La voiture: the ten phrases you'll use every day
Ten minutes, inside the routine you already run
Tap the play button to hear the phrase, then say it out loud. Start with the first one tonight.
Audio is being recorded now. The phrases below work today.
The car is the easiest place to start. No eye contact needed, nowhere to go, and a window full of things to name. If speaking French out loud to your child feels exposing, start here.
Print the la voiture card Keep it in the door pocket or clipped to the visor, so the script is there at every red light
Why la voiture works
No eye contact makes it the lowest-pressure ritual, for you and for them.
The world outside the window is an endless picture book of things to name.
It's dead time turned into input time, with zero added minutes.
When they answer in English
"are we there yet"
On est bientôt arrivés ? Presque ! Encore cinq minutes.
"I saw a digger"
Tu as vu une pelleteuse ? Elle était grosse !
Don't correct. Don't ask them to repeat. Just say the thing back in French and carry on. That's a recast, and it's the single most effective move in parent-led bilingualism. More on La Reprise.
By age
18 months – 3 years
Narrate what passes. One noun per sighting, regarde, un bus.
3 – 5 years
Play spotting games. Tu vois quelque chose de rouge ? Accept English finds and recast.
Two children, two ages? Same ten phrases. Narrate for the younger one, ask the older one, and one ritual does both.
The full la voiture module is coming. Start with Le Dodo, complete now, with audio on every line.
See Le Dodo