Learn Hardcore French: Cette chaîne propose aussi un podcast que j’écoute pendant le trajet en bus. - This channel also offers a podcast that I listen to during the bus ride.

chaîne is a feminine noun in French (you just have to learn the gender with the word).
Because it’s feminine and starts with a consonant, the demonstrative ce becomes cette:
- ce (masc., before consonant): ce film
- cet (masc., before vowel or mute h): cet arbre
- cette (fem., any start): cette chaîne

So cette chaîne = this channel (feminine).

Why is the verb propose used here? Could we say offre or a instead?

propose comes from proposer, which is often used for services or content that a company/channel offers, provides, or features.

Cette chaîne propose un podcast suggests: This channel makes a podcast available / has it as part of what it offers.
You could say:
- Cette chaîne offre aussi un podcast. – grammatically correct, but offrir often implies something given more as a gift or special benefit.
- Cette chaîne a aussi un podcast. – more neutral and simple: This channel also has a podcast.

proposer here is very natural in French to talk about what a channel, website, or service offers to its audience.

Where can aussi go in this sentence? Is propose aussi the only option?

In French, aussi is flexible, but its position slightly changes the emphasis.

Original:

Cette chaîne propose aussi un podcast…
→ Emphasis on the fact that, in addition to something else, it offers a podcast.

Other common options:

Cette chaîne a aussi un podcast que j’écoute…
→ Focus on also having a podcast.
Cette chaîne propose un podcast aussi.
→ Possible, but sounds a bit heavier; usually used in speech with a particular intonation.

You normally don’t put aussi right at the beginning here (Aussi, cette chaîne propose…) unless you are writing a more formal, written-style sentence that continues a previous idea.

So propose aussi is the most natural here, but there is some flexibility.

Why is it un podcast? Isn’t there a more “French” word?

French has borrowed the English word podcast, and it’s very widely used, especially in Europe.

It’s masculine: un podcast, ce podcast, un nouveau podcast.
In some regions, especially in Canada, people also use un balado, which is a French-created word.

Both are correct, but podcast is what you will hear most often in everyday European French and in the media.

Why do we say que j’écoute and not qui j’écoute?

This is about the difference between qui and que as relative pronouns.

qui = who/that as subject of the verb in the relative clause.
Example: le podcast qui commence maintenant (the podcast that is starting now) – here, the podcast is the subject of commence.
que = that/which as direct object of the verb in the relative clause.
In your sentence, we have:
- Base sentence: J’écoute ce podcast.
- Turn ce podcast into the noun being described:
  le podcast que j’écoute = the podcast that I listen to.

Here, I (= je) is the subject of écouter, and le podcast is the object, so French uses que, not qui.

So: un podcast que j’écoute, never un podcast qui j’écoute.

Why is there no preposition after j’écoute (like j’écoute à)? In English we say listen to.

In French, écouter is a direct transitive verb, which means it takes its object directly, with no preposition:

écouter quelqu’un – to listen to someone
écouter de la musique – to listen to music
écouter un podcast – to listen to a podcast

So:

English: listen to a podcast
French: écouter un podcast (no à, no à un podcast)

This is just a structural difference between the two languages.

Why is j’écoute in the simple present? In English I might say I listen or I’m listening.

French only has one present tense form (je j’écoute) where English has both I listen (habitual) and I am listening (right now).

j’écoute can mean:

I listen / I regularly listen
I’m listening (right now)

Here, from context (pendant le trajet en bus), it clearly means a habitual action: I (usually) listen to it during the bus ride. The simple present in French covers that meaning.

Why is it pendant le trajet en bus and not something like pendant mon trajet en bus?

French often omits the possessive when it’s obvious from context, especially with everyday activities:

Je me brosse les dents. – I brush my teeth (literally: the teeth)
Je ferme la porte. – I shut the door (often my door)

Likewise, le trajet en bus can easily mean my bus ride, because we’re talking about the bus ride of the speaker.

You could say:

pendant mon trajet en bus – grammatically fine, a bit more explicit, maybe slightly more personal. But pendant le trajet en bus is very natural and typical French style.

Why is it en bus and not dans le bus or par bus?

All three exist, but they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

en bus = the usual way to express by bus (mode of transport):
- Je vais au travail en bus. – I go to work by bus.
dans le bus = inside the bus, with a physical/location focus:
- Je suis dans le bus. – I’m in the bus.
par bus is much less common in everyday speech; it can mean by bus (as a means) but is more typical in logistics or formal writing (par avion, par bateau, etc.).

In your sentence we’re talking about what you do while travelling by bus, so pendant le trajet en bus is the natural choice.

Can I use durant instead of pendant here?

Yes, you can say:

… que j’écoute durant le trajet en bus.

durant and pendant are very close in meaning (during). Differences:

pendant is the most common, neutral everyday choice.
durant can sound a bit more formal or literary, but it is absolutely correct and common in writing.

In everyday speech, pendant is slightly more natural, but durant is not wrong.

Are there any important pronunciation or liaison points in this sentence?

A few useful ones:

cette chaîne
- The final -e in cette is almost silent.
- chaîne is pronounced roughly like shen (with an open è sound).
que j’écoute
- In casual speech, que may be very lightly pronounced or almost reduced, but it doesn’t trigger a liaison.
- j’écoute has a clear é sound; the -te at the end is silent.
trajet en bus
- There is no required liaison between trajet and en; you typically hear them separately: tra-jè / an.
- bus is pronounced almost like byss (single s sound).

Listening to native audio for similar sentences will help fix these patterns in your ear.

Can I reorder the sentence, for example starting with J’écoute?

Yes, you can keep the meaning and change the focus a bit. For example:

J’écoute aussi un podcast de cette chaîne pendant le trajet en bus.
- Here the focus is more on you and your action (I also listen to a podcast from this channel).
Pendant le trajet en bus, j’écoute un podcast que propose cette chaîne.
- Starts with the time phrase; a bit more formal or written in style.
Cette chaîne a aussi un podcast que j’écoute pendant le trajet en bus.
- Similar idea but with a instead of propose.

All of these are correct; the original is a very natural way to highlight what the channel offers.