Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Céline: Bonjour! Je suis Céline.
Sam: Sam here.
Sylvain : And guys, don’t forget about me.
Céline: Sorry, Sylvain. How could we forget?
Sylvain : What’s that supposed to mean?
Sam: Anyway, we won’t get into that.
Céline: Ok. Good thinking, Sam. We only have so much time.
Sam: Yeah, we only have so much time.
Céline: Ok. So, bonjour, Sylvain.
Sylvain : Bonjour tout le monde. Ok guys, I get the hint. Let’s start. Here is the situation.
Sam: Pretty Julie and Clever Robert are watching TV. Two famous movie characters are attempting to communicate, and one asks the other one if he understands.
Sylvain : For this lesson, I will be Clever Robert and...
Céline: I’ll be Julie.
Sam: Julie or Pretty Julie?
Céline: I’m pretty, but I play Julie that time.
Sam: How about Pretty Julie?
Céline: Oh, Pretty Céline is better.
Sam: Pretty Céline? Ok. Let’s get going.
DIALOGUE
Céline: Je vou…
Sylvain : Chut, regarde le film!
Céline: Moi Jeanne, toi Tarzan!
Sylvain : Hein?
Céline: Moi Jeanne, toi Tarzan. Tu comprends le français?
Sylvain : Pardon? Je ne comprends pas.
Céline: Tu comprends le français?
Sylvain : Lentement, s'il te plaît.
Céline: Tu-com-prends-le-fran-çais?
Sylvain : Ah! Oui un peu.
Sam: Now let’s try that again slowly.
Céline: Je vou…
Sylvain : Chut, regarde le film!
Céline: Moi Jeanne, toi Tarzan!
Sylvain : Hein?
Céline: Moi Jeanne, toi Tarzan. Tu comprends le français?
Sylvain : Pardon? Je ne comprends pas.
Céline: Tu comprends le français?
Sylvain : Lentement, s'il te plaît.
Céline: Tu-com-prends-le-fran-çais?
Sylvain : Ah! Oui un peu.
Sam: Now, let’s try that with the English.
Céline: Je vou… I’d
Sylvain : Chut, regarde le film! Shh. Watch the movie!
Céline: Moi Jeanne, toi Tarzan! Me Jane, you Tarzan!
Sylvain : Hein? Huh?
Céline: Moi Jeanne, toi Tarzan. Tu comprends le français? Me Jane, you Tarzan. Do you understand French?
Sylvain : Pardon? Je ne comprends pas. Sorry I don’t understand.
Céline: Tu comprends le français? Do you understand French?
Sylvain : Lentement, s'il te plaît. Slowly please.
Céline: Tu-com-prends-le-fran-çais? Do-you-understand-French?
Sylvain : Ah! Oui un peu. Ah! Yes, a little.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
Sam: Don’t forget, guys. We can use “tu” or “vous” depending on our relationship with the speaker. As you’ve seen in previous lessons.
Céline: Yes! So we have here a really important verb in French.
Sylvain : I understand.
Sam: Comprendre
Céline: Exact.
Sam: Je comprend-d.
Sylvain : Je comprends.
Céline: Je comprends.
Sylvain : You don’t pronounce the “d”.
Sam: Ah. Je comprends.
Céline: Exactement.
Sylvain : That’s right.
Céline: Tu comprends le français, Sam?
Sam: Oui, Je comprends le français. Et toi?
Céline: Bien sûr! I’m French!
Sylvain : Tu comprends le tchécoslovaque Sam?
Sam: Non, je ne comprends pas le tchécoslovaque.
Sylvain : Anyway, Czechoslovakia doesn’t exist anymore.
Céline: Thank you, Sylvain! There go our Czech and Slovak listeners.
Sylvain : I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
Céline: Why you didn’t just say Spanish or English?
Sylvain : Because Sam can speak Spanish, I’m sure. Tu comprends l’espagnol?
Sam: Oui je comprends l’espagnol.
Sylvain : You see?
Céline: Bon ben ça va…
Sylvain : “Bon ben ça va” is also really important in French.
Céline: Me no care. Stop it.
Sylvain : Stop bothering me. Important.
Sam: Now let’s look at some vocab.
VOCAB LIST
Céline: Ok.
Sylvain : Chut.
Sam: Hush.
Sylvain : Chut. Chut.
Sam: Next.
Céline: Regarde le film.
Sam: Watch the movie.
Céline: Regarde le film. Regarde le film.
Sam: Next.
Sylvain : Moi Jeanne. Toi Tarzan.
Sam: Me Jane. You Tarzan.
Sylvain : Moi Jeanne. Toi Tarzan. Moi Jeanne. Toi Tarzan.
Sam: Next.
Céline: Hein?
Sam: Huh?
Céline: Hein? Hein?
Sam: Next
Sylvain : Vous comprenez le français?
Sam: The formal version of “Do you understand French?”
Sylvain : Vous comprenez le français? Vous comprenez le français?
Sam: Next.
Céline: Tu comprends le français?
Sam: The informal version of “Do you understand French?”
Céline: Tu comprends le français? Tu comprends le français?
Sam: Next.
Sylvain : Pardon?
Sam: Pardon?
Sylvain : Pardon? Pardon?
Sam: Next.
Céline: Je ne comprends pas.
Sam: I don’t understand.
Céline: Je ne comprends pas. Je ne comprends pas.
Sam: Next.
Sylvain : Lentement, s’il te plaît.
Sam: The informal version of “Slowly, please.”
Sylvain : Lentement, s’il te plaît. Lentement, s’il te plaît.
Sam: Next.
Céline: Lentement, s’il vous plaît.
Sam: The formal version of “Slowly please.”
Céline: Lentement, s’il vous plaît. Lentement, s’il vous plaît.
VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE
Céline: Ok, I have to say something about the word --- it’s not a word; it’s kind of an interjection --- “Hein?”
Sylvain : Très important ça aussi, très important.
Céline: I think this is really...
Sylvain : Impolite.
Céline: Yes! I think so.
Sam: I think a better way to say that is “Pardon?” or “Excusez-moi.”
Sylvain : Pardon? Excusez-moi?
Céline: Comment?
Sylvain: Très bien.
Sam: Encore une fois?
Sylvain : Pouvez-vous répéter? Comment? Pardon? Excusez-moi?
Sam: What? Excuse-me?
Sylvain: Mais “hein??”...
Sam: ...that’s like saying “What the heck did you say?”
Céline: Something like that.
Sylvain : I cannot understand this English, but I’m sure of it.
Céline: Yeah.
Sam: Yeah. Which one is your favorite? When you don’t understand something, or you want somebody to repeat it, what’s your favorite phrase, Sylvain?
Sylvain : Pardon?
Sam: Pardon.
Sylvain : It’s with the look in the person. Pardon? Excusez-moi?
Céline: Pardon. Or I use… yeah I sometimes use “comment?”
Sam: Comment? Comment?
Sylvain : I prefer “pardon,” I think.
Céline: Yeah. Pardon is...
Sam: … always safe.
Céline: yeah.
Sylvain : “Pardon” is safer.
Céline: yeah.
Sam: Same thing in English. You can say “pardon me” or “excuse me”. “Say what?!”
Céline: no!
Sam: “What’d you say?”
Céline: No. Yeah, yeah.
Sylvain : Will you repeat it in front of me?
Sam: Say that again!
Sylvain : {fight noises} Sorry.
Céline: So do we have any comments on other words or sentences?
Sylvain : No, no, no. Do we have any comments on...
Sam: “S’il te plaît,” “s’il vous plaît?”
Céline: Yeah.
Sam: “Please” or, literally, “if you please.”
Céline: Yeah. “If you please.” Exactly.
Sam: We say the same thing in English, but it’s not as common to say “if you please.” It’s more common to say please in English.
Céline: Yeah. Also chut.
Sylvain : Yes, chut. Shh...
Céline: It’s not polite.
Sylvain : Don’t forget the-- what’s the name of this finger in English?
Sam: Your index finger. Your pointer finger.
Sylvain : Your pointer finger in front of your lips. Shh. But I think everybody knows that.
Sam: Yeah. My teachers did that a lot at school. Not for me. For my friends.
Céline: Pfft. I’m sure for you, too.
Sylvain : You’re lying.
Sam: No. No. I was a good boy.
Céline: Ok. So why don’t we look at the grammar.
Sam: That sounds like a good idea. Let’s look at some grammar.
Sylvain : Let’s go!

Lesson focus

Sam: In the previous lesson we studied how French verbs are classified. The verb “comprendre,” “to understand,” is an irregular verb from the third verb group. Most verbs with the infinitive form ending with -endre follow the same pattern. For example, “prendre”, “to take.”
Céline: Ah! Oh sorry.
Sam: No, no! You can help me. Go ahead!
Céline: Apprendre.
Sam: To learn! Sylvain?
Céline: Entendre.
Sam: To hear.
Céline: More examples?
Sam: Just a couple more.
Céline: Vendre.
Sam: To sell.
Sylvain : Surprendre.
Sam: To surprise.
Céline: Entreprendre.
Sam: To undertake. Some verbs ending in -endre follow the same pattern. For example, first-person singular, the last two letters “ds.”
Céline: Yeah.
Sam: Second-person singular, “ds.” And third-person singular...
Sylvain : “D.”
Sam: Yes. These are not all the conjugations. For the other conjugations, please look at the PDF on FrenchPod101.com.
Céline: Yeah. And really important, you shouldn’t pronounce “ds.” “Ds”, “d”. Je comprends.
Sylvain : Je comprends. Tu comprends. But not, “je comprend-d.”
Céline: So I think we’re done with the grammar, right?
Sylvain : I would like to add something.
Céline: Sure Sylvain.
Sam: Sure!
Sylvain : For example, we’ve seen some examples “prendre”; “apprendre”; “entendre”, “vendre”, “surprendre” et “entreprendre”. There is lots of “com…” --- I don’t know how we say it in English --- “composés” of one verb, “prendre”. “Apprendre”, “surprendre” et “entreprendre” are based on the same verb.
Sam: Yeah, they’re like a family. The beginning is a little bit different, but the ending and the conjugation in the present tense are the same.
Sylvain : Then when you see verbs like this, you go to the infinitive and try to find their family.
Céline: Yeah. Their groups.
Sam: For example, with comprendre, you take-- So in the infinitive, C-O-M-P-R-E-N-D-R-E. Take off the R-E and the pattern is “s”, “s”...
Sylvain : Nothing.
Sam: Nothing. And for the other conjugations, please got to FrenchPod101.com and look at the PDF.
Céline: Yeah.
Sam: Remember, guys, this verb we talked about in the indicative or present tense.
Céline: Exactly.
Sam: Let’s practice with one of these verbs. Sylvain, can you start?
Sylvain : Ok. Sam, est-ce que tu comprends les règles du football?
Sam: Bien sûr. Je comprends les règles du football.
Céline: So, Sam do you understand the rules of football? Sure I understand the rules for football.
Sam: Et toi, Sylvain?
Sylvain : Et moi? Je ne comprends pas les règles du football américain.
Céline: And you, Sylvain? I don’t understand the rules for American football.
Céline: You were talking about American football. I thought you were talking about football.
Sam: I was talking about football.
Sylvain : Soccer.
Céline: No, I mean-- No, you were talking about American football.
Sam: Yeah, football!
Céline: No!
Sylvain : No! Don’t say that in Europe.
Céline: No, no. Football is football, and American football is American football.
Sam: Sure. Football is football, and soccer is soccer.
Sylvain : I think that it will be difficult to find an end to this conversation.
Sam: But they’re both great sports.
Sylvain : I mean, yes.
Céline: Yeah, but “je ne comprends pas les règles du football américain.”
Sylvain : Me neither. “Moi non plus.”
Sam: My friends don’t understand the rules for American football. We’ll have to go to a game sometime.
Sylvain : Good idea. With lots of popcorn and Coke.
Céline: But not in France. We don’t have American football in France.
Sam: A little bit.
Sylvain : There is a team. There is a team.
Céline: There is a team?
Sam: There’s a league, yeah.
Céline: Who are they?
Sylvain : I had a friend who was doing it.
Céline: French friend?
Sylvain : Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sam: I emailed a team in France one time, but they never emailed me back.
Sylvain : Sorry. I am sorry for them.
Céline: Ok, so I think we’re done for today. Right?
Sam: Yeah, we’re done for today.
Céline: Yeah.

Outro

Sam: And that brings to close another fun and exciting lesson on FrenchPod101.com.
Céline: You’re right, Sam. No problem. Yeah, yeah. Thank you very much. Merci beaucoup.
Sam: And thank you, Sylvain.
Sylvain : Thank you guys.
Céline: Merci!
Sam: Merci!
Sylvain : À bientôt!
Céline: À bientôt!
Sam: À bientôt!

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Dialog (informal)

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