Learn how to use expressions that don't make any sense
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: I'm Eric. |
| Yasmine: And I'm Yasmine! |
| Eric: Expressions That Don't Make Any Sense, Part 1. In this lesson, you'll learn the first set of Expressions That Don't Make Any Sense. |
| Eric: These are very old expressions that are still used nowadays, but when they are translated literally, they don't make a lot of sense, which can be confusing for French learners sometimes. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| Eric: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Yasmine: sécher les cours |
| Yasmine: chanter comme une casserole |
| Yasmine: tomber dans le panneau |
| Yasmine: faire un tabac |
| Eric: Yasmine, what's our first expression? |
| Yasmine: sécher les cours |
| Eric: literally meaning "dry the classes." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "skip class." |
| Yasmine: [SLOW] sécher les cours [NORMAL] sécher les cours |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Yasmine: sécher les cours |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you talk about skipping class. Back in the day, public schools had wooden tables with an inkpot in them, which used to dry when people were absent. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Elle sèche les cours une fois par semaine. [SLOW] Elle sèche les cours une fois par semaine. |
| Eric: "She skips class once a week." |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Elle sèche les cours une fois par semaine. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Yasmine: chanter comme une casserole |
| Eric: literally meaning "sing like a saucepan." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "sing off-key." |
| Yasmine: [SLOW] chanter comme une casserole [NORMAL] chanter comme une casserole |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Yasmine: chanter comme une casserole |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you talk about someone who is extremely bad at singing. The voice is compared to that of a saucepan, which can't sing. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Mon père chante comme une casserole. [SLOW] Mon père chante comme une casserole. |
| Eric: "My father sings off-key." |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Mon père chante comme une casserole. |
| Eric: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Yasmine: tomber dans le panneau |
| Eric: literally meaning "fall into the board." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "to fall into the trap." |
| Yasmine: [SLOW] tomber dans le panneau [NORMAL] tomber dans le panneau |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Yasmine: tomber dans le panneau |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you successfully play a joke or trick on someone, like on the 1st of April. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Je lui ai fait une blague le premier avril, elle est tombée dans le panneau. [SLOW] Je lui ai fait une blague le premier avril, elle est tombée dans le panneau. |
| Eric: "I played a joke on her on the 1st of April. She fell for it." |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Je lui ai fait une blague le premier avril, elle est tombée dans le panneau. |
| Eric: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Yasmine: faire un tabac |
| Eric: literally meaning "make a tobacco." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "to be a hit." |
| Yasmine: [SLOW] faire un tabac [NORMAL] faire un tabac |
| Eric: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Yasmine: faire un tabac |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Eric: Use this slang expression when you talk about something that is a major success. |
| Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ce film a fait un tabac chez les jeunes. [SLOW] Ce film a fait un tabac chez les jeunes. |
| Eric: "This movie was a hit among young people." |
| Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ce film a fait un tabac chez les jeunes. |
| QUIZ |
| Eric: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready? |
| Eric: Your friend sings but you just want to cover your ears because it’s unbearable. |
| Yasmine: chanter comme une casserole |
| Eric: "sing off-key" |
| Eric: You have better things to do than going to class today. |
| Yasmine: sécher les cours |
| Eric: "skip class" |
| Eric: You went to see a theater play, a lot of people came to see it, and everyone thought it was great. |
| Yasmine: faire un tabac |
| Eric: "to be a hit" |
| Eric: You want to arrange a surprise party for your friend, so you pretend you are doing something else which he will believe. |
| Yasmine: tomber dans le panneau |
| Eric: "to fall into the trap" |
Outro |
|---|
| Eric: There you have it; you have mastered four French Slang Expressions! Thanks everyone, and see you next time! |
| Yasmine: Au revoir! |
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