Le bain: 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.
Bathtime runs the same sequence every night, undress, in, wash, out, dry, so the same ten sentences work every time. It's also private: if your accent is rough, the only person who hears it is someone who thinks you invented language.
Print the le bain card Stick it inside the bathroom cabinet or laminate it for the bath edge, so the script is there while the water runs
Why le bain works
The sequence is fixed, so you're not improvising.
Every sentence has a matching action, so your child gets the meaning from what's happening, no translation needed.
No one's watching. It's the lowest-stakes place to practise out loud.
When they answer in English
"I want the duck"
Tu veux le canard ? Voilà le canard.
"no hair wash"
Tu ne veux pas laver les cheveux ? On le fait vite alors.
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. Name the object in their hand. Expect nothing back for weeks.
3 – 5 years
Ask. Où est le canard ? Il est de quelle couleur ? Accept English answers 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 le bain module is coming. Start with Le Dodo, complete now, with audio on every line.
See Le Dodo