Marc est français. Il est gentil et intelligent. Il est ami avec Julie. Julie est américaine, intelligente et sympa. À l’école de Marc, il y a beaucoup d’élèves français et l’école est grande. L’école de Julie est petite, avec des élèves américains. Le père de Marc s’appelle Raoul Dupont. Les parents de Julie s’appellent Franklin.

Activité :

Vrai ou Faux :

Marc est français.

L’école de Julie est très grande.

Julie est française.

Complétez :

Marc n’est pas américain. Il est _____.

L’école de Marc n’est pas petite. Elle est _____.

Julie n’est pas un garçon. Elle est une _____.

French Stories with Marc and Julie A1-B1

Lesson 1: Marc et Julie – Première rencontre

In the second episode of No Such Thing as a Synonym, we explore a common pair of adverbs: "nearly" and "almost".   

When you look up these words in a dictionary you’ll find they have virtually identical definitions. However, I want to let you in on a secret – the dictionary isn’t telling you the whole story.

In this episode, we’ll explore the pragmatic and subtle differences between the two words, including the difference between "nearly perfect" and "almost perfect" and why we don’t usually use "nearly" with emotions, as in "I felt nearly giddy with excitement".

Listen along to learn something new!

No Such Thing as a Synonym

02: Nearly & Almost

In the first episode of No Such Thing as a Synonym, we kick things off with a pair of very familiar verbs: "see" and "watch". 

When you look up these words in a dictionary you’ll find they have virtually identical definitions. However, I want to let you in on a secret – the dictionary isn’t telling you the whole story. 

In this episode, we’ll explore the pragmatic and subtle differences between the two words, including the difference between “seeing a film” and “watching a film” and “seeing someone fall off their bike” and “watching someone fall off their bike”. 

Listen along to learn something new!

01: See & Watch

In this introductory episode, I’ll explain how this podcast will go beyond dictionary definitions and challenge the idea that two words can actually have exactly the same meaning.

I’m your host Emma, an Italki teacher with four years’ experience in editing and teaching writing skills. I’m bringing my passion for the intricacies of the English language to this podcast, where I’ll explain the subtle, pragmatic differences between a pair of synonyms each week. 

This might mean, for example, that one of the two words is more formal than the other, or creates more of a negative meaning, or has specific connotations that mean it’s only suitable for a certain topic, or level, or audience.

So, when you’re writing your next email, chapter, letter, or essay, you can feel confident that you’re choosing the perfect word for the situation.

So, get your magnifying glass and join me on this investigation into vocabularly!