Intermediate French with Carlito
Immerse yourself in French language and culture with personal stories, history, art, and traditions. Perfect for intermediate learners ready to progress while experiencing France like a local!
Why Your Mind Goes Blank When a French Person Asks You a Question
👉 Download your FREE "Answer in Time" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-answer-in-time-guide
A café in France. Someone asks you « Qu'est-ce que je vous sers ? » You understood. You know the answer. And for one second, nothing comes out.
In this episode, Charles explains what really happens in that second: why your answer arrives one second too late, and why French speakers seem to answer instantly. Then he gives you six short French phrases to buy that second, three real questions to answer out loud, and a simple way to prepare the start of your an...
Why Monet Painted These Cliffs Again and Again
👉 Download your FREE "Regarder Monet en français" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-regarder-monet-en-francais-guide
The white chalk cliffs rise above the sea. The Porte d’Aval stands in the distance. Morning light falls softly across the landscape.
This is Étretat, in Normandy, a place Claude Monet returned to again and again.
But why would a painter keep painting the same cliffs?
In this episode, we discover that Monet was not simply looking at the rock. He was watching the light change it.
Morning, midday, clouds, mist. The place stay...
The French Soldiers Who Came Home to Liberate France
Before dawn on June 6, 1944, Léon Gautier was crossing the English Channel on a warship.
For the Allied soldiers around him, France was a country to liberate.
For Léon, it was the country he had left four years earlier.
He was coming home.
Among the men who landed on Sword Beach that morning were 177 French commandos.
In this episode, follow Léon's journey from a 17-year-old apprentice in Brittany to the Free French Forces, the Commandos Kieffer, and finally the coast of Normandy.
It is a story...
He Wrote About Losing His Mind. He Already Was.
👉 Download your FREE "LE HORLA, EN DOUCEUR" Guide
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Every night, a man fills a glass of water before going to bed.
Every morning, the glass is empty.
No one has entered the house.
In this episode, we enter Le Horla, Guy de Maupassant's unsettling story about a man who slowly becomes convinced that an invisible presence is taking control of his home, his thoughts, and even his identity.
We also discover why the story becomes even more powerful when we look at Maupassant's own life...
How French Houses Reveal Where You Are
Imagine standing in a French village and looking at a house before anyone tells you where you are.
The stone, the roof, the shutters, the windows and the colors are already giving you clues.
In this episode, we travel through Brittany, the Basque Country, Alsace and Normandy and discover how regional houses can reveal climate, history, materials, light and ways of life.
You will learn to look at French architecture differently and see how a simple façade can become a clue to understanding a region.
👉 Download your FREE "The French House...
Why a Tire Company Judges France's Best Restaurants
Imagine standing outside a restaurant in France and noticing a tiny Michelin star above the door.
Today, that symbol represents some of the highest recognition in gastronomy. But its story begins with two brothers selling tires at a time when France had very few cars.
In this episode, you'll discover why Michelin created its first guide, how restaurant inspections and stars appeared, what those stars really mean, and why even the language of the Michelin system still speaks about roads, detours and journeys.
We'll also look at the Bib Gourmand and the story of...
Paris’s Oldest Bridge Has a New Secret
Pont Neuf means “New Bridge.”
But when you stand near La Samaritaine and look toward the Seine, you are actually looking at the oldest bridge in Paris.
In this episode, we explore Pont Neuf, the temporary installation La Caverne du Pont-Neuf, and the very French conversations that public art can create around beauty, heritage, and money.
Along the way, you’ll discover useful French vocabulary and see how one familiar monument can reveal a more living, surprising side of Paris.
👉 Download your FREE "The Pont Neuf Insider Walk" Guide
→ https://www.frenchte...
Why French People Say “a Carambar Joke”
At an elegant table in Monte Carlo, alcohol catches fire beside a plate of crêpes. The crêpes are served anyway, and according to the story, a mistake becomes crêpes Suzette.
In this episode, we discover five French sweets said to have been born from mistakes. From the Carambar and tarte Tatin to the kouign-amann and bêtises de Cambrai, each one reveals a small story about French regions, words, memories, and traditions.
👉 Download your FREE "THE FRENCH SWEETS MAP" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-the-french-sweets-map
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Nineteen Years Old. She Outsmarted Every Judge in the Room.
👉 Download your FREE "Jeanne d'Arc, en douceur" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-jeanne-darc-en-douceur-guide
Rouen, 1431. A cold stone room. Dozens of theologians, several of them trained at the University of Paris. And in front of them, alone on a simple bench, a nineteen year old girl who could not read or write.
They asked her a question built so that no answer could save her.
In this episode, we look closely at two of Jeanne d'Arc's real recorded answers, and at what they show us about how she actually thought. We also look at...
Inside a Real French Hotel Room: Useful French for Your Next Trip
👉 Download your FREE "À l’Hôtel Louison, sans stress"
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Come inside a real Paris hotel room and learn the French you actually need when staying in a hotel in France.
In this episode, we visit the Hôtel Louison in Paris with Elisa. You will hear practical French vocabulary for the reception, the room, the bathroom, the welcome tray, the safe, the minibar, the view, water, and different bed arrangements.
The goal is simple: to help you feel more comfortable, more confident, and less stressed the next time you ar...
The Hidden Treasure Inside France's Strangest Cliff
👉 Download your FREE "Arsène Lupin à Étretat, en douceur" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-arsene-lupin-a-etretat-en-douceur-guide
In this episode, I take you to the white cliffs of Étretat in Normandy, and tell you the story of the treasure that a whole nation believed in.
The strange needle of rock, the writer Maurice Leblanc, and Arsène Lupin, the most charming thief in French literature.
A calm, immersive walk into a French legend, and the gentle truth behind it.
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Why France Put Madame Bovary on Trial
👉 Download your FREE "Madame Bovary, en douceur" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-madame-bovary-en-douceur-guide
In this episode, I tell you the story of the most scandalous novel in French history, and of the woman at its heart.
Why France put a book on trial in 1857, who Emma Bovary really was, and why, more than a century later, her longing for a more beautiful life still touches us.
A calm, human walk into French literature, with a gentle invitation to read a little Flaubert yourself.
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The French City Where Jules Verne Dreamed of the World
👉 Download your FREE "Sur les pas de Jules Verne à Amiens" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-Jules-Verne-in-Amiens-guide
In this episode, I take you to Amiens, a quiet city in the north of France, and tell you the story of the man who imagined the whole world from a small room at the top of a tower.
The worlds of his novels, his daily discipline, his love for his adopted city, and the extraordinary tomb he left behind.
A calm, human journey into French literature, and into a city you may suddenly want to see.<...
A Day in the Life of the Sun King
👉 Download your FREE "The Sun King's Versailles" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-sun-kings-versailles-guide
In this episode, I take you inside the Palace of Versailles and we live one full day with Louis XIV, the Sun King. From the morning ceremony where the whole court watched him wake up, to the candlelit evenings in the Hall of Mirrors. A calm, immersive walk through the most dazzling court in Europe, and the French idea of elegance it left behind.
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Every French King Was Crowned Here, And It’s Not Paris
👉 Download your FREE “Reims Coronation” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-reims-coronation-guide
In this episode, I take you to Reims, the French city where 25 kings of France were crowned.
Not Paris.
Not Versailles.
Reims.
You will discover why this city became sacred in French history, why Clovis was baptized there, why Joan of Arc brought Charles VII to Reims during the Hundred Years’ War, and why the coronation ceremony mattered so much.
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She Was 27, a Widow, and About to Change Champagne Forever
👉 Download your FREE “ Champagne Empire ” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-champagne-empire-guide
In this episode, I tell you the story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, the young widow behind the yellow label of Veuve Clicquot. At 27, with a failing business and everyone telling her to give up, she made a different choice. I take you through the cellars of Reims and the life of a woman who built an empire and kept her widow's name as her signature.
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Why French Movies Feel So Different to Americans
👉 Download your FREE "French Cinema" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-french-cinema-guide
In this episode, I sit down with Manon, who runs a French film club in Paris, and she explains why French movies feel so different from American ones. From the New Wave to Amélie, from the "French Ending" to the French idea that cinema is culture, not just entertainment.
You can learn more about Lost in Frenchlation here:
Website: https://lostinfrenchlation.com/
Instagram: @lostinfrenchlation
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This French City Has More Roman Heritage Than Anywhere Outside Italy
👉 Download your FREE "Nîmes Heritage" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-nimes-heritage-guide
In this episode, I take you to the south of France, to a city most people have never heard of, that holds more Roman heritage than anywhere on Earth outside Italy.
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Merci et à très bientôt, <
What a Paris Hotel Receptionist Actually Says to You
👉 Download your FREE “ Paris Hotel ” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-the-paris-hotel-guide
In this episode, I take you inside a real 4-star Paris hotel and let you hear every word of the conversation between a guest and the receptionist — from check-in to check-out.
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Merci et à très bientôt,
C
Why Coco Chanel Lived at the Ritz Paris for 37 Years
👉 Download your FREE "Parisian Elegance Guide"
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-parisian-elegance-guide
In this episode, I take you inside the Ritz Paris and tell you the story of the woman who chose to live there for 37 years.
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Merci et à très bientôt,
Charles
Why This French Handkerchief Has a 200-Year-Old Secret
👉 Download your FREE “Cholet Handkerchief ” Guide
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A simple red and white handkerchief from the city of Cholet tells the story of one of the most violent, least known chapters of French history.
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Merci et à très bientôt,
Charles
Van Gogh Painted 70 Masterpieces in 70 Days — In This French Village
👉 Download your FREE “Van Gogh Village” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-vgvg
In this episode, I take you to Auvers-sur-Oise, the small village north of Paris where Van Gogh spent his final 70 days and painted 70 masterpieces.
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I read every message personally.
Merci et à très bientôt,
Charles
2 French Teachers. 2 Methods. Which One Actually Works?
In this episode, I join Thomas from Apprendre le French as the very first guest on his new podcast format, French Talks.
We have a real, natural conversation in French about one of the biggest frustrations learners face: understanding the language… but struggling to speak it.
We talk about my journey from HEC to teaching French, why I chose to work with intermediate learners, and the importance of building confidence through real communication.
You’ll also discover two different approaches to learning French: one based on structure and repetition, and the other based on c...
This French Town Created the Statue of Liberty — The Story Nobody Tells
Download your FREE “French Liberty Guide”
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-french-liberty
In this episode, I take you to Colmar, in Alsace, to discover Auguste Bartholdi, the Frenchman who created the Statue of Liberty.
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I read every message personally.
Merci et à très bientôt,
Charles
The French Town That Left Monaco Over a Lemon
👉 Download your FREE “Menton Travel & Culture Pack”
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In this episode, I take you to Menton, the last French town before Italy, and I tell you the story of how a simple lemon shaped the destiny of an entire city.
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Merci et à très bientôt
Why the French Still Remember Vercingétorix 2,000 Years Later
👉 Download your FREE “Vercingétorix & Caesar” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lpvc
In this episode, I tell you the full story of Vercingétorix and Julius Caesar.
You'll discover why Caesar invaded Gaul in the first place, what really happened at the battle of Gergovie, how the siege of Alésia ended in tragedy, and why this story still matters to the French today.
Along the way, you'll pick up essential vocabulary to talk about French history with confidence.
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The French Art of Hospitality | A Cultural Conversation in French
👉 Download your FREE "7 True French Stories to Feel at Home in France"
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lpl
In this episode, I take you inside Hôtel Louison, a family run boutique hotel in Paris, where I sit down with Marie-Ange, the owner.
This is a conversation about what French hospitality really looks like from the inside.
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Hôtel Louison is a real boutique hotel located on rue de Va...
The Women Who Made Lyon the Greatest Food City in France
👉 Download your FREE "Parler comme un Lyonnais" Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lplg
In this episode, I take you to Lyon, a city most people overlook when they think of France. We explore how Lyon became the gastronomic capital of the country, not thanks to famous chefs but thanks to women who were fired from their jobs and opened their own restaurants. We walk through the old town and its hidden passageways called traboules, discover the silk workers' neighborhood of La Croix Rousse, and learn the local expressions that only Lyonnais use.
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The French Architect Who Changed Paris Forever
👉 Download your FREE "Jean Nouvel” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lpjng
In this episode, we follow the story of Jean Nouvel, a man who grew up in a small medieval town in southwest France, defied his parents to study architecture, and went on to create buildings that stopped people in their tracks.
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Merci et...
The 700 Year Old French Spirit You've Never Heard Of
👉 Download your FREE "Armagnac Production” Guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lpapg
This episode tells the story of armagnac, France's oldest spirit. I explain how it's made in Gascogne, why medieval monks called it the water that burns, and how this 700 year old tradition nearly disappeared before finding new life with a younger generation of producers.
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I read every message...
The Savoyard Knife: A Conversation with Master Craftsman Bernard
👉 Download your FREE “French Knife Expressions” guide
→ https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-fkeg
In this episode, I take you inside a real knife workshop in the French Alps, in Annecy, to explore authentic French vocabulary you won’t usually find in textbooks.
📍 Meet Bernard in Annecy
Le Couteau Savoyard
32 rue Sommeillier
Annecy — Haute-Savoie, France
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Learn French While Hiking in the Alps | Mountain Vocabulary French People Use Every Day
👉 Grab your FREE "French Speaking Practice Plan" :
https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-fspp
Climb from understanding French to actually speaking it. Real metaphors. Practical expressions. The vocabulary French people use every day.
👉 Have a question for me?
Email me at [email protected] — I read every message personally.
Merci et à très bientôt,
Charles
Why You Understand French But Can't Speak It (And How to Fix It)
👉 Grab your FREE "French Speaking Practice Plan" :
https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-fspp
Transform your passive French into confident, active speaking skills.
Practical techniques. Real resources. Methods that actually work.
👉 Have a question for me?
Email me at [email protected] — I read every message personally.
Merci et à très bientôt,
Charles
Learn French Through History : Jean Jaurès: The Man Who Died for Peace
🎁 FREE GUIDE: 50 Essential French Political Words & Expressions
👉 https://www.frenchteachercarlito.com/lp-efpw
Understand French history, politics, and social issues with confidence.
Clear explanations. Real examples. Useful vocabulary you’ll actually hear.
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In this episode:
Discover the story of Jean Jaurès, one of the most important figures in French political history.
You’ll learn:
Who Jean Jaurès was
Why his name is everywhere in France
His fight for work...
5 Countries in One Lifetime: The Incredible True Story of Colmar | Intermediate French
🎁 FREE GUIDE
10 Authentic Alsatian Expressions
You’ll hear them everywhere in Colmar.
👉 Download it now
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Merci & à très bientôt,
Charles
Albert Camus: The Man Who Chose Life Despite Death | French Philosophy Explained
🎁 FREE GUIDE: "10 Citations Essentielles d'Albert Camus"
And don’t forget to leave your comments and rate me 5 stars on Apple Podcasts/Spotify (if you enjoyed it, of course).
Bonne journée
Charles
French History: How Spies & Seduction Built France's Oldest Company
I’ve created a FREE guide with 7 cultural stories from France, designed to help you make real progress in French —not through boring drills, but through powerful, inspiring stories that immerse you in French culture.
👉 Download it here
And don’t forget to leave your comments and rate me 5 stars on Apple Podcasts/Spotify (if you enjoyed it, of course).
Bonne journée
Charles
Le palais Bourbon
I’ve created a FREE guide with 7 cultural stories from France, designed to help you make real progress in French —not through boring drills, but through powerful, inspiring stories that immerse you in French culture.
👉 Download it here
And don’t forget to leave your comments and rate me 5 stars on Apple Podcasts/Spotify (if you enjoyed it, of course).
Bonne journée
Charles
How One Dream Built France's Most Mysterious Monument
I’ve created a FREE guide with 7 cultural stories from France, designed to help you make real progress in French —not through boring drills, but through powerful, inspiring stories that immerse you in French culture.
👉 Download it here
And don’t forget to leave your comments and rate me 5 stars on Apple Podcasts/Spotify (if you enjoyed it, of course).
Bonne journée
Charles
C'est quoi un 10 sur 10 ?
I’ve created a FREE guide with 7 cultural stories from France, designed to help you make real progress in French —not through boring drills, but through powerful, inspiring stories that immerse you in French culture.
👉 Download it here
And don’t forget to leave your comments and rate me 5 stars on Apple Podcasts/Spotify (if you enjoyed it, of course).
Bonne journée
Charles
