Le verbe FAIRE et Paris 101

6/3/13
My third day at the language school today and already our teacher Stephanie is speaking to us predominantly en français and only translating into English when one of us has trouble understanding! It's challenging and exhausting to be concentrating so hard all day but I'm sure this is the best way to learn.
Today we present our homework to the class - a written description of a person (real or fictional) - which we read out. I've written about my "très beau" new husband, of course, and our blended family, which in French is called "une famille recomposée". Stéphanie is very encouraging to all of us about how we're progressing :-)
Next we move on to the verb FAIRE, otherwise known as "to do/to make". We spend the morning conjugating and getting the pronunciation right, which Stephanie repeatedly stresses is very important - she wants us to develop good habits from the start - and then we learn some handy questions that will serve us well while still not fluent in French. Par exemple: "Vous pouvez parler plus lentement, s'il vous plaît?" (Can you speak more slowly please?) and "Vous pouvez répéter, s'il vous plaît?" (Can you repeat please?). I feel quite sure I'll be trotting those ones out on more than one occasion in the next few weeks!
After lunch we have an extra session, this time with Hadrian, who gives us the lowdown on surviving in Paris. He's full of helpful information and tips, such as great places to eat, how to ask for the bill, how to ask for directions, how to get the best deal on the Metro, which bus takes in lots of the main tourist sights (for the cost of a Metro ticket), and how to use the Velib (bicycle hire) system. Again, Hadrian speaks mostly en français, so by the end of the 2 hour session my head is spinning from concentrating so hard! But all in all it's been another great day at school. I'm so glad I made the decision to learn French in Paris :-)
I enjoy my hour-long walk home - it's another "mild" afternoon and I carry my coat - and then have a very welcome Skype with my lovely husband, the star of my homework composition ;-) I've started sending some of my text messages in French and he's having a go at replying in French too, which is fun :-) By dinner time I'm so tired that I'm thankful for leftovers tonight (one of the benefits of living alone is that the leftovers are still right where you left them last night - but I love you anyway my beautiful boy xoxo)!!!!!
And now, dishes done, homework done, an early night is in order for this étudiante en français!