This week marks my cinquante-deuxième (52nd) entry to the Transparent Language French blog! Bon anniversaire à moi! (Happy anniversary to me!) Cinquante-deux semaine (52 weeks) means it’s been just un an (one year) since I first introduced myself to you! I hope it’s been une bonne année (a good year) for all of you and that you’ve enjoyed discovering some new vocabulary, some new artists, and some more about France together.

Cette semaine (this week) will be a bit of un méli-mélo (mishmash) of updates and new ideas to continue your voyage of discovery.

Pour commencer (to begin): I learned this week that one of my favorite French regions was in the spotlight earlier this year when 6 of the top 15 villes ou il fait bon vivre et travailler (cities where it’s good to live and work) according to L’Express magazine where in Bretagne! Cet été (This summer) I’ll be reporting in live from Bretagne when my family and I head over to celebrate le mariage (the wedding) of my step-daughter.

Deuxièmement (Secondly): A quick reminder about a great tip for practicing your language skills. It’s no secret that I like to watch movies . . . especially about France and French history. J’aime aussi regarder des films français (I also like to watch French movies) but I can’t always easily get my hands on them. Fortunately most DVDs and streaming services make it possible to watch your favorite movie en français (in French) even if the films wasn’t made in French. Watching a movie that you know well in your native language with the audio switched to French is a great way to practice your listening skills. Since you already know the plot and characters well, you can concentrate on listening to the language and the associations you already have with those elements of the film will reinforce and support your acquisition of new vocabulary!

Et pour finir (And to finish): I discovered a couple of new French singers I wanted to share with you this week. The first, M. Pokora, has been around for a few years, but his new album, My Way, which reprises the greatest hits of one of my favorite nostaligia singers, was what caught my attention. Now you can enjoy updated versions of Claude François classics! M. Pokora (né Matthieu Tota) got his start back in 2003 on the French singing competition Popstars. He has since sold over 3 million records in France alone. You can find many of his hits (like the one below) on YouTube.

Jain is a young woman whose songs won’t do much to help with your French, since she sings in a combination of different languages, but her videos (particularly the one bel0w) are certainly interesting to watch. And bringing as she does a global perspective and interesting view of the world, she’s sure to continue to produce interesting works.

* See this post for a reminder of the differences between an and année.