Learn how to give and take orders by forming French first-person imperative verbs
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Sylvain: Bonjour je m’appelle Sylvain. |
| Céline: Et moi c’est Céline. |
| Sam: Sam here. “Listen.” My name is Sam and I’m joined here by... |
| Sylvain: Sylvain. |
| Sam: And... |
| Céline: Céline. Salut. |
| Sam: Ça va? |
| Céline: Oui. Ça va. |
| Sam: Et toi, Sylvain? Ça va? |
| Sylvain: Ouais ouais, un peu fatigué. |
| Sam: Really? |
| Céline: En fait moi aussi je suis fatiguée. |
| Sam: You guys are tired? You need some coffee. |
| Sylvain: We need some coffee. |
| Céline: We need some sleep, maybe. |
| Sam: Maybe the coffee first, though. But anyway, thank you for joining us for the twelfth lesson of the Newbie Series, which focus on the basics for anyone starting. |
| Sylvain: In French! |
| Céline: Oui! En français! Grammaire, vocabulaire, culture... Everything about the French! |
| Sam: Everything? |
| Sylvain: Everything. |
| Sam: Fantastique! |
| Céline: Bravo! So, today’s conversation takes place downtown between Robert and his daughter, Aurélie, while they are, maybe, shopping. And Aurélie’s mother is calling on her phone. |
| Sylvain: Sylvain will be Robert, and Céline, Aurélie. |
| Sam: C’est parti. Let’s go! |
| Sylvain: Youhou! |
| DIALOGUE |
| Sylvain: Écoute! Qu’est ce que c’est? |
| Céline: Heu... |
| Sylvain: Écoute! C’est quoi? |
| Céline: C’est mon portable! ... Allô? Oh, maman! Nous sommes au centre ville. Il y a des gens partout! |
| Sam: One more time, slowly. |
| Céline: Encore une fois, lentement. |
| Sylvain: Écoute! Qu’est ce que c’est? |
| Céline: Heu... |
| Sylvain: Écoute! C’est quoi? |
| Céline: C’est mon portable! ... Allô? Oh, maman! Nous sommes au centre ville. Il y a des gens partout! |
| Sam: One more time with the English. |
| Céline: Encore une fois, avec l’anglais. |
| Sylvain: Écoute! Qu’est ce que c’est? |
| Sam: Listen! What is that? |
| Céline: Heu... |
| Sam: Huh? |
| Sylvain: Écoute! C’est quoi? |
| Sam: Listen! What is it? |
| Céline: C’est mon portable! ... |
| Sam: Oh it’s my cell phone! … |
| Céline: Allô? Oh, maman! Nous sommes au centre ville. Il y a des gens partout! |
| Sam: Hello? Oh, mom! We are downtown. People are everywhere! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Céline: Alors, Sam. Do you have a cell phone? |
| Sam: Maybe. Let me check my pocket. Oh, yeah! I have a cell phone. |
| Céline: Ok. |
| Sylvain: Me, too. I have a cell phone. |
| Céline: D’accord. |
| Sam: I have got a cell phone, and I know you have one, too, Céline, because you’re always waiting for No too call. |
| Céline: I’m not waiting! I’m never waiting. |
| Sam: You’re waiting for No. No who? Nobody, because you don’t have any friends. |
| Céline: N’importe quoi, ça c’est Sylvain. Ok, but anyway, French are always using their cell phones. |
| Sam: In all situations. |
| Céline: In all situations. But cell phone is a really good invention. What do you think? |
| Sam: Good and bad. We can’t save money with a cell phone, but we can save lives. For example, when people are in jams, like in an avalanche, we can find them with a cell phone, if they have reception. |
| Céline: If they have reception. Yes. |
| Sam: We can also contact friends when they go shopping. |
| Céline: Yeah! That’s a good idea. Shopping. |
| Sam: And family, girls, et cetera, et cetera. I heard something. Air France has begun offering cell phone service on some of its flights in order to let passengers decide whether they want to chat with someone on the ground or on another flight maybe. |
| Sylvain: Expensive, maybe. |
| Sam: In all, what we wanted to say was cellphones are very useful. |
| Céline: It’s time for the vocab. |
| Sylvain: Let’s go. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Sam: Ok, our first phrase is... |
| Sylvain: Qu’est-ce que c’est? |
| Sam: What is it? |
| Sylvain: Qu’est-ce que c’est? Qu’est-ce que c’est? |
| Sam: Next |
| Céline: C’est quoi? |
| Sam: What is it? |
| Céline: C’est quoi? C’est quoi? |
| Sam: Next. |
| Sylvain: Portable. |
| Sam: Mobile phone or cell phone. |
| Sylvain: Portable. Portable. |
| Sam: Next. |
| Céline: Centre ville. |
| Sam: Downtown. |
| Céline: Centre-ville. Centre-ville. |
| Sam: Next. |
| Sylvain: Gens. |
| Sam: People. |
| Sylvain: Gens. Gens. |
| Sam: Next. |
| Céline: Partout. |
| Sam: Everywhere. |
| Céline: Partout. Partout. |
| Sam: And lastly? |
| Sylvain: Nous sommes. |
| Sam: We are. |
| Sylvain: Nous sommes. Nous sommes. |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Sam: Now how about some vocabulary usage “mes amis”? |
| Céline: Donc le premier mot est “portable”. |
| Sylvain: Cell phone or laptop. |
| Céline: When “portable” is used as a noun, it refers to a cell phone, sometimes to a laptop. |
| Sam: Portable. Can you give an example? |
| Céline: Il faut que j’appelle David. Tu as un portable? I have to call David. Do you have a cell phone? |
| Sylvain: “Portable” can also be used as an adjective to clarify which you are talking about. |
| Sam: Ah! For example, if you’re talking about two computers. J’ai un ordinateur portable. |
| Sylvain: Très bien. |
| Sam: I have a portable computer, or laptop as we say in English. |
| Céline: Oui, bravo Sam! So next word... |
| Sam: Merci! |
| Céline: Avec plaisir! Next word is “gens.” |
| Sylvain: “People” in French, “gens”, is always plural. |
| Céline: Oui. Par exemple: People in France are friendly. |
| Sam: Les gens nen France sont sympathiques. |
| Sylvain: Alors, It’s ok, but “les gens en France”. |
| Sam: Les gens en France sont sympathiques. |
| Sylvain: Très bien. |
| Sam: I’ll remember that. |
| Sylvain: Let’s try. |
| Céline: Next is “nous sommes”. |
| Sam: We are. |
| Sylvain: Nous sommes intelligents. We are smart. Particularly Céline. |
| Céline: Oh c’est gentil! Le vérité sort de la bouche de Sylvain. |
| Sam: Sylvain always speaks the truth. Well, at least most of the time. That last phrase, I don’t know. But anyway. |
| Céline: So the ultimate word of all is “centre-ville.” |
| Sam: “Downtown” is generally the place to hang out, but downtown in my hometown is really small. |
| Céline: From city to city in France, “le centre-ville” is the place to be. |
| Sylvain: In summer, for example, there is animation as local folklores concert or celebration. |
| Sam: Things to do? |
| Sylvain: Yeah! |
| Céline: That’s right! It is where you usually find witnesses of our past as churches, convents, castles, small streets, restaurants, cafés often were grouped on one square. And don’t forget, “les pubs.” |
| Sam: Next to churches? |
| Sylvain: For sure. |
| Céline: Absolument. |
| Sam: Ah oui! |
| Sylvain: Oui! French are always drunk. |
| Céline: That’s not true! I’m never drunk! |
| Sam: So guys, have you been to downtown Milford in the summertime? |
| Sylvain: Downtown Milford? |
| Sam: Yeah! My hometown. You didn’t Google it when you got home last time? |
| Céline: No I didn’t! I’m sorry. |
| Sylvain: Me, too. Sorry. |
| Céline: Ok. I’ll do it. I promise I’ll do it. |
| Sam: I don’t believe you. |
| Céline: Pourquoi? |
| Sam: Well anyway, downtown activities, in my home, my hometown downtown, there’s absolutely nothing to do in the summertime! |
| Céline: Fantastique! Let’s go there! |
| Sam: How about in downtown Toulouse? |
| Céline: Oh mon Dieu! Downtown Toulouse is fantastic. |
| Sam: Just like downtown Paris. |
| Céline: It’s a little bit different because Toulouse is smaller than Paris, so it’s more cheerful in Toulouse. |
| Sam: How about your hometown, Sylvain? Aren’t you from Paris? |
| Sylvain: I am from Paris. |
| Sam: Paris. Which one is more exciting in the summertime, Paris or Toulouse? |
| Sylvain: For sure Toulouse. No hesitation. |
| Sam: No questions asked, huh? |
| Sylvain: Yeah. |
| Sam: Just like Milford. No, I’m joking. |
| Sylvain: Paris in summer, there’s no French women. |
| Sam: Really? |
| Sylvain: Only tourists. |
| Sam: Only les Américains. |
| Sylvain: You’re right. |
| Sam: C’est dommage n’est-ce pas? |
| Sylvain: No! |
| Céline: Non pas du tout! So why don’t we... |
| Sylvain: Go to the grammar! |
| Céline: Yes! |
| Sylvain: Go to the grammar! |
| Céline: Bonne idée! |
| Sylvain: And do the grammar. |
| Sam: C’est fantastique! |
| Céline: Ok. Ok. Calm down, and let’s study the grammar. |
| Sylvain: Enough joking. |
| Sam: We’re studying. Enough talking, guys. Yeah, let’s study the grammar. Good idea. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Céline: So, we are going to look at two grammar points. Each of them are quite easy. |
| Sam: I like easy freebies! What’s the first one? |
| Céline: Alors écoute attentivement Sam. Listen carefully. |
| Sylvain: This is an instruction or even an order depending how firm you are. |
| Céline: In this example the verb “écouter” is conjugated in the imperative form. When you give a direct order to someone, there isn’t any subject used. Just the verb. |
| Sylvain: That is one specific point of the imperative. The second one is that when the verb ends in -er as “écouter” is conjugated at the second-person singular, the “s” is dropped. |
| Sam: Hmm. Yes! I remember. The “s” comes from the indicative present form. |
| Céline: Tout à fait Sam! Congurulation! |
| Sylvain: Congururelation. |
| Céline: Congururelation? |
| Sam: Maybe that’s an amusing way of saying “Congratulations”. |
| Céline: So, ok. Ok. Let’s keep our promise. The conjugation of “être” on the plural side of our verb chart. Let’s go. |
| Sam: Ok. First one. We are. Nous sommes. For example, “Nous sommes intelligents”. We’re intelligent. |
| Céline: And French people are smart, too. Right, Sam? |
| Sylvain: Parfait. |
| Céline: Oh alors là… |
| Sam: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down. |
| Sylvain: Nous sommes merveilleux. |
| Céline: But Americans are all also perfect, I’m sure. |
| Sam: Of course! Bien sûr. |
| Céline: Yes. How about “les femmes françaises?” |
| Sylvain: Les femmes françaises! |
| Sam: Les femmes françaises ce sont des créatures dangereuses. |
| Céline: Des créatures dangereuses? |
| Sam: Dangerous creatures. Some of them can be. |
| Sylvain: Créatures dangereuses. |
| Céline: Oh, non, non, non. I think we’re not that bad. At least not me. |
| Sam: Ok. That might be a good place to end today’s lesson. |
| Sylvain: Yeah, yeah. I would like to. Yeah. |
Outro |
| Sam: Yeah. So have a nice day, and we’ll see you next time! |
| Sylvain: Goodbye! |
| Sam: Bye-bye. |
| Céline: À bientôt! |
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