Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Sam: Better than yours.
Céline: Bonjour, Sam.
Sam: Hello, Céline. Mine's better than yours! That's today's lesson.
Céline: Ok j’ai compris. Bonjour, Alex!
Alex : Bonjour, Céline. Bonjour, Sam. Vous allez bien?
Céline: Ça va.
Sam: Yeah, I'm great. But mine's better than yours.
Alex : What do you mean? Because you know...?
Sam: Hey! That's today's lesson actually.
Alex : Ok, because, you know, you should… préciser.
Céline: Yeah, you should be precise.
Sam: Ok. Ok. But mine's still better than yours.
Céline: D'accord. Ok, so thank you for joining FrenchPod101.com.
Sam: Thank you, too. Today's conversation takes place between two people, Tiny Rémy and Pimpled Daniel. They're arguing.
Céline: Don't forget, there's also Alice.
Sam: Oh, yes. Wiz Alice. She's like the referee today, because these two are arguing about whose whatever is better. They're doing this over school lunch, and they're two children.
Céline: D'accord. Alors c'est parti.
Sam: Let's go!
DIALOGUE
Christophe: Ma fourmilière est géniale.
Sylvain: Mon anguille est mieux entraînée. Elle peut nager de la baignoire jusque dans un seau d’eau.
Christophe: Mes fourmis sont plus fortes. Elles sont de meilleures athlètes.
Sylvain: Mon anguille est plus agile que tes fourmis. Elle nage mieux.
Christophe: Mes fourmis...
Céline: Stop! Vous deux, ça suffit!
Sam: One more time, with the English.
Céline: Encore une fois, avec l’anglais.
Christophe: Ma fourmilière est géniale.
Sam: My ant farm is awesome.
Sylvain: Mon anguille est mieux entraînée. Elle peut nager de la baignoire jusque dans un seau d’eau.
Sam: My eel is better trained. She can swim from the bathtub to a water bucket.
Christophe: Mes fourmis sont plus fortes. Elles sont de meilleures athlètes.
Sam: My ants are stronger. They are better athletes.
Sylvain: Mon anguille est plus agile que tes fourmis. Elle nage mieux.
Sam: My eel is more dexterous than your ants. She swims better.
Christophe: Mes fourmis…
Sam: My ants…
Céline: Stop! Vous deux, ça suffit!
Sam: Stop it! You two, knock it off!
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Sam: So guys, you know when you're kids and maybe you have something cool and your friend has something. Did you ever argue with your friends about whose whatever was better?
Alex : Well, maybe not about things, but maybe I'm arguing more about opinions, you know? More that sometimes I think that I'm correct and my opinion is right and my friend's opinion is not right.
Céline: Yeah, that's true. That's typically French.
Sam: Oh, really? Typically French?
Céline: Yes. Oui. Je dois admettre.
Alex : Typiquement français.
Céline: Typiquement français. We want to be. Yes.
Sam: Do you ever argue with your friends about who's right and who's not?
Céline: Always!
Alex : Tout le temps!
Sam: But, actually, when we argue, I'm always right, so it's ok.
Céline: I let you think that you're right, but tu n’as pas raison.
Sam: But I am right.
Céline: Ok.
Sam: My opinion's better than yours, usually.
Céline: Je ne sais pas. Ok. Let's get-- Je ne sais pas. I want to keep him...
Alex : C’est une façon de voir.
Sam: Ah, see I was right as always.
Céline: Bien sûr, tu as toujours raison Sam. Allez.
Sam: Thank you.
Céline: Allez. On va au vocabulaire?
Sam: Ok. Since I'm right, we can move on to the vocabulary now.
VOCAB LIST
Sam: Let's look at some items from this lesson, ok? The first one is?
Céline: Fourmilière.
Sam: Ant farm.
Céline: Fourmilière. Fourmilière.
Sam: Next?
Alex : Anguille.
Sam: Eel.
Alex : Anguille. Anguille.
Sam: Next?
Céline: Génial.
Sam: Great.
Céline: Génial. Génial.
Sam: Next.
Alex : Entraîner.
Sam: To train.
Alex : Entraîner. Entraîner.
Sam: Next?
Céline: Nager.
Sam: To swim.
Céline: Nager. Nager.
Sam: Next?
Alex : Jusque. Jusque. Jusque.
Sam: Until.
Alex: Jusque.
Sam: Until.
Alex: Jusque. Jusque.
Sam: Next?
Céline: Seau.
Sam: Bucket.
Céline: Seau. Seau.
Sam: Next?
Alex : Fourmis.
Sam: Ants.
Alex : Fourmis. Fourmis.
Sam: Next?
Céline: Fortes.
Sam: Strong, feminine plural.
Céline: Fortes. Fortes.
Sam: Next?
Alex : Plus.
Sam: More.
Alex : Plus. Plus.
Sam: Next?
Céline: Agile.
Sam: Agile.
Céline: Agile. Agile.
Sam: Lastly?
Alex : Ca suffit.
Sam: That's enough.
Alex : Ca suffit. Ca suffit.
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Sam: Let's look at the vocabulary usage from the section. Ok, guys?
Céline: Allez!
Alex : On y va. Alors, le premier mot c’est “génial”. It means 'awesome' or 'brilliant'.
Céline: “C’est génial” can be used to express excitement. Another term is “c’est d’enfer!”.
Alex : Mais ne le confondez pas avec “c’est l’enfer”, which means 'it's hell'.
Céline: Oui ouh là là. Bravo Alex! So next, there's the word “entraîner”.
Sam: It's from the first verb group meaning 'to train'.
Céline: Yes. As in train animals or train for a competition. Je m’entraîne pour le 100 mètres.
Sam: I'm training for the 100 meters.
Alex : Then the adverb 'plus'.
Sam: Ah! Like “plus ou moins”, 'more or less'.
Céline: Tout à fait. “Plus” ou “plus” is used to compare superiority.
Sam: For example?
Alex : Je suis plus grand que toi.
Sam: I'm taller than you.
Céline: Or “Je suis plus intelligente que toi”.
Sam: I'm more intelligent than you. But that's not true.
Céline: Hahaha… “ça suffit” is our next item.
Alex : I thought you were serious for a second.
Sam: What does it mean?
Céline: 'That's enough' or 'knock it off'. You can use it when someone is getting on your nerves. Sam.
Sam: Oh. I understand. But I would never get on anyone's nerves. Shall we move on to the grammar?

Lesson focus

Céline: Ok. Today, we look at the common erreur. How to use “mieux” et “meilleur”.
Alex : First of all, let's remember that “mieux” is the comparative of 'bien' and “meilleur” is the comparative for 'bon'.
Sam: 'Bon' and 'bien' mean 'good' and 'well', respectively.
Alex : Exactement! “Mieux” and “meilleur” have, therefore, the same meaning. 'Better'.
Céline: Listen, Sam, and tell me if you can pinpoint the difference in the usage. Je parle mieux français que toi. Mon français est meilleur que le tien.
Sam: What did she say?
Alex : Only the truth. I speak better French than you. My French is better than yours.
Sam: I'm lost, but I know you just trashed my French.
Céline: Let me help. Je parle mieux français que toi. “Mieux” highlights the verb. “Mieux” is an adverb.
Alex : And, on the contrary, with “Mon français est meilleur que le tien”, “meilleur” highlights the noun 'français'. “Meilleur” is an adjective here.
Sam: Wow. So the difference comes with the usage, huh?
Céline: And one more thing. You might be confused with phrases with “être”. Most of the time, “mieux” is used.
Alex : Par exemple, “Il est mieux comme ami”. Here, “mieux” describes the way of being, therefore the action, and the adverb “mieux” is needed.
Céline: If a noun is described then “meilleur” is used. As in “Ce fromage est meilleur”. This cheese is better. Here 'cheese' is qualified by the adjective “meilleur”.
Sam: Ok.
Alex : Tout va pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes. N’est-ce pas Sam?
Sam: Ok. Whatever you say.
Céline: Ok. Everything is at its best in the best of the worlds.
Alex: World.
Sam: Ok. Let's practice. Can you give us an example with “mieux”?
Alex : Je me sens mieux aujourd’hui.
Sam: I feel better today. How about an example with “meilleur”?
Céline: Pour le meilleur et pour le pire.
Sam: For better or worse.
Céline: Or “Mes idées sont meilleures que celles de Sam”.
Sam: My ideas are better than Sam's.
Céline: Oui!
Sam: But we know that's not true. It was just an example.
Céline: That's a good example.
Sam: That's a bad example, but it's good grammar.
Céline: Oui. Tu as compris?
Sam: Yes, I understood.
Céline: Ok.
Sam: And I'm hungry, so let's wrap up this lesson.
Céline: You're always hungry.
Sam: No, I'm not always hungry.
Céline: Yes.
Sam: Just give me some steak with some ketchup on it.
Céline: Super! On y va?
Alex : On y va!

Outro

Sam: Ok. A la prochaine!
Céline: Merci beaucoup!
Alex : Au revoir.

Grammar

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