Versailles
This week, we’re celebrating the International Day For Monuments and Sites (April 18) with a special focus on one of France’s most visited sites: Le Château de Versailles ⛲🪞
Have you ever wondered why the French call this grandiose palace le Château de Versailles ? 🤔 Well, we French people do not differentiate between “castles” and “palaces” the same way the English language does. A château in French was above all the place of residence of powerful noblemen, lords and kings. In the Middle Ages, these were defensive fortified places (castles), but as history progressed, they lost their military function to become luxurious places of residence (palaces), usually located in the countryside. As for the French word palais, it’s used to refer to very large urban residences, such as Le Palais du Louvre for example. Now you know! 🏰☺️
Alors, sans plus attendre, open the gates of the Palace of Versailles and discover all the majestic French Kwiziq content we’ve selected for you! 👑😊
Qui est-ce ? – Episode 6 👑
The Guessing Game Podcast
For many of us, Versailles is synonymous with French kings and queens, courtesans and nobility… So, in this week’s episode of our “Qui est-ce ?” podcast series, Kwiziq’s super detectives Céline and I will give you clues (en français bien sûr !) to guess a very special French monarch. 👑🧐
So put on your thinking cap and enjoy all the extra practise content related to the podcast, like our special Fill-in-the-Blank exercise AND grammar Notebook! 🤩
Qui est-ce ? – Episode 6 👑
And to help you practise your listening skills, these podcasts will be accompanied by some useful vocab, grammar lessons, an exclusive Fill-in-the-Blank exercise and interesting links to other exercises to investigate further!
🎧 Want to listen to more of our podcasts? Check out all our episodes!
Le Château de Versailles en 3 lieux incontournables
Reading and Listening practice – B2 Level
Finally, let’s venture inside the impressive palace, with a tour of 3 of Versailles’s most iconic areas: the Hall of Mirrors, the Gardens and the Estate of Trianon. Travel in time to the court of Louis XIV with the bilingual article below:
Le Château de Versailles en 3 lieux incontournables
Hurray for Weekend Workout Friday!
Special treat for Premium subscribers
Friday is Weekend Workout day – a special treat just for our Premium subscribers, with fresh dictations and writing challenges to boost your listening and writing skills.
This week’s theme is Versailles.
Note: We send dictations and writing challenges by email, which you can opt into or out of. To check your email preferences, please follow this link and make sure there’s a check next to System Communications in order to receive exercises every week.
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And for more regal French content, remember to check out our social media – Facebook, Instagram and TikTok – for more awesome content!
Bonne semaine à tous et à jeudi prochain !
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