Posts in October 2008

Let’s Talk About Present Tense Verbs

Posted by Chanda
Oct
10
2008

Je travaille.

In French, this short sentence has several translations in English and we would need more context to decide exactly what is meant.  It could be translated as “I work” or “I’m working” and if we add more to the sentence without changing the verb structure in any way, it could take on even more meanings.  For example, Je travaille depuis plusieurs mois.  This same verb structure is now being used as an English present perfect verb, thus the translation is “I’ve worked for several months”.  With this in mind, let’s talk about le présent français.

There are different verb endings depending on the verb group.

Verbs in the First Group (the -ER verbs):

Stem + -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent

These verbs are regular as far as their conjugation, but some of them have spelling and phonetic changes.  Almost 90% of all French verbs fall under this category.

For example, TRAVAILLER

Je travaille Nous travaillons
Tu travailles Vous travaillez
Il / Elle / On travaille Ils / Elles travaillent

Verbs in the Second Group (the -IR verbs):

Stem + -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent

These verbs are regular as far as their conjugation and you have to double the final -s before vowels for nous, vous, ils, elles.  There are only about 300 of these verbs in the French language.

For example, FINIR

Je finis Nous finissons
Tu finis Vous finissez
Il / Elle / On finit Ils / Elles finissent

Verbs in the Third Group (the -RE, -OIR and some -IR verbs):
Stem (often variable for same verb)      + -s, -s, -t / d, -ons, -ez, -ent
                                                      + -e, -es, -e, -ons, -ez, -ent
                                                      + -x, -x, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent

This is the ‘all other verbs’ category.  These verbs are irregular as they can have many different stems as well as different endings.  However, you must learn (hence, memorize) them as they are often used in the French language and there are about 370 of them.

For example, FAIRE

Je fais Nous faisons
Tu fais Vous faites
Il / Elle / On fait Ils / Elles font

For example, BOIRE

Je bois Nous buvons
Tu bois Vous buvez
Il / Elle / On boit Ils / Elles boivent

For example, COMPRENDRE

Je comprends Nous comprenons
Tu comprends Vous comprenez
Il / Elle / On comprend Ils / Elles comprennent

For example, POUVOIR

Je peux / puis Nous pouvons
Tu peux Vous pouvez
Il / Elle / On peut Ils / Elles peuvent

For example, COUVRIR

Je couvre Nous couvrons
Tu couvres Vous couvrez
Il / Elle / On couvre Ils / Elles couvrent

 

Now that we’ve got the form down pat (right???), what about meaning?

Well, you can use the present simple to talk about an action that is in progress at the time of speaking (much like present progressive in English).  For example,

Mes enfants dorment (en ce moment).  This means that ‘my children are sleeping’ and I can add the ‘right now’ part or another time expression to better specify the context so as not to give the impression they sleep all the time, but it is not necessary.

The present simple can be used to talk about an event that began in the past (much like our present perfect).  For example,

J’habite à Paris depuis deux ans.  (I’ve lived in Paris for two years.)

Or you can use the present simple to talk about an event that will begin in the very, very near future much like we use the present progressive/continuous in English.  For example,

Cet été, nous allons aux États-Unis.  (This summer, we’re going to the United States.)

Just as in English, you can use the present simple to express repetitive actions.  For example,

Vous prenez le métro tous les jours.  (You take the metro every day.)

You also find the simple present used in factual texts to talk about the past in order to make events livelier (narrating present) or simply to state facts that continue to be true.  For example,

En 1928,  Fleming découvre le premier antibiotique.  (Fleming discovered the first antibiotic in 1928.)

The present simple is also used in French to express a general truth or a proverb.  For example,

L’eau bouille à 100º C.  (Water boils at 100º C.)
Au besoin on connaît l’ami. (A friend in need is a friend indeed.)

Finally, you can use the present simple when making a hypothesis or a conditional statement.  For example,

Si tu vas en France, tu apprendras sûrement le français. (If you go to France, you will surely learn French.)

If you want to make any of these present tense sentences negative, just place ne before the verb and pas after it.  Questions basically follow the same structure as the affirmative; you just add a question mark at the end and change your intonation.  For example,

Tu comprends l’espagnol?  Non, je ne comprends pas l’espagnol. (Do you understand Spanish?  No, I don’t understand Spanish.)

Since French verbs can be quite complicated with their different endings and groups and spelling and other irregularities, I recommend getting your hands on a copy of a good verb reference book listing all the verbs and their group numbers as well as other verb-significant grammatical information.

Bon week-end!

 
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Frenchman Le Clezio Wins Nobel Prize in Literature

Posted by Chanda
Oct
9
2008

It was announced today that a Frenchman will be awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature.  Born in Nice, France on April 13, 1940, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio started writing when he was only 7 years old, has traveled extensively, grew up bilingual in French and English as he lived in various countries and has written more than 30 books.  He and his wife currently have homes in Nice, New Mexico and Mauritius.

He has written about crises such as fever and floods, ecological issues, war, North African culture, Indian culture, Europe as viewed by unwanted immigrants, Central America, refugees, cultural conflicts, youth and exile.  In 1994, he was chosen by the readers of Lire magazine as the best living French author.  He has been awarded other literary prizes including the Prix Théophraste Renaudot in 1963, Prix Larbaud in 1972, Grand Prix Paul Morand de l’Académie française in 1980, Grand Prix Jean Giono in 1997 and the Prix Prince de Monaco in 1998.

Although actually written for a pre-teen French public, I would recommend Le Clezio’s children’s books to anyone learning French.  The topics are interesting and the language easier to grasp for those just starting out with the language than his other novels. Celui qui n’avait jamais vu la mer is about a boy named Daniel who barely talks and doesn’t really have any friends.  He seems to come from somewhere else and only gets excited when someone talks of their travels and the sea although he has never seen the sea…until one day, without telling anyone, he sets off to never return.  Lullaby is about a girl of the same name who is rebellious, impulsive and a dreamer who one day decides to never again return to school.  She leaves her house and takes off to the sea, meeting all sorts of interesting characters along the way.  Voyage au pays des arbres is about a young boy who, bored, decides to take off to the ‘country of trees’.  He feels that trees are not all alike, can talk, think, listen and have personalities and so decides to become friends with all of them.  Balaabilou is about an African fisherman who tells children about Balaabilou who saved a beautiful princess named Leila from a horrible death and her entire kingdom from drought.  La grande vie peuple du ciel is about the power of the imagination and the frailty of dreams.

Le Clezio’s style is very Roald Dahl-like.  The Swedish Academy, in bestowing this internationally renowned award upon Le Clezio, said that he is the “author of new departures, poetic adventure and sensual ecstasy, the explorer of a humanity beyond and below the reigning civilization”.  For more detailed information on his biography and bibliography of works, click here.

Bonne lecture!

 
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1 Gars 1 Fille

Posted by Chanda
Oct
8
2008

No matter if you are in France, the United States or any other place in the world, male-female relationships are often complicated for one reason or another.  And this area is another where the French and the Americans can find common ground.  In both countries, men are often stereotyped in certain ways as are women and the essence of their relationships as affected by men’s and women’s different feelings, ideas of commitment, their families of origin, what they like to talk about and do in their free time, etc., etc. is very similar regardless of culture and language.  These differences can often be very humorous when seen from the outside.

One of my favorite French TV shows is called 1 Gars 1 Fille.  It is a comedy about the daily ongoings of a 30-something couple that lives together.  The main characters are Alex (nicknamed Chouchou) and Jean (nicknamed Loulou).  Alex represents the women of our times as she is very independent, attractive, charming, fashionable, ultra-feminist and obsessive about certain things like cleanliness and order, but still loves to cuddle, is mischievous and a bit annoying at times to the opposite sex.  Jean, on the other hand, is a typical very cool guy who likes cars, computers, sports, going out with his friends, hates his mother-in-law, the opera and intrusions into his privacy and even though he puts on a very masculine air, he ends up having to show his emotions and sensitivity at times.  He works a lot, but is very lazy at home and he loves to tease his significant other.

Just to give you an idea of the topics dealt with, some of the episode titles include “In Bed”, “Breakfast at Mother-in-Law’s”, “Shopping”, “Friends Over For Supper”, “In The Kitchen”, “In the Bathroom”, “Playing Cards”, “Playing Golf”, “Doing Exercise”, “At the Bookstore”, “At A Friend’s Wedding”, “Television Night”, “At the Bar”, “At the Spa” and “Valentine’s Day”.  There are many, many more titles as the series has been on the air for several years and some titles even have second and third parts given the amount of material that can be found in all of our ‘backyards’.

Although I found it in France, the show actually originated in Canada, where it focuses on a 40-something couple, but the idea is basically the same.  In Canada, it is a weekly 26-minute show, whereas in France it is on every day before the evening news for about 7 minutes.  Production companies in 13 countries have bought rights to the series.  Versions are also currently running on Portuguese, Greek and Spanish television.  And plans are underway to start production on shows in Italy, Germany, Israel, Bulgaria, Poland, the United Kingdom and of course the United States!

Click here to go to the official website where you can read more about the French television show 1 Gars 1 Fille.  If you happen to live in France, you can watch it Monday to Friday at 8:30 p.m. on France 4.

Watch one of the ‘Bathroom’ episodes and see what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2PQMiV3ro8

You can read more about male-female equality in France in official documents from the government of France by clicking here.

Salut les filles!

 
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Are French Cars Better Than Italian Cars?

Posted by Chanda
Oct
6
2008

« La puissance est plus impressionnante lorsqu’elle est générée par une simple goutte. »

This comes from an Audi ad that was blinking at me this afternoon while I was reading Le Monde online.  It didn’t inspire me to go out and buy a car, but it did bring me to write this article on comparatives in French.

We can break the comparison of superiority above grammatically like this: subject + verb + plus + adjective

Below are some structures you may use to express comparisons of superiority, equality and inferiority.

Plus
Aussi  + adjective/adverb + que
Moins 

Plus de
Autant de  + noun + que
Moins de 

                        plus
Verbe +          autant +  que
                        moins

Here are some examples:

Comparisons of Superiority

Mon mari est plus âgé que moi. (My husband is older than I.)
Ma mère conduit plus rapide que moi.  (My mother drives faster than I.)
En France, il y a plus de vins qu’aux Etats-Unis. (In France, there are more wines than in the United States.)
Elle parle plus que lui.  (She talks more than he.)

Comparisons of Inferiority
Il a fait moins beau que hier. (It was not as nice as yesterday.)
J’apprends moins vite que ma soeur.  (I learn slower than my sister.)
Ils ont moins d’argent que les Sarkozy.  (They have less money than the Sarkozy’s.)
Vous mangez moins que nous.  (You eat less than we do.)

Comparisons of Equality

Ses yeux sont aussi beaux que les miens.  (Her eyes are as beautiful as mine.)
Nous parlons aussi bien le français que vous.  (We speak French just as good as you.)
Tu as autant d’enfants que moi.  (You have as many children as I.)
Mes parents travaillent autant que les vôtres.  (My parents work as much as yours.)

You can also use comme to express a comparison of equality.  For example:

Je cuisine comme un vrai chef.  (I cook like a real chef.)

Be careful! There are some irregular constructions too such as

bon → meilleur
bien → mieux

…and although you can use plus petit to indicate size or measurement, you use moindre when talking about value or importance.

…and plus mauvais is grammatically correct, but you often hear pire as it is a way to insist upon the ‘badness’.

There are other more complicated variations and rules, but that is pretty much it for the basics of comparing in French.

Finally, click here to go to the Audi France website if any of you want to buy that car in the ad!
Mais moi, j’aime plus ma petite voiture!

 
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Baggage Thieves!

Posted by Chanda
Oct
1
2008

According to an article in Le Monde today, a baggage theft ring has been caught at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport with approximately 450,000 euros worth of stolen goods.  The baggage handlers’ finds included computers, iPods, iPhones, cell phones, jewelry, perfume, luxury shoes and travelers checks.  Many items were later sold on eBay.  In 2007, there were 621 baggage theft complaints filed at Terminal 2 which is up 24% over 2006.  So, next time you travel to Paris, be careful of what you put in your checked baggage! 

Baggage tips aside, here is some more information on traveling by air to Paris.  Roissy-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) is located about 14 miles northeast of Paris and Orly is approximately 8 1/2 miles to the south of Paris.  You can get to the larger of the two, CDG, from Paris and vice versa as well as travel between the two airports by car, taxi, bus or RER (suburban metro) among other ways.  I think the most convenient are the RER and TGV, but I’ve taken the Roissybus and it is also quite reliable.  AirFrance also provides bus services to both airports, but their service is a bit more expensive than the other public transport services.  You can also arrange a VIP Airport Shuttle if you plan ahead.  If you will be traveling by train to another city, there is also a TGV (high-speed train) station at the airport. 

If you are planning on flying into or through Paris, go to the Paris Airports website which may be of use to you.  It is available in French and English.  If you want to see the English version, just click on the British flag in the top right-hand corner.  There, you will find more detailed information including directions and times/prices for transportation services.  You can download airport maps and plan terminal shopping excursions for your layovers with their shop finder.  And you can even plan a car trip as it will give you directions, toll information, distances, travel times and even the amount of money you should plan on for gas!

This summer from July 21st to September 15th, the Charles de Gaulle airport hosted CDG-Plage where you could sit in beach chairs under palm trees situated in various areas and enjoy the colorful beach decoration.  This is part of their attempts to offer a wide range of entertainment for passengers on layovers.  Year-round, they also provide Playstation and Gulli areas, hopscotch carpets, play areas with slides and more, educational games, cartoons, etc. throughout the airport for the young and old.  Other passenger services include massages, manicures and hair and skin care and makeup at the beauty salons as well as prayer areas, post offices, tourist information, medical services and Internet. 

Bon voyage!

 
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