vivienz Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 When I came back from my brief trip to France earlier this month, BF put a couple of newspapers in the cabin - the Independent and Le Figaro. I don't normally have access to French newspapers and found Le Figaro to be quite a good read; it was very interesting to get a French perspective on current affairs. I followed this up by having a look at the website and found that you can subscribe to the digital edition for 1 euro for the first month, then 15 euro per month thereafter. I have subscribed and I'm really enjoying it so far; I'm sure I'll get bored with it as I do with most newspapers after a while, but I think the challenge of understanding the language increases my interest significantly. The language is also much broader and more up to date than what we tend to use in French conversation classes. In the edition I picked up on the boat (19th January) there was an article about the torrid legal separation between the French state and the catholic church in the early 1900s; it was prompted by the recent events in Paris and pointed out that France has been just as strict with Christian religions in the past as with Islam, etc, in more recent time. I confess that I had no idea about this period in French history and it was very enlightening.Does anyone else subscribe to or regularly buy other publications? Would you recommend any? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I read Le Monde, Liberation, Le Point, Ouest France and Nouvel Obs free on their webistes as well as Figaro which is also free at the moment though there is content which is available to subscribers only.Plus the Independent, Guardian, DM, Telegraph.Ah, mornings are so hard.edit: I forgot a couple of Belgian newspapers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 Just the local paper, Depêche du Midi, I'm afraid - I buy it 3-4 times a week.The language in it is pretty basic, so maybe I should try Le Figaro to learn a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivienz Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 One of the things that I've noticed about the 'voice' of Le Figaro is how much they look down upon and/or dislike Americans. The Figaro Madame section is particularly bitchy and amusing about it all; terribly snooty and Parisienne and all the more funny because much of it isn't meant to be.I mentioned this at my French class and our teacher immediately launched into her reasons for hating the American accent and saying that she could hardly bare to listen to it. She's not a Parisienne, but it would seem that this sentiment goes well beyond the environs of Paris.Wooly - I don't know about your mornings being busy, but it would take me all day to read that lot! I hope you give the paperboy a tip at Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillan Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I refuse to pay to read a newspaper online regardless of if they are English or French. Like the UK there are loads of online newspapers in France,just like the UK they lean politicaly left or right and many of them are free. There are also regional newsapers in France which are handy to keep up to date whith things that are more likely to effect you the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 I like le Point a lot but generally only get to read it in the waiting rooms of doctors, consultants, dentists, etc.As for accents, my first French teacher said that the German accent was disliked by older French people (with long memories, I guess) and she advised people using the Michel Thomas tapes to be careful NOT to copy his accent!I don't know these tapes although I believe many learners find them useful so I don't really know whether he has a German accent. I thought he was an American? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suein56 Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 [quote user="mint"]Michel Thomas ... so I don't really know whether he has a German accent. I thought he was an American?[/quote]He was born in Poland, which explains a lot about his accent. My OH really got on well with the MT discs in the UK before we came to France and subsequently bought the more advanced discs in the early days we were here.Personally the MT method - and accent - drove me nuts, but there is no disputing the fact that my OH benefited from the course.Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 29, 2015 Share Posted January 29, 2015 As WB saidhttp://www.lefigaro.fr/http://www.lemonde.fr/Our Local, from which I often quote:http://www.midilibre.fr/http://www.mediapart.fr/often has revelationshttp://www.leparisien.frThe best of course is http://www.humanite.fr/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 You're going to join us in the Midi Pyrenees soon Norman.I wonder what will happen to the local papers then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I hope Midilibre spreads westwards. Although it is a dreadful rag in some ways there is a lot more in it than the other two I see when I am in the Ariège which seem very thin to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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