(Bell sounds)
(Soft whispers)
Bonsoir.
Right on time.
Please, have a seat,
and welcome to this new French lesson
So, just let me check what we studied the last time,
it's been a while already.
(Whispers and paper sounds)
(Humming)
So, last time, you learned a few things about French language history.
Some basic phrases, how to count till twenty and above, and a few words.
Oh, I did a bit of reading as well, that's right?
Excellent.
So, today we are going to start with a bit of history again,
by drawing a few cards
that will reveal some French historical figures.
And then you'll learn more basic phrases,
and a few words as well,
and I might end the lesson with a bit of reading again.
D'accord ?
Très bien.
So, let's start with a bit of French history,
and learn about a few famous figures.
I'm going to shuffle these cards.
And someone please choose a number between one and twelve.
Entre un et douze.
En français. In French, please.
(Approving hum)
(Whispering) Alors,
un,
deux,
trois,
quatre,
cinq,
six,
et sept.
Charlemagne.
Charlemagne is one of the most famous kings of France's history.
He lived during the 8th and 9th centuries,
and became the emperor of the western Europe in 800.
And he's also well known for being the one
who made the school public and free for everyone.
And this, allowed many children, rich or poor,
to get an education.
He died in 814.
Next one.
Please choose a number between one and eleven.
Entre un et onze.
(Whispering) Un,
deux,
trois,
quatre.
Ah, Olympe de Gouges.
A brilliant figure of the 18th century.
She's regarded as one of the first feminists in history.
She fought for many causes, including the rights of women,
and against slavery.
She was also a very smart and cultivated woman,
who wrote several plays.
Unfortunately, as many of the rebellious minds of this era,
she was executed in 1793.
So, another one?
Please choose a number between one and ten.
Entre un et dix.
(Approving hum)
(Paper sounds)
(Whispering) Un,
deux,
trois,
quatre,
cinq,
six,
sept,
et huit.
Aliénor d'Aquitaine
Also known as Eleonore of Aquitaine,
she was a queen of the 12th century.
And not only was she queen of France,
but also became queen of England
with her second marriage with Henry Plantagenet.
Aliénor was the mother of Richard Lionheart,
and she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful
women in western Europe during the high Middle Ages.
And known for being extroverted, intelligent and strong-willed.
She lived till the age of 80,
which was quite uncommon for this era.
She's one of my favorites.
One last?
So, please choose a number between one and nine.
Entre un et neuf.
(Approving hum)
(Whispering) Un,
Deux,
Trois,
Quatre,
Cinq,
Molière.
His real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin,
and he lived during the 17th century.
He was a dramatist and one of the greatest French writers.
He wrote about thirty comedies,
and he also directed, acted and managed theater groups.
Most of his plays meant to attack hypocrisy in the western society.
And this was not always well received.
But today, he's still very successful,
and he's taught in many French schools.
Bien, let's move to the next part,
and we are going to learn a few more basic phrases
that you might need if you ever go to a French-speaking country.
Let's write them.
(Whispers and chalk sounds)
(Chalk on board)
So, last time, you learned how to introduce yourself.
Remember, as an example:
"Bonjour, je m'appelle Diane."
Now, let's see how you can say a bit more:
"Bonjour, je m'appelle Diane,
je viens de France."
or
"j'habite en France."
This means
"I come from France"
"I live in France"
You can use both of them.
Alright?
"Bonjour, je m'appelle Diane,
j'habite en France."
"Enchantée."
This means "Nice to meet you".
"Enchantée" literally means "Delighted"
meaning "I am delighted to meet you".
Alright?
"Enchantée", can you say it?
So, this word is always pronounced the same way.
But if you want to write it,
if you're a man, you won't add the last -e
but if you are a woman, you will add one -e at the end of the word.
We won't go too far with it today alright?
Next, "De rien" or "Je vous en prie".
This is a more polite form.
And it means "You're welcome".
So you learnt how to say "Thank you":
"Merci".
And when someone says "Thank you", "Merci",
you will answer "De rien"
or "Je vous en prie".
You can say "De rien" even to someone you're not very familiar with.
Alright?
So, "Rien" means "Nothing".
So when someone says "Thank you",
that means "Oh, there is really nothing you should thank me for".
Alright?
"De rien"
"Je vous en prie"
Alright?
So, let's write a few more.
(Chalkboard sounds)
Now, if you want to apologize for any reason,
you will say "Excusez-moi".
If you say it to a friend, you can say "Excuse-moi".
This is the polite form.
"Excusez-moi", can you say it?
Alright.
"Excuse me"
So you can use it to apologize,
or you can use it if you want to ask something
to someone, in the street for example.
"Excusez-moi, quelle heure est-il ?"
"Excuse me, what time is it?"
"Quelle - heure - est - il ?"
As you can see, it is exactly the same construction as in English.
"What time is it?"
"Quelle heure est-il ?"
Alright?
Next, "À bientôt".
This means "See you soon".
"À bientôt !"
You can use it at the end of a conversation,
with friends, or even someone you're not very familiar with.
"À - bien-tôt"
Alright?
One last.
A bit less common.
So, this is "À vos souhaits", "Bless you".
"À - vos - souhaits"
So, this is something you would say when someone sneezes.
In French, this has no religious connotation
even if the origin is quite similar.
This could be translated by "May your wishes come true",
which is a kind of blessing.
Alright?
"À - vos - souhaits"
And, if you speak to a friend,
you would say "À tes souhaits".
"À vos souhaits"
"À tes souhaits"
Alright?
Can you say it?
Very good. Excellent.
So you might want to take some notes,
and while you're doing this,
I'm going to prepare the next part.
D'accord ?
(Pencil sounds)
(Erasing sounds)
Alright
So now, just like we did the other day
we are going to do something a bit more playful
and learn new words by picking tokens.
And this will be a good reminder for numbers as well.
D'accord ?
So, let's start.
Trente-trois.
Let's see.
There it is.
Un fauteuil.
Fauteuil
F-A-U-T-E-U-I-L
Fauteuil
Next one.
Quatorze.
Un chien.
C-H-I-E-N
Chien
Can you say it ?
Excellent.
Cinquante-deux.
Un crâne.
Crâne
C-R-A-N-E
This little accent here just means that
the sound 'a' is a little bit longer.
Not 'crane' but 'craaaane'.
Crâne
Can you say it ?
Très bien.
Next one.
Soixante-huit.
Une fraise.
F-R-A-I-S-E
Fraise
Another one.
Vingt-sept.
Une tasse.
T-A-S-S-E
Tasse
Alright.
Next.
Huit.
Une flèche.
F-L-E-C-H-E
Flèche
It's almost the same pronunciation than flesh in English
even if the meaning is not the same.
Alright.
One last.
Cinquante-sept.
Un bateau.
Bateau
B-A-T-E-A-U
Bateau
Can you say it ?
You're doing great.
And now I will end this lesson with a bit of reading
and you're absolutely welcome to fall asleep
and let your ears and brain get immersed into the language.
Alright ?
So, let's choose a book.
Maybe some poetry this time.
(Book sounds, page turning sounds)
Fine...
So... let's see.
(Page turning sounds)
Oh, this one is lovely.
Le chat, by Charles Baudelaire.
(french reading)