Et au bout d’un moment, soit tu lances des “Sorry, what?” plus souvent que tu voudrais, soit tu fais semblant de comprendre. (Moi, souvent, c’était le dernier, j’avoue…)
Pour t’aider à éviter ça, je vous présente (drum roll, please….)
“Apprivoiser la patate chaude*”: Des vrais dialogues en anglais
*Merci Manon pour l’idée du titre !
C’est une catégorie de vidéos pour t’aider à comprendre du vrai anglais parlé dans de vrais
dialogues de tous les jours!
L’idée, c’est ça : Avec mes amis, on se filme en train de parler d’un sujet pendant quelques minutes.
Avec la vidéo, tu as une fiche de travail (qu’on va appeler Hot Potato Sheet, et c’est à télécharger en bas de l’article 😉
Le but est de t’aider progressivement à mieux comprendre des vrais dialogues en anglais.
C’est sûr, le montage vidéo est moins “pro” et l’image tremble un peu (on n’imagine pas comme c’est lourd un selfie stick !). Il y a du bruit autour et c’est peut-être plus difficile à comprendre, mais ton Hot Potato Sheet va t’aider à comprendre ce flux de son en anglais !
Cette semaine, tu rencontres Jennie et Chris et on parle de l’image des Français chez les Anglais (et les Allemands, car elles bossent toutes les deux en Allemagne).
Have fun!
Surtout, dis-moi si tu aimes cette idée ! Je pense ensuite faire une vidéo de temps en temps.
Qu’en penses-tu ?
Et si tu as des suggestions, I’m all ears ! Je t’écoute !
Potatoes from Grenoble,
Christina
J’aime beaucoup le concept. C’est sûr là il faut être concentré. Mais c’est une bonne idée Thanks Christina. See you….
Hi Isabelle, I’m glad you like it! Yes, you have to concentrate more, and maybe watch the video a few extra times, but I hope the Hot Potato Sheet helps you to follow the video (It’s the worksheet that goes with the video, you can download it in the article, and you’ll get it tomorrow with your SBFG Newsletter). There’s also the word-for-word transcription of the video at the end to help you! All the best and see you soon!
Hey Christy , you have an excellent french accent ;i Really like it ,
Thanks so much Harir! And the funny thing is, when I speak German, I have a French accent! So when I speak French, I have an American accent, and when I speak German, I have a French accent! What languages do you speak?
Merci christina
Un très bon exercice
Mais comment peut il y avoir un moyen pour que nous aussi nous puissions participer à des conversations?
Thank you
Hi Christina
I think this Kind of vidéo is à great video. I haven’t understood every words but the big picture 😉
For the next time would It be possibe to talk about brexit
Nice of you to help frogs guys
Take care
Hi Pierre,
Thanks for the suggestion for a topic! I’ll have to get some British friends and ask them about Brexit! Definitely, that’s a great topic suggestion!
And don’t worry if you didn’t understand every word, you don’t need to get every word, just be able to follow the discussion (a bit like in a conversation in French with someone who either has a strong accent, or on the phone with a bad connection, for example. You always miss some words!)
And glad you like the video style! We the Yanks & Rosbifs are doing our best to help you “frog guys” 😉
First visit on your blog’ love his patate chaude, helps me to keep up,munNglish by listening to different English accents.
Will sure will come back on the next lesson
was unable unfortunately to access to the video course sheet
Hi Sandrine,
Thank you so much, and I’m glad you like the “patate chaude” series! There will be another one like this after the summer vacation!
For the list, did you try to sign up for it? You’ll need to enter your first name and email address, then you’ll receive a confirmation email (check your spam or your “Promotions” file if you use gmail). And you’ll be able to download it after you confirm your email address.
I hope that helps, but let me know if you need anything else!
Hi Christina it’s very interested for me because my real problem in English is there to understand well when I headed the English men speaking.
I like the same videos so much and after the video you explain in English lowly and correctly English.
Because when I read I understand more than when I hear the speakers mostly like this.
Great thank to you.
Hi Christina ☺,
Many, many thanks for this video. It helps me very much even if I anderstand nothing . I’m joking. It’s hard for a Fench but with your help learning American becomes easier.
Have a good day .
Sandrine
Super ! Ce concept d anglais parlé intéresse beaucoup. Peux tu continuer ?
Hi Isabelle! Thanks for the encouragement! Oui, je pense partager un épisode comme ça tous les 2-3 mois… J’ai fait cette vidéo dans une conférence en Angleterre au mois d’avril, et j’en ai fait plusieurs comme ça, avec des gens de différents pays, et sur des sujets différents. Jennie est en fait ma co-auteure ! On a écrit un livre pour des profs d’anglais ensemble, et on se voit souvent dans des conférences.
So there will be more videos like this in the future if people like it! 🙂
J’adore ! Parce que c’est réaliste, the real life, naturel, spontané. En fait, c’est génial d’associer différents supports/ modes pour éduquer toujours mieux notre oreille, répondre aux différents stimuli des uns et des autres. Merci Christina and Jennie & Chris !
Thanks, Rose! Oui, le but est de proposer de temps en temps des vidéos à la communauté qui sont en “real life English”, spontané, pas de script, juste des gens qui discutent pendant quelques minutes sur un sujet. Ça change des épisodes réguliers, et comme tu dit, on associe des différents modes et supports pour éduquer l’oreille ! C’est bien de changer d’accent aussi 🙂 Je dirai à Chris et à Jennie que tu as bien aimé notre conversation! They’ll be happy!
Hi Christina,
This is a great idea and I am already fan. Of course the topic was funny and it helped to understand what you said. And because it’s IRL (In Real Life) it’s a very good exercise to train our ear. So give us another video soon.
Hi Jean-Michel! Thanks and I’m glad you like this IRL concept! Yes, it’s good for training your ear, because you can concentrate and listen again to real English to help understand the sounds, and prepare for real life conversations in English!
Bravo pour cette initiative, j’aime beaucoup. Cela doit te prendre du temps mais a un véritable bénéfice pour nous.
Peut-être pourrais-tu faire une vidéo avec 2 ou 3 personnes de différentes nationalités et parler des différences entre les “l’anglais américain”, “l’anglais d’Angleterre” et “l’anglais australien” par exemple. Comme en français, à Paris, tu dis “Je lave le sol”, à Annecy, tu diras “Je panosse” et après cela à Marseille on te répondra que “tu as les mains qui pegguent”. Cela pourrait aussi être intéressant que 2 ou 3 personnes de nationalités différentes disent le même texte juste pour voir les différences sur les accents. Thank you so much for this work !
Merci beaucoup Tigrou! C’est vrai que ça prend du temps pour créer la Hot Potato Sheet, mais moins de temps pour créer la vidéo (comparé aux autres SBFG Episodes), donc ça s’équilibre 🙂
Et si ça vous aide à mieux comprendre l’anglais, it’s worth it!
J’aime bien tes idées sur les différences entre les variétés d’anglais et les accents ! En plus, j’ai pas mal d’amis d’autres pays anglophones, donc ça devrait être facile à mettre en place la prochaine fois que je vais dans une conférence, par exemple ! Je le note pour mon prochain déplacement…en Sicile fin août pour former des profs d’anglais italiens ! Grazie !
Great, I really appreciated this video. I didn’t read the work sheet yet but the video was just reat.
Thanks Marie! Be sure to check out the Hot Potato Sheet too! It’ll help you out!
And regarding the fact that french people seems to be standoffish, It could be because in the french culture we learn that you can speak ONLY if you have something to say. I mean only if what you would say could be interresting for your partner. If not, keep the silence. This is our way to be polite.
Oh definitely, Jean-Michel, just like for some French people (and other cultures where people aren’t expected to interact with everyone around them) the American way of talking to everyone, calling everyone “friend” and “buddy” seems superficial and invasive. Like my husband always says in the US “Pourquoi il me parle? Je lui ai rien demandé !” après qu’un de mes compatriotes vient lui faire du small talk pendant que je suis dans la cabine d’essayage 😉
Donc aussi, la définition de “polite” varie énormément d’une culture à l’autre. Comme ce que tu as dit pour la France, comparé à ce que nous apprenons aux Etats-Unis “Say hi to the nice lady” quand tu fais la queue au supermarché, par exemple.
**I just noticed that I wrote this in 2 languages…#ProblemsWhenYouSpeakTwoLanguages
Hi Christina,
Thanks for this new video.
It’s a good idea and the exercice is interesting.
Nevertheless, the sound quality might be improved.
Hi J-G, yes, the sound is not as good as in the studio, as we were in a big conference hall with lots of people around…to be improved! But it’s like in real conditions, where it’s not always easy to hear… But you’re right, there’s room for improvement there. Thanks!
Bonjour,
j’aime beaucoup l’idée. je pense que ça va aider à progresser
Merci Océane! À refaire alors !
Bonjour Christina,
Très beau concept pour celles et ceux qui ont de la difficulté à s’intégrer dans une conversation de groupe. Pour ma part, je suis parfaitement bilingue et je continue à en apprendre à tous les jours grâce à tes vidéos.
P.S. : heureusement que les francophones du monde ne sont pas tous perçus comme les français de France! Les québécois sont beaucoup plus chaleureux et avenants avec les anglophones
Hi Suzanne! Merci beaucoup et bravo pour ton bilinguisme ! Tu es Québecoise ? Et je suis flattée de savoir que, même bilingue, tu apprends des choses avec moi ! Merci beaucoup !
Oui, je pense qu’on pense que les Canadiens sont plus cool, plus détendus…et qu’ils disent “aboot” pour dire “about” en anglais 😉
Peut-être c’est l’influence de la culture américaine qui fait que les Canadiens sont plus proches des Américains dans leur style d’aborder les autres ? Ou c’est juste la culture nord-américain en générale ? Je ne sais pas ! En tout cas, c’est vraiment cool de te compter parmi nous !
Hi Christina
As a teacher of English to adults, I really appreciate this kind of “natural” video. My students are very keen on TED talks, which certainly have their merit, but it is much harder, I think, to understand the flow of natural conversation between several people in English. I thought this was just the right length and love that it was not “studio perfect”, but lifelike. Well done and keep up the great work!
Hi Julie! Thanks and I really, really appreciate that you share my videos with your students. That’s fantastic! Thank you so much. Yes, TED talks are very good, because they’re interesting and because the people generally articulate. Like you said, these videos are very natural, short, and lifelike (with all the flaws that come with real-life videos, but I hope you’ll excuse those 😉 Thanks a lot and there will be more of these in the future!
Hi Christina,
What a really great idea you had ! This is really what I needed : listening to English people talking on real pace, about an interesting topic (The 3 of you made me laugh during the video as what you said is so true 🙂 with different accents and expressions/words commonly used.
Please, do it again !! Thank you for this idea :). ( I have not read the video sheet yet)
Have a nice day !
Hi Blandine! Thank you very much! I’m glad that we could make you laugh too! Check out the Hot Potato sheet, which will help you find more expressions that are commonly used, because there’s a word-for-word transcription of the dialogue (among other things). I’ll definitely do more videos like this in the future! Thanks and have a good evening!
Hi Christina.
For me it is a great idea to do this kind of video. The title you have chosen is also super : “Apprivoiser la patate chaude”. Very great inspiration !!!
I think you should go on. Since these videos will display short conversions in real English by real English natives, we learners can afford to “catch” some sentences, some words and phrases, why not the topics of what they will be talking about… and be more confident.
And then, recording the videos in noisy places is also a good idea, because that set us in real situation. I mean, we won’t be always in front Christina’s camera to continue learning English!
Bernard
Hi Bernard, Thank you very much, and I’m glad you like the title (which I can take no credit for, it’s SBFG Ambassador Manon who came up with it!) Yes, the idea with these videos is to help you catch new expressions, phrases, pronunciation, etc. Not necessarily to understand every single word, just like in a real conversation. You don’t focus on each individual word, but on the overall meaning. And if you feel confident doing it with videos like this, that will help you feel better in a real conversation! And you’re right, you won’t always have a conversation with just me, in a quiet studio 🙂
This one was filmed in a big conference hall, for example, so very much like a place where you might have a small talk conversation with someone!
Thanks a lot Bernard!
Excellente idée. Encore, encore… Merci beaucoup
Hi Christina,
It is really a great idea, because for intermediate level people like me I think the main issue in practical english spoken is understanding real conversation like in a meeting – eventually by phone.
And I think your method with a 3-parts card interesting and efficient.
So thanks a lot, and I hope you will carry on.
Excellente idée ! Le format court est parfait pour suivre plus facilement et ne pas “saturer”. Ce serait sympa de faire le même style de vidéo à propos des choses qui choquent les américains quand ils travaillent en France (anecdotes) ou à propos des élections prochaines ou encore à propos des différences d’habitudes alimentaires entre français et américains. Encore merci pour ces vidéos et pour la bonne humeur qui en ressort 🙂 Sofia
Ce type de vidéo est une très bonne idée ! À poursuivre… Merci !
Merci Marie! La prochaine comme ça sera pour bientôt alors !
that’s great !
I realy need to heard speak english … to write metter !
I have to right emails … and sometimes it’s hard …
I understand much more better than I speak … and it is the same when I’m writing !
Thank you so much
Hi Delphine, Glad to help and give you some opportunities to hear spoken English! If you find it hard to write emails, I have a few videos on emails, like these:
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/25-your-vacation-absence-email-message/
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/formule-de-politesse-en-anglais/
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/rediger-un-mail-en-anglais/
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/redigez-rapidement-un-mail-de-demande-en-anglais/
I hope that helps!
This concept is really nice. Everyday life ! Short and dynamic. I did not understand all the words … but the goal is to understand the overall meaning of the conversation.
More topics : conversation in a restaurant .. conversation in the forest … with children ..during a travel for example visiting a European country…
conversation about American elections.
Please carry on
See you
Hi Dolores,
Thanks so much! And don’t worry if you don’t understand all the words, that’s how it is in real life! So it’s good to get used to listening to a “difficult” conversation, understanding what you can, and compensating for what you don’t understand by thinking logically: What could they have said? What makes sense here? Do I need to ask for clarification, or is it ok for me?
And thanks for your suggestions, those are great! When you say “conversation in the forest”, do you mean a situation where you’re hiking with friends in the forest, so maybe talking about nature?
Anyway, thanks for the ideas! They’re great.
that’s could be interresting to improve our comprehension. they spoke soooooooo fastly. It was very difficult to me to understand what they meant. HEY CHRISTINA GOOD IDEA
Thanks Myasmina! Yes, it is difficult to understand native speakers at first, and your ear has to get used to the sounds and the speed. That’s why I include this series of videos! To give you practice with English the way it’s really spoken between native speakers! All the best to you!
Great idea ! I would like so much understand a conversation or TV show. And my ears need exercices !
Ah, thanks so much Daniele! I’ll make more videos like this in the future!
Très bonne idée. Même si je n’ai pas tout compris.
Thanks Claude! Don’t worry, it’s normal if you don’t understand everything! But continue watching these types of videos (and the ones about improving your pronunciation and comprehension) and you’ll improve with time!
Here are some suggestions :
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/anglais-americain-vs-britannique2/
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/exercice-danglais-ameliorez-votre-comprehension-orale-et-votre-prononciation/
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/boostez-votre-comprehension-avec-audio-powerbuild/
http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/exercices-pour-comprendre-langlais-parle-1ere-partie/
That should help you understand better!
J’aime cette idée, c’est une autre façon, bien sympathique, pour apprendre l’anglais ou l’anglais US, ce qui est super aussi c’est de pouvoir ce testé, voir si on comprend d’autre accent, you see what I mean ?
Hi Yolande, Thanks for your message, and I’m glad you enjoyed testing yourself with other accents! How did you do? And did you get the Hot Potato Sheet that goes with the video! Be sure to get it, it’s very useful 🙂
Hi Christina.I live in the Usa since december.Thank you very much.I really like this video.But I have to take much time to understand …I come from Ivory Coast where we speak French.
J’ai bcp aimé l’idée.
Merci
Hi Christina thanks for the videos. It is very interesting to heard different accents in the video. I liked it. If you find somebody for speaking about his job,his day etc.it will be great.i understood 85 % of the discussion. You make a good job. I’m sure i will continue follow up your videos. Have a nice day
Hi Christina,
I began to read your French text and after the third sentence, I realized that I could understand but it’s written in French. I stopped to read it as I had to forget my French as the similarity between English and French was disturbing for me. French and English together is very difficult for those whose their mother tongue is not one of them. I think at least 50% of the words are identifying or there is a little difference in their spelling. I used to speak rather well French and I translated French articles for a monthly from French into Hungarian. I adored the French. I learned it in Budapest the French Institute. My teachers were excellent teachers. The French Institute was a very good place, with library and movies every week.
When I went first time to France, of course, I have difficulty to understand everything. But they understood me and that’s why they were very friendly with me. I remember the first day I went to the toilette in the Opera café. I had to go dawn to wash my hands. I didn’t take my bag and the madame who was in the toilette came and ask me money. ‘Je n’ai pas de l’argent’ -I said a – and she told me. ‘C’est moi qui paye le papier.’ je nai pas eu besoin de papier seulement j’ai lave les main.
Now I try to write what happened in French. I remembered only what the woman told me.
And another when I bought a lighter and asked them that : Comment est-ce que je le recharge ? -and he answered – “jettez par la fenêtre.” -he said. They didn’t know that in Hungary this throwaway lighter was not available and Hungarian discovered how to recharge them again. It was the seventis years.
When my daughter got married to an American they lived first in Hungary, after in France and after they went to America. When they were in France they sent me tickets if they had some program and I flew to Paris. Then I could speak French rather well yet. It was good I met people everywhere and I enjoyed that I could speak to them. I like the French people and French culture.
Really French disturbs me so much that I didn’t dare to read your letter.
Best wishes:
Kati Svaby
Hi Kati, Thanks so much for sharing your story, and I’m always impressed by the linguistic experience and skills of many of my Hungarian friends, and now you too! (I have a few Hungarian friends who are also English teachers and even spoke at a conference in Veszprém a few years ago).
Don’t worry about this article, as it was part of an experiment I was doing a few months ago, to see if people liked having videos & articles in French. In the past, most of my audience was French people, but now, it’s people from all over the world.
Many people had the same feedback as you: It’s disturbing to have the mix of French and English. And that’s why I decided to do it all in English! It was just a test to see, because you have to try different things in life to see what works and what doesn’t work!
Thanks so much for sharing your story about your trips to Paris. I agree, it’s always a pleasure to learn other languages and cultures!
Thanks again and talk to you soon!
Hi Christina,
Thank you very much for the video! I think that thi type of video is really nice for native french people like me. Actually, I worked with different nationalities and sometimes it is really hard to understand what are they talking about because i do not understand the accent! It is true that watching TV series in english is sometimes difficult because we do not learn this type of expression…
So thank you very much for you work 🙂
All the best,
Marina.
Hi Marina,
It’s my pleasure and I’m glad you enjoy the video! Yes, these types of videos are great for understanding “real spoken English”, plus all those little idiomatic expressions that you don’t learn in textbooks. I’m so happy you like this one, and I’ll share another one very soon, about American breakfasts!
See you tomorrow 😉
Hi Christina, I heard the video. according to me, it’s a good idea, just go on. thank a lot
Great, thanks a lot Rogé!
Really a great and useful idea ! Thanks a lot
You’re welcome Mo! There will be another one like this soon!
great idea and don’t mind about the sound, it’s like in real life. I try to watch American TV to improve my english but I find easier your videos because I think you don’t speak too fast. Thank you for your funny teaching, I love your french accent and only expect to get a so good one when I speak in Usa. I go in USA once a year since 2011 and I’m living at friends I have in the Midwest and in Virginia. I love this country and American people, I’ve always a few time sadness when I come back. I know Mississippi, I drove through last year to go to north Florida (in fact I only know Tupelo because I was coming from Memphis!!!) and at my first visit in USA, the first thing I asked my friend was to see Mississippi River and the day after I was in St Louis . I wrote in English just to have corrections about my errors (oh, what is the difference between mistakes and errors . Thanks by advance.
Hi Dominique,
Thanks, and you’re right, it’s like real life, where there’s noise around and you still have to try to understand. That’s also part of the point of these videos, that it’s more like real life than the studio videos.
That’s great that you can go to the US once a year! Do you travel to different places, or do you always go to visit your friends? But yes, it’s always a little sad to come back from vacation, but I suppose that’s part of what makes vacation so great, is that it’s a little pause in everyday routine life, and the chance to have some extraordinary experiences (like seeing the Mississippi river for the 1st time!)
As for errors and mistakes, errors are when you say something incorrect because you don’t know the correct way to say it. A mistake is when you know the correct way, but maybe in speaking you say something incorrect because you’re talking fast, it’s spontaneous speech, etc. Thanks so much for sharing your story with me, I love reading about Ambassadors’ trips to the US!
C’est un plaisir pour moi de suivre des conversations de ce genre avec des personnes ressources pour apprendre l’Anglais dans le vrai milieu. C’est une excellente idée d’avoir ces vidéos paraitre toutes les semaines. Encore une fois milles merci pour tout ce que tu es entrain de faire pour nous les francophones afin de booster notre Anglais. J’avoue que tu m’as beaucoup aidé dans mon stage de formation à l’université de Kagoshima au Japon.
BARRY Alhassane
Kagoshima, Japon
Hi Alhassane,
Thanks so much, and it’s an honor to know that I could help you with your internship in Japan. Wow! I would love to visit Japan one day!
And I’m glad you like these types of videos. I agree, it’s helpful to learn to understand English in real conversations. In fact, I’m working on a new course based on these types of conversations…more news in 2018! 😉
Hi, I like this vidéo, it’s good for me to hear english spoken. Thanks Christina
My pleasure, Julie! I’m glad you liked it.
Bonjour Christina
Je trouve que c’est une excellente idée. Comme je n’ai pas tout compris, j’ai hâte d’avoir la fiche de travail qui va avec. Ça fait de nombreux mois que je cherchais un site pour améliorer mon anglais mais je ne trouvais que des cours – qui me “barbent” – ou des videos qui ne m’intéressent pas. Du coup,j’avais un peu laissé tomber l’anglais. Tu m’as redonné l’envie de m’y remettre. Merci beaucoup
Hi Marie,
Thanks so much, and that is so kind of you to say “You made me want to learn English again!” My mission here is accomplished 😉
I’m glad you really liked this idea of this type of video. Actually, I’m working on creating an entire course around videos like this, with exercises and practice to help you better understand real spoken English. More news about it in early 2018 😉
HI Christina
I liked very much that video, I enjoyed, but it was a little bit difficult for me cause I haven’t been practicing my English for a long time and the conversation was so quickly. Nevertheless it’s very interesting and useful helping to understand, good exercise.
Thank you Christina and please go on. I agree with Marie it makes you want to go further and going on to learn.
Hi Philippe,
Thanks a lot, I’m happy to hear that you liked the video! Don’t worry if it’s a little difficult, that’s normal. It’s challenging to understand conversations between native speakers (as I’m sure you know already). I’ll have to make more of these videos for you then, so you can continue learning more!
Hi Christina,
I just wanted to thank you for your refreshing energy and commitment for those (like me) who want to improve drastically their spoken english. I think that my written english is not so bad, but I need to be better at speaking now, my dream is to become fluent some day (the quicker the better, cause I’m not the patient kind of person !). 😉
Your videos are as funny as informative and we can feel your enthusiasm, which is really contagious ! The Patate Chaude videos’ idea is great, I have not understood every word but you offer us a second chance with the Patate Chaude sheet. Thanks again for your generosity and keep up the good work ! I’m a great fan. :))
Hi Marielle,
Thanks so much for your comment! I’ll return the compliment and say that it’s refreshing to read such a nice comment! With your enthusiasm and your dedication, I’m sure that you’ll become fluent if you keep working at it regularly.
Did you get the Patate Chaude sheet? I’d love to hear what you thought about it, how it helped you, and if you have any suggestions!
Hi Christina,
A great thank for your Amercian English job, I like it !!! I hate to study classic lesson in School, especially here in Belgium because it isn’t appropriate for a real knowledge about understanding and speaking a language. Your method is very appropriate for my kind of my learning process.
Last year, I visited your country and the road of the blues from New Orleans to Memphis. I stopped along the Missippi river in Natchez (Adams County) in a very nice bar called “Under-The-Hill”. I met very and friendly people to listen to great musicians. It’s the fourth times I visited the USA (the first time for my honeymoon). We have fallen in love with the USA and its people very friendly and very civic! When I visited your country, I rent a room in an AirBandB. It’s a nice opportunity to speak with local and native speaker. But I observe how the right prononciation is very important. I notice it’s very different to speak between non-native than native speaker. When we speak with non-native speaker, it’s possile to understand with a bad pronunciation but the same pronociation with a native speaker it’s a another problem.
A great thank;
Robert
Hi Chridtina
Yes I did appreciate this first video ‘Hof Potatl’ !! Of course the sound isn’t perfect but it could be worse.
Why not to carry on on this way ? So I’m looking forward to hearing the following video.
Best wishes
Alain
Hi Alain, Thanks for your message, and I’m glad you enjoyed this type of video! Yes, the sound is not perfect, but that’s part of the style, to make it like a real conversation, where maybe there is noise around you! I actually put out a Hot Potato every few months! Here’s another one you might like: http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/american-or-british-english/ Enjoy!
Hi Christiana. Thank you so much for this video. Really ,It’s very ineresting. I appreciate this kind of videos. We need more
Very good idea Christina! a great thanks for what you are doing for us !
Sophie
Hi Christina, thanks for the video, excellent idea. A suggestion of suject: about computer, the usual words for computer, mouse ,internet, modem, imprimante, fils usb etc et autres prises informatiques. your computer does not work correctley et how explain what is wrong….
Best wishes for the new year,
XXXX: an old friend sent me this at the end of her letter. I think it is familiary. For you: Cordial ?
for
Hi Elisabeth,
That’s a GREAT idea! Because in the office, these are words you need all the time (especially when you have computer problems!), but don’t often learn in school or classic English lessons! Thanks for the suggestion!
As for “Cordial” at the end of a letter, it should say “Cordially,” But that is quite formal. For friends, it would be more common to say “All the best”, “Talk to you soon”, or even “XOXO” (which stands for “hugs and kisses”! the X is like a kiss, and the O is like the arms going around for a hug! Not many people know that 😉
it’s a smart concept I agree that even it’s a little hard for me. I’ll try to do my best to understand more continu to share this kind of videos. Thank a lot for all that you do to help people like me to improve their english’s skills.
Hi Laho,
It’s normal if this concept is a little difficult for you, as it’s like a real conversation: noise in the background, people who don’t pay attention to articulate or speak slowly, spontaneous conversations, etc. Keep at it though, and it will get easier with time and practice!
Hi Christina, I very like this video and the concept, I think it is a good idea to make some short video, short is le key word cause if it’s short we don’t need to concentrate more. And It is what you said the “real english” it help us to understand spoken english! I can say that I understood the general idea and a lot of thing but my problem is that I try to translate in french in my head and that make my comprehension very slow and your friend who was in your right speak very fast 🙁
Hi Labasse,
Thanks so much, and yes, short is easier, but in real life, conversations might last 5-10 minutes, so it’s also important to train your ears (and your brain) to concentrate and follow these types of conversations.
Good to know you got the general idea, but you’re right, translating in your head is going to slow you down and make it hard to follow the conversation. You might like this video to help you avoid translation: http://christinarebuffet.com/blog/learn-to-think-in-english/
Let me know if that helps!
Sorry it was your friend who were in your left!!!
I thought that she has a strong accent.
Hi Christina
Just to say that I like the idea and think It’s an original concept, more lively. So you can go on 😉
But I keep loving your standard videos !
Hi Hervé! Great, I’m glad that you like both of these formats! A little change is good from time to time 😉
Hi Christina!
Congrats on this series! The idea, the name, the people, everything is great!
I’ve just finished watching the video. I’ll be honest because I’d like give you a true image of my experience.
First of all, why did you were speaking French?! I can understand that as part of your particular style, but I’d prefer that you speak English, please!
Regarding the video itself, I’ve watched it twice and I could understand the main idea, although I’ll need to watch it again to answer all the questions.
But, no problem. I really enjoyed watching a real situation. It was a challenge to my ears!
Thank you for share it! I’ll go on watching these series!
Vero
PS: thanks also for the “Hot Potato Sheet”. It’s really very helpful!
Hi Vero,
Thanks so much! I can take no credit for the name, it was another Ambassador who invented it! It is great, isn’t it? As for why I’m speaking French at the start, it’s because a long time ago, when I made this video, my audience was 100% French. Now, that’s not the case, so everything now is 100% in English.
And it’s normal to need to watch the video two (even 6) times, or more! Try this video too: http://christinarebuffet.com/fr/blog/understand-real-american-english-lisa/
I think you’ll like it 🙂
Hi Christina
For me I have a difficult to understand some words , but i think that’s a good Idea to understand a Real english speakers.
Continue Christina , i like all your lessons and your methods
Hi Christina !
I really do like this concept of videos. The way they have been filmed sounds more spontaneous and real. Please go ahead !
Their British accents are clear and understandable.
If I may, I have been watching videos in English for years but yours are dynamic, well filmed and interesting definetely.
Enjoy your evening. Can’t wait to the next one !
Hi Christina, sorry I’m late! I like these videos because it’s real life. And I like your others videos too.
By the way, I love english and american people !!!
Hi Hervé, and thanks! My turn to say sorry I’m late for responding to you! I’m glad you like these real-life videos. It’s a different approach 🙂
Have you seen the videos from the Understand American English Course? You can get some samples here: http://christinarebuffet.com/understand-real-american-english-friday-freebies-opt-in/
Enjoy!
Ouf!! je ne sais pas comment tu fais mais c’est impeccable, c’est génial ce boulot
merci Christina
Bonjour Christina,
C’est une très bonne idée… par contre grand moment de solitude car j’ai rien compris ( comme durant les 10 jours que je viens de passer a NY ou j’ai passé mon temps à dire “speak slowly please, i’m sorry i’m French!!”.
C’est donc exactement le type d’exercice qui va, je l’espère me faire progresser.
Merci
P;S;: Tous les sujets sont interessants à partir du moment ou ils sont sur ce modèle
hi christina ,
Thanks you for this video. I like it but i prefere the discussion where we speak football