METROPOLITAN FRENCH - LESSON 2

Transcription

1 SETTING Suppose you meet Mr. Bertrand in front of your building, who is just the person you were looking for. He has a friendly face and can tell you where to find a taxi stand. CONVERSATION 2 LISTENING IN Listen to the conversation twice. See how much you can understand. Compare notes with your classmates. Ask your teacher about anything you still don't understand. 2-1

2 LOOKING AT IT Tiens, bonjour, Monsieur/Madame. allez-vous ce matin? bien, merci, et vous? Ça va. Comment Excusez-moi, mais où est la station de taxis? A droite, vous voyez? Elle est à côté du café. Du café? Ah oui! Je vois. Merci beaucoup. Functional Notes 1. A friendly face? When you first arrive in Paris you may think that there is not a friendly face around. It is not necessarily so, it's just that Europeans--particularly the French--smile a lot less than Americans do. It is true, however, that in big cities, people are in a hurry and not too eager to help a stranger. Is it true about New Yorkers too? Ask your teacher's opinion. Fill in the Blanks Listen to the tape and write the missing word(s) in the blanks. Then check your work by looking at the printed conversation. 1. Tiens,, Monsieur/Madame. Comment -vous ce matin?... Ca va.) bien, merci, vous? 2-2

3 Excusez-, mais oa la station de taxis? A droite, vous? Elle à du Du? Ilest Ah! beaucoup.... vois Tiens, bonjour, Monsieur/Madame. Comment allezvous ce matin? Três...,, et vous? Ca va. -moi, mais est la station de taxis? A, vous voyez? Elle est à du... est là-bas. Ah oui! Je Merci beaucoup. A CLOSER LOOK Français English tiens comment weil how 2-3

4 allez ce matin (le) très bien merci et ça va excusez-moi où est mais from the verb aller: this morning very well thank you and everything is OK excuse me where is but to go station de taxis taxi stand à là droite on the right there voyez elle from the verb voir: she to see à il là-bas de next to he over there beaucoup much, many Vocabulary Notes tiens: from the verb tenir: to hold, is often used at the beginning of a sentence to focus the attention of the listener and means: well. 2-4

5 Comment allez-vous?: How are you? In this expression, as in the less formai Comment ça va?, the verb aller: to go is used and not the verb to be as in English. It's a bit similar to the colloquial English expression: How is it going? est: (he, she, it) is, from the verb être: to be. elle: taxis she, it. (rr:- In "CONVERSATION 2," elle refers to la station de il: he, it. In "CONVERSATION 2," il refers to le café (m). du: contraction of de + le, meaning of the. beaucoup: means both much and many. Pronunciation Practice a. Repeat the words or sentences after your teacher ail together. b. Repeat the words or sentences after your teacher individually. Exploring In "CONVERSATION 1" you saw: je suis: l am; vous êtes: you are. In "CONVERSATION 2" you have: il est: he is; elle est: she is. The words il, elle can refer to a noun previously mentioned, as in: "Le café? Il est lâ-bas." "La station de taxis? Elle est lâ-bas." Il, elle function as pronouns and here refer to le café, la station de taxis, respectivelg. Practice 1. In the following sentences, replace the noun with the pronoun, il or elle. Write down gour answers. Le est lâ-bas. Le restaurant est â droite. 2-5

6 L'ambassade est à côté. Le cinêma est là-bas. La banque est à droite. La cafêteria est à Le consulat est là-bas. 2. Your teacher will ask gou a question and gou'll respond, choosing the correct subject pronoun. Don't look at the answers. Example: Où est le Où est M. Bertrand? Où est Mme Bertrand? Elle est là-bas. Où est l'ambassade? Où est l'ambassadeur? Où est le café? Où est le restaurant? Où est le consul? Où est le consulat? Où est la banque? Elle est là-bas. Elle est là-bas. 3. Fill in the blanks. Il..., Je... à à l'ambassade. l'ambassade. Vous... à l'ambassade. 2-6

7 4. Read the following sentences aloud with the proper rising question intonation. Vous êtes Il est! l'ambassade? Elle est! La banque est! droite? Le restaurant est bon? Le consul est l!-bas? L'ambassadeur est! Paris? Le est! 5. Translate into English. Il est! droite. Elle est lâ-bas. Il est! l'ambassade. Elle est! Il est! du de l'ambassade. 6. Translate into French. He is at the embassy. 5he is over there. She He is on the right. is next door. 2-7

8 MAKING IT WORK Taking Your Part 1. Listen twice to "CONVERSATION 2," book closed. 2. Review the pronunciation. 3. Go over the dialog with the instructor taking the French speaker's part. Keep the book open in front of you. 4. Go over the dialog with the instructor taking the French speaker's part. Don't use the book this time. 5. Go over the dialog again. This time your instructor will make small changes in the texte 6. Do it again. Your instructor will now make greater changes. Interpreter Situation - Tiens, bonjour. Comment allez-vous ce matin? - Very well, thank you, and you? - Ca va. Excuse me. Where is the taxi stand? - A droite, la-bas. Vous voyez? Elle est côtê du - The cafe? - Il est la-bas. - Oh yesj l see. Thank you very much. 2-8

9 ACTIVITY Signs When you are looking for a taxi in Paris, you should look for the sign: Tête de Station. Indeed, there are many signs in a modern city which you should be able to identify. It is enough if you learn how to recognize these signs. You don't have to pronounce them. Français English Sortie Sortie de secours Exit Emergency Entrance Exit interdite No Entrance Tête de station Taxi Stand Travaux Men Working Zone bleue Restricted Parking Stationnement interdit No Parking Zone interdite au public Restricted Area Toutes directions ALI Directions Centre ville Downtown Bel tway Voie sans issue Sens unique No One Through Street Nay Attention à la marche Watch Your Step 2-9

10 Entrez sans fumer No Smoking Toilettes Dames Messieurs Toilet Ladies Gentlemen Plaging the Words USING IT You will now engage in conversation with gour teacher, using the material in this lesson as a point of departure. Use gour imaginationt 2-10