"J’ai du apprendre avant de comprendre"

– Episode 27: Le caporal canadien-français (The French Canadian Corporal) by Duolingo

“I’ve had to learn, before being able to understand”; sometimes we struggle to understand things and that’s where we can take the time to learn :)

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With powerful topics such as physical disability, discrimination, gender identity, women in sports, emigration, community, etc. Duolingo’s podcasts offer a magic mirror: an opportunity to learn, before truly understanding.

Each episode hosts a different individual/group’s beautiful and heart warming story from the Francophone world, against incredibly diverse backdrops and through hardships and on to subsequent success. #happyendings

On our travels around the world, we can really appreciate that French is spoken everywhere, and besides quirky accents, local expressions abound, at 05:09 for example:

"Être aux petits oiseaux"

…“to be with the little birds” in Canadian Québécoise French, announces ‘being up in the heavens’, or in a state of sheer bliss.

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Je suis aux petits oiseaux, while listening to an episode during a lunchtime cycle. They bring uplifting moments to my day and a chance to connect to a unfamiliar world and existence. And I must admit, that these accounts of forging through adversity, often move me close to happy tears. 🥲 Must be the thin air up in the heavens.

Duolingo’s podcasts, with a mixture of French and English for narration purposes, are aimed at intermediate level learners. Several seasons are currently available in Spanish, French and more recently in English from Spanish. Look for the podcasts on your favorite listening apps, i.e. Spotify.

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You might find, like me, that you wouldn’t normally consume this type/genre of material in your mothertongue. Even so, I’ve found that the medley of hues and emotions in these engaging tales are optimal, taking me on an inspiring language learning adventure.