In a previous lesson, we explored the Loire and other French rivers. Here, we will focus on the Seine, which meanders across northern France and, of course, crosses right through the heart of Paris, making it an integral part of Parisian life (see our lesson Getting around Paris). Can you walk along the banks of the Seine? Can you swim in the river? What key role did the Seine play in the saving of Notre-Dame Cathedral, and what part did it play in the Paris 2024 Olympics? Let’s find out!
Like all major rivers, the Seine occasionally sort de son lit (leaves its bed, overflows), as Lionel explains in this 2016 video:
La Seine ces jours-ci est sortie de son lit.
The Seine these days has left its bed.
Caption 2, Lionel L La Seine sort de son lit
Play Caption
As a result of la crue (the flood), les quais sont fermés (the embankments are closed), to the dismay of Parisians:
Il faut savoir qu'actuellement les quais sont fermés suite à la crue qui a eu lieu précédemment sur Paris.
You should know that currently the embankments are closed, following the flood that previously took place in Paris.
Captions 20-21, Lionel L La Place des Vosges
Play Caption
Catastrophic crues, like the one that occurred in 1910, are recorded with un repère (a benchmark). In his video, Daniel Benchimol points to a marker showing that the water would have been well above his head at the time:
Des deux côtés du Pont-Neuf, on trouve ces repères, qui sont des indicateurs de la crue de la Seine en mille neuf cent dix. Vous vous imaginez la hauteur... Ici, j'étais déjà sous l'eau.
On both sides of the Pont-Neuf, we find these benchmarks, which are indicators of the flooding of the Seine in nineteen hundred and ten. You can imagine the height... Here, I was already underwater.
Captions 20-22, Voyage dans Paris Ponts de Paris
Play Caption
Fortunately, the river usually behaves itself, allowing millions of Parisians and tourists to walk along its banks, which are a favorite place for a picnic and relaxation:
Et à cette époque de l'année, les Parisiens ont pris l'habitude d'aller sur les quais pour pique-niquer, prendre l'air, surtout après le travail.
And at this time of year, Parisians have taken up the habit of going on the embankments to picnic, take in the fresh air, especially after work.
Captions 23-24, Lionel L La Place des Vosges
Play Caption
Until 2002, Parisians could only walk along the Seine, and sunbathing was not an option until the city of Paris created an artificial beach by bringing in tons of sand along the riverbanks. The beach, known as Paris-Plage (Paris-Beach), celebrated its twenty-second season in 2024. In this video, Parisians are enjoying its 2016 edition:
Paris-Plage c'est parti pour l'édition deux mille seize, euh...
Paris-Beach has taken off for the two thousand sixteen edition, uh...
Caption 1, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 1
Play Caption
Since 2002, Parisians have been able to sunbathe by the water en maillot de bain (in bathing suits) right in the heart of Paris:
Comme vous pouvez le voir derrière moi, des gens sont en maillot de bain, sur Paris...
As you can see behind me, people are in swimsuits, in Paris...
Captions 2-3, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 1
Play Caption
However, there was still one missing vital ingredient: l’accès à l’eau (access to the water). It was forbidden to se baigner (to swim) at the time of the video in 2016:
La chose qui manque foncièrement à la partie centrale de Paris-Plage où nous sommes aujourd'hui sur les quais, c'est l'accès à l'eau. En fait, on ne peut pas se baigner...
The thing that's entirely missing from the central part of Paris-Beach, where we are today on the docks, is water access. In fact, you can't swim...
Captions 12-15, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 1
Play Caption
That was then… Fast-forward to 2024, and it is now possible to swim in the Seine thanks to the 2024 Paris Olympics, which created an impetus for having the water assainie (cleaned up), a vast improvement that pleases Sophie:
Mais déjà, le fait qu'ils essayent d'assainir complètement la Seine, je trouve que c'est génial.
But first of all, the fact that they're trying to completely clean up the Seine, I think that it's awesome.
Captions 16-17, Sophie et Patrice Les Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024
Play Caption
Indeed, in July 2024, the city of Paris succeeded in its mammoth cleanup effort, and the Seine was officially declared swimmable, or un endroit de baignade (a swimming spot):
On se dit la Seine va devenir un endroit de baignade.
We're thinking the Seine is going to become a swimming spot.
Caption 19, Sophie et Patrice Les Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024
Play Caption
But still, it took a little coaxing from the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who took a dip herself to get Olympic athlètes to finally accepter (agree) to swim in the Seine:
Et donc les athlètes ont donc accepté de le faire.
And so the athletes therefore agreed to do it.
Caption 35, Sophie et Patrice Les Jeux olympiques de Paris 2024
Play Caption
Not only was the Seine the setting for some Olympic water sports events, it was also center stage for la cérémonie d’ouverture des Jeux Olympiques de Paris (the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics) for the first time in history, according to this article:
Le vendredi 26 juillet 2024 va se dérouler la cérémonie d'ouverture des Jeux Olympiques de Paris 2024 et pour la première fois de l’histoire, elle n’aura pas lieu dans un stade mais sur la Seine.
On July 26, 2024 the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take place, and for the first time in history, it will not take place in a stadium but on the Seine.
The Seine also played a major role in history back in 2019, during the devastating fire in the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral. It provided a much-needed water source for firefighters to douse the cathedral using des bateaux-pompes (fire boats):
Un premier bateau-pompe vient augmenter la quantité d'eau disponible
A first fire boat comes to increase the quantity of water available
Caption 11, Le Monde Incendie de Notre-Dame : comment on a échappé au pire - Part 2
Play Caption
In fact, it took two bateaux-pompes to provide enough water pour ralentir le feu (to slow down the fire):
Le feu semble ralentir.
The fire seems to be slowing down.
Caption 25, Le Monde Incendie de Notre-Dame : comment on a échappé au pire - Part 2
Play Caption
In conclusion, not only has the Seine shaped the lives of Parisians for many years, but it was also the unsung hero that helped save Notre-Dame from destruction in 2019, and later became a central feature of the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Seine will always remain an integral part of Parisian life. For more wandering along the Seine, check out these Yabla videos. Thank you for reading!
While nothing compares with visiting Paris in person, the next best thing might be to take a virtual visit through our Yabla videos and through this lesson. Here, we will focus on the general layout of the city, which will help you find your way around Paris and appreciate its unique features.
Paris is divided into twenty administrative areas or districts known as arrondissements, as our trusty guide Daniel Benchimol explains in his video:
Je ne pense pas vous en avoir déjà parlé
I don't think I have mentioned this to you already,
mais Paris est divisé en vingt arrondissements.
but Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements.
Captions 35-36, Voyage dans Paris - Le Seizième Arrondissement de Paris
Play Caption
In fact, the numbers of the twenty arrondissements are included in the postal codes. They are such an integral part of Parisian life that most people only mention the number—as in le onzième (the eleventh)—and skip the word arrondissement altogether:
Nous sommes actuellement
We are currently
à l'intersection de la rue Saint-Maur
at the intersection of Rue Saint-Maur [Saint-Maur Street]
et de la rue Oberkampf,
and Rue Oberkampf [Oberkampf Street],
en plein quartier du onzième...
in the heart of the neighborhood of the eleventh [arrondissement]...
Captions 16-18, Lionel L - L'art éphémère à Paris
Play Caption
The arrondissements are arranged in a unique clockwise spiral or snail-like pattern, as Daniel Benchimol explains:
Les arrondissements parisiens sont construits comme des escargots:
The Parisian arrondissements are shaped like snails:
on part du numéro un et on progresse jusqu'au numéro vingt.
we start from number one and we progress up to number twenty.
Captions 37-38, Voyage dans Paris - Le Seizième Arrondissement de Paris
Play Caption
Daniel goes on to mention that the city of Paris is split into two banks, la Rive droite (the Right Bank) and la Rive gauche (the Left Bank), as the river Seine traverses the length of the city:
Nous sommes ici dans le seizième arrondissement.
We are here in the sixteenth arrondissement.
C'est la Rive droite.
It's the Right Bank.
Et si l'on traverse la Seine, on passe donc Rive gauche...
And if we cross the Seine, we then pass then to the Left Bank...
Captions 39-40, Voyage dans Paris - Le Seizième Arrondissement de Paris
Play Caption
Interestingly, by simply crossing the Seine, you can jump from the 16th arrondissement to the 7th. If that doesn’t seem logical, it’s because of the city's snail-shaped arrangement, as shown on this map.
...et on passe donc dans le septième arrondissement.
...and we arrive then in the seventh arrondissement.
Caption 41, Voyage dans Paris - Le Seizième Arrondissement de Paris
Play Caption
In any case, the Seine is never far away. Not only is it an important geographical feature but also an integral part of Parisian culture. In her video, Patricia invites you to stroll along les quais de la Seine (the banks of the Seine), among other things:
Et on peut aussi bien naviguer sur la Seine
And one can just as well sail over the Seine
en bateau-mouche
by "bateau-mouche" [tourist boat, literally "fly-boat"]
que flâner au bord de ses quais.
as stroll along its banks.
Captions 44-45, Le saviez-vous? - Le romantisme français
Play Caption
Indeed, the Seine is a permanent fixture along with its many bridges—thirty-seven of them. In Daniel's opinion, le pont Alexandre Trois (Alexander the Third Bridge) is one of the most beautiful of them:
Et vous aurez... devant vous, bien sûr, la Seine,
And you will have... in front of you, of course, the Seine,
et aussi la vue sur un des plus beaux ponts de la capitale,
as well as the view of one of the most beautiful bridges in the capital,
le pont Alexandre Trois.
the Alexander the Third Bridge.
Captions 6-7, Voyage dans Paris - Le Pont Alexandre III
Play Caption
But there are many other interesting ponts, such as le Pont-Neuf (New Bridge), which incidentally no longer lives up to its name, as it's the oldest bridge in Paris. You can learn more about le Pont-Neuf and Paris's many other bridges in Daniel's video on the subject:
À quelques centaines de mètres du pont des Arts,
A few hundred meters from the Pont des Arts,
voici le Pont-Neuf,
here is the Pont-Neuf [New Bridge],
qui malgré son nom, est le plus ancien pont de Paris.
which, despite its name, is the oldest bridge in Paris.
Captions 11-12, Voyage dans Paris - Ponts de Paris
Play Caption
As you stroll along the Seine admiring its bridges, you will come across two islands: l'île Saint-Louis (Saint Louis Island) and l'île de la Cité (City Island). On l'île de la Cité, you will discover the iconic cathédrale Notre-Dame:
Sur l'île de la Cité vous trouverez bien sûr
On the Île de la Cité you will find, of course,
la cathédrale Notre-Dame.
the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Caption 4, Voyage dans Paris - L'Île Saint-Louis
Play Caption
Thank you for taking this quick stroll through Paris with us. You can explore many more sites in our Voyage dans Paris series.
There's a simple French construction you can use when you're talking about getting someone to do something: faire ("to make" or "to do") + infinitive. It may even be easier than actually getting them to do it!
The construction is known as the causative, and as its name suggests, it's used whenever the subject is causing something to happen. Just put faire in front of whatever action you want someone to do:
On essaie juste de se défouler et de faire rire l'autre.
They just try to unwind and to make each other laugh.
Caption 6, Le Journal - Les effets bénéfiques du rire!
Play Caption
"Faire + infinitive" is especially useful when you're having someone perform a service:
Henri Quatre...
Henry the Fourth...
décida de faire construire une place en l'honneur du Dauphin,
decided to have a square built in honor of the Dauphin,
la place Dauphine.
the Place Dauphine.
Captions 17-18, Voyage dans Paris - Ponts de Paris
Play Caption
Je vais faire réparer mon ordinateur.
I'm going to get my computer fixed.
Incidentally, if you're talking about making someone or something an adjective, the construction to use is rendre ("to make" or "to render") + adjective (never "faire + adjective"):
Ce cadeau va rendre mon ami heureux.
This gift will make my friend happy.
Like most verbal constructions, "faire + infinitive" can also become reflexive. In this case, the subject is being made to do something (not making someone else do it). Of course, being made to do something isn't always a good thing:
Je me suis fait voler mon sac.
I had my bag stolen.
Je me suis retrouvé en train de me faire réveiller.
I found myself being awakened.
Caption 10, Le Journal - Les relations franco-gabonaises
Play Caption
Ben non, il faut se faire entendre, hein.
Well, no, you have to be heard, you know.
Caption 59, Manif du Mois - Fukushima plus jamais ça
Play Caption
Me faire réveiller and se faire entendre could be translated more literally as "having myself be awakened" and "make oneself be heard."
The reflexive form of "faire + infinitive" can also be used to describe something that you have someone do for you or to you:
Je me fais livrer mon dîner chaque nuit.
I have my dinner delivered to me every night.
On peut aller se faire faire des massages.
You can go have a massage.
Caption 25, Le Journal - iDTGV
Play Caption
There's no typo in that last example—the second faire is just the infinitive part of the "faire + infinitive" construction. Without it, you would have on peut aller se faire des massages, or "you can go give yourself a massage," which isn't nearly as luxurious.
Now that you know all this, you can sit back and have a French person build a square in your honor. You deserve it!
Spanish
German
Italian
Chinese
English
English 
Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
