Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Sam: Hello and welcome back to FrenchPod101.com. “Restroom, Please. Hello, Alex!”
Alex: Hello, Sam! Hello, Céline.
Céline: Bonjour, Alex. Bonjour, Sam.
Sam: Hey, guys, welcome back. So what’s the focus of today’s lesson?
Alex: The focus of this lesson is giving directions in French.
Sam: Oh, fantastic.
Céline: Yes, and this conversation takes place in a department store.
Sam: And I think the conversation is between, Clever Robert and a woman.
Alex: The speakers will be speaking in formal French.
Sam: Ok. Shall we start?
Céline: C’est parti.
Sam: Let’s go!
DIALOGUE
Céline: Où se trouvent les toilettes, s’il vous plaît?
Alex: Elles sont là, euh... tout droit.
Céline: Et pour les toilettes des dames?
Alex: En face des toilettes des hommes!
Sam: One more time, slowly.
Céline: Où se trouvent les toilettes, s’il vous plaît?
Alex: Elles sont là, euh... tout droit.
Céline: Et pour les toilettes des dames?
Alex: En face des toilettes des hommes!
Sam: Now once more with the English translation.
Céline: Où se trouvent les toilettes, s’il vous plaît?
Sam: Where are the restrooms, please?
Alex: Elles sont là, euh... tout droit.
Sam: They’re there, straight ahead.
Céline: Et pour les toilettes des dames?
Sam: And the ladies’ restrooms?
Alex: En face des toilettes des hommes!
Sam: In front of the men’s restrooms!
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Céline: Did you know, Sam, that in Belgium and in Quebec, we don’t say “les toilettes?”
Sam: So what do you say in Belgium and Quebec?
Alex: Ok, in Belgium you say, “la toilette” et “les cabinets”.
Sam: How about in Quebec?
Céline: “Salle de bains” ou “salle de toilette”. So it’s a little bit different. The French is different than in France.
Sam: But it all means the same thing, right?
Céline: Exactement.
Sam: So, Céline, if I’m in France or other French-speaking countries outside of Belgium, and I say “les toilettes” or “les cabinets” will the people understand me?
Céline: If you’re in France and you use the French from Quebec, it’s a little bit-- yeah. Maybe they will make fun of you a little bit, but they will understand.
Sam: Oh, ok. Great. Because the toilet is an important place.
Céline: Très important. Very important. How about “dame pipi”? Do you remember?
Sam: “Dame pipi”? Who is she?
Céline: Alex, who is “dame pipi”?
Alex: Alors la dame pipi c’est, ce sont les dames qui travaillent aux toilettes.
Sam: Oh! The lady that works in the toilet. Or the cleaning staff.
Alex: Voilà!
Céline: Yeah. And we call them “dame pipi.”
Sam: Ok.
Céline: What’s the translation for “dame pipi” in English?
Sam: Custodian.
Céline: Oh. But the literal translation? Lady...
Sam: Lady peepee?
Alex: Lady pee.
Céline: Lady pee. Lady woowoo.
Sam: I think the best word might be “custodian”.
Céline: Oh, d’accord. So why don’t we check the vocabulary?
VOCAB LIST
Sam: Ok, let’s go. The first item is?
Alex: Où.
Sam: Where.
Alex: Où. Où.
Sam: Next.
Céline: Toilettes
Sam: Restrooms or toilets.
Céline: Toilettes. Toilettes.
Sam: Next is a phrase.
Alex: Où sont les toilettes?
Sam: Where are the restrooms?
Alex: Où sont les toilettes? Où sont les toilettes?
Sam: Next.
Céline: Là.
Sam: There.
Céline: Là. Là.
Sam: Next.
Alex: Tout droit.
Sam: Straight ahead.
Alex: Tout droit. Tout droit.
Sam: Next.
Céline: Dames.
Sam: Ladies.
Céline: Dames. Dames.
Sam: Next.
Alex: En face.
Sam: In front of.
Alex: En face. En face.
Sam: Next.
Céline: Hommes.
Sam: Men.
Céline: Hommes. Hommes.
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Sam: Now guys, let’s look at the usage of some of these items from the lesson.
Céline: The first word is...
Alex: Toilettes.
Sam: Restrooms, loo.
Céline: Oui. Toilettes. It’s an interesting word as we always use it at the plural in French to talk about restrooms.
Alex: And you have “toilettes pour dames” and “toilettes pour messieurs”.
Sam: Toilets for ladies and toilets for men.
Alex: Voilà.
Céline: Yes. Always separated in France.
Sam: How would you say, “I want to go to the restrooms?”
Alex: Je veux aller aux toilettes.
Sam: Next we have...
Céline: Où sont les toilettes?
Sam: Where are the restrooms?
Alex: “Où sont” meaning “where are.” You can use this pattern for many things, but only in the plural form.
Céline: Example. Où sont les enfants?
Sam: Where are the kids?
Alex: So you put “où sont” afterwards object or people. As in “Où sont les femmes?”
Sam: Where are the women? Hmm. I don’t know. Well, there’s one next to me.
Céline: Oh merci Sam. So next is “s’il vous plaît.” “Please.” The magic phrase in French.
Sam: “S’il vous plaît” is formal. So in French, can I ask “The restrooms, please?”
Alex: Sure. It will be, “Les toilettes, s’il vous plaît?”
Céline: So you can say every single word, and if you add “s’il vous plaît” this is the easiest way to ask for something in French.
Sam: Great! Thank you for that. Next we have...
Alex: Tout droit.
Sam: Straight ahead.
Alex: “Droit” being straight.
Céline: Yes. Don’t confuse it with “droite” meaning “right”. Droite.
Sam: Right.
Alex: Droit, which means?
Sam: Straight.
Alex: Où sont les toilettes?
Sam: Where are the restrooms?
Céline: À droite.
Sam: On the right.
Alex: Où sont les escaliers?
Sam: Where are the stairs?
Céline: Tout droit.
Sam: Straight ahead.
Alex: Next is “les dames.”
Sam: Ladies’.
Céline: Dame is a refined woman. We hardly use this word now, but we use it for women’s restrooms.
Alex: Carla Bruni est la première dame de France.
Sam: Carla Bruni is the First Lady of France.
Céline: Sympa l’info. Nice information. And finally we have “hommes.”
Sam: “Hommes” means “men”.
Céline: We also say “Homme” when we talk about the human race, “l’Homme” in general, and in that case the “h” is in majuscule.
Sam: So guys, sometimes when I go shopping, I like to test some cheap colognes. I’ve seen the phrase “pour hommes” on the cheap bottles of cologne that I like to sample. What does that mean?
Alex: It means “for men.”
Sam: Oh! Great.
Alex: But not only on the cheaper Eau de Cologne. On all of them for men.
Céline: In France, we don’t say “Eau de Cologne”. We say “eau de toilette” ou...
Alex: … Eau de parfum
Sam: What’s the difference?
Alex: Eau de parfum is much stronger than eau de toilette.
Sam: Oh, so “eau de toilette” is like a lighter scent.
Alex: Yes.
Sam: It’s more subtle.
Céline: And cologne is totally different.
Sam: What’s cologne?
Céline: Cologne is maybe after the shower, or-- You should use eau de toilette.
Sam: So, are you saying I smell?
Céline: No, I just say that you should use “eau de toilette” if you want to be deep inside the French culture.
Sam: I’m already deep inside the French culture, right?
Céline: Not if you use Eau de Cologne.
Sam: Oh. Sorry. I’ll make that change.

Lesson focus

Céline: Ok. So, let’s see if we like today’s grammar point.
Alex: So, basically, if you’re looking for some place, the clue sentence is “Où” plus “est” plus place name. For example, “où est la station de métro?”.
Sam: Where’s the subway station?
Alex: Où est la station de métro?
Céline: For a plural noun, like in the dialogue, “les toilettes,” that would be “Où sont” plus place name. For example, “Où sont les toilettes?”
Sam: Where are the restrooms?
Céline: Où sont les toilettes? Or "Où sont les Champs Élysées?"
Sam: Where are the Champs Élysées?
Céline: Où sont les Champs Élysées?
Alex: Là-bas.
Sam: Over there.
Alex: Là-bas. Où est le magasin?
Sam: Where's the store?
Alex: Où est le magasin?
Céline: En face de la poste.
Sam: In front of the post office.
Céline: En face de la poste. So don't worry. If you don't understand the answer, you can just say, “Pouvez-vous me montrer sur ma carte?”
Sam: Can you show me on my map?
Céline: Pouvez-vous me montrer sur ma carte?
Alex: That's very useful, if you have a map with you.
Céline: Yeah, but you won't go sight-seeing without a map.
Alex: Well, I do. I like to get lost in big cities, though. That is the reason.
Sam: I think that's more fun. Very insightful, guys.
Céline: Yes.

Outro

Sam: Shall we wrap up there?
Alex: Sure.
Sam: Ok. So until the next time.
Alex: Au revoir!
Céline: À bientôt!
Sam: Bye-bye!

Grammar

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Dialog (Formal)

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