Learn how to tell people what you think
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Sam: We’re going to be learning how to express opinions. |
| Céline: Oui. So, Sam, in this lesson, you will learn how to express your ideas. Really important in French. |
| Sam: Fantastique! |
| Céline: Oui. So, the conversation is between two friends. They’re looking at their visit in the schedule of “visite-conférence” done on foot in the streets or monuments of Paris. |
| Sam: Sounds exciting. Let’s start. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Woman: Ah, la visite-conférence, les bars parisiens. A mon avis, c’est intéressant! |
| Woman: Hmmm… ok. Ah, la visite-conférence, les plus belles fesses du Louvre. Selon moi, c’est exaltant! |
| Woman: Pour moi, c’est hilarant! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Céline: So, Sam, did you like our conversation today? Would you like to go to the Louvre for a “visite-conférence”? |
| Sam: Of course, sounds awesome. |
| Céline: So, you want to see the most beautiful buttocks? |
| Sam: Sounds pretty cheeky. |
| Céline: Ah bon? |
| Sam: Yes. |
| Céline: So, you know, Sam, in Paris we have very, very interesting tools. The most beautiful buttocks of the Louvre, also meeting the French. |
| Sam: Ok. |
| Céline: So, meeting the French you eat with French families and you spend time with the French. Also you have Paris privé. |
| Sam: So, Céline, I’ve got a question. That meeting the French dinner, that sounds really intriguing. How does that work? |
| Céline: You buy the tour, so maybe it’s one day or two days, and you spend time with a French family. So, you have lunch with them and you eat French dinner and you spend time with the French. |
| Sam: Sounds like a home stay. |
| Céline: Yes, but a short one. And maybe more expensive. |
| Sam: Oh, wow. Sounds like fun. |
| Céline: Yes, it is. We also have “Paris privé”. “Paris privé” is like a shopping tour. That’s really nice. Your host takes you to those shopping places in Paris. |
| Sam: Sounds good. |
| Céline: Yes. |
| Sam: What do you think? Can you tell us some of the better shops to go to in Paris? |
| Céline: My favorite shop in Paris is “Colette”. Yes. But we do have many shops in Paris. |
| Sam: What if you need a special size? Is that difficult to get? |
| Céline: You can get a personal shopper in Paris. Yes. |
| Sam: Maybe it’s not cheap. |
| Céline: I don’t think so. |
| Sam: So, we can do that, but first we need to learn some more vocabulary before we do that, right? |
| Céline: Of course, you will need vocabulary to go to Paris. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Sam: And we’ve got some lovely vocabulary for our listeners today. The first item is? |
| Céline: Visite-conférence. |
| Sam: “Visit conference”. |
| Céline: Visite-conférence. Visite-conférence. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Bar. |
| Sam: “Bar” or “café”. |
| Céline: Bar. Bar. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Parisien. |
| Sam: “Parisian”, masculine. |
| Céline: Parisien. Parisien. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Fesses. |
| Sam: “Buttocks”. |
| Céline: Fesses. Fesses. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Intéressant. |
| Sam: “Interesting” or “at a good price”. |
| Céline: Intéressant. Intéressant. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Exaltant. |
| Sam: “Thrilling”. |
| Céline: Exaltant. Exaltant. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Hilarant. |
| Sam: “Hilarious”. |
| Céline: Hilarant. Hilarant. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: A mon avis. |
| Sam: “In my opinion”. |
| Céline: A mon avis. A mon avis. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Selon moi. |
| Sam: “According to me”. |
| Céline: Selon moi. Selon moi. |
| Sam: Next? |
| Céline: Pour moi. |
| Sam: “For me”. |
| Céline: Pour moi. Pour moi. |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Sam: Now let’s have a closer look at some of the items from this lesson. |
| Céline: The first phrase is “visite-conférence”. |
| Sam: “Visit conference”. |
| Céline: So, as it says, it’s a visit, a tour, as well as a lecture. Visite-conférence in Paris. They’re many “visites-conférences” in Paris. For example: Visite-conférence du quartier latin. |
| Sam: “Visit conference of the Latin town.” The “quartier latin”. |
| Céline: Visite-conférence du musée d’Orsay. |
| Sam: “Visit conference of the Orsay Museum.” How would you say “I’d like to go on a visit conference of the Louvre? |
| Céline: Je voudrais faire une visite-conférence du Louvre. Je voudrais faire une visite-conférence du Louvre. So, next word is “bar”. |
| Sam: “Bar”. Hey, what’s the difference between a bar and a café? |
| Céline: Well, not so different except that maybe at the bar we’re supposed to drink standing and maybe drink alcohol, I don’t know. But in the dialogue, the bar is specific to a Parisian bar. Un bar parisien. |
| Sam: Why? What’s so specific about a Parisian bar? |
| Céline: I think the most important thing is the atmosphere. If you watch French movies you will definitely know what a “bar parisien” is. People drinking at the counter, talking, smoking, not anymore, but… If you remember the movie Amélie, there are many scenes at the bar. You know, in France, we also say “le zinc”, meaning the counter of the bar. |
| Sam: Interesting. Let’s recommend to our listeners that if they visit Paris, they should visit the bar. |
| Céline: Of course. Well, pay attention to the next word, Sam. Really useful. Fesses. Les fesses. |
| Sam: “Buttocks”. |
| Céline: Oui. In our dialogue, it’s about “les fesses” of art pieces at the Louvre. But you can see in Paris many “fesses” on the streets. |
| Sam: So, if one were to see nice “fesses” on the street, how could you say that in French? |
| Céline: You can say: Elle a de jolies fesses. |
| Sam: Literally, “She has pretty buttocks.” Isn’t that inappropriate? |
| Céline: Why? No. “Fesses” is not vulgar. You know we have many expressions in French with “fesses”. And if you’re a skiing, you might use “le tire-fesses”. |
| Sam: “The ski-tow”, “the buttocks puller”. That’s funny. |
| Céline: Funny. Même hilarant. – “hilarious”. C’est hilarant. – “It’s hilarious.” |
| Sam: Do you have other words to express hilarity? |
| Céline: “C’est drôle”, “c’est marrant” and “It’s funny.”And the translation would be “It’s funny.” |
| Sam: And the word “exaltant”, what is “exaltant”? |
| Céline: Well, “exaltant” is “thrilling”. In the dialogue, buttocks are thrilling. “Exaltant” can be “thrilling”, “exciting”. For example, un bain aux huiles est exaltant. |
| Sam: “A bath with oil is thrilling.” I agree. |
| Céline: Well, after, we have three expressions which are very, very useful. A mon avis. |
| Sam: “In my opinion” |
| Céline: Selon moi. |
| Sam: “According to me” |
| Céline: Pour moi. |
| Sam: “For me” |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Céline: All those three are used to express your opinion and share your thoughts. And it’s our today’s grammar point, Sam. |
| Sam: Fantastique selon moi. |
| Céline: So, let’s start with “à mon avis” – “in my opinion”. To give your opinion, you should start with this phrase. A mon avis. And then, tell your opinion about something or someone. “Mon avis” meaning “my opinion”. |
| Sam: Some examples, please? |
| Céline: A mon avis, il faut que tu étudies plus. |
| Sam: “In my opinion it’s necessary that you study more.” French, of course. Now, how would you say “In my opinion, Sarkozy is wrong.”? |
| Céline: A mon avis, Sarkozy a tort. It’s good to tell what you think, right? Vive la liberté d’expression! Long live freedom of expression. N’est-ce pas? |
| Sam: Of course. |
| Céline: So, next, we have “selon moi”. |
| Sam: “According to me” |
| Céline: “Les Choristes” est un très bon film selon moi. |
| Sam: “The Chorists is a really good movie according to me.” |
| Céline: Le français est une des plus belles langues selon moi. |
| Sam: “French is one of the most beautiful languages according to me.” |
| Céline: And lastly we have “pour moi”. |
| Sam: “For me” |
| Céline: As informal opinion. Pour moi, apprendre le français est vital. |
| Sam: “For me, learning French is vital.” |
| Céline: Well, not for me, maybe for you. |
| Sam: Of course. |
| Céline: Pour moi, Céline a de très belles fesses. |
| Sam: Oh my God. You want me to say that? |
| Céline: Of course. That’s why I said it. |
| Sam: “For me, Céline has very nice buttocks.” |
| Céline: C’est exaltant. Thank you very much, Sam. You know that if you want to tell your opinion, you can also say “I think”. “Je pense” + “que”, as in: Je pense que Frenchpod101.com est très utile pour apprendre le français. |
| Sam: “I think that Frenchpod101.com is very useful to study French.” |
| Céline: In France, “je pense que” – “I think that” is widely used. Je pense que, il pense que, elle pense que... |
| Sam: “I think that, he thinks that, she thinks that” |
| Céline: So, Sam, qu’est-ce que tu penses de la France? – “What do you think of France?” |
| Sam: Je pense que la France est un beau pays. – “I think that France is a beautiful country.” |
| Céline: Fantastique! Et qu’est-ce que tu penses des fesses des jolies françaises? – “What do you think of the beautiful French buttocks?” |
| Sam: Pas de commentaire. |
| Céline: Oh non Sam. You have to give your opinion. It’s the topic of the lesson. |
| Sam: Selon moi, les fesses des femmes françaises sont belles. – “For me, French ladies buttocks are beautiful.” |
| Céline: Sam, you’re so nice. Merci beaucoup. |
Outro |
| Sam: De rien, pas de problème. So, I think that’s a nice place to end today’s lesson. So, until the next time. |
| Céline: A bientôt! |
| Sam: Bye, bye. |
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