Learn how to refer to family members, as well as many nicknames for family members
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Sylvain: Bonjour tout le monde, je m’appelle Sylvain. |
| Céline: Bonjour, moi c’est Céline. |
| Sam: Sam here! Who Will Be The First Branch They Cut Off The Family Tree? In this lesson, you’ll learn how to nickname in a loving way your family members and talk about family. |
| Céline: The conversation is between Aurélie and her friend, Daniel, at his place. Aurélie is looking around the living room and she’s wondering about Daniel’s family memorabilia. |
| Sam: The speakers are friends, therefore, they’ll be speaking informally. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Aurélie: Hé! Qu’est-ce que DM signifie sur l’assiette? |
| Daniel: Dufour Marie. C’est l’assiette de ma grand-tante Marie. |
| Aurélie: Et là, c’est sa photo ? |
| Daniel: Oui, elle est avec mon oncle. |
| Aurélie: Elle semble de mauvaise humeur! |
| Daniel: On l’a surnommée Tatie la furieuse. |
| Sam: One more time, slowly. |
| Female: Ok c’est parti, plus lentement. |
| Aurélie: Hé! Qu’est-ce que DM signifie sur l’assiette? |
| Daniel: Dufour Marie. C’est l’assiette de ma grand-tante Marie. |
| Aurélie: Et là, c’est sa photo? |
| Daniel: Oui, elle est avec mon oncle. |
| Aurélie : Elle semble de mauvaise humeur! |
| Daniel: On l’a surnommée Tatie la furieuse. |
| Sam: One more time with the English. |
| Aurélie: Hé! Qu’est-ce que DM signifie sur l’assiette? |
| Sam: Hey! What does DM mean on this plate? |
| Daniel: Dufour Marie. C’est l’assiette de ma grand-tante Marie. |
| Sam: Dufour Marie. It’s my great Aunt Mary’s plates. |
| Aurélie: Et là, c’est sa photo ? |
| Sam: And there, is it her picture? |
| Daniel: Oui, elle est avec mon oncle. |
| Sam: Yes, she is with my uncle. |
| Aurélie: Elle semble de mauvaise humeur! |
| Sam: She seems nasty. |
| Daniel: On l’a surnommée Tatie la furieuse. |
| Sam: We nicknamed her Nasty Auntie! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Céline: So Sam, Sylvain… |
| Sylvain: Oui? |
| Céline: …do you have a nickname in your family? |
| Sylvain: Yes. |
| Céline: Okay. qu’est-ce que c’est? |
| Sam: Oh, it’s a long story. |
| Sylvain: Do you know the Zola personnage? There’s a guy completely alcoholic. |
| Céline: Oh, really? |
| Sylvain: Gouget. |
| Céline: Gouget? |
| Sylvain: And it’s turned from Gouget progressively changed into Gouzet. |
| Céline: Ah, Gouzet. |
| Sylvain: And all the world will know my nickname Gouzet. |
| Céline: Gouzet. Okay. Gouzet is your nickname. |
| Sylvain: And my brother always say “mon Gouzet”. |
| Céline: Mon Gouzet. |
| Sylvain: Mon Gouzet. My Gouzet. Okay. You’d asked me, I answered. |
| Céline: Okay, Gouzet. From now it’s Gouzet. |
| Sam: Is there a translation in English for Gouzet? |
| Céline: No. |
| Sylvain: No. It’s family name. Gouget, a name of Zolas roman. |
| Céline: Yes, Emile Zola. |
| Sylvain: “L’Assommoir”. |
| Céline: Ah l’assommoir. |
| Sylvain: L’Assommoir from Emile Zola. |
| Sam: Okay. That’s interesting. |
| Céline: D’accord. Et toi Sam? |
| Sam: Nickname. No comment. |
| Céline: Ah bon? |
| Sylvain: I told my really nickname. |
| Céline: But nicknames are supposed to be cute, right? I mean, maybe your nickname is not cute but you can tell us. |
| Sam: Maybe a secret. It’s a secret. |
| Céline: If you don’t tell us, Sam, we’re going to give you one. |
| Sam: I don’t have to respond to it, so it’s okay. |
| Céline: Okay. Okay, let me think about it. But for me, you’re Mr. America. |
| Sam: Mr. America? |
| Sylvain: Captain America. |
| Sam: Captain America? I think maybe for copyright reasons, you can’t use Captain America. |
| Sylvain: I am sorry for all the rights. |
| Céline: Okay. So let’s say Capitaine America. |
| Sam: Capitaine America. |
| Sylvain: With the French pronunciation, it will be okay. |
| Céline: Yes. |
| Sylvain: Capitaine! |
| Sam: Hopefully, Marvel Comics won’t… |
| Sylvain: Sorry. |
| Céline: Okay, let’s get into the vocab. |
| Sam: Okay. |
| Sylvain: But your nickname, Céline. |
| Céline: j’en étais sûre. |
| Sylvain: J’en étais sûre... She was sure I was asking the question then. |
| Céline: I don’t have nicknames. Just Céline. |
| Sylvain: Right. You both! |
| Céline: Okay. |
| Sylvain: You’re so… |
| Sam: Full of it. |
| Céline: It’s Yna. No, it’s Yna. |
| Sam: Yna. |
| Céline: Yna. |
| Sylvain: It’s cute. |
| Céline: It is. |
| Sylvain: Okay. Then now let’s go the grammar vocabulary and all this. |
| Céline: Okay. |
| Sam: I think next is the vocabulary. |
| Sylvain: Thank you! |
| Sam: Okay. Let’s look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first item? |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Sylvain: Assiette [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Plate. |
| Sylvain: Assiette [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Assiette [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next… |
| Céline: Grand-tante [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Great-aunt. |
| Céline: Grand-tante [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Grand-tante [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next… |
| Sylvain: Photo [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Picture. |
| Sylvain : Photo [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Photo [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next… |
| Céline: Avec. |
| Sam: With. |
| Céline: Avec. [slowly - broken down by syllable] Avec. [natural native speed] |
| Sam: Next… |
| Sylvain: Oncle [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Uncle. |
| Sylvain: Oncle [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Oncle [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next word? |
| Sylvain: Signifier [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: To mean. |
| Sylvain: Signifier [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Signifier [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next… |
| Céline: Sembler [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: To seem. |
| Céline: Sembler [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Sembler [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next… |
| Céline: Humeur [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Mood. |
| Céline: Humeur [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Humeur [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Next… |
| Sylvain: Surnommer [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Nicknamed. |
| Sylvain: Surnommer [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Surnommer [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: And lastly… |
| Céline: Furieux (-euse) [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Furious (feminine). |
| Céline: Furieux (-euse) [slowly - broken down by syllable]. Furieux (-euse) [natural native speed]. |
| Sam: Now, let’s have a closer look how some of these items are used. |
| Sylvain: Signifier is “to mean.” |
| Sam: Can you provide an example with signifier? |
| Sylvain: Qu’est-ce que “fourchette” signifie? |
| Céline: ça signifie “fork”. |
| Sam: What does “fourchette” mean? It means fork. |
| Sylvain: There is a more common way to ask for the meaning of a word. You can use “qu’est-ce que ça veut dire fourchette?”. |
| Sam: “What does fork mean?” Great. You’ll find both ways in the vocabulary question section in the learning center. |
| Céline: The next set of words is “furieuse” or “furieux”. |
| Sylvain: They both mean “furious.” The former is feminine and the latter is masculine. |
| Sam: Oh. And there’s a rule for the masculine and feminine forms? |
| Céline: Yes. All the masculine adjectives ending with eux have their feminine counterparts ending in eus. |
| Sam: Oh, okay. Then there’s “sembler” which means “to seem.” |
| Céline: For example, Sylvain? |
| Sylvain: For example, tu sembles fatiguée. |
| Sam: “You seem tired.” |
| Céline: Oui je suis crevée. |
| Sylvain: Meaning “I’m really tired.” |
| Céline: Yes. But it’s in slang French. |
| Sylvain: Yes, I’m tired. It has been a long time since I have heard this one. |
| Céline: Oui je suis crevée! |
| Sylvain: Ah ben ça fait longtemps que j’ai pas entendu ce mot-là! |
| Sam: So you’re really tired and “crevée” is slang and it’s been a long time since you’ve heard that word? |
| Sylvain: Slang in French is “argot”. |
| Céline: oui argot. |
| Sam: Oh, really? |
| Céline: Yeah. |
| Sylvain: Yeah. Yeah. It’s a complex language. |
| Sam: That’s great that you guys add a slang. And you know what, we’ll try our best to add some slang here and there. What’s our last item? |
| Céline: It is “mauvaise.” It’s the feminine form of “bad.” |
| Sylvain: The masculine form is “mauvais.” |
| Sam: Okay. How about an example with the word “mauvaise”? |
| Céline: Angèle a mauvaise haleine le matin. |
| Sylvain: “Angèle has bad breath in the morning.” |
| Sam: Maybe we should give her some advice or Altoids? Now guys, let’s look at some grammar. Today, we’ll focus on family members. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Céline: Family is important to me. In particular, mes parents. |
| Sylvain: Your parents, of course. |
| Sam: What about siblings? Don’t you have any siblings? |
| Sylvain: J’ai un frère. |
| Céline: J’ai deux frères et deux soeurs. |
| Sam: So Sylvain, you have one brother. And Céline, you have? |
| Céline: deux frères |
| Sam: Two brothers? |
| Céline: et deux soeurs. |
| Sam: And two sisters. Wow, a big family. You know what, I’ve only got one sister. She’s older than me. |
| Céline: Une grande soeur. |
| Sam: Yes. |
| Sylvain: Une grande soeur. |
| Sam: That’s big sister. |
| Céline: D’accord. |
| Sam: How about your grandparents? Do they have siblings? |
| Sylvain: Usually yes. |
| Céline: Yeah, but…yeah. Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know. I forgot. |
| Sylvain: It’s a good question. Yeah. My grand-mère paternelle a un frère. |
| Sam: So your paternal grandmother has one brother? |
| Sylvain: And my grand-mère maternelle est fille unique. |
| Sam: Ah, your maternal grandmother is an only child. Wow. |
| Sylvain: That’s right. |
| Sam: My grandmother had…oh, I don’t know on either side. They’re really big family. |
| Céline: Yeah, me too. |
| Sam: So sorry if they’re listening. I don’t remember. |
| Céline: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I’m sorry, too. Actually, they don’t understand English. It’s fine. |
| Sam: Okay. I probably should have said that in French in case my family is listening, that’s if they bothered… |
| Céline: I mean, it’s no problem because they don’t understand French either, so it’s fine. |
| Sam: Yeah. And they don’t have a computer, so…maybe. |
| Sylvain: Okay. |
| Sam: Okay. Hey, guys, mère is “mother.” How would you say “my father”? |
| Sylvain: mon père. |
| Sam: Okay. And grandmother is grand-mère. |
| Céline: grand-mère oui. So grandfather? |
| Sam: grand-père. |
| Sylvain: Grand-père. |
| Sylvain: But you have to notice an interesting point here. |
| Sam: Okay. What’s the point? |
| Sylvain: We don’t say “grande mère”; we say “grand-mère” even if it’s a feminine… |
| Sam: Ah, you leave out the D. |
| Sylvain: …it is masculine. That’s before the Middle Age tradition. I escaped the explanation because everybody was… |
| Sam: I think our listeners will understand. |
| Céline: Yes. |
| Sam: grand-mère. |
| Céline: grand-mère. |
| Sam: grand-père. |
| Céline: So how do you call your grandmother? |
| Sam: Grandmother? |
| Céline: Grandmother? Grand-mère? |
| Sam: Grandma. Grandma. |
| Céline: Grandmom. Okay. |
| Sam: Grandma. |
| Céline: Usually in France, we say…we also say grand-mère or mamie. Mamie, Papi. |
| Sam: Is that like saying grandma? Because where I live, they say “grandma” like M-A. |
| Céline: No, no. On dit Mamie, Papi. |
| Sylvain: Mamie, Papi ouais. |
| Sam: So there’s no translation with grandma? |
| Sylvain: Mais grand-mère. |
| Céline: Grand-mère. |
| Sylvain: On l’a déjà dit. |
| Sam: Of course. |
| Céline: On l’a déjà dit Sam, tu ne suis pas, you’re sleeping. |
| Sam: No, no, just eating. |
| Céline: And I also have a beau-père. |
| Sylvain: un beau-père. |
| Céline: un beau-père. |
| Sylvain: What is a Beau-père? |
| Sam: A beau-père? A handsome… |
| Sylvain: No… |
| Céline: Yeah, he’s handsome too but.. |
| Sam: Your husband’s father? Stepfather? |
| Céline: Yes, stepfather. Beau-père. |
| Sylvain: Not the father-in-law? |
| Céline: Also father-in-law. |
| Sylvain: Okay. |
| Céline: But I don’t have a father-in-law. Not yet. |
| Sam: Okay. Or maybe we can get into that nuance in another lesson. |
| Sylvain: English. |
| Sam: You guys are a piece of work. In case any of my family members had bought a computer, which you haven’t probably, hello. |
| Céline: Sylvain? |
| Sylvain: Bonjour aussi à… Bonjour à toute ma famille en France, à Tatie, Mamie, tout le monde et euh à mon frère et euh ma maman euh et ben pis tous les amis hein. Bonjour à tous! |
| Céline: Ah ben oui attends attends attends mais toi t’as dit tout le monde alors moi je sais: euh bonjour maman, bonjour papa, bonjour Claude, Emmanuel, Edouard, Antoine, Virginie, tout le monde. Gros gros bisous. |
| Sam: Yeah. Now, if someone to say hello to you guys’ families and also to apologies for the strange French accent sometimes. Say hello to your families. |
| Sylvain: What strange accent? |
| Céline: Mais non! |
| Sam: My accent, American. |
| Céline: Mais il est beau ton accent américain. I love your American accent. |
| Sylvain: Please listen. |
| Sam: You love America, too? |
| Céline: I love your American accent when you speak French. |
| Sam: What does it sound like? Sound American? |
| Céline: Oh, yeah, definitely. |
| Sam: Okay. |
| Sylvain: That’s nice. Listener, please keep your accent. It’s a charm. |
| Sam: Oh. I think so too. |
| Céline: Bisous bisous. |
| Sam: Of course. Bisous bisous. |
| Sylvain: Ouais. |
| Sam: Okay. I think that’s a good place to end for today. So let’s wrap up today’s lesson. So, anything else, guys? |
| Céline: Okay. I just say I lied. My nickname is not Yna. |
| Sam: What is your nickname? |
| Céline: It’s mangouste. |
| Sam: mangouste? |
| Sylvain: génial! génial! |
| Sam: What does mangouste mean in English? |
| Céline: mongoose. |
| Sam: mongoose. |
| Céline: oui. |
| Sam: mangoose? |
| Céline: mangoose. |
| Sylvain: She hates men. |
Outro |
| Sam: Okay. Well, thank you guys for listening. See you next time. |
| Sylvain: See you! |
| Céline: Bye, au revoir! |
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