The French word trouble should not give you any trouble, right? After all, it is a direct cognate of “trouble” in English… But don’t let this air of familiarity fool you. Trouble doesn’t always mean “trouble,” exactly. And that’s the trouble. So, let’s go to the trouble of exploring this sometimes troublesome word, trouble.
To determine whether or not we have a cognate is difficult. It all depends on what types of troubles we’re dealing with, and it is best to work on a case-by-case basis. The English cognate “trouble” works perfectly in some circumstances, when talking about le trouble du comportement (behavioral trouble), for example:
Pour l'ensemble de nos résidents qui correspondent au profil de trouble du comportement, Alzheimer, et cætera.
For all of our residents who fit the profile of behavioral trouble, Alzheimer's, et cetera.
Captions 21-22, JT La musicothérapie pour les aînés
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On the other hand, and despite the similar context, we no longer have a cognate in the example below. When dealing with troubles du comportement alimentaire, it's preferable to use the word “disorders” in English:
...voire même des troubles du comportement alimentaire majeurs, type, euh, anorexie.
...perhaps even major eating disorders like, um, anorexia.
Caption 18, Le Journal Publicité anti-calories
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Sometimes trouble is equivalent to “problem” in the general sense. For instance, we talk about troubles moteurs, sensoriels ou cognitifs (motor, sensory, or cognitive problems):
À l'âge de cinq ans, quarante pour cent de ces enfants ont des troubles moteurs, sensoriels ou cognitifs
At the age of five, forty percent of these children have motor, sensory, or cognitive problems
Caption 15, Le Journal Grands prématurés
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As for the term trouble used in the sense of disturbance, it's a cognate again! In times of political unrest, for example, we talk about périodes de trouble:
Aussi même pendant les périodes de trouble comme il y a neuf mois
Even during periods of trouble, such as nine months ago
Caption 25, Le Journal Les Français de Côte d'Ivoire
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And yet, if we combine trouble with an adjective, we may end up with an idiomatic expression like troubles violents (violent unrest):
S'ouvre alors une période de troubles violents
A period of violent unrest then begins
Caption 29, Le Monde Nouvelle-Calédonie : la dernière colonie française - Part 2
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People responsible for such troubles violents might be labeled as fauteurs de trouble (troublemakers):
La police avait recensé un millier de fauteurs de troubles.
The police had counted about a thousand troublemakers.
Caption 12, Le Journal Manifestations des lycéens - Part 2
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That could spell des ennuis sérieux (serious trouble) for these fauteurs de trouble. In this animated video, the zoo animals also ont des ennuis (are in trouble). Note the French expression is avoir des ennuis (literally, "to have trouble"):
On va toutes avoir des ennuis maintenant.
We're all going to be in trouble now.
Caption 44, Les zooriginaux The Zoo Book - Part 3
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When having trouble or difficulty conducting a task, you will need to use a different expression: avoir du mal à + infinitive (to have trouble doing something):
Le Père Noël a bien du mal à finir à temps son travail.
Santa Claus is having a lot of trouble finishing his work on time.
Caption 16, Les belles histoires de Pomme d'Api Les Chaussettes du Père Noël
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Not being able to cope might mean that vous n’êtes pas au bout de vos peines (your troubles are far from over, or literally, "you're not at the end of your troubles"):
Mais bon, j'étais pas au bout de mes peines.
But, well, my troubles were far from over.
Caption 38, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes grands-parents sont infidèles - Part 7
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When in difficulty, it’s always good to call on someone pour vous sortir d’affaires (to get you out of trouble):
On a tous besoin d’aide pour se sortir d’affaires de temps en temps
We all need help from time to time to get out of trouble.
In any event, it always pays to se donner la peine (to take the trouble) to do things right in the first place, even if it takes effort. In this example, though, se donner la peine is just a very formal way of inviting someone to take a seat (literally, "to take the trouble to sit down"):
Si madame veut bien se donner la peine.
If Madam cares to take the trouble [to go sit down].
Caption 53, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mon fils est amoureux de ma copine - Part 1
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In contrast, here is a more clearcut example where “trouble” in English is synonymous with la peine in French. Barbara wants to reward her mother for her hard work on the plumbing repair:
Pour la peine, je t'invite au restaurant.
For the trouble, I'm taking you out to the restaurant.
Caption 42, Mère & Fille C'est le plombier!
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Finally, the word trouble can also be an adjective meaning “unclear.” Such difficulty could be caused by bad eyesight, for example, as in voir trouble, which doesn’t mean “to see trouble," but “to be unable to see clearly.” Trouble is also the first-person singular indicative of the verb troubler (to trouble):
Je vois trouble et cela me trouble.
I can’t see clearly and it troubles me.
In conclusion, thank you for vous être donné/donnée la peine (taking the trouble) to read this lesson. As you may have noticed, the word trouble can be used in a variety of ways that are not always consistent. So let Yabla help you vous sortir d’affaires (get you out of trouble) with our wide range of videos featuring the word.
Now that les beaux jours arrivent (the nice days are coming), how about celebrating le printemps (spring) with a lesson on this time of growth and renewal for humans and nature alike? So, let’s look out for signs of spring in the natural and the human world and explore some spring-related vocabulary.
People like to celebrate spring in different ways. For some, it’s a great opportunity to refresh a winter wardrobe with something fleuri (flowery) and printanier (springlike). In this video, a boutique offers sustainable fashion, like this ethical robe fleurie (floral/flowery dress):
Hein, c'est joli? -C'est très fleuri. -C'est printanier. -Ouais.
It's pretty, don't you think? -It's very flowery. -It's springlike. -Yeah.
Caption 28, Alsace 20 La chronique Mode de Caroline: mode éthique
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For the practically minded, le printemps is an excellent time to start un nettoyage de printemps (spring cleaning):
Les gens courageux et motivés font un nettoyage de printemps tous les ans.
Motivated and hard-working people do a spring cleaning every year.
In any case, most of us like to fêter le printemps (celebrate spring) and the arrival of nice weather by venturing outdoors. Sophie and Edmée even enjoy seeing others profiter du beau temps (enjoy the nice weather):
On vient de fêter le printemps le vingt-et-un. Du coup, c'est assez logique qu'il fasse beau... et c'est génial de voir des gens en terrasse prendre des cafés, profiter du beau temps.
We just celebrated spring on the twenty-first. So it's quite logical that the weather is nice... and it's great to see people on the terraces having coffee, enjoying the beautiful weather.
Captions 30-31, 39-40 Sophie et Edmée Le beau temps
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As for Marie and Sandra, they too are excited to see that le soleil est sorti (the sun is out).
Oui, oui, oui, ben là le soleil est sorti
Yes, yes, yes, well now the sun is out
Caption 6, Marie et Sandra Atelier d'art - Part 4
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Which reminds Sandra that Marie, her art student, wanted to dessiner des feuilles et des fleurs (draw leaves and flowers):
Et je me souviens que tu m'avais dit que tu voulais dessiner des feuilles et des fleurs.
And I remember that you had told me that you wanted to draw leaves and flowers.
Captions 8-9, Marie et Sandra Atelier d'art - Part 4
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Marie decides to draw some flowers that she picked (cueillies) on her way to class, among them a dandelion (un pissenlit):
Donc en venant ici, j'en ai cueillies... Ben, ce que j'ai trouvé dans la rue en fait, un pissenlit...
So coming here, I picked some... Well, what I found in the street in fact, a dandelion...
Captions 10, 13, Marie et Sandra Atelier d'art - Part 4
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She might have picked some primevères (primroses) or jonquilles (daffodils) had they been available:
Elle n’a pas trouvé de primevères ou de jonquilles.
She didn’t find any primroses or daffodils.
Sometimes people simply dream of beautiful jardins (gardens) with fragrant pivoines (peonies) and roses, like the lucky lady in this video:
J'étais dans un jardin avec des odeurs formidables. Avec des fleurs, des pivoines, des roses...
I was in a garden with wonderful smells. With flowers, peonies, roses...
Captions 19-20, Micro-Trottoirs Rêves et cauchemars
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While some dream of spring gardens, others might compose a poem with a spring theme. In her beautiful words, poet and novelist Suzy Le Blanc depicts love as an ephemeral rose qui est éclose (that opens up) in spring and qui se fane (that withers) in winter:
L'Amour est comme une fleur. Il est comme la Rose
Qui au matin est éclose et nous éblouit. Mais quand viennent l'hiver et la nuit
Elle se fane et on l'oublie.
Love is like a flower. It is like the Rose
Which in the morning opens up and dazzles us. But when the winter and the night come
It withers and we forget it.
Captions 1-3, Suzy Le Blanc Romancière, poète
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In any case, it’s best to enjoy spring while it lasts. Parisians do just that. They fully appreciate their local garden avec ses arbres tout en fleurs (with its trees in full bloom):
Au beau milieu des tours du treizième arrondissement, faites une petite halte repos au Jardin Baudricourt avec sa jolie fontaine et aussi ses arbres tout en fleurs.
Right in the middle of the towers of the thirteenth arrondissement, make a small rest stop at the Baudricourt Garden, with its beautiful fountain and also its trees in full bloom.
Captions 22-24, Voyage dans Paris Le Quartier Asiatique
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Spring is also a time when fruit trees like cerisiers (cherry trees), abricotiers (apricot trees), and pêchers (peach trees) are in bloom. To learn about other types of trees in French, check out this lesson:
Les arbres fruitiers comme les cerisiers, les abricotiers et les pêchers sont en fleurs en mars, avril, mai.
Fruit trees such as cherry trees, apricot trees, and peach trees are in bloom in March, April, and May.
As for vines, la floraison (flowering) comes later in June in France:
Vers le... début juin, mi-juin, ça dépend des années, on a la floraison qui va se faire.
Toward the... beginning of June, mid-June, it depends on the year, we'll have the flowering that will occur.
Captions 32-33, Provence Domaine Rouge-Bleu - Part 2
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People are also on the lookout for the first bourgeons (buds) of the season. In his song "Bienvenue chez moi" (Welcome to My Home), Stromae makes a passing reference to spring to describe his home, a dichotomy of good and bad, à moitié bourgeons (half budding):
À moitié bourgeons, à moitié fortes
Half budding, half going strong
Caption 10, Stromae Bienvenue chez moi
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To wrap up this fragrant lesson, below is a list of the spring-related words and expressions we covered:
le printemps: spring/springtime
fêter le printemps: to celebrate spring
profiter du beau temps: to enjoy the nice weather
éclore: to open up, bloom
faner: to wither
un bourgeon: a bud
la floraison: the flowering
fleurir: to flower, to blossom
fleuri, fleurie: flowery/floral
une fleur: a flower
printanier, printanière: springlike
(tout) en fleurs: in (full) bloom
cueillir des fleurs: to pick some flowers
une pivoine, une rose, un pissenlit, une jonquille, une primevère: a peony, a rose, a dandelion, a daffodil, a primrose
un cerisier, un abricotier, un pêcher: a cherry tree, an apricot tree, a peach tree
un jardin: a garden
le nettoyage de printemps: spring cleaning
Wishing everyone un printemps ensoleillé (a sunny spring)! Thank you for reading.
In our previous lesson, we learned that the indefinite pronoun on is quite versatile and easy to use, as it always takes a verb in the third person singular regardless of whether on means “one," "we," "you," "they," or "people." What is not so simple, however, is how we should apply agreements when on refers to more than one person. Grammarians still have conflicting views on the matter. In any case, let's find out what happens with on in everyday speech.
When on is used as an indefinite pronoun, in the sense of “one” or “people,” it usually does not trigger agreement with adjectives or past participles. In other words, it doesn't trigger agreement when it's being used to make generalizations—for example, when talking about traditions. In her video on the ancient custom of duals for honor, Patricia uses the construction on (one) + past participles vexé (offended) and blessé (hurt), which remain singular:
Quand on était vexé, quand on était blessé dans son honneur, on provoquait le coupable en duel à l'épée.
When one was offended, when one's honor was hurt, one would challenge the culprit to a sword duel.
Captions 3-5, Le saviez-vous? Le dernier duel à l'épée pour l'honneur en France
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The same is true when on is used in a proverb or set expression. Although on translates as “we” in this example, “we” is meant in a general sense:
On n'est pas sorti de l'auberge !
We aren't out of the inn [out of the woods]!
Caption 2, Le saviez-vous? "On est pas sorti de l'auberge!"
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Likewise, when on represents a collective entity, as in “we as a nation," the subject is not readily definable and therefore no agreement is necessary:
On a des racines françaises, mais on était marqué par l'Amérique.
We have French roots, but we were marked by America.
Caption 1, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 5
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So far so good. We have learned that adjectives and past participles do not take agreements in the presence of on as an indefinite pronoun. Now let's find out what happens when on stands for more than one specific person.
Although purists are still debating the matter, the consensus is that adjectives and past participles can agree in gender and number with the person(s) that on represents, as long as the implied subjects are identifiable. (Read this article to learn more.) In this case, on is synonymous with nous (we), which generally is only used as a definite pronoun, with identifiable subjects.
In fact, in casual speech it's common to combine the two in the same sentence: Nous, on + verb. In this case, there is no doubt that on is synonymous with nous:
Nous, on a bloqué le R.E.R., les moyens de transports, les nationales.
We, we blocked the R.E.R. [regional train], the means of transport, the main roads.
Caption 29, Interviews à Central Park Discussion politique
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Since auxiliary avoir does not trigger agreement, let's see what happens with auxiliary être (to be), which does:
Nous, on était bloqués dans le R.E.R.
We were stuck in the R.E.R.
In this case, the past participle agrees with nous, so we add an s to bloqué to make it plural.
Here is another example where on means nous. In this example, on and nous refer to two singers who are proud to be nominated for the Grammy Awards. Hence, the adjective fières takes the feminine plural as it agrees with the implied subject, the female singers:
Nous vivions tous les deux ensemble... Alors on est quand même très, très fières, en tant que Françaises, très, très fières d'avoir été nominées au Grammy Awards
We were both living together... So anyway we are very, very proud, as French people, very, very, proud to have have been nominated for the Grammy Awards
Captions 24-26, Les Nubians Présentation
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Sometimes it is not always easy to identify who on stands for. Here are two similar examples with the phrase on serait capable(s) (we’d be capable) to illustrate the difficulty. In the first video, Elisa and Mashal are talking about what the two of them would be capable of, such as daring to show up in an evening dress at a job interview:
T'imagines! -On serait capables.
Can you imagine! -We could do that.
Caption 69, Elisa et Mashal CV
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Capable takes an s here because it's referring to the two speakers—and only them. In the second example, however, the person is speaking on behalf of all Spanish speakers, including herself. This on is a collective plural in a general statement, so no agreement is necessary:
On serait tout à fait capable de le parler très correctement.
We would be totally able to speak it very correctly.
Caption 19, Les Nubians Les langues
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Now let's discuss on combined with a possessive adjective. How do you decide which pronoun you should use? First you will need to see if on is acting as an indefinite pronoun or whether it stands for more than one specific person. You need to rely on context to help you. In the following video, the speaker does not include himself in the statement. He is talking about what other “people” (winemakers) are doing, so he uses the singular possessive adjective son.
À Paris, on fait son vin et on a ses propres productions.
In Paris, people make their wine and they have their own productions.
Caption 25, Lea & Lionel L Le parc de Bercy - Part 2
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But sometimes you'll even see on used with the possessive form of nous, notre:
On force ainsi notre cerveau à être plus attentif et plus actif.
Thus we force our brains to be more attentive and more active.
Caption 41, Le saviez-vous? Les bénéfices de la dictée
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Though Patricia is making a general statement, thus using on instead of nous, she may have chosen notre over son to sound more informal (just as "we force our brains" sounds more informal than "one forces ones brain").
Here is an example with on + nos (the plural of notre) in which on refers to a group of specific people. Victoria, the proud owner of one of the last herbalist’s shops in France, talks about what she and her staff have on offer:
Ensuite on a tous nos bonbons.
Then we have all our sweets.
Caption 80, Victoria dirigeante de Millymenthe
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On a fini notre leçon sur « on ». On espère que vous avez tout compris ! (We've finished our lesson on on. We hope you understood everything!) If you need more help, fear not. Des « on », on en trouve partout dans nos videos sur Yabla. (You'll find lots of ons in our Yabla videos.)
In your Yabla wanderings and French learning, you may have come across the ubiquitous indefinite personal pronoun on (one). While “one” is rather formal in English (as in “one is inclined to forget things"), on is more conversational in French. It is also much more versatile, as it doesn’t just mean “one.” So, let’s explore the many ways of using on.
As we mentioned, the primary meaning of on is “one,” just as in English when making a general statement. In the following video, on refers to what “one” can eat at this Alsatian restaurant:
Qu'est-ce qu'on peut manger, chez vous, ici, pour huit euros?
What can one eat at your place here for eight euros?
Caption 25, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: à l'Anatable à Dinsheim
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In practice though, on can refer to anyone. Besides "one," it can translate to any number of things in English: “you," "we," "people," "they." It's up to the listener or reader to figure out from context who on is referring to. For example, in the same video, the chef also uses on to answer the reporter’s question, but this time, on translates as “we” since the chef is talking about himself and his team.
Donc écoute, aujourd'hui pour huit euros, en menu du jour, on a fait un tartare de hareng fumé et pomme de terre à l'huile d'olive
So listen, today for eight euros, on the menu of the day, we made a smoked herring and potato tartare with olive oil
Captions 26-27, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: à l'Anatable à Dinsheim
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The chef could just as easily have used nous (we) in this situation (nous avons fait un tartare de hareng fumé...), but on is more conversational than nous. In fact, some even advise against using nous as a subject pronoun in casual conversation in favor of on, since nous will sound too formal. By the same token, avoid using on for "we" in formal situations and in writing—in those instances, stick with nous.
However, in a different situation, on can mean "you" when referring to the person being spoken to. In the video below, the speaker addresses “you,” the potential ticket buyer:
Voilà, on peut acheter un ticket à la journée, à la semaine...
There we are. You can buy a ticket for the day, for the week...
Captions 55-56, Amal Vélib
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Other times, when it is unclear or not important to know who the subject is, on is a very convenient pronoun to use, equivalent to the generalized “they” or “people” in English. In his video on Nemours, Daniel Benchimol doesn’t know or doesn’t wish to mention who gave the town its nickname, la Venise du Gâtinais:
Nemours c'est aussi celle qu'on surnomme la Venise du Gâtinais.
Nemours is also the one they nickname "La Venise du Gâtinais" [The Venice of the Gâtinais].
Caption 5, Voyage en France Nemours - Part 4
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On also comes in handy when there is no way of knowing who you're referring to—for example, when the perpetrator of an action, often a negative one such as a theft, is unknown. In cases like these, on is best rendered by the passive voice in English, as the emphasis is on the “victim” or the recipient of the action. In the video below, on refers to the unknown person who stole Sophie’s phone:
C'est pas parce que... on t'a volé ton téléphone que tu vas plus avoir de boulot.
Just because... you had your phone stolen doesn't mean that you're not going to have a job anymore.
Captions 48-49, Sophie et Patrice On m'a volé mon téléphone
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You can also use on in another interesting way, to make a suggestion or prompt people into action, as in “let's sing":
Alors on chante! Allez, tu viens? Tu viens chanter avec moi? On y est? Alors c'est parti!
So let's sing! Come on, are you coming? Are you coming to sing with me? Are we ready? Then off we go!
Caption 48, Actu Vingtième Le vide-grenier
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A more unusual way of using on is instead of tu or vous (you) to avoid addressing the person directly and soften the tone. It’s a gentle way of initiating contact. When someone is tired, for example, you could say:
On est fatigué ce soir ?
We’re tired tonight? [You're tired tonight?]
You can even use on as an oblique way of referring to yourself out of modesty. For instance, to avoid bragging about yourself, you might say:
On a gagné le premier prix.
We won first prize. [I won first prize.]
As you can see, on is a very versatile and easy-to-use pronoun that is suitable for all kinds of conversational situations. (For even more, click on this link.) Just keep in mind that on is often open to interpretation, which can come at the expense of clarity. So let our Yabla videos guide you.
On y va ! (Let’s go!)
The word place is very common in French and poses few problems when it's a direct cognate of the English "place." Other times, however, the meanings diverge, and the word place will translate in a variety of ways depending on context. So, let’s go places and explore the similarities and differences in the use of the word place in this lesson.
As we just mentioned, the word place can be used in a similar way in English and in French in some situations. For example, "a place to stay" is une place d’accueil (literally "a place of welcome"). In the video below, welcome centers around France offer des places d’accueil (places to stay) for refugees:
C'est près de deux cents places d'accueil...
It's nearly two hundred welcoming places...
Caption 35, Réfugiés de Calais L’accueil des migrants en Finistère
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Une place does not only refer to a physical place, but also to a figurative one, like the place where you belong in life. That's a tough question for this lost soul in Yaaz’s sad song "La Place des anges," who muses over an uncertain future and wonders where angels truly belong:
Mais la place des anges n'est pas ici
But the angels' place is not here
Caption 7, Yaaz La place des anges
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Sometimes finding the right place is simply a practical matter. In this well-organized restaurant, the staff is ready to se mettre en place (take their places) before the rush of diners:
Eh ben, on se met en place et on fait tout ça.
Well then, we'll take our places and we'll do all that.
Caption 76, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano Médaillon de Homard - Part 2
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The expression remettre à sa place, though, is not so kind, as it means to put someone back in their place:
Le patron l’a remis à sa place.
The boss put him back in his place.
So far, we’ve looked at examples of true cognates. Unfortunately, these only work in a limited context, as une place often means something other than “a place.” But it doesn’t have to be complicated. For example, to book a table, a room, seats, or buy concert tickets, just say réserver une place! In the following video, une place means “a ticket” to a concert:
Dix mille places se sont arrachées en deux jours.
Ten thousand tickets were snapped up in two days.
Caption 13, Alsace 20 Rammstein à Strasbourg
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Une place can also refer to the seating capacity or number of seats in a venue:
Mercredi je joue au Sin-é et... C'est trois cents places.
On Wednesday I'm performing at Sin-é and... It's three hundred seats.
Caption 9, Charles-Baptiste Interview
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Or to the seating capacity in a car, or even the sleeping capacity in a bed:
On dit un lit à deux places et une voiture à cinq places en français.
We say a double bed and a five-seater car in French.
La place can also simply describe the amount of space available for comfort—in other words, “space” or “room”:
Qu'à tes côtés y a plus de place et que je ne peux pas rester
That there's no room left by your side and that I can't stay
Caption 24, Babylon Circus J'aurais bien voulu
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And when there is not enough place (room) because something or someone takes up too much space, you can use the expression prendre toute la place (to take up all the space), like the naughty cat in this video:
Et en plus, elle prenait... et toi, prenez toute la place dans le lit.
And in addition, she took... and you, [you both] take up all the space in bed.
Captions 27-28, Marie & Jeremy Le chat
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Now that we’ve looked at the various uses of the French word place, let’s look at its English counterpart. Again, you will encounter a variety of translations. When referring to a geographical “place” or location, you can’t use the French place anymore. Instead, use un endroit or un lieu (a place). If that place happens to be your home, or “your place," use chez moi (my place). In their video on Parc de la Villette, Amal and Caroline use all three. First, they talk about un endroit:
Je crois que c'est aussi un endroit assez culturel...
II think it's also a pretty cultural place...
Caption 37, Amal et Caroline Le Parc de la Villette
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Then they use a synonym, un lieu:
Ce qui est vraiment intéressant, c'est que tu as plein de lieux pour faire la fête.
What's really interesting is that you have plenty of places to party.
Captions 53-55, Amal et Caroline Le Parc de la Villette
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And earlier on, one of them mentions how close they are to her place:
On est même pas à cinq, dix minutes à pied de chez moi.
We're not even five, ten minutes away by foot from my place.
Caption 7, Amal et Caroline Le Parc de la Villette
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(For more information on chez moi, check out our lesson Chez moi, c’est chez toi.)
Just to confuse matters further, your “place” or “home” might be located on une place, "a square." In the video below, Joanna and Caroline invite us to visit la place Stanislas (Stanislas Square). Note that there is no need to capitalize place in an address:
On a décidé de vous faire visiter la place Stanislas.
We've decided to show you around Stanislas Square.
Caption 4, Joanna La Place Stanislas
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Instead of visiter une place, you may prefer to rester sur place (to stay/remain on site). These refugees are fortunate in that they can stay in the same spot for a few months:
Ces groupes devraient rester quelques mois sur place
These groups should stay on site for a few months
Caption 37, Réfugiés de Calais L’accueil des migrants en Finistère
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Or you may seek another kind of place that has nothing to do with location. Une place can also be "a position” or “a job"—whether an everyday occupation or the prestigious position of honorary president of the Cannes Film Festival:
Madame de Havilland... on vous a proposé en tout cas pour la place de présidente d'honneur à vie de ce festival.
Ms. de Havilland... you were nominated in any case for the position of honorary president of this festival [jury] for life.
Captions 31-33, Interviews au Festival de Cannes Olivia de Havilland
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La place also means "position" in general in expressions such as se mettre à la place de quelqu’un (to put oneself in another person’s position/place):
Faut se mettre à la place d'Obama ; pendant trois ans, il s'était farci...
You need to put yourself in Obama's position; for three years, he had been putting up with...
Caption 26, Alsace 20 Laurent Chandemerle, l'homme aux 100 voix
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On the flip side, the French word une position can mean "rank" or "place." In her video, Nelly ranks her favorite places (lieux or endroits) to visit in France:
En septième position, nous avons les gorges du Verdon.
In seventh place, we have the gorges of Verdon.
Caption 20, Français avec Nelly 10 Places to Visit in France - Part 2
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The word place has so many meanings that il n’y a pas assez de place (there is not enough space) in this lesson to mention them all. Just remember that context is key and feel free to browse through our Yabla videos and notice how often the word place comes up!
Have you heard of the French paradox? The phrase was coined in the 80s by French scientists who noted a low incidence of heart disease in France despite a diet high in fat. Whether this French paradox still endures or whether it’s a myth is open for debate. One thing is certain, though: some foods are best avoided, and some dietary habits are not healthy. Let’s discuss how the French diet has changed over the years. Do the French avoid junk food, or do they secretly lap it up? Is there a word for "fast food" and "junk food"? Let’s find out and explore some new vocabulary.
The official term for “fast food” is la restauration rapide, but most people call it le fast-food. French businessman Jacques Borel adopted the concept and opened the first Wimpy hamburger restaurant in 1961, and later on McDonald’s first opened its doors in France in 1972. According to Wikipedia:
Le premier McDonald’s a été ouvert en 1972 près de Paris à Créteil.
The first McDonald’s opened in 1972 in Créteil, near Paris.
Fast-food chains in France, even places like McDonald’s, tend to have a little French flair to them, as it is necessary to accommodate the French palate. In some cases, fast food takes on a definite French flavor. For example, in Nice, people come at all hours of the day for a quick meal of la socca, a type of pizza, which is so popular that it has become the locals’ idea of fast food:
Ils ont créé une sorte de fast-food niçois
They created a kind of Nice fast food
Caption 78, Le saviez-vous? La socca, spécialité niçoise
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Another popular trend is les livraisons de repas à domicile (meal delivery services), which have gained momentum since the COVID pandemic. Meal delivery services like Uber Eats have flourished especially in major cities like Paris:
Il y a eu une prolifération de services de livraisons à domicile depuis le Covid en France.
There has been a proliferation of home delivery services since COVID in France.
French people also enjoy the convenience of prepared food and produits industriels (processed foods), which, like fast food, tend to be loaded with du sucre (sugar) and des graisses saturées (saturated fats), not to mention additives and other chemicals:
Comme on trouve du sucre dans énormément de produits industriels...
As sugar is found in a huge number of processed foods...
Caption 64, Le Figaro Elle a banni le sucre pendant un an - Part 1
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Les graisses saturées sont les mauvaises graisses.
Saturated fats are bad fats.
Like le sucre and les graisses saturées, les additifs are also hard to avoid in les produits industriels. The lack of additifs becomes a major selling point for this purveyor of natural foods:
C'est un bonbon à base de miel et d'essence de plantes avec aucun additif dedans
It's a sweet made from honey and plant extracts with no additives inside
Captions 84-85, Victoria dirigeante de Millymenthe
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What else is found in produits industriels? Preservatives (des conservateurs). Don’t be fooled by this false cognate!
"The preservative"... c'est un... un conservateur en français... et un préservatif c'est ce qu'on met pour se protéger des rapports sexuels.
The preservative... is a... un conservateur in French... and un préservatif [a condom] is what you put on to protect yourself from sexual intercourse.
Captions 71-72, 75 Français avec Nelly Les faux amis - Part 2
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Although French people are aware of the unhealthy aspects of processed and fast foods, they enjoy their convenience and affordability. In other words, people enjoy junk food. Interestingly, French does not have a specific term for this. The word la malbouffe (literally, "eating badly") is a close equivalent to “junk food,” referring both to unhealthy foods and poor dietary habits.
According to this article, young people are especially drawn to la malbouffe because it makes them feel a certain kind of independence from their parents:
Les jeunes aiment la malbouffe car c’est une façon de se différencier de leur parents.
Young people enjoy junk food because it’s a way to set themselves apart from their parents.
People also use the term manger n’importe quoi (literally, "to eat whatever," or indiscriminately) when referring to eating junk:
Il faut pas trop que je picole ni que je mange n'importe quoi...
I shouldn't have too much booze or eat junk...
Caption 65, Le Jour où tout a basculé Espion dans l'immeuble - Part 4
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In conclusion, although more and more French people are consuming les produits industriels and ordering la livraison à domicile, they still care very much about what they eat. France still has plenty of gastronomic delights to offer, as our numerous food-related videos will attest. In any case, don’t let la malbouffe ruin your appetite!
The beginning of a new year is a perfect time for starting afresh and making resolutions. For many French people, it’s an opportunity to try manger plus sain (eating healthier). Although France is known for its great cuisine and good dietary habits, French people are still interested in improving their diet. Let’s find out about eating well and discover the language of healthy eating in France.
Access to une nourriture saine (a healthy diet) is not only desirable, but it is a human right that every child should have, according to the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child:
Tu dois pouvoir bénéficier d'une alimentation suffisante, saine et équilibrée
You must be able to receive adequate, healthy, and balanced nutrition
Caption 20, Marie et Sakhoura Droits des enfants
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Part of a healthy diet involves eating and drinking avec modération (in moderation):
Un petit peu de vin rouge... très sympa, donc on va aller juste à côté... -À boire bien sûr avec modération.
A little bit of red wine... very nice, so we'll just go next door... -To drink in moderation, of course.
Caption 31, Cap 24 Paris 2ème : Alessandro joue le Pique-assiette!
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Not only is it necessary to pay attention to quantity, but also to quality. For some, that means changing habitudes alimentaires (dietary habits) and manger bio (eating organic). (The word bio, short for biologique, can mean “organic” or “biological” depending on context.)
Manger bio, c'est vraiment changer ses habitudes alimentaires.
Eating organic is really about changing one's dietary habits.
Caption 19, Alsace 20 Pourquoi le bio est-il plus cher?
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Manger bio requires choosing des produits bio (organic products) over produits conventionnels (conventional products):
Donc vous allez être pas seulement dans le fait que "Je me fais plaisir en achetant des produits bio et je remplace les produits conventionnels"
So you're not only considering the fact that "I feel good about myself when I buy organic products and I replace conventional products"
Captions 34-35, Alsace 20 Pourquoi le bio est-il plus cher?
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Health food advocates recommend increasing one’s consumption of céréales complètes (whole grains), like the ones listed below, to achieve un équilibre alimentaire (dietary balance):
Donc on va revoir son équilibre alimentaire avec davantage de céréales, complètes, avec des légumineuses
So we're going to check again the balance of our diet with more grains, whole grains, with legumes
Captions 37-38, Alsace 20 Pourquoi le bio est-il plus cher?
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They also recommend reducing la consommation de viande (meat consumption):
Réduire sa consommation de viande hebdomadaire
Reducing your weekly consumption of meat
Caption 41, Alsace 20 Pourquoi le bio est-il plus cher?
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French people are now embracing la culture végane (vegan culture). According to Amal and Caroline, there has been a big shift in attitude toward meat. They explain that the Parc de la Villette, which used to be the site of a slaughterhouse, is now the site of a vegan festival held every year:
C'est le lieu de rencontre des festivals qui prônent la culture végane
It's the meeting place for festivals that promote vegan culture
Captions 82-83, Amal et Caroline Le Parc de la Villette
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Not everyone is prepared to become vegan, but many are willing to reach a compromise. In the video below, Lionel cooks a delicious “dual” pizza with une partie végétarienne (a vegetarian part) and a part with meat, and he stresses that it is made entirely with produits naturels (natural products):
Alors je précise que... elle est faite complètement à partir de produits naturels.
So I'd like to point out that... it is made entirely from natural products.
Captions 14-15, Claude et Lionel La pizza
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On en a fait deux parties : une partie végétarienne et puis une partie avec des lardons et du jambon.
We made two parts: a vegetarian part and then a part with bacon cubes and ham.
Captions 38-40, Claude et Lionel La pizza
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Being human, we compromise and are prone to forget our resolutions and give in to temptation. In the following video, Lionel was enticed by a delicious barbecue and decided to reporter son régime (postpone his diet) for now:
Je ne sais pas. Ils feront du barbecue. Je crois que je vais reporter mon régime.
I don't know. They will be having a barbecue. I think that I am going to postpone my diet.
Caption 35, Lionel et Chantal "Faire barbecue"
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To help you to digérer (digest) this information, here is a summary of the vocabulary from this lesson:
manger sain: to eat healthy
consommer en moderation: to consume in moderation
la consommation de viande: meat consumption
une alimentation saine et équilibrée: healthy and balanced nutrition
les habitudes alimentaires: dietary habits
un régime: a diet
végan (masculine), végane (feminine): vegan
végétarien (m.), végétarienne (f.): vegetarian
les produits bio(logiques): organic products
les produits conventionnels: conventional products
les céréales complètes: whole grains
Whatever your dietary preferences may be, Yabla has a wealth of food-related videos to help you achieve un mode de vie sain (a healthy lifestyle). You may also like to get A Free Sampling of French Food and Drink Words. Please stay tuned for our next lesson on what a bad diet looks like in French!
Now that the end-of-the-year feasts known as réveillons are over, French people are glad to return to simpler, healthier food like soups, which are especially popular during winter and often the main part of the evening meal. Let's find out what ingredients typically go into a French soup and explore some soup-related vocabulary in the process.
Many French people prefer a more sustainable diet of légumes verts (green vegetables) after les fêtes (the holidays):
Après les fêtes, c'est légumes, et puis un peu d'eau plutôt que de l'alcool, voilà.
After the holidays, it's vegetables, and then a little water rather than alcohol, that's it.
Caption 7, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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These légumes verts (green vegetables), not to be confused with “legumes” in English, will be the main ingredients of a soup:
On essaye de manger un peu plus de légumes verts, bon des soupes et voilà.
We try to eat a few more green vegetables, well, soups, and that's it.
Caption 4, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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The base for a soup also includes un bouillon (bouillon or broth). Le bouillon de volaille (chicken broth) also makes a good base for a sauce:
On déglace avec le bouillon de volaille.
You deglaze with the chicken bouillon.
Caption 41, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains
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French people often make their soup from scratch by cutting up some vegetables, just as Jeremy and Marie do in the video below. However, you will notice that they call their soup un potage. Most people don’t make a distinction between une soupe and un potage, but there are some differences. Un potage sounds slightly more sophisticated, and its consistency is lighter than a soup as it is usually a blended mixture:
La dernière fois, vous vous souvenez, nous avons coupé les légumes afin de faire un potage
Last time, you remember, we cut the vegetables in order to make a soup
Captions 3-5, Marie & Jeremy Potage - Part 2
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So, what kind of légumes are popular in une soupe or un potage? The French are especially fond of poireaux (leeks), oignons (onions), and carottes (carrots). (Note the difference in spelling here: une carotte has one R and two Ts in French, the opposite of the English "carrot.")
Et tout ce qui est poireaux, euh... on va faire poireaux, carottes, euh... voilà la soupe.
And everything that is leeks, uh... we're going to make leeks, carrots, uh... that's it, the soup.
Caption 13, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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French soup names usually follow the formula: soupe + à + definite article + main ingredient. For example, we have soupe à l’oignon (onion soup) and soupe à la citrouille (pumpkin soup).
L'hiver, les gens préfèrent rester chez eux... On mange surtout de la soupe. Par exemple, de la soupe à l'oignon, de la soupe à la citrouille...
In the winter, people prefer to stay at home... We mostly eat soup. For example, onion soup, pumpkin soup...
Caption 1, 3-4 Fanny parle des saisons La Bouffe
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But sometimes you'll see the preposition de after soupe, when the soup mostly consists of one main ingredient. For example, we're more likely to say soupe de poisson (fish soup) if fish is the star ingredient, but soupe au poisson is also correct. Either way, be sure to pronounce the double S in poisson correctly, unlike Sam in this video:
Deuxième plat: soupe de la poison [sic]. Soupe de poison ? Poisson, poisson, soupe de poisson.
Second dish: poison soup. Poison soup? Fish, fish, fish soup.
Captions 1-4, Extr@ Ep. 4 - Sam trouve du travail - Part 6
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Speaking of soupe de poisson, have you ever tried a bouillabaisse, a hearty tomato-based fish soup from southern France? In the video below, one of the speakers comes from Marseille, where bouillabaisse originated:
De notre côté c'est pas les crêpes, c'est plutôt la bouillabaisse.
For us, it's not crêpes, it's more bouillabaisse.
Caption 21, Fanny et Corrine Leurs origines
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If you prefer a smoother texture to your seafood soup, you may want to try une bisque au homard (lobster bisque):
Les bisques de homard sont souvent au menu dans les grands restaurants à quatre étoiles.
Lobster bisques are often on the menu in four-star restaurants.
For an even richer, smoother texture, you may like un velouté (literally, "velvety"), a creamy vegetable soup thickened with butter, cream, or egg yolk:
Vous pouvez commander un velouté aux champignons au restaurant.
You can order a cream of mushroom soup at the restaurant.
Finally, we have a thinner, clear mixture, but with a more intense, concentrated flavor, called un consommé:
Un consommé est un fond ou bouillon qui a été clarifié avec un blanc d’œuf.
A consommé is stock or bouillon that has been clarified with egg white.
Whether you prefer a humble soupe or potage or a more sophisticated bisque or consommé, you'll have plenty of options in France! You can find even more on this page. And be sure to check out Yabla’s delicious food-related videos.
French people enjoy getting together with family or friends to celebrate Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve with a festive dinner called le réveillon. This is a time of year that involves a lot of eating and feasting! What is the French traditional holiday fare? Let's find out what these réveillons entail, and what French people do to recover from these eating marathons afterwards.
Le réveillon (from the word réveil, "waking") is a dinner party that takes place twice a year, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Usually prepared at home, such meals require much thought and preparation, which is why most people choose to stick to traditional fare:
Pour réussir son réveillon il y a ceux qui misent sur la tradition...
To make one's Christmas Eve dinner a success, there are those who rely on tradition...
Captions 1-2, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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In addition to the noun réveillon, there is even a special verb, réveillonner (to have a Christmas or New Year's Eve party). Even the lonely sailors in the video below like to réveillonner:
La solitude n'a pas empêché les marins de réveillonner.
Solitude hasn't kept the sailors from having a Christmas party.
Caption 8, Le Journal Les navigateurs du Vendée Globe - Part 3
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A réveillon usually starts with the traditional appetizer of huîtres (oysters, served raw with a squeeze of lemon):
Voilà avec une bûche [de Noël] à la fin, et en entrée des huîtres.
That's it, with a [Yule] log at the end, and oysters as appetizers.
Captions 4-5, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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(Notice that une entrée is an appetizer in French, not a main course.)
Les huîtres may be followed by such traditional fare as foie gras (goose liver pâté) and/or crustacés ("crustaceans," as in a seafood platter):
Les grands classiques de cette fête, foie gras et crustacés
The great classics of this holiday, foie gras and crustaceans
Caption 2, TLT Toulouse Noël: Les fêtes approchent!
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Then comes the main course (le plat principal). The familiar dinde aux marrons (turkey with chestnut stuffing) is an all-time favorite, although some people might find it boring and crave a change:
La dinde aux marrons, ça me fatigue parce que tout le monde fait de la dinde de marron.
Turkey with chestnut stuffing, I am tired of it because everyone cooks turkey with chestnut stuffing.
Caption 4, TLT Toulouse Noël: Les fêtes approchent!
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Chapon farci (stuffed capon) is another classic main course in a réveillon:
On va avoir du chapon farci
We're going to have stuffed capon
Caption 3, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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However, some people like to depart from tradition and add a modern twist:
On peut sortir des sentiers battus tout en conservant des produits traditionnels : chapon tikka masala, foie gras au samoussa ou vice versa.
We can get off the beaten track while keeping traditional products: capon tikka masala, foie gras samosa, or vice versa.
Captions 8-9, TLT Toulouse Noël: Les fêtes approchent!
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Those who feel a little ambitious might try un bœuf en croûte (crusted roast beef, or beef Wellington):
Ensuite en plat, un bœuf en croûte au foie gras
Then for the main dish, a crusted roast beef with foie gras
Caption 8, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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Alternatively, one can always fall back on yet another holiday classic, boudin blanc (white sausage), which this butcher likes to showcase at his shop:
...les ingrédients classiques comme le boudin blanc sont mis à l'honneur.
...classic ingredients like white sausage are showcased.
Caption 19, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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Finally, for dessert, there is the all-time favorite, la bûche de Noël (Yule log):
Voilà avec une bûche [de Noël] à la fin...
That's it, with a [Yule] log at the end...
Caption 4, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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In addition to the delicious dishes mentioned earlier, French celebratory meals always include one or two cooked vegetables, a green salad, and a cheese platter. If this abundance of food seems too much for you, you are not alone… In the video below, Sophie and Patrice are starting to feel like une grosse dinde (a fat turkey) themselves! As they say, you are what you eat:
On est ce qu'on mange. Là je suis donc un gâteau, du vin... une grosse bûche... -Une grosse... grosse bûche... une dinde énorme... trois tonnes de saumon...
We are what we eat. So here I'm a cake, some wine... A fat Yule log... -A fat... fat Yule log... a huge turkey... three tons of salmon...
Captions 23-27, Sophie et Patrice Après le réveillon
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Moi, je suis du foie gras. Un gros foie gras. Quelle horreur. J'en mangerai plus.
Me, I'm foie gras. A big foie gras. How awful. I won't eat any more of it.
Captions 28-31, Sophie et Patrice Après le réveillon
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After so much indulgence, French people tend to crave lighter, healthier food like une bonne soupe (a nice soup). People also like to pace themselves and try to eat healthy in between réveillons:
On essaye de manger un peu plus de légumes verts... bon des soupes et voilà.
We try to eat a few more green vegetables... well, soups, and that's it.
Caption 4, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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If the mention of these delicious dishes whetted your appetite, feel free to browse through Yabla's Christmas and cooking videos. Stay tuned for a new culinary experience in a future lesson!
Bon appétit!
Many nations celebrate Noël (Christmas), and France is no exception. How do French children typically spend Noël? Does Santa visit them and give out toys on le jour de Noël (Christmas Day) too? Let's discuss some of France’s traditions and explore some Christmas-related vocabulary in the process.
Le Père Noël (Father Christmas or Santa Claus) does indeed pay a visit to children in France and French-speaking countries, but he was not always called Père Noël:
À l'époque, il ne s'appelle pas encore Père Noël mais Nicolas
At the time, he is not yet called Santa Claus, but Nicholas
Captions 4-5, Le Monde D’où vient le Père Noël ?
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In any case, nowadays, children all know about le Père Noël, to whom they are encouraged to write une lettre (a letter), en français, of course:
Les enfants peuvent écrire leur lettre au Père Noël
The children can write their letter to Santa Claus
Caption 11, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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And all the lettres addressed to le Père Noël will end up at le pôle Nord (the North Pole):
La lettre arrivera bien au père Noël. Une lettre tamponnée et postée, destination le pôle Nord.
The letter will reach Santa Claus. A letter stamped and mailed, destination North Pole.
Captions 14-16, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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Le Père Noël will, as the story goes, read the letters and fulfill the children’s wishes as long as they've been sages (good). In the following video, a child gives us a candid answer about his behavior:
Oui, des fois je suis sage.
Yes, sometimes I am good.
Caption 18, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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If the children have been naughty, they will have to contend with le Père Fouettard (Father Whipper), who distributes coal to bad kids. Fortunately, according to the speaker in the video below, le Père Fouettard will not be present this year, as everybody has been good:
Donc, euh... cette année sans le Père Fouettard parce que tout le monde est sage.
So, uh... this year without Père Fouettard, because everybody is good.
Caption 57, Grand Lille TV Focus: la tradition de Saint-Nicolas
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Since so many children have been sages (good), it's an extremely busy time for le Père Noël, who has many jouets (toys) to deliver. In this cute video, poor Santa complains that he is overworked! Not only does le Père Noël distribute the toys, but he also makes them:
Le Père Noël a bien du mal à finir à temps son travail. Il y a tellement d'enfants sur terre et tellement de jouets à leur faire.
Santa Claus is having a lot of trouble finishing his work on time. There are so many children on earth and so many toys to make for them.
Captions 16-18, Les belles histoires de Pomme d'Api Les Chaussettes du Père Noël
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Le Père Noël might have to carry a large hotte (bag) for all the toys he will need to deliver, but its heaviness should not be of any concern to the little ones:
Si quelques enfants ont encore des craintes concernant la taille de sa hotte, pas de panique.
If some children still have concerns about the size of his bag of toys, no need to panic.
Caption 9, TV Vendée Le sapin de Noël décoré par les enfants
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Then le Père Noël, whose appearance is based on that of Saint Nicholas, is all set with his traîneau (sleigh) pulled by rennes (reindeer), which is filled with cadeaux (presents) to be stuffed into chaussettes (stockings):
Saint-Nicolas ressemble alors à un vieil homme à barbe, un peu gros, qui se promène sur un traîneau tiré par des rennes, et il descend par la cheminée pour fourrer ses cadeaux dans des chaussettes.
Saint Nicholas then looks like an old bearded old man, somewhat fat, who goes around on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, and he goes down the chimney to stuff his gifts into stockings.
Captions 52-55, Le Monde D’où vient le Père Noël ?
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While le Père Noël is getting ready, families are also busy setting up decorations. Of course, the magic of Christmas is not complete without un sapin de Noël (a Christmas tree)! In this small community, le sapin is the centerpiece and pride of the town:
Un peu plus loin, la star, c'est le sapin.
A little further, the star is the Christmas tree.
Caption 14, TV Vendée Le sapin de Noël décoré par les enfants
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An army of children help decorate the town’s sapin with personalized ornaments:
Celui de la place Napoléon à la Roche-sur-Yon est assiégé par une armée d'enfants venus tout simplement le décorer avec des boules personnalisées.
The one on Place Napoléon [Napoleon Square] in La Roche-sur-Yon is besieged by an army of children who came quite simply to decorate it with personalized ornament balls.
Captions 15-16, TV Vendée Le sapin de Noël décoré par les enfants
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Some communities prepare for a more religious Christmas celebration, like this little town in Alsace, which is even planning to set up une crèche vivante (a live nativity scene) in the future:
En été j'aimerais bien faire un pique-nique géant dans la cour, faire une petite crèche vivante aussi pour Noël...
In the summer I'd really love to do a huge picnic in the courtyard, to do a little live-action nativity scene as well for Christmas...
Captions 32-33, Alsace 20 Mangez bien, mangez alsacien!
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In addition, you will often hear French children sing "Petit Papa Noël" (Little Father Christmas), a song recorded in 1946 by French singer Tino Rossi:
Petit Papa Noël / Quand tu descendras du ciel
Little Father Christmas / When you come down from the sky
Captions 1-2, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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That’s it for our fêtes de Noël (Christmas festivities)! If you wish to find out more about the wonderful ways French people like to fêter Noël (celebrate Christmas), be sure to explore our Christmas-themed videos.
Joyeux Noël! (Merry Christmas!)
When you want to exit a building, look for a sign that says Sortie (Exit). Based on the past participle of the verb sortir (to go out), la sortie is a very versatile word that can be used in many different ways, both literally and figuratively.
As mentioned earlier, la sortie refers to “the exit” of a building. The studio in the video below has several sorties, which may explain André’s wife’s mysterious disappearance:
Ah ben... parce qu'il y a d'autres sorties...
Oh, well... because there are other exits...
Caption 24, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ? - Part 2
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Just as in English, you can combine sortie with faire (to make): faire sa sortie (to make one's exit), like singers and superstars do.
Voici comment toutes les grandes superstars font leur sortie.
Here's how all the big superstars make their exit.
Captions 64-65, Extr@ Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née - Part 3
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Speaking of singers, we also use the word sortie to talk about an album release:
Sortie de l'album le vingt-sept février deux mille douze
Album release February twenty-seventh, two thousand twelve
Caption 1, Boulbar New York, 6 heures du matin
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Sortie is also a verb form meaning "released." In this case, it's the feminine past participle of the verb sortir (to be released). Remember that sortir belongs to the small group of verbs that go with the auxiliary être and take agreement in the past tense. In the video below, sortie agrees with the feminine noun chanson (song):
Cette chanson est sortie en deux mille onze.
This song was released in two thousand eleven.
Caption 134, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1
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It’s not just songs or movies that can be released. People can too! In the example below, it’s a prisoner who is being freed.
Dès sa sortie de prison, Brice contacte Enzo.
As soon as he is released from prison, Brice contacts Enzo.
Caption 1, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon père - Part 9
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The recently released prisoner would no longer need permission for chaque sortie (each outing), unlike French residents during the early COVID pandemic:
Il faut signer une attestation, surtout attester de chaque sortie.
You have to sign a certificate, above all register every outing.
Captions 54-55, Lionel L La pandémie
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As for poor Barbara, she has to beg her mother for la permission de sortie:
Il fallait passer par d'interminables négociations pour obtenir la permission de sortie.
I had to go through endless negotiations to obtain permission to go out.
Captions 26-27, Mère & Fille La soirée
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Unlike Barbara, our former prisoner is free to enjoy être de sortie (being out and about), like the people in this Christine and the Queens song:
Nous et la "man", on est de sortie
We and the man, we are out and about
Caption 25, Christine and the Queens Christine
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Être de sortie can also just mean “to be out,” as opposed to being home:
J'aurais pu refuser et prétexter que j'étais de sortie
I could've refused on the pretext that I was out
Caption 72, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 5
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Interestingly, when sortie is preceded by the definite article la (the), as in à la sortie, the phrase usually signals the end of an activity:
À la sortie, cette idée semble avoir été abandonnée
In the end, they seem to have abandoned this idea
Caption 6, Le Journal Enseigner l'Holocauste en classe
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À la sortie de la séance, certains n'en reviennent toujours pas.
At the end of the showing, some still can't believe it.
Caption 27, Le Journal Les Ch'tis
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...et de me les communiquer à la sortie du conseil de classe.
...and communicate them to me at the end of the teachers' conference.
Captions 54-55, Mère & Fille Le coup de téléphone
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However, note the subtlety here. La sortie des classes doesn’t just mean the end of classes, but also when classes are dismissed:
Ça tombe juste pendant la sortie des classes.
That falls right when classes are dismissed.
Caption 23, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 3
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And watch out: in a different context, une sortie de classe is a "field trip" or "school trip," like the one Barbara is going on:
Les sorties de classe, c'est l'occasion de découvrir des choses nouvelles
Class field trips are an opportunity to discover new things
Caption 1, Mère & Fille La sortie de classe
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Here are some other uses of the noun sortie. This one is straightforward: à la sortie du four means “out of the oven."
...pour que les manneles à la sortie du four, ils aient une belle croûte.
...so that the mannele out of the oven have a beautiful crust.
Caption 62, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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In the next example, however, the meaning is not so obvious. Remember earlier when we talked about la sortie d’un album? This time, la sortie sort of means the opposite: "the phaseout" or "the end of an era":
Tu crois que pour toi ça symbolise la sortie du nucléaire, là ?
Do you think this symbolizes the phaseout of nuclear energy for you?
Caption 75, Actus Quartier Manif anti-nucléaire à Bastille
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Another less common meaning of sortie is “output” in an industrial context, as in la sortie de l’électricité:
Dans les batteries, on a des contacteurs qui coupent la sortie de l'électricité
In the batteries, we have contactors that shut off the electricity output
Captions 64-65, Bateau sport 100% électrique Le Nautique 196 E
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And in a commercial context, we have l'entrée et sortie de marchandises:
...logiciels informatiques pour gérer tout ce qui est entrée et sortie de marchandises.
...computing software to manage everything that is about the entry and departure of goods.
Captions 33-34, GO! Formations Présentation du centre
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Indeed, sortie can mean “departure,” as in to leave a place or depart. In the video below, la sortie refers to the time the couple left the hotel:
Au moment de leur sortie, eh bien, cette carte avait disparu.
At the time of their departure, well, this card had gone missing.
Captions 88-89, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 6
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In some cases, sortie doesn’t just mean “departure,” but “quitting,” as in giving up:
C'est-à-dire les différentes épisodes de sortie, ensuite, les envies, et cetera, correspondent en tout point à ce que nous vivons avec...des patients qui fument...
That is, the different quitting episodes, then the cravings, et cetera, correspond point by point with what we experience with...patients who smoke...
Captions 157-160, Le Figaro Elle a banni le sucre pendant un an - Part 2
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So far, we’ve explored many ways of using the word sortie, and like Sacha in the video below, you may be wondering comment vous allez vous en sortir (how you’re going to manage):
Oh là là là là, comment vont-ils s'en sortir ?
Oh dear, how are they going to manage?
Caption 10, Extr@ Ep. 6 - Le jour du loto - Part 1
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Just keep in mind that the main meanings of sortie are “exit," "departure," and "outing." However, pay close attention to context to interpret the less common uses of sortie. And remember that Yabla videos are at your disposal pour vous aider à vous en sortir (to help you cope). Thanks for reading!
Most tourist phrase books are bound to include the handy little phrase Où sont les toilettes s’il vous plaît ? ("Where are the toilets, please?") The word toilettes is self-explanatory, but it has other meanings besides the obvious. So, let’s explore some toilette-related vocabulary and discuss the evolution of public restrooms.
The French cognate of "bathroom" is la salle de bain. But whereas "bathroom" is a catch-all term for any type of restroom, la salle de bain specifically refers to a bathroom containing une baignoire (a bathtub) or une douche (a shower)—in other words, a bathroom you can bathe in (salle de bain literally means "bathing room"). You'll typically find this type of bathroom in someone's home:
Alors ici, c'est la salle de bain.
So here, this is the bathroom.
Caption 35, Joanna Son appartement
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Inside Joanna's salle de bain, you will find les toilettes (the toilet) and a few other essentials:
Vous avez un placard ici, les toilettes, le lavabo, avec du savon pour me laver les mains.
You have a cupboard here, the toilet, the sink, with some soap for me to wash my hands.
Caption 36, Joanna Son appartement
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La salle de bain is where one goes to faire sa toilette (wash up):
Allons Susie, il faut rentrer faire ta toilette.
Come on, Susie, you have to wash up.
Caption 5, Il était une fois: L’Espace 6. La révolte des robots - Part 1
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To do that, you may want to use un gant de toilette (a washcloth), an item that the piglet Piggeldy always carries in his suitcase:
Pyjama, dentifrice, brosse à dents, savon et gant de toilette.
Pajamas, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and washcloth.
Caption 13, Piggeldy et Frédéric Voyage à Pont-à-Cochon
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As for Sacha in the video below, she doesn’t travel light, since she carries deux trousses de toilette (two toiletry bags):
Trois brosses à dents, deux trousses de toilette...
Three toothbrushes, two toiletry bags...
Caption 15, Extr@ Ep. 11 - Les vacances - Part 4
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Most people don’t usually include le papier toilette (toilet paper) in their travel kit, but this essential item was in short supply in the early days of the COVID pandemic:
Les ventes de pâtes ont été multipliées par cinq, celles de papier toilette par trois et demi...
Sales of pasta have increased fivefold, those of toilet paper by three and a half...
Captions 21-22, Le Monde Coronavirus : bientôt la pénurie dans les supermarchés ?
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In France, les toilettes publiques (public toilets) come in various shapes and sizes. Some are round and made of cast-iron. Known as les vespasiennes in reference to the Roman emperor Vespasian, these vintage urinals date from the 1900s and are fast disappearing. Daniel Benchimol gives us a glimpse of one of the last remaining ones in his tour of Paris's thirteenth arrondissement:
...ce sont ces toilettes: on les appelle les « vespasiennes ».
....are these toilets: we call them "vespasiennes" [urinals].
Caption 16, Voyage dans Paris Le Treizième arrondissement de Paris - Part 1
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French speakers also adopted the British acronym "WC" (water closet) to refer to public toilets. Note that it’s always known as les WC (plural), and it's pronounced "vay-say" (as if it were written VC). The term WC is somewhat dated in France, but you'll still see it around:
Le terme « les WC » figurent encore sur les plans de ville.
The term "WC" still features on city maps.
You might even hear the term les waters:
« Les waters » est un autre synonyme pour les toilettes publiques.
"Water closet" is another synonym for public restrooms.
Even more dated is les cabinets. Be careful with this one: in the plural form, it refers to a toilet, but un cabinet is a professional office:
Les cabinets extérieurs sont plutôt rares.
Outhouses are rather rare.
Je suis secrétaire dans un cabinet médical.
I'm a secretary in a doctor's office.
For a more modern type of toilet, we have les sanisettes, which are fully automated restrooms on the streets of major cities like Paris:
La première sanisette a été ouverte le 10 novembre 1981.
The first sanisette opened on November 10, 1981.
More recently, an environmentally-friendly invention called l'uritrottoir (sidewalk urinal) was introduced in 2018 to help curb les pipis sauvages (peeing on the streets). First tested in the cities of Nantes and Paris, they caused a bit of an uproar, as the public complained that these minimalist urinals afforded little privacy and encouraged exhibitionism. Per Wikipedia:
« Un uritrottoir est un urinoir public écologique...destiné à lutter contre les incivilités urinaires ».
“A uritrottoir is a public, eco-friendly urinal...aimed at curbing public urination.”
Many public toilets have separate male and female facilities. To make sure you enter the correct one, look for the letter F (for femmes) or H (for hommes). This is the way to ask for the men’s room or ladies’ room:
Où sont les toilettes pour hommes ? Où sont les toilettes pour femmes ?
Where is the men's room? Where is the ladies' room?
But nowadays, restrooms are not necessarily gender specific:
Les toilettes unisexes ou mixtes sont utilisables par les deux sexes.
Unisex and all-gender toilets may be used by both sexes.
That’s it for our tour of the toilettes! Wishing you a stress-free search for public restrooms in French-speaking countries. If you're ever in need of one in France, try consulting toilettespubliques.com.
In our last lesson, we learned that penser à means “to think about” or "have in mind" and that penser de means "to think of" in the sense of giving an opinion. We also learned that penser à + infinitive means “to consider doing,” while penser + infinitive emphasizes planning an action. In this lesson, we will discuss which pronouns replace the de and à in penser de/à and what happens when penser is followed by a relative clause (penser que).
As you may know, à + a noun can be replaced by the pronoun y, and de + a noun by the pronoun en. (You can learn more about that here and here.) So, penser à + noun becomes y penser (to think about it), and penser de + noun becomes en penser (to think of it, to feel about it). Remember that the pronouns y and en are placed before the verb.
Elisa is interested in what her mother pense de la techonologie (thinks of technology). She asks her:
Qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?
What do you think of that?
Caption 12, Elisa et sa maman La technologie
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In the video below, en refers to what people thought about the confinement protocols during the pandemic:
Globalement, malgré ce que les gens peuvent en penser, les mesures de restriction sont plutôt respectées.
Overall, despite what some people may think of them, the restriction measures are rather well respected.
Captions 33-34, Lionel L Le déconfinement
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Now let's see some examples with y penser (to think about it). In the video below, the speaker asks her friend to consider hiring help, as she will no longer be available:
Ben essaye d'y penser.
Well, try to think about it.
Caption 73, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai escroqué mon assurance ! - Part 2
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The speaker could have said the same thing in a more succinct way:
Penses-y.
Think about it.
(Notice that in the imperative mood, prepositions are tacked onto the end of the verb with a hyphen.)
Or, the speaker could have been even more succinct:
Réfléchis.
Think about it.
(Réfléchis-y is more correct, but the pronoun y is often dropped from it in casual conversation.)
Sometimes we're reluctant to think about certain situations. In his song "Pocahontas," Grand Corps Malade mentions how some parents don’t dare think about the prospect of their children flying the nest for the first time:
Ils reviendront vider leur chambre, ça j'ose même pas y penser
They'll come back to empty their room, I don't even dare think about that
Caption 32, Grand Corps Malade Pocahontas
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Speaking of thinking about people, y and en are NOT the right pronouns to use when thinking about a person. Y and en can replace an object, a thought, an idea, an action, a place, a situation, etc., but never a person or living being. In the latter case, we simply keep the prepositions à and de and use the construction penser à/penser de + disjunctive pronoun, as in penser à eux (to think about them), just as we do in English. For example, we say:
Je pense à mes parents. Je pense à eux.
I think about my parents. I think about them.
The same rule applies with penser de, when giving an opinion about people:
Alors, qu'est-ce que les Québécois pensent de nous ?
So, what do the Québécois think of us?
Caption 42, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 11
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We’re not quite done with penser! There's one more important thing to know that has to do not with pronouns, but with tenses. When you use the negative relative clause ne pas penser que (to not think that), you must conjugate the following verb in the subjunctive, since you're expressing doubt or skepticism. The speaker in this video doubts that the common quail is endangered:
Personnellement, je ne pense pas qu'elles soient menacées.
Personally, I do not think they are endangered.
Caption 31, Canal 32 Les secrets des cailles des blés
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However, in the affirmative (penser que), the verb is conjugated in the indicative. If the speaker did think they were endangered, he would have said:
Personnellement, je pense qu'elles sont menacées.
Personally, I think they are endangered.
The subjunctive mood is also required when you use penser que in a question:
Pensez-vous qu’il soit trop tard ?
Do you think it’s too late?
As you can see, there are many rules to consider when it comes to penser! We hope this lesson will help you y penser (think about them). Thank you for reading!
Penser (to think) is a handy verb to know when it comes to sharing your thoughts or opinions. It’s also a regular -er verb, which makes it easy to use. However, the tricky part is that it requires different prepositions depending on what type of thinking is involved. So when should you use penser à versus penser de, as both translate as “to think of” in English? And what happens when penser is followed by another infinitive?
Let’s start with the most common construction: penser à + noun (to think of/about), as in penser à quelque chose/à quelqu’un (to think of something/someone). Use this construction to describe what's on your mind, what your thoughts are turning to. The singer in the video below has only one thing on his mind: his beloved. Note the use of the disjunctive pronoun after the preposition à (of):
Toutes les nuits je pense à toi
Every night I think of you
Caption 31, Alsace 20 Colonel Reyel en session live acoustique!
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Bear in mind that the preposition à takes on many forms—à, à la, aux, au—as it agrees with the noun it modifies. With feminine singular nouns, it’s quite straightforward; we simply say à la. In the example below, Caroline can’t stop penser à la cigarette (thinking about the cigarette) that she can’t have:
Puis, c'est vrai que parfois je suis irritable, parce que justement je suis en train de penser à la cigarette que je ne peux pas prendre
Then, it's true that sometimes I'm irritable, because, precisely, I'm thinking about the cigarette that I can't have
Captions 85-87, Amal et Caroline La cigarette
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Remember to make the necessary changes to à before masculine nouns, plural and singular: à + le becomes au, and à + les becomes aux.
Je pense aux Québécois... ils doivent en avoir ras le bol et ras la casquette
I think of the Quebecois... they must have a bowlful, and up to the hat [be fed up and have had it up to here]
Caption 12, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 1
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Now that we have explored penser à, which is reserved for expressing what’s on your mind, what you're thinking about, let’s focus on penser de. Why switch to de? Because penser requires the preposition de to express an opinion. This construction usually comes in the form of a question, as it involves asking someone’s view of things. In the video below, a French person wonders what French Canadians think of his fellow countrymen:
Et puis, j'étais un petit peu stressé à l'idée de... savoir: qu'est-ce qu'ils pensent de nous ?
And then, I was a little bit stressed at the idea of... finding out, what do they think of us?
Caption 11, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 1
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You seldom come across penser de in a declarative sentence, but it’s possible. An answer to the question mentioned in the example above might look something like this:
Vous me demandez ce que je pense des Québécois. Je ne sais pas ce que je pense de ces gens.
You’re asking what I think of Quebecois. I don’t know what I think of these people.
So far, we’ve focused on the construction penser + preposition + noun and learned that penser is followed by à to describe what you're thinking about and by de to express an opinion. Similar rules apply with infinitive verbs. Penser à + infinitive means to “consider,” “to have in mind,” or “to remember." In this trailer for La Belle et la Bête, the Beast is hoping to escape, and is warned about entertaining such a thought:
Ne pense même pas à t'échapper.
Don't even think of escaping.
Caption 27, Bande-annonce La Belle et la Bête
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Penser à + infinitive is also good to use when toying with ideas and considering possibilities. The cartoonists in this video explain how they first thought of drawing Gauls:
Nous devions faire une histoire pour le journal que nous venions de créer, et nous avons pensé à faire des Gaulois, très simplement.
We had to make a story for the publication that we had just created, and we thought of doing Gauls, very simply.
Captions 8-10, Uderzo et Goscinny 1968
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In addition, you can use penser à as an alternative to se rappeler de, “to remember” to do something or "to remind" someone to do something:
Tu devrais penser à le faire chaque fois que tu manges des choses sucrées.
You should remember to do it every time you eat something sweet.
Caption 7, Il était une fois: la vie 14. La bouche et les dents - Part 6
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Penser de + infinitive is used in the same way as with a noun: to express an opinion, or more frequently, to ask someone their opinion about doing something.
Qu'est-ce que tu penses d'aller au ciné ce soir ?
What do you think/How do you feel about going to the movies tonight?
On the other hand, the construction penser + infinitive, with no preposition in between the verbs, expresses what you’re thinking of doing, your intentions, plans, or hopes. It usually indicates a firmer course of action rather than a passing thought. In the following video, penser is translated as “hope to,” as the sense of hope is strongly implied:
...et pour lesquelles nous pensons pouvoir réaliser des offres intéressantes et compétitives.
...and to whom we hope to offer interesting and competitive prices.
Caption 16, Le Journal Opérateurs virtuels de portables
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Penser + indicative indicates an intention, however uncertain it might be. Discussing the presidential elections, Edmée and Fanny mention who they might vote for, although they have not quite decided yet:
Je pense potentiellement voter Macron, mais c'est pas sûr.
I'm thinking of potentially voting for Macron, but it's not certain.
Captions 17-18, Edmée et Fanny Les présidentielles à 20 ans
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In this example, penser + indicative conveys a stronger intention, as the speaker had actually planned to come earlier but was held up at work:
Je suis désolé. Là, je pensais venir plus tôt, mais c'était de la folie au boulot aujourd'hui.
I'm sorry. I was thinking of coming here earlier, but it was crazy at work today.
Captions 42-43, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai escroqué mon assurance ! - Part 2
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You can also use penser + infinitive to reflect on and evaluate past actions, as in penser avoir fait (thinking that [I] have done) This construction is equivalent to penser que (to think that), which is the way it usually translates in English anyway:
Je pense toujours les avoir bien éduqués.
I still think I've raised them well.
Caption 19, Alain Etoundi Allez tous vous faire enfilmer! - Part 2
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Alternatively, the speaker could have said:
Je pense que je les ai toujours bien éduqués.
I still think I've raised them well.
In conclusion, there is a lot to think about in this lesson, so here is a summary for you:
Penser à + noun: to have in mind, to think about
Penser de + noun: to think of (expressing an opinion)
Penser à + infinitive: to consider, to have in mind, to remember doing something
Penser de + infinitive: to think of/feel about doing something (expressing an opinion)
Penser + infinitive: to hope to, to plan, to intend
But there's even more à penser (to think about) than that, so stay tuned for the second part of this lesson. In the meantime, pensez à regarder beaucoup de vidéos sur Yabla (remember to watch many Yabla videos)!
What’s in an egg? Besides its culinary versatility, the French œuf (egg) has some unique spelling and pronunciation features. Let’s discover its special characteristics and then take it into the kitchen to explore some egg-related vocabulary.
First, let’s explore the unique spelling feature of the noun œuf. A few common words have this special character œ, like le cœur (heart), la sœur (sister), l'œuvre (work), and le bœuf (ox):
Qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf.
He who steals an egg steals an ox (give someone an inch and they'll take a mile; once a thief, always a thief).
Let’s look at another example featuring the word œuf in Patricia’s fairy tale video, “Le vilain petit canard” (The Ugly Duckling):
Le septième œuf, le plus gros de tous n'avait toujours pas éclos.
The seventh egg, the largest of all, had not yet hatched.
Caption 10, Contes de fées Le vilain petit canard - Part 1
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Not only does the word œuf contain a special character, but it also has an irregular pronunciation in the plural form, des œufs (eggs), even though the spelling is perfectly regular. Indeed, while un œuf (an egg) rhymes with neuf (nine), des œufs (eggs) rhymes with feu (fire). Listen carefully to Lionel’s pronunciation of œuf versus œufs in his video on madeleine-making:
Ici devant moi, nous avons un œuf, o, e, u, f, mais également des œufs, le pluriel: des œufs.
Here in front of me, we have un œuf [an egg], o, e, u, f, but also des œufs, the plural: some eggs.
Captions 19-22, Lionel L'usine de madeleines de Liverdun - Part 1
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The letter œ is an example of a ligature, a character composed of two letters joined together. In French, œ is commonly called e dans l'o ("e in the o"), which is actually a pun, as it sounds like œufs dans l'eau (eggs in the water)!
Speaking of eggs in water, let’s proceed to the kitchen. As you know, there are many ways to cook an egg, but first you should know how to tell un œuf cru (a raw egg) from un œuf dur (a hard-boiled egg):
Est-ce que vous savez comment reconnaître un œuf cru d'un œuf dur ?
Do you know how to tell a raw egg from a hard-boiled egg?
Once you’ve established that your egg is cru (raw) and not dur (hard-boiled), you may want to prepare un œuf mollet (a soft-boiled egg). Not to be confused with the anatomical term le mollet (the calf), mollet here is a variant of the adjective molle (soft). Un œuf mollet (a soft-boiled egg) is often served in the country salad described below:
Nous avons une salade de lentilles avec un œuf mollet et une vinaigrette au lard paysan.
We have a lentil salad with a soft-boiled egg and a vinaigrette with country bacon.
Caption 7, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains
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If un œuf mollet is not to your taste, you could try un œuf poché (a poached egg). The restaurant Le Relais de la Poste in Alsace has a delicious version of this on their menu:
Laurent Huguet du Relais de la Poste, lui accommode un œuf poché aux asperges avec un petit riesling.
Laurent Huguet of the Relais de la Poste, he prepares a poached egg with asparagus with a little Riesling.
Captions 22-23, Alsace 20 100 recettes pour 100 vins
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Another alternative is un œuf au plat (a fried egg, literally "an egg on the plate"), which can make a nice addition to a traditional savory French crêpe:
Tu peux faire une crêpe complète avec jambon, fromage, et en plus tu rajoutes un œuf au plat par-dessus.
You can make a complete crêpe with ham, cheese, and in addition you add a fried egg to the dish on top.
Captions 44-46, Claude et Zette Les crêpes bretonnes
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You can also make œufs Bénédicte, or a simple omelette. In their video, Elisa and Mashal discuss what mouth-watering egg dishes they would like for breakfast:
Des œufs Bénédicte ou sinon je te fais des œufs... un... une omelette.
Eggs Benedict, or otherwise I'll make you eggs... a... an omelette.
Caption 82, Elisa et Mashal Petit-déjeuner
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Les œufs are also an essential baking ingredient that you can crack into your mixture. In French, though, we don’t say craquer (to crack) but rather casser les œufs (break the eggs). In his madeleine video, Lionel asks about the art of casser des œufs:
Donc là ben, on va commencer par casser des œufs entiers.
So, here, well, we're going to start by cracking some whole eggs.
Caption 36, Lionel L'usine de madeleines de Liverdun - Part 1
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Here is another culinary technique: fouetter/battre les blancs en neige (to beat the egg whites until stiff; literally, "beat the whites into snow"). This is exactly what is required to make a chocolate-rolled Christmas log:
Vous fouettez les blancs en neige
You beat the egg whites until stiff
Caption 44, Il était une fois la pâtisserie Bûche de Noël
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If le blanc is "the egg white" in French, can you guess what "the yolk" is? That's right, le jaune (literally, "the yellow")!
As you can see, there is more than one way to frire un œuf (fry an egg). Whichever way you choose to cook des œufs, be sure to use the correct pronunciation. Feel free to draw inspiration from our many Yabla cooking videos on how to prepare your eggs, and you will increase your kitchen vocabulary in the process.
Happy cooking!
In our last lesson, we discussed the word tout (all) as an adjective in the constructions tout + noun versus tout + determiner + noun, and we learned that tout, like all adjectives, agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. In this lesson, we'll explore tout as an adverb. And in the process, we'll discover how this strange adverb sometimes goes rogue and starts behaving like an adjective! So, buckle up!
Before we examine the quirks and tricks of adverbial tout, let's look at tout as a regular adverb, a word that is typically invariable (never changes form). Indeed, tout always stays the same in front of another adverb. The construction tout + adverb is equivalent to très (very) + adverb:
Et voilà. Allez, mélange tout doucement.
And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.
Caption 40, Delphine et Automne Le gâteau au yaourt - Part 1
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Delphine could have said this instead:
Voilà. Allez, mélange très doucement.
And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.
Tout also combines well with adverbs like simplement: tout simplement (quite simply).
Alors tout simplement parce que ça fait maintenant dix ans qu'on travaille à notre compte.
So quite simply because it has now been ten years since we've been self-employed.
Caption 22, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le titre de Maître Restaurateur, c'est quoi?
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The adverb tout can also modify an adjective to mean "all" or "very," as in "to the full extent." Again, tout behaves like a typical adverb and does not change. In his song "Cha Cha du Marin," singer Cré Tonnerre describes a sailor in a happy mood, using the construction tout + singular masculine adjectives:
Tout heureux, tout amoureux, tout bleu comme le ciel bleu
All happy, all in love, all blue as the blue sky
Caption 26, Cré Tonnerre Cha Cha du Marin
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Did you notice that all the t’s are sounded except the last one? That's because it's necessary to employ liaison in constructions like tout heureux (all happy) and tout amoureux (all/totally in love).
But when the adverb tout appears before a feminine adjective, the liaison becomes a bit more dangerous (or at least trickier). If the feminine adjective (singular or plural) starts with a vowel, as in excitée (excited), tout does not change:
J'étais tout excitée d'avoir ce privilège.
I was all excited to have that privilege.
Caption 16, Melissa Mars From Paris with Love
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Tout also stays the same before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h (since a word beginning with a mute h behaves like a word beginning with a vowel, in the sense that it allows a liaison to occur):
Elle est tout heureuse.
She is very happy.
Elles sont tout heureuses.
They are very happy.
But wait, there is another type of h in French! Unlike the mute h, the aspirated h acts like a consonant. Therefore, no liaison is possible, which would make the second t in tout silent. Tout agrees in number and gender before a feminine adjective beginning with an aspirated h. In the example below, toute agrees with the feminine adjective honteuse (ashamed):
Elle est toute honteuse.
She is very ashamed.
In the same sentence in the plural form, toutes takes -es just like the feminine plural adjective it modifies:
Elles sont toutes honteuses.
They are very ashamed.
Just as adverbial tout agrees with a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h, tout also agrees with a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:
Et puis après, je me retrouve toute seule...
and then after, I find myself all alone...
Caption 29, Amal et Caroline Pourquoi tu n'es pas venue à mon anniversaire ?
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Elles peuvent fonctionner toutes seules.
They can operate on their own.
Caption 66, Lionel & Lahlou La grève
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However, there is sometimes ambiguity in the feminine plural form. In some cases, you will need context to determine whether toutes is acting as an adverb (meaning "very," modifying the adjective) or as an adjective (meaning "all," modifying the subject):
Elles sont toutes tristes.
They are very sad./All of them are sad.
Elles sont toutes honteuses.
They are very ashamed./All of them are ashamed.
On the other hand, there is no ambiguity with the construction tout + plural feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (e.g. tout heureuses). This tout can only act as an adverb, meaning "very":
Elles sont tout heureuses.
They are very happy.
Likewise, toutes heureuses can only mean "(they are) all happy." Rather than an adverb, toutes in this case is an adjective of quantity that modifies the subject elles:
Elles sont toutes heureuses.
All of them are happy.
Now let's recap the rules of the construction tout + feminine adjective (singular and plural):
Agreement
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h:
No Agreement
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a vowel:
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h:
(And don’t forget that adverbial tout does not take agreement before ANY masculine adjective.)
Toute la leçon est terminée! (The whole lesson is over!) This may be a lot to take in, but keep in mind that exceptions are few. Tout only changes before feminine adjectives and only in limited situations. And don’t forget: L’équipe de Yabla est tout heureuse de vous aider! (The Yabla team is very happy to help you!)
Let's talk about…everything! Or, the word tout in French. Did you know that tout can change spelling and pronunciation? And are you aware that this versatile word can function as an adjective, an adverb, a pronoun, and a noun? In this lesson, we'll focus on tout (all) as an adjective in the constructions tout + noun versus tout + determiner + noun.
Tout as a quantifier is usually equivalent to “all,” expressing totality, as in tout le temps (all the time). The construction is usually as follows: tout + determiner + a noun (a determiner is a short word preceding a noun, such as “the” in English). Tout (all) then functions as an adjective since it is attached to a noun, and it will therefore agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. So, tout has four different endings: tout, toute, toutes, tous. When tout agrees with a masculine singular noun, you're in luck: no change is required! In the example below, tout agrees with the noun votre argent (your money):
Vous donnez tout votre argent à Gérard.
You're giving all your money to Gérard.
Caption 69, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes parents se préparent à la fin du monde - Part 7
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When tout modifies a masculine plural noun, just drop the -t ending and replace it with an -s (tous), as in tous les petits commerces (all the little shops). Note that tout and tous sound the same, as the final -t and -s are both silent:
Ce qui est intéressant aussi dans la rue, c'est que tous les petits commerces sont des artisans français.
What's also interesting on the street is that all the little shops are French craftworkers.
Captions 32-34, Adrien Rue des Martyrs
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When tout modifies a feminine noun, add an -e for agreement. Note that this time, however, you do pronounce the second t! Listen for the t sound in toute la journée (all day) in the following video. Also note that we don’t say “all the day” in English, but we do in French!
Il a plu toute la journée.
It rained all day.
Caption 22, Ahlam et Timothé Des conversations basiques
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When tout agrees with a feminine plural noun, add -es to the end: toutes. As in the previous example, you will pronounce the second t, but not the final s. In other words, toute (feminine singular) and toutes (feminine plural) sound the same. In the example below, toutes agrees with the feminine plural noun les heures (hours). In this case, though, toutes les heures translates as “every hour,” not “all hours”:
Depuis que le nouveau curé a remis ses cloches à sonner toutes les heures
Since the new priest reset his bells to ring every hour
Caption 62, Actu Vingtième Le vide-grenier
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So far, so good, but watch what happens when we decide to omit the les. Just as in English, the meaning changes. In the clause below, the bell doesn’t necessarily ring on the hour, but “at all hours":
Depuis que le nouveau curé a remis ses cloches à sonner à toute heure
Since the new priest reset his bells to ring at all hours
In other words, when tout is used in the sense of “any” or “whichever," you drop the determiner and get the construction tout + noun. The person in the video below expects to be exposed à tout moment (at any moment):
Mais elle reste obnubilée par son larcin de la veille et s'attend à tout moment à être démasquée.
But she remains obsessed with her petty theft of the day before and expects at any moment to be unmasked.
Captions 47-49, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai volé pour nourrir mon fils - Part 3
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There is one more thing to consider. Even in the absence of determiners, agreement rules still apply! In the example below, we have three different spellings: agreements with a masculine plural noun (tous biens), a masculine singular noun (tout don), and a feminine singular noun (toute personne). Also note how the translation of tout varies according to the noun that follows it:
Tous biens... tout don est bienvenu, ainsi que toute personne.
All goods... every donation is welcome, as well as every person.
Caption 43, Actus Quartier Repair Café
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The use of tout can also imply diversity and inclusiveness, as in de toute religion (from all religions):
Y a de toute religion, y a des musulmans, y a de tout de chez nous.
There're people from all religions, there are Muslims, there's a bit of everything in our club.
Caption 14, Actu Vingtième Le vide-grenier
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Speaking of “all kinds," we have the expression toutes sortes (all kinds/all sorts):
Toutes sortes de décors... et une belle vaisselle.
All kinds of decorations... and beautiful dishes.
Caption 10, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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The construction tout + noun can also imply “any” possibility of something. In the video below, the pastry chef talks about being proactive by polishing the cutlery to avoid any potential marks:
Il faudra bien penser à les nettoyer, les polir correctement, pour éviter toute trace, parce que c'est plus joli, c'est plus sympa.
You really have to think about cleaning them, polishing them correctly, to avoid any marks, because it's prettier, it's nicer.
Captions 15-16, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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If the speaker had found des traces (some marks) on the cutlery, he would have had the staff remove toutes les traces (all the marks) and say something like this:
Nettoyez toutes les traces afin qu’il n’en reste plus.
Clean all the marks so there are none left.
In conclusion, a few reminders. Include a determiner to convey quantity, entirety, or diversity, as in tout le (all the) and tous les (every). But drop the determiner when tout is used in the sense of “any," “whichever,” or “all kinds." Whether you use the construction tout + determiner + noun or tout + noun, agreement rules apply in both cases. And don't forget: toutes les vidéos sur Yabla (all the Yabla videos) are available to help you. And since tout is such a common word, you'll find it in just about any video (toute vidéo). We will continue to explore tout in another lesson. Merci pour tout! (Thanks for everything!)
In our first lesson on rendre, we learned that the verb can mean "to give back," "to return," and "to render." In this lesson, we'll explore some expressions with rendre whose meanings go beyond giving/going back or rendering.
As we briefly mentioned in our previous lesson, the phrase rendre service means “to do a favor” or “to help” (literally, "to render a service"). In the video below, Sacha needs a favor from Dr. Dubois, aka Nico:
Est-ce que tu peux me rendre service ?
Can you do me a favor?
Caption 34, Extr@ Ep. 7 - La jumelle - Part 5
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Ideally, Sacha needs Nico to be willing to help and “be of service,” like the person in this video:
Moi, tu sais, si je peux rendre service
Me, you know, if I can be of service
Caption 15, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai volé pour nourrir mon fils - Part 4
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In the broader sense of the phrase, rendre service simply means “to help”—or not, as in the case of Pauline, the ungrateful guest in the video below:
Petit à petit, elle refuse de rendre service.
Little by little, she refuses to help.
Caption 3, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai été séquestré par mes amis - Part 4
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We also have the expression rendre hommage (to pay tribute/homage). On the anniversary of the death of famous singer Serge Gainsbourg, many artists wanted to rendre hommage to him:
Aujourd'hui le gratin du rock anglais rend hommage à Serge Gainsbourg, à commencer par Placebo.
Today the elite of English rock pays tribute to Serge Gainsbourg, starting with Placebo.
Caption 17, Le Journal Gainsbourg
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On a lighter note, we have the phrase rendre visite (to pay someone a visit). Our Yabla guide David encourages viewers to lui rendre visite (visit him) and explore his home country of Martinique:
Si un jour vous avez le bonheur de nous rendre visite
If one day you have the pleasure of visiting us
Caption 4, David Les animaux
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Note that if David had been talking about visiting Martinique, he would have said this instead:
Si un jour vous avez le bonheur de visiter la Martinique
If one day you have the pleasure of visiting Martinique
So, use rendre visite for visiting people and visiter for visiting places.
Speaking of places, the verbal phrase se rendre à/dans means “to go to (a place)." Se rendre is equivalent to aller (to go). In the video below, Fanny and Corrine suggest se rendre dans des magasins (going to shops) to bargain-hunt:
Pour bien commencer le printemps, on vous propose de vous rendre dans des magasins
To get spring off to a good start, we suggest you go to shops
Caption 11, Fanny & Corrine parlent de la mode La mode à bas prix
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You can also use the reflexive verb se rendre in a variety of expressions, such as se rendre compte, which means “to realize” or “to become aware of.” The teenager in the video below se rend compte (realizes) that something is not right:
L'adolescente se rend bien compte que quelque chose ne va pas.
The teenage girl quickly realizes that something isn't right.
Caption 14, Le Jour où tout a basculé Nos bébés ont été échangés... - Part 4
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(For more information on ways to use compte [count], see this Yabla lesson.) In the non-reflexive form (without the se), the verbal phrase rendre compte means “to report” or “give an account”:
Oui, mais d'abord, on rend compte à Oméga.
Yes, but first we report to Omega.
Caption 25, Il était une fois: L’Espace 3. La planète verte - Part 3
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Going back to se rendre compte: once you've realized something, you might be forced to se rendre à l'évidence (come to terms with the evidence). Something that is extremely difficult to do for this couple, who discovered that their baby was switched at birth:
Pourtant, ils doivent se rendre à l'évidence.
However, they must come to terms with the evidence.
Caption 30, Le Jour où tout a basculé Nos bébés ont été échangés... - Part 4
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Another way to translate se rendre à l’évidence is “to face the facts”:
Henri doit se rendre à l'évidence.
Henri must face the facts.
Caption 40, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 7
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Once you have come to terms with the evidence, you may come to the awful realization that it would be wise “to surrender”—se rendre. This is actually the infinitive form of rendez-vous, which, as a command, doesn't refer to "a date" or "meeting" (un rendez-vous), but rather an order to give yourself up:
Rendez-vous ! Vous êtes cernée !
Surrender! You're surrounded!
Caption 85, Mère & Fille Camping Cour
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Or, less harshly, a suggestion to go somewhere:
Pour vous abonner à Yabla, rendez-vous sur la page S'abonner.
To subscribe to Yabla, go to the Subscribe page.
As you can see, there are many ways to render rendre, from giving back, to going places, to surrendering. Now that vous vous êtes rendu(e) compte (you've become aware) of rendre’s many uses, rendez hommage (pay homage) to the word rendre by using it. Stay tuned and rendez-vous to Yabla for a future lesson!