Sophie and Patrice always have a lot to talk about, from the latest political news to their favorite pastries. Listen in on their animated conversations about their life in Paris.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
In this video, Patrice and Sophie pretend to be a realtor and prospective tenant looking at an apartment in Montmartre. Before they go up to the apartment, Patrice tells Sophie about the neighborhood, which she doesn't know very well.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice is feeling down because he lost his job under difficult and unfair circumstances. He discusses his options with Sophie, who tries her best to cheer him up.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice share their impressions of Paris under a gray sky. They say that the multiple shades of gray make Paris all the more beautiful. Even the old buildings blackened by years of grime add texture and beauty, but they concede that a good clean-up is sometimes necessary.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice discuss the weather as they shop at the market on a miserable winter day. Sophie detests the cold and the rain whereas Patrice doesn't mind at all!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice talk about growing old in Paris. They both agree that it's tough for the elderly in Paris and that they would rather spend their golden years somewhere else.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Patrice and Sophie have a conversation in one of the many little parks that dot the Paris landscape.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie is upset because someone stole her cell phone. It's not just the loss of her phone that makes her mad but the real inconvenience of losing all her contact information. Patrice has a few good suggestions for her.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice and Sophie rejoice in the fact that Paris is being revegetated. In an effort to combat pollution and beautify the capital, the city is giving out free plant seeds to its residents to grow in pots.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie and Patrice visit the twentieth arrondissement of Paris, a quiet, authentic neighborhood undisturbed by tourists.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Patrice gives Sophie the recipe for endives au jambon (endive with ham), a simple but filling dish he learned from his father. Try it at home!
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie and Patrice come up with some variations on their simple but hearty meal of endive with ham. They briefly consider opening a restaurant, but as Patrice points out, cooking for forty-five people is a lot harder than cooking for two.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Sophie shares her simple recipe for delicious, organic madeleines. Try it at home!
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice and Sophie reminisce about playing ombres chinoises (shadow puppets) when they were little. Patrice makes some interesting observations about Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible and Coppola's Dracula, two films that incorporate shadow puppetry.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Patrice is not getting enough sleep and looks a little worse for wear, but he's very philosophical about it. As Simone de Beauvoir said, "A successful life is living like an adolescent at sixty-five."
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Sophie loves plants so much that she isn't averse to snipping a cutting or two from a public garden. Her interest in plants comes from her grandmother, who spent endless hours tending to her plants and even climbed trees at 95 years old!
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