Learn how to use the French verb avoir, which means "to have"
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Greg: Hi everyone, I’m Greg: and welcome to FrenchPod101.com. This is Lower Beginner Season 1, Lesson 5, Making a Reservation at a French Restaurant. |
| Mailys: Bonjour à tous. This is Mailys. In this lesson, we will learn the verb “to have”. |
| Greg: Jacques has invited Mireille to a restaurant. |
| Mailys: ...and now he is calling to book a table. |
| Greg: Since he is talking to a stranger on the phone, he will be using formal French. |
| Mailys: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
|---|
| Restaurant Oui allô, Restaurant Chez Marcello. |
| Jacques Allô! J’aimerais réserver une table pour deux, pour 19 h 30 ce soir. |
| Restaurant Je suis désolé, c’est impossible, monsieur. Mais nous avons une table |
| à 18 heures. |
| Jacques À 18 heures! C’est beaucoup trop tôt! Vous avez une table pour 19 heures? |
| Restaurant Non, mais j’ai une table à 18 h 30. |
| Jacques Bon, d’accord pour 18 h 30. |
| Restaurant Quel est votre nom, monsieur? |
| Jacques Je m’appelle Jacques. |
| Restaurant Alors je réserve une table pour deux à 18 h 30 pour Monsieur Jacques. À ce soir! |
| Jacques Merci, au revoir. |
| Greg: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Restaurant Oui allô, Restaurant Chez Marcello. |
| Jacques Allô! J’aimerais réserver une table pour deux, pour 19 h 30 ce soir. |
| Restaurant Je suis désolé, c’est impossible, monsieur. Mais nous avons une table |
| à 18 heures. |
| Jacques À 18 heures! C’est beaucoup trop tôt! Vous avez une table pour 19 heures? |
| Restaurant Non, mais j’ai une table à 18 h 30. |
| Jacques Bon, d’accord pour 18 h 30. |
| Restaurant Quel est votre nom, monsieur? |
| Jacques Je m’appelle Jacques. |
| Restaurant Alors je réserve une table pour deux à 18 h 30 pour Monsieur Jacques. À ce soir! |
| Jacques Merci, au revoir. |
| Greg: Now let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Restaurant Oui allô, Restaurant Chez Marcello. |
| Greg: Hello, Marcello’s Restaurant. |
| Jacques Allô! J’aimerais réserver une table pour deux, pour 19 h 30 ce soir. |
| Greg: Hello! I would like to book a table for two, for 7: 30 tonight. |
| Restaurant Je suis désolé, c’est impossible, monsieur. Mais nous avons une table |
| Greg: I’m sorry, that’s impossible, Sir. But we have a table at 6 o’clock. |
| à 18 heures. |
| Greg: At 6 o’clock! That’s way too early! Do you have a table at 7? |
| Jacques À 18 heures! C’est beaucoup trop tôt! Vous avez une table pour 19 heures? |
| Greg: No, but I have a table at 6: 30. |
| Restaurant Non, mais j’ai une table à 18 h 30. |
| Greg: Well, ok, for 6: 30. |
| Jacques Bon, d’accord pour 18 h 30. |
| Greg: What’s your name, Sir? |
| Restaurant Quel est votre nom, monsieur? |
| Greg: My name is Jacques. |
| Jacques Je m’appelle Marcel. |
| Greg: So I’ll book a table for two at 6: 30 for Mr. Jacques. See you tonight! |
| Restaurant Alors je réserve une table pour deux à 18 h 30 pour Monsieur Marcel. À ce soir! |
| Greg: Thanks, bye. |
| Jacques Merci, au revoir. |
| Greg |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Greg: So Mailys, when people answer the phone in French, do they usually say ‘oui?’, ‘allô?’ or ‘bonjour?’ |
| Mailys: They sometimes use a combination of these words, like ‘oui, allô?’ or ‘oui, bonjour?’ |
| Greg: The other speaker will usually say ‘allô’ or ‘bonjour’ in reply, then ask for the person they want to speak to in this way... |
| Mailys: Est-ce que je pourrais parler à Monsieur Leroux, s'il-vous-plaît? |
| Greg: May I speak to Mister/Mrs. Leroux? |
| Mailys: Then you can answer ‘Oui, un instant, s'il-vous-plaît.’ |
| Greg: This means “Yes, one moment, please.” Alternatively, you can ask if the person is there... |
| Mailys: Est-ce que Madame Leroux est là? |
| Greg: Is Mrs. Leroux there? |
| Mailys: The conversation usually ends with ‘au revoir’, or more informally, with ‘salut’. |
| Greg: Ok, let’s move on to the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Greg: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word we shall see is: |
| Mailys: restaurant [natural native speed] |
| Greg: restaurant |
| Mailys: restaurant [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: restaurant [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: chez [natural native speed] |
| Greg: at someone’s house |
| Mailys: chez [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: chez [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: j’aimerais + inf. [natural native speed] |
| Greg: I would like |
| Mailys: j’aimerais + inf. [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: j’aimerais + inf. [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: réserver [natural native speed] |
| Greg: to book, to reserve |
| Mailys: réserver [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: réserver [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: table [natural native speed] |
| Greg: table |
| Mailys: table [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: table [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: désolé(e) [natural native speed] |
| Greg: sorry |
| Mailys: désolé(e) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: désolé(e) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: impossible [natural native speed] |
| Greg: impossible |
| Mailys: impossible [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: impossible [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: avoir [natural native speed] |
| Greg: to have |
| Mailys: avoir [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: avoir [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| Mailys: votre [natural native speed] |
| Greg: your |
| Mailys: votre [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: votre [natural native speed] |
| Last: |
| Mailys: bon [natural native speed] |
| Greg: good |
| Mailys: bon [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Mailys: bon [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Greg: Let’s take a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Mailys: Let’s start with ‘chez.’ ‘Chez’ is a preposition that doesn’t have an exact English equivalent. |
| Greg: It’s something like “in the house of”. It’s like [someone]‘s or someone’s place/house. |
| Mailys: For instance, ‘chez Jacques’ means “at Jacques’ place.” |
| Greg: We also use this with restaurants' and stores' names, especially when the name of the establishment contains a person’s name. |
| Mailys: In the dialogue, ‘Chez Marcello’ is “Marcello’s.” |
| Greg: It can also be used with some professions. |
| Mailys: ‘Chez le dentiste,’ is “at” or “to the dentist’s office.” Here are more examples... |
| Mailys: Chez Marcello |
| Greg: Marcello’s |
| Mailys: Chez le dentiste |
| Greg: At the dentist’s office |
| Mailys: Chez moi |
| Greg: At my place/at home |
| Mailys: Chez Jacques |
| Greg: At Jacques’ place |
| Greg: Now let’s look at the expression meaning “I would like” |
| Mailys: j’aimerais |
| Greg: This verb tense is called the conditional. It's a more advanced tense, but for now, you’ll find this expression to be very useful for making requests. |
| Mailys: Just add a verb in the infinitive and you can ask for almost anything. |
| Greg: Here are some examples. |
| Greg: J’aimerais avoir un café. |
| Mailys: I’d like to have a coffee. |
| Greg: J’aimerais réserver une table. |
| Mailys: I’d like to book a table. |
| Greg: J’aimerais manger. |
| Mailys: I’d like to eat. |
| Mailys: and to be polite, add “please” at the end. |
| Greg: s’il-vous-plaît |
| Mailys: The adjective ‘bon’ means “good”. |
| Greg: The feminine version is ‘bonne’. Let’s look at some examples |
| Mailys: Elle aime les bons restaurants. |
| Greg: She likes good restaurants. |
| Mailys: Ils ont une très bonne table. |
| Greg: They have a very good table. |
| Mailys: Alors, les biscuits sont bons? |
| Greg: So, are the cookies good? |
| Mailys: La cuisine italienne est très bonne. |
| Greg: Italian cuisine is very good. Ok, with that, let’s move on to the grammar. |
Lesson focus |
| Greg: The focus of this lesson is the verb “to have” in French, which is.... |
| Mailys: ‘avoir.’ ‘Avoir’ is a very common and irregular verb, just like ‘être’. The present tense conjugation is as follows... |
| Greg: J’ai |
| Mailys: Tu as |
| Greg: Il a |
| Mailys: Nous avons |
| Greg: Vous avez |
| Mailys: Ils ont |
| Greg: Notice that the verb sounds the same with ‘tu’ and ‘il’, even though they are spelled differently. |
| Mailys: tu as, il a. |
| Greg: I want to mention that the letter ‘a’ in French never sounds like the English “a”, |
| Mailys: that's really important. Be careful not to confuse ‘tu as’ and ‘il a’ with ‘tu es’, “you are”, and ‘il est’ meaning “he is”. |
| Greg: As for the plural ‘ils’ and ‘elles’, a liaison ‘z’ is inserted before ‘ont’, |
| Mailys: ils ont. |
| Greg: and don’t get confused with ‘ils sont’ meaing “they are”, which has an ‘s’ sound instead of the ‘z’. |
| Mailys: ‘ils ont’, “they have”, ‘ils sont’, “they are”. This sound is the only way to distinguish them. |
| Greg: Spelling-wise, you might have noticed that the preposition ‘à’ as in ‘à 19 heures’, “at 7 pm”, is pronounced the same as the ‘a’ in ‘il a’, but it’s written with an accent grave so they can be told apart. |
| Mailys: Let’s look at some examples |
| Mailys: Jacques a une invitation pour Mireille. |
| Greg: Jacques has an invitation for Mireille. |
| Mailys: Vous avez une table pour deux? |
| Greg: Do you have a table for two? |
| Mailys: Ils ont deux heures. |
| Greg: They have two hours. |
| Greg: In previous lessons, we learned the numbers up to 20. Let’s continue up to 49. |
| Mailys: It's much easier to remember numbers if you understand how to make them than if you try to learn them one by one. |
| Greg: Let's first look at numbers 20 to 29. |
| Mailys: vingt |
| Greg: 20 |
| Mailys: vingt et un |
| Greg: 21 |
| Mailys: vingt-deux |
| Greg: 22 |
| Mailys: vingt-trois |
| Greg: 23 |
| Mailys: vingt-quatre |
| Greg: 24 |
| Mailys: vingt-cinq |
| Greg: 25 |
| Mailys: vingt-six |
| Greg: 26 |
| Mailys: vingt-sept |
| Greg: 27 |
| Mailys: vingt-huit |
| Greg: 28 |
| Mailys: vingt-neuf |
| Greg: 29 |
| Greg: Number 21 uses ‘et un’. For other numbers, ‘et’ is not used. We use ‘vingt’ followed by the second digit. |
| Mailys: The last ‘t’ in ‘vingt’ is only silent with number 20, ‘vingt’. |
| Greg: With this pattern in mind, listen to the numbers 30 to 39. |
| Mailys: trente |
| Greg: 30 |
| Mailys: trente et un |
| Greg: 31 |
| Mailys: trente-deux |
| Greg: 32 |
| Mailys: trente-trois |
| Greg: 33 |
| Mailys: trente-quatre |
| Greg: 34 |
| Mailys: trente-cinq |
| Greg: 35 |
| Mailys: trente-six |
| Greg: 36 |
| Mailys: trente-sept |
| Greg: 37 |
| Mailys: trente-huit |
| Greg: 38 |
| Mailys: trente-neuf |
| Greg: 39 |
| Greg: And now let’s go through 40 to 49. |
| Mailys: quarante |
| Greg: 40 |
| Mailys: quarante et un |
| Greg: 41 |
| Mailys: quarante-deux |
| Greg: 42 |
| Mailys: quarante-trois |
| Greg: 43 |
| Mailys: quarante-quatre |
| Greg: 44 |
| Mailys: quarante-cinq |
| Greg: 45 |
| Mailys: quarante-six |
| Greg: 46 |
| Mailys: quarante-sept |
| Greg: 47 |
| Mailys: quarante-huit |
| Greg: 48 |
| Mailys: quarante-neuf |
| Greg: 49 |
| Greg: Ok, that’s it for this lesson! Thanks for listening, and join us for lesson 6 to find out how Jacques and Mireille’s dinner date will go! |
| Mailys: À bientôt! |
| Greg: See you soon! |
35 Comments
HideHi everyone!
What do you have in your bag now?
Bonjour Bun-chan,
Thank you for your feedback!
Please note that there are a few mistakes in your sentences.
It should be:
Merci pour cette bonne leçon.
J'aimerais réserver une table pour deux.
Mais au Japon, maintenant, les restaurants ne servent pas d'alcool.
Malheureusement.
Good luck with your studies!
Have a nice day,
Tatiana
Team FrenchPod101
Salut,
Merci pour un bon leçon.
J'aimerais réserver une table pour deux.
Mais dans Japon, maintenant, les restaurants non sert d'alcool.
Malheureusement.
Salut Jona,
Thank you so much for your positive message! 😇❤️️
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
We wish you good luck with your language studies.
Bonne journée,
Levente
Team FrenchPod101.com
Merci pour ces leçons! 😄
Une question, shouldn't it be "je suis desolée" considering it's a female voice? Merci!❤️️
Bonjour Molly,
Merci pour ton commentaire, ta phrase est correcte !
Bonne journée,
Marion
Team FrenchPod101
j'ai mes livres
Bonjour Aishat,
Attention il faut dire "téléphone portable". 😉
Bonne journée,
Marion
Team FrenchPod101
J' ai un téléphone de portable,deux stylos et un livre.
Bonjour Ese,
Merci pour ton commentaire, tes phrases sont correctes ! 😄
Belle journée,
Marion
Team FrenchPod101
Bonjour tout le monde.
Maintenant, j'ai un livre, deux stylos et douze crayons dans mon sac.