Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Introduction
Virginie: Bonjour à tous!
Eric: Hello, Eric here. The best French house you will ever visit.
Virginie: Hi, this is Virginie, and I am with Eric.
Eric: How are you, Virginie?
Virginie: I am good. How are you, Eric?
Eric: I am great. So what are we gonna be looking at out here?
Virginie: In this lesson you will learn about how to express quantities.
Eric: We are gonna be using the French partitive article.
Virginie: In this lesson’s dialog Joe meets his parents’ friends and they are talking about their families.
Eric: Let’s have a listen.
Dialogue
Épouse : Bonjour Joe ! Et bienvenue chez nous !
Joe : Bonjour !
Épouse : Je suis Catherine. Et voici Yves, mon mari.
Joe : Enfin je vous rencontre !
Mari : Entre, fais comme chez toi. Tu veux boire quelque chose ?
Joe : Oui, s'il vous plaît.
Épouse : Je vais apporter du jus d'orange.
Joe : Cette maison est jolie. C'est une photo de famille ?
Mari : Oui, c'est notre fils, et nos deux filles. Ils habitent tous à Strasbourg.
Épouse : Ahh...nos bébés ! Joe, comment vont tes parents ? Et ton frère et ta soeur ?
Joe : Ils vont bien. Ils disent bonjour.
Eric: One more time, a little more slowly.
Virginie: Encore une fois, plus lentement.
Épouse : Bonjour Joe ! Et bienvenue chez nous !
Joe : Bonjour !
Épouse : Je suis Catherine. Et voici Yves, mon mari.
Joe : Enfin je vous rencontre !
Mari : Entre, fais comme chez toi. Tu veux boire quelque chose ?
Joe : Oui, s'il vous plaît.
Épouse : Je vais apporter du jus d'orange.
Joe : Cette maison est jolie. C'est une photo de famille ?
Mari : Oui, c'est notre fils, et nos deux filles. Ils habitent tous à Strasbourg.
Épouse : Ahh...nos bébés ! Joe, comment vont tes parents ? Et ton frère et ta soeur ?
Joe : Ils vont bien. Ils disent bonjour.
Eric: One more time, with the translation.
Épouse : Bonjour Joe ! Et bienvenue chez nous !
Eric: Hello, Joe! And welcome to our place!
Joe : Bonjour !
Eric: Hello!
Épouse : Je suis Catherine. Et voici Yves, mon mari.
Eric: I'm Catherine. And this is Yves, my husband.
Joe : Enfin je vous rencontre !
Eric: I finally meet you!
Mari : Entre, fais comme chez toi. Tu veux boire quelque chose ?
Eric: Come in, make yourself at home. Do you want something to drink?
Joe : Oui, s'il vous plaît.
Eric: Yes, please.
Épouse : Je vais apporter du jus d'orange.
Eric: I'll bring some orange juice.
Joe : Cette maison est jolie. C'est une photo de famille ?
Eric: This is a pretty house. Is this a family picture?
Mari : Oui, c'est notre fils, et nos deux filles. Ils habitent tous à Strasbourg.
Eric: Yes, this is our son, and our two daughters. They all live in Strasbourg.
Épouse : Ahh...nos bébés ! Joe, comment vont tes parents ? Et ton frère et ta soeur ?
Eric: Oh...our babies! Joe, how are your parents? And your brother and sister?
Joe : Ils vont bien. Ils disent bonjour.
Eric: They're good. They say hello.
Post Conversation Banter
Virginie: Even Catherine's children don’t live with them, they live in Strasbourg.
Eric: So is that pretty common for students?
Virginie: Yeah, they probably study in Strasbourg and they have to leave their city, just like in the US, I guess.
Eric: Right. So they went away to school?
Virginie: Yeah, exactly. But it’s also very usual, especially when you live in a big city with your parents to stay with your parents during your studies.
Eric: So you could live at home while you go to college too?
Virginie: Exactly. Although French students want to be apart from their parents, they can’t, that’s the thing.
Eric: Oh, rough, ok.
Virginie: I know.
Eric: So I guess French colleges don’t have sort of like the campus field with dorms and all that?
Virginie: Not really. We have dorms but they are usually spread out around the cities. Like in Paris, there is the Cité universitaire internationale, the International Universitary Campus.
Eric: Got you. But these are like a series of apartments for students?
Virginie: Yeah, exactly.
Eric: I don’t think in France they will usually share rooms either?
Virginie: No, no, no. Not at all.
Eric: That’s usually what happens in America when you are a freshman in college.
Virginie: That’s true. When we watch movie, you are a French kid and you watch American movies and you see all the students sharing rooms – it sounds like a lot of fun. We don’t have this.
Eric: Jealous, I guess.
Virginie: Yeah, we study better though. No, that is not true. So yes, that’s what usually happens, children staying with their parents during their studies.
Eric: Ok. So let’s get into a little vocabulary.
Vocab List
Virginie: bienvenu(e) [natural native speed]
Eric: welcome
Virginie: bienvenu(e) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: bienvenu(e) [natural native speed]
Virginie: nous [natural native speed]
Eric: us
Virginie: nous [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: nous [natural native speed]
Virginie: voici [natural native speed]
Eric: here is, this is
Virginie: voici [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: voici [natural native speed]
Virginie: un mari [natural native speed]
Eric: a husband
Virginie: un mari [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: un mari [natural native speed]
Virginie: enfin [natural native speed]
Eric: finally
Virginie: enfin [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: enfin [natural native speed]
Virginie: vous [natural native speed]
Eric: you (formal)
Virginie: vous [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: vous [natural native speed]
Virginie: rencontrer [natural native speed]
Eric: to meet
Virginie: rencontrer [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: rencontrer [natural native speed]
Virginie: entrer [natural native speed]
Eric: to enter
Virginie: entrer [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: entrer [natural native speed]
Virginie: comme [natural native speed]
Eric: as, like
Virginie: comme [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: comme [natural native speed]
Virginie: vouloir [natural native speed]
Eric: to want
Virginie: vouloir [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: vouloir [natural native speed]
Virginie: boire [natural native speed]
Eric: to drink
Virginie: boire [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: boire [natural native speed]
Virginie: quelque chose [natural native speed]
Eric: something
Virginie: quelque chose [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: quelque chose [natural native speed]
Virginie: apporter [natural native speed]
Eric: to bring
Virginie: apporter [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: apporter [natural native speed]
Virginie: du/de la/de l' [natural native speed]
Eric: some
Virginie: du/de la/de l' [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: du/de la/de l' [natural native speed]
Virginie: le jus d'orange [natural native speed]
Eric: orange juice
Virginie: le jus d'orange [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: le jus d'orange [natural native speed]
Virginie: cette [natural native speed]
Eric: this, that
Virginie: cette [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: cette [natural native speed]
Virginie: une maison [natural native speed]
Eric: a house
Virginie: une maison [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: une maison [natural native speed]
Virginie: très [natural native speed]
Eric: very
Virginie: très [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: très [natural native speed]
Virginie: joli(e) [natural native speed]
Eric: pretty
Virginie: joli(e) [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: joli(e) [natural native speed]
Virginie: une famille [natural native speed]
Eric: a family
Virginie: une famille [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: une famille [natural native speed]
Virginie: notre [natural native speed]
Eric: our
Virginie: notre [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: notre [natural native speed]
Virginie: un fils [natural native speed]
Eric: a son
Virginie: un fils [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: un fils [natural native speed]
Virginie: nos [natural native speed]
Eric: our (with plural nouns)
Virginie: nos [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: nos [natural native speed]
Virginie: une fille [natural native speed]
Eric: a daughter
Virginie: une fille [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: une fille [natural native speed]
Virginie: habiter [natural native speed]
Eric: to reside, to live
Virginie: habiter [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: habiter [natural native speed]
Virginie: tous [natural native speed]
Eric: all, every
Virginie: tous [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: tous [natural native speed]
Virginie: un bébé [natural native speed]
Eric: a baby
Virginie: un bébé [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: un bébé [natural native speed]
Virginie: un frère [natural native speed]
Eric: a brother
Virginie: un frère [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: un frère [natural native speed]
Virginie: une soeur [natural native speed]
Eric: a sister
Virginie: une soeur [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: une soeur [natural native speed]
Virginie: dire [natural native speed]
Eric: to say
Virginie: dire [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Virginie: dire [natural native speed]
Vocab and Phrase Usage
Virginie: So, let's start with "bienvenue".
Eric: That's what Catherine tells joe when he comes in
Virginie: Yes she says "bienvenu chez nous!!
Eric: And that's welcome to our place.
Virginie: So bienvenue is welcome.
Eric: Yes and the way to say "at our place in French is "chez nous".
Virginie: Yes, chez being at when referring to someone 's place.
Eric: And nous is "us.
Virginie: Literally that's "at us"
Eric: You also probably saw restaurants called chez Julie for example
Virginie: Yes, at Julie's
Eric: At Virginie's would be chez Virginie.
Virginie: So again, welcome to our place is bienvenue chez nous.
Eric: Let's take a look at another politeness phrase, make yourself at home.
Virginie: Catherine says "fais comme chez toi"
Eric: Let's break it down
Virginie: Yes. First, we have the imperative of the verb faire, to do, and that's FAIs
Eric: Then, and I think it's a new word for us, we have the word comme,
Virginie: Comme in this context means "like", it's a comparative adverb
Eric: Then we have chez toi
Virginie: So, remember chez nous is at our place, eh bien, well, chez toi is at your place
Eric: So literally we have "make like at your place.
Virginie: Fais - comme- chez - toi.
Eric: Make yourself home. So in French to say "home" you always say chez followed by the person's name or a pronoun?
Virginie: Yes. But if it's "at my place", you can say chez moi AND you can say "a la maison"
Eric: Oh, a la masion. And that means the person who talks refers to his/her own place.
Virginie: Yes, maison means house, and in this case "home"
Eric: So even if I live in an apartment I will say " a la maison" literally at the house.
Virginie: Exactly, oui.
Eric: OK. So remember, here we have chez moi.
Virginie: At my place, or at home
Eric: Then we have chez toi
Virginie: At your place
Eric: And finally chez nous
Virginie: No let's do some grammar.

Lesson focus

Eric: What's our focus for this lesson?
Virginie: Expressing quantities with the partitive article.
Eric: Ew, what's that, the partitive article?
Virginie: Well. It's the article we use to talk about quantified that you can't count.
Eric: Like for water for example?
Virginie: Exactly. You can't say one water, two waters, three waters, right?
Eric: Right, it's just water, or some water.
Virginie: Yes and that's when you will need the partitive article.
Eric: OK I see. And what does it look like?
Virginie: Ok let's start with the masculine, obviously used with masculine quantities.
Eric: OK
Virginie: It's actually in our dialogue.
Eric: Where?
Virginie: Catherine says "je vais chercher du jus d'orange."
Eric: I am going to get some orange juice.
Virginie: Right, we already know le jus d'orange.
Eric: That's orange juice
Virginie: Yes. It's a non-countable thing and it's masculine. Therefore you will use the article "du"
Eric: Du. We could almost translate it by "some.
Virginie: Absolutely. Whenever you say "some", use the partitive.
Eric: OK now what is the feminine partitive article?
Virginie: OK. Let's take the word la confiture.
Eric: That's gelee.
Virginie: You can't count it
Eric: And it;s feminine. So how do you say for example "I want some gelee"
Virginie: Je veux de la confiture
Eric: OK so here the partitive article is "de la"
Virginie: YEs
Eric: Alright. Now the article is modified when before a vowel, right?
Virginie: Yes, so no matter if the noun is masculine or feminine, in case of noun starting with a vowel, you'll have de l’.
Eric: Like with water, eau.
Virginie: Oui. Je veux de l'eau.
Eric: Alright. So, again, we have...
Virginie: du
Eric: masculine
Virginie: De la
Eric: Feminine
Virginie: and de l'
Eric: nouns starting with a vowel,
Virginie: OK now we need to give the plural partitive article.
Eric: Right
Virginie: The partitive plural is "des” and you will use it when you talk about, multiple things.
Eric: Countable or not, it doesn't matter.
Virginie: But when the quantity is vague, you don't exactly know the amount.
Eric: For example?
Virginie: Yes. "je veux des pommes"
Eric: I want some apples.
Virginie: See? You can count apples, but here you don't how many you want, you just want some apples.

Outro

Virginie: Ok, I think that's it for our lesson. Thank you!
Eric: Thank you.
Virginie: Merci, Eric. Bye-bye!

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