Learn how to use French to tell someone the definite and indefinite nouns, including name brands that you need to add to your collection
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
Intro |
|---|
| Virginie: Hello, everyone, bonjour. This is Virginie. |
| Eric: Bonjour. Eric here! Making Your French Birthday List by Using the Negative to State What You Don't Have! |
| Virginie: What are we going to talk about today? |
| Eric: Well Rob and Cathy are leaving the wine tasting event. They are going back to their respective houses. |
| Virginie: And I assume they will be talking about what they don't have. |
| Eric: Exactly. Well let's find out. |
| Virginie: Okay. Let's listen to the conversation. |
Lesson conversation |
| Rob: Tu habites loin? |
| Cathy: Oui, à Versailles. |
| Rob: Tu as une voiture? |
| Cathy: Non, je n’ai pas de voiture. |
| Rob: Tu as un abonnement de métro? |
| Cathy: Oui, bien sûr. |
| Eric: One more time with the translation. |
| Rob: Tu habites loin? |
| Eric: Do you live far? |
| Cathy: Oui, à Versailles. |
| Virginie: Yes, in Versailles. |
| Rob: Tu as une voiture? |
| Eric: Do you have a car? |
| Cathy: Non, je n’ai pas de voiture. |
| Virginie: No, I don’t have a car. |
| Rob: Tu as un abonnement de métro? |
| Eric: Do you have a monthly subway pass? |
| Cathy: Oui, bien sûr. |
| Virginie: Yes, of course. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Eric: Versailes, where is that exactly? |
| Virginie: It's one hour south west from Paris. |
| Eric: And the chateau is a must see. |
| Virginie: Of course. And there is something really fun to do in the Chateau's park. |
| Eric: Oh yes, what's that? |
| Virginie: You can have a boat ride on the canal. |
| Eric: Wow. |
| Virginie: Yes, it's beautiful. And it makes you think that you're a king or a queen or something. It's pretty nice. That gives you another perspective on the Castle. |
| Eric: Right. So after a long visit in the castle, go take out a row boat! |
| Virginie: Yes it's really relaxing. And the park is very, very nice too. |
| Eric: And if you aren't that interested in the castle, you can just go directly to the park. |
| Virginie: Oui. The access is very, very cheap, a couple of euros I think. |
| Eric: Bargain, nice. |
| Virginie: It is, it's very nice. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Eric: Well, let's hear a little vocabulary. |
| Virginie: Fist, Loin [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Far. |
| Virginie: Loin [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Loin [natural native speed] |
| Eric: And then. |
| Virginie: Une voiture [natural native speed] |
| Eric: A car. |
| Virginie: Une voiture [slowly - broken down by syllable] Une voiture [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next. |
| Virginie: Un abonnement [natural native speed] |
| Eric: A subscription, a pass. |
| Virginie: Un abonnement [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Un abonnement [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Then. |
| Virginie: Métro [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Subway. |
| Virginie: Métro [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Métro [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Next. |
| Virginie: Bien sûr [natural native speed] |
| Eric: Of course. |
| Virginie: Bien sûr [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Bien sûr [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCABULARY AND PHRASES |
| Eric: So the first phrase we're going to look at is? |
| Virginie: It is ""loin."" |
| Eric: And ""loin"" means far. |
| Virginie: Oui. Rob asked Cathy ""tu habites loin?"" |
| Eric: Do you live far? |
| Virginie: See, it's just like in English. All you have to do is add ""loin"" after the verb. |
| Eric: And it also means far away |
| Virginie: Yes, for example if you want to say you are far away, you will say ""tu es loin."" |
| Eric: What else? |
| Virginie: An important word if you live in the country is, you always need a car in the country. |
| Eric: Indeed. |
| Virginie: But if you live in Southern France you will hear the word ""une auto"" to refer to a car and not ""une voiture."" |
| Eric: Really? |
| Virginie: And that's spelled AUTO. It's short for automobile. |
| Eric: Some words do vary from one French region to another? |
| Virginie: Exactly, oui. Each region has its own phrases too. |
| Eric: I've heard that the word ""plastic bag"" is different in the North and in the South. |
| Virginie: Yes, it's true. In the north they say ""un sac plastique."" |
| Eric: Plastic bag. |
| Virginie: Exactly. And in the South they say ""une poche plastique."" |
| Eric: Une poche. |
| Virginie: But really most of the time French people understand each other! No worries. |
Lesson focus |
| Eric: Okay, great. Well, let's jump in to some grammar. So our focus today is how to say you don't have something. |
| Virginie: Yes. Like in our dialogue, Cathy says, ""je n'ai pas de voiture."" |
| Eric: And that's ""I don't have a car."" |
| Virginie: Now remember in a previous lesson we saw how to say ""I have something."" |
| Eric: Yes, I would say ""j'ai une voiture."" |
| Virginie: I have a car. So far so good. We have j'ai… |
| Eric: To say, I have. |
| Virginie: And then we have ""une voiture."" |
| Eric: And that's ""a car"", the indefinite article ""une"" and voiture ""car."" |
| Virginie: Now to say that you don't have a car |
| Eric: All you do is squeeze the verb between n' and pas. |
| Virginie: Absolutely. Je n'ai pas. |
| Eric: And then add the word ""de"" right after. |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas de. |
| Eric: Je n'ai pas de voiture. |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas de voiture. |
| Eric: Notice that now we got rid of the indefinite article ""une."" |
| Virginie: Yes the indefinite article just disappears. Instead we say pas de. |
| Eric: One more time, Virginie? |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas de voiture. |
| Eric: And what it really means is ""I don't have a car in general."" |
| Virginie: Yes. Now if you want to say you don't have the car. |
| Eric: So like if we're talking about a specific car? |
| Virginie: Yes. You will say ""Je n'ai pas LA voiture."" |
| Eric: So all you do is again squeeze your verb between ""n'"" and ""pas."" |
| Virginie: And that's Je n'ai pas. |
| Eric: Then you add your definite article. |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas la. |
| Eric: And finally, ""car."" |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas la voiture. |
| Eric: Let's hear both sentences one more time? |
| Virginie: Bien sur. Of course. |
| Eric: I don't have a car. |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas DE voiture. |
| Eric: I don't have the car. |
| Virginie: Je n'ai pas la voiture. |
| Eric: Excellent. Right, so that would how you say you don't have something. |
Outro |
| Virginie: Yes. I think you're all set for today! Thank you. Au revoir. |
| Eric: Thank you very much. |
Easily master this lesson’s grammar points with in-depth explanations and examples. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Comments
Hide