Jill Biden says she 'instantly knew' that she liked Brigitte Macron trends now

First lady Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron split off from their husbands for a brief tour of Planet Word in downtown Washington, D.C., where they spoke about their friendship and love of education. 

'We instantly, you know, knew that we liked each other,' Dr. Biden said of Brigitte, who she's spent time with at a number of events outside the U.S., but never hosted stateside. 

The Bidens are hosting the Macrons Thursday night for the Biden administration's first state dinner.

'France is our oldest ally, of course, and we're just so excited that Brigitte and Emmanuel are here, of course we've been with them before, but to have them in the United States is something very special,' the first lady told reporters of the decision to host the Macrons. 

Brigitte read from a piece of paper - in English - and thanked the American first lady. 

'Dear Jill, thank you so much for planning such a visit. I am really glad we are able to share this moment together,' the spouse of French President Emmanuel Macron said. 'I know we both share a love and lifelong commitment to education. This really means a lot.' 

'We are friends, we are friends,' she said. 

The two first ladies grabbed hands. 

'Sorry for my English, but I'm trying,' Macron said.  

Their event consisted of a tour of Planet Word's Schwarzman Library, a poetry reading with some Q&A from local students, and then a group picture. 

In the Schwarzman library, which seems to stretch on forever because of the mirrored ceilings, Planet Word CEO Ann Friedman demonstrated one of the musuem's nine dioramas - this one of Le Petit Prince, written by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery. 

Friedman pointed out that Le Petit Prince was the 'most translated book in the world' after the Bible.

'I'll have to re-read it,' Dr. Biden commented. 

The two women then walked over to the museum's interactive reading table, where books are placed on holders that light them up and read them out loud. The spouses watched a copy of A Wrinkle in Time come alive. 

Several students were seated nearby, all French immersion students from Silver Spring International School, and Biden - ever the teacher - questioned them about how their lessons were going. 

'I took French for six years.  But I don't remember a lot of it,' Biden said. 'I'm taking Spanish now.' 

The two spouses then attended a bilingual poetry reading - by U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and former National Student Poet Maya Salameh - in front of Planet Word's giant Word Wall, before engaging in a little Q&A with the students. 

Both spouses were peppered with questions about their lives - some in English, some in French. 

Macron was asked, in French, where she purchased her shoes - black suede stiletto heels with an embellishment. 

'About my shoes and my style. I have a designer Nicolas Ghesquière and he knows all my measurements and he does a great job,' she said via a translator. 

'It's another man of my life,' Macron said to laughs. 

'It is easier to do my job. Otherwise I'm always in jeans and t-shirts. It's my uniform,' she added. 

Dr. Biden was asked why she decided to keep teaching while in the White House.

She recalled her husband asking her if she could handle juggling the two jobs - as the first lady position takes up a lot of time, despite being unpaid. 

'Teaching is my passion and I teach English and I love it. And I said to my husband, "I don't want to give up teaching," and he said, "oh, I don't know, do you think you can do both?"'  

'I don't know, but I'm going to try,' Dr. Biden recalled telling Joe. 'And I still love it ... I feel like everyday is an adventure.'

'No hard questions, nothing about math,' Dr. Biden also joked. 

Biden said she 'never' expected to be first lady. 'If somebody would have told me, you know, even, I don't know, 10 years ago that we would be in the White House and be where we are, I never would have believed it.' 

'You must have some questions for Brigitte,' the American first lady said. 

'No, I prefer you,' Macron said throwing her hands up - though later answered questions in French.  

Biden was also asked if she's been treated differently as a teacher by her students since becoming first lady. 

'You know, funny enough, it's like their first day, they have to go through security. So they're sort of like "oh my gosh," so we say we're not looking for anything but weapons. So they check their bookbags and everything. But then, you know, after a week or two - they don't even remember I'm first lady,' Dr. Biden answered. 

'It's just like, I'm their English teacher,' she said. 

Brigitte then grabbed the mic for her turn. 

'I was gonna stop, Brigitte!' Biden joked. 

Dr. Biden has previously spent solo time with both the French president and his wife. 

She and Emmanuel Macron both led their countries' respective delegations to the opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2021 summer olympics.

Then at last year's G20, Dr. Biden sipped Chardonnay with Brigitte Macron at a restaurant in Rome, as President Biden tried to patch up the U.S.'s relationship with France, after a new pact between the U.S., U.K. and Australia derailed a profitable French submarine deal. 

'It's nice, two friends together, just like sisters,' Dr. Biden told reporters after she sipped and snacked with Brigitte Macron at Il Marchese. 

On Wednesday night, the Bidens took the Macrons out to an intimate dinner at Fiola Mare, a Michelin-starred Italian and seafood restaurant in Georgetown, which overlooks the Potomac River.