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Lesson Introduction
Today's podcast will give you so much French knowledge - how to say your name, how to ask someone theirs, a little bit about formalities; and later in the podcast, Amaury and Erica discuss the French cheek-kissing phenomenon and give some tips on when and how you do it.
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billkaulitzlover says
June 2, 2008
This is probably the most important lesson for a newbie.
amy321 says
June 3, 2008
In the vocabulary portion, are the definitions for le nom and le prénom wrong? I thought le prénom meant the first name, and le nom meant the surname - which would make sense with the prefix pre (before), but I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time ...
christela says
June 3, 2008
Hello, amy321!
The definitions for ''nom'' and ''prénom'' were wrong. Thanks for pointing these out. They have been fixed now.
So, you were right! Hope you'll be more confident in the future! :)
lindi says
June 3, 2008
Hey guys ,
Forgive me for being a little " scary " , if I would say that French is so difficult when it come to writing point.
Neither English nor French are my first language , but I find it so hard to learn how to write and distinguish words for pornounciation.
However , I am brave and I think that I will drive it through.
Regards,
To all
jpvillanueva says
June 3, 2008
Salut les amis,
Je m'appelle JP, mais en français je m'appelle Jean Patrick.
I studied in Avignon a while back, where the standard number of kisses is three. At first it seemed a little excessive, but I remember after a couple months in Avignon, I took a train north to Paris, where I started seeing people doing only two....
It actually kind of made me tense to see only two at that point! After two months of seeing three kisses, just seeing two made me feel uncomfortable!
athenagoddess says
June 3, 2008
Je'mappelle Athena. Je ne suis pas french.
anna8 says
June 3, 2008
Salut à tous--
Enchantée. Je m'appelle Hélène.
Hi Amaury and Erica,
I love the music and background sounds of the podcasts -- they really set the stage for each little mini-drama, no matter how simple the language. I think it definitely helps with memorization too.
Bien joué!
adri says
June 3, 2008
Je m'appelle Adriana et Je suis Colombienne. Enchantée.
mahy says
June 3, 2008
Enchante, Je m'appelle Maha.j'adore apprendre le francais.
I'm Egyptian girl. I would like to ask about something in this lesson....the sentense that say " comment tu t'appeles ? " is write as this but it is pronounced as >> "comment t'appelles tu?"...
What is the correct sir >> tu t'appelles or t'appelles tu?!!!!!
Thanks alot.
amaurylibeer says
June 3, 2008
Salut Maha,
Je m'appelle Amaury. Enchanté.
If you write "Comment tu t'appelles?", you still pronounce the words in the same order. So you say "comment t'appelles tu?" as it is written as well. Both mean exactly the same (only difference is that "Comment tu t'appelles?" is a bit more familiar).
Comme tu es une fille, tu dois écrire (As you are a girl, you have to write) : 'Enchantée' ; )
amaurylibeer says
June 3, 2008
Salut Adriana,
Enchanté. Je m'appelle Amaury. Je suis belge et français. Tu es de quelle ville en Colombie? (Which city are you from in Colombia?)
auntie68 says
June 3, 2008
Hello Amaury. Just to be kind to other learners, and not to be bitchy in any way, there are two "l"s in "t'appelles", right? It's not as if there is some rule that it's "-l-" if the pronoun precedes the verb, and "-ll-" if the word order is different? I am also asking because it's been so many years since I sat in a French class that I don't dare assume anything anymore!
Thanks for the great lessons... and the friendly corrections.
ericat says
June 3, 2008
Bonjour lindi!
N'aies pas peur! It is true that writing is one of the more difficult systems of the French language, but I'm sure you'll get it if you practice. Bon courage et bonne chance!
ewong says
June 3, 2008
Je m'appelle Eileen. Je suis Chinois et J'habite aux Philippines. Enchantée.
ericat says
June 3, 2008
- Enchantée, Eileen!
- Enchantée, Maha!
- Enchantée, Adriana!
- Enchantée, Hélène!
- Enchantée, Athena!
crandles says
June 3, 2008
Well, Auntie68, I didn't see the spellings you were referring to, but as you'll probably remember, and for the benefit of other learners, appeler does change its spelling in the first and second person plural.
Thus, j'appelle, tu appelles, il/elle appelle, ils/elles appellent
BUT
nous appelons, vous appelez
amaurylibeer says
June 3, 2008
Salut auntie68,
Merci beaucoup for your comment. I've corrected "t'appelles" as you're 100% right. It is double 'l' in both cases, whatever the order...
Thanks again.
auntie68 says
June 3, 2008
Amaury, thank you! And that little typo turned out to be a good thing, because crandles' conjugation advice is really good and clear! Merci...
heiner8 says
June 4, 2008
Salut! Je m'apelle Orlando et Je suis du Costa Rica.
I have studied french before when I was in high school but years without practice make it really easy to forget, that's why I love to listen to frenchpod because it makes me remind a lot, thank you guys!
And I am still waiting for italianpod.
christamcg says
June 4, 2008
Salut!
Thanks for this lesson, however, I'm a little confused...
In the podcast the dialogue says: "Comment t'appelles tu?" And in the lesson dialogue script it's written "Comment tu t'appelles?"
I'm assuming both ways are correct. Is there one way that's more common/more preferred than the other?
Merci beaucoup!
Christa
johnny04 says
June 4, 2008
How do I say I am a web developer? Je suis un... web developer? :-)
Johnny
mahy says
June 4, 2008
Enchantee "Amaury":
Thanks for your attention for both: >>
T'appelles tu = Tu t'applles (but the second is more bit familiar)
2)That I'm a girl (une fille) so I should say>>Enchantee.
Merci Beaucoup.
Enchantee "Crandles" & "Aunti" for directing us to the right French spellling.
Aussi, Enchantee "Erica"
Salut, tout.
meehand says
June 5, 2008
Comment tu l' monde? Je suis e' bien. L' lesson est commsa et commsa.
pinkjeans says
June 12, 2008
Si c'est le prémière fois que les deux se rencontrent, pourquoi ils deja tutoyent?
(Est-ce qu'il y a des corrections? Merci!)
ericat says
June 12, 2008
Bonjour, pinkjeans,
That's a good question! 'Tu' is informal and 'vous' is formal. This is not a formal situation - the two people are probably around the same age and they are engaging in an informal activity together, so it is better to say 'tu.'
As we said in the podcast, if you use the 'tu' for in a situation like this, you are communicating to the person 'let's relax, let's be friends.' Sometimes when you use the 'vous' form in an informal situation, the other person will interpret it as you wanting to keep a distance with them. It might even come off as kind of cold.
Knowing when to say 'tu' versus 'vous' is one of the more challenging aspects of speaking French. Don't let this worry or intimidate you though. I have found that French people are aware that this isn't always clear to foreign speakers of their language, and they tend not to read anything into the choice of 'tu' or 'vous' when talking to foreigners, the way they would when speaking to other native-French speakers.
auntie68 says
June 12, 2008
Hi ericat. I know French people who "tu" God and Jesus and the Virgin Mary, but "vous" their own parents.
Thanks for dealing with the "tu vs vous" thing. Like you say, the French tend to go easy on people who are obviously not native speakers. However, I hope that FPOD will be brave enough to do a good job of dealing with the "tu vs vous" thing at the higher levels; I just know that you won't cop out! Being Asian, I tend to be a bit formal anyway, but I would say that it's harder to undo an inappropriate "tu", than an inappropriate "vous" (unless your French is so amazing that French people might have grounds to think that you were winding them up).
In a normal white-collar office environment, say between colleagues who are both "executives", I'd definitely start with "vous" until the French colleague proposed "tu". My favourite boss of all time is a French boss (ambassadorial level, seconded by Quai d'Orsay) who was "vous-ed" by his personal assistant, a very correct French lady "of a certain age"; no matter how easygoing my boss was, I could never bring myself to "vous" him in front of her.
Ditto for "tu"-ing him in a business meeting; I found it more comfortable to let him take the lead, depending on the company. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend taking "tu" for granted unless the only people you are speaking to are all under the age of 25, or else in a solidly "blue-collar" capacity. Even so, chances are that the doorman or the cleaner or concierge will "vous" you, and using "tu" with him might even put his nose out of joint. Here your "vous" is a sign of respect for him, implying professional distance.
amaurylibeer says
June 13, 2008
Salut pinkjeans,
Il n'y a presque pas d'erreurs :
Si c'est la première fois que les deux se rencontrent, pourquoi ils se tutoient déjà?
Le verbe est 'se tutoyer'.
'Fois' est féminin.
pinkjeans says
June 13, 2008
Merci, Erica et Amaury! You guys work together so well...one answers my question and the other corrects my grammar. :-)
ericat says
June 14, 2008
That's an excellent point you make, auntie68, that "it's harder to undo an inappropriate "tu", than an inappropriate "vous" and I think that you're right.
I should have added in that posting that if you are ever unsure which one to use, it's always safer to go with the "vous". Especially if it is in a work situation, for example.
An even better strategy to take, when possible and unless you are talking to someone that should obviously be 'vous'ed, like a boss or the president or something, is to try and wait for the French person to say 'you' first and just use the same one that they used.
But I should again say to Newbies and learners not to stress about this 'tu' and 'vous' thing. I know it was something that used to unnecessarily worry me when I was first learning, but it is true that French people understand that foreigners don't always understand when to use which one and they're cool about not holding it against us if we use the wrong one.
You will also understand it more as you advance in your French studies. "You" will be coming up many times in the podcasts throughout the levels, and as you see each being used in various situations, you will eventually have a much clearer picture of when to use 'vous' and when to use 'tu.'
freddyfrinton says
June 15, 2008
Ranking does not work: clicking on 1 star results in Rank 3, clicking on 2 stars results in rank 4,...
steveandrews says
June 20, 2008
Bonour, Je m'appelles Steve, Je suis Anglais. ( I hope that's right!)
I just wanted to say Hi!
I'm a complete Newbie, I've never spoken French before but always wanted to learn, I've been to France quite a few times, and other than saying the thank you, hello's an goodbye's I've always felt really awkward and that I should be speaking the native language of the country I like visiting! I'm hoping being nearly 30 that it isn't too late to start learning!
I think this site is great and the lessons are really well done. I'm planning on signing up to a language course in my local college (when I can find the time). But in the mean time, I'm trying to study as much as I can using this site.
Thanks again and au revior!
ericat says
June 20, 2008
Bonjour Steve and bienvenue,
It is never too late to learn a language. You'll be able to do it! Bonne chance!
adelinezhao says
July 9, 2008
Enchantée! je m'appelle Adeline.
Je suis chinoise.
marcod says
July 9, 2008
Enchanté! Je m'appelle Marco, Je viens d'Italie.
m.
ericat says
July 10, 2008
Enchantée Adeline et bienvenue à FrenchPod!
ericat says
July 10, 2008
Enchantée Marco...mais tu viens d'Italie? C'est magnifique!
jasmine2008 says
July 29, 2008
wat is the difference between tu and vous
when your trying to say you?
amaurylibeer says
July 30, 2008
Salut jasmine2008,
This is a very interesting and important question as you may put yourself in an awkward situation using the wrong one (although a French person should forgive a foreigner, but this is my opinion).
So this is how I would explain the difference :
Tu is the familiar you. It demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. Use tu when speaking to a friend, a colleague, a relative, a child or a pet!
Vous is the formal you. It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance / formality with any person. Use vous when speaking to someone you don't know well, an older person, an authority figure, anyone to whom you wish to show respect or anyone who is serving you (waiter,...).
And of course you need to use vous if there is more than one person or more than one pet!
Hope this will help.
sergefrench says
July 30, 2008
Erica,
"vous" is normally used with "Monsieur" or "Madame", whereas "tu" is generally used with the first name. Hence one has to choose between sentences like: "Bonjour Madame, comment allez-vous?" and "Bonjour Erica, comment vas-tu?". So you may ask yourself the question: "Would I call that person 'Mrs/Mister', or would I use her/his first name?"
In fact, "tu" really means some of the following:
-we belong to the same group/community/generation/internet forum
-we are confronted with the same situation/problems
-we've been invited to the same party so we must have the same friends
-and so on...
It's not really a question of meeting somebody for the first time, even though a relationship that originally begun with "vous" often evolves in "tu" with time. In many companies in France -American ones mainly- bosses demand that their employees say "tu" to them right from the start in order to make them feel that they're all sharing the same goals...
pupy says
July 30, 2008
Bonjour a tous, je suis cubain et j'adore FPOD
sky1 says
July 30, 2008
Bonsoir tout le monde!
For those of you who are new to the concept of having two forms of "you" (tu & vous), it may interest you to know that this is not totally alien to the English language.
A long time ago...long before any of us were born, in addition to "you", which represented the plural form of the second person, there was also a singular form: "thou".
In addition to differentiating between singular and plural, as in French, its use was also dependent on the level of familiarity of the people being addressed.
Although this is no longer used in modern English, it can be seen in works by writers such as Shakespeare: "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo??"
As Auntie68 mentioned, French people will use tu when addressing God; English speakers also used to and remnants of this can be seen in the Lord's Prayer which contains phrases such as "...hallowed by thy name." (thy being the second person singular version of your).
Hope that helps bring the concept a little closer to home. Now to find out what the deal is with all nouns having a gender… ;-)
A+
PS Erica and Amaury, félicitations on a great course!
sergefrench says
July 30, 2008
Hi sky1!
Yes, you're right to mention 'thou'! French and English are not as foreign to each other as they seem at first sight: 'vous' is 'you', 'tu' is 'thou'. Simple, isn't it? ;-)
And as for genders, at school we were taught that objects and animals are 'it', but in real life we've come to learn that they must be called 'she' in some special cases that we had to discover by ourselves... :-(
telkholy says
September 23, 2008
Where can i find the best site for learning my kid (8 years) the French language?
cocomoco says
October 20, 2008
Hola todos
Je m'appelle poossy.et vous, comment vous appelez vous?
manar100 says
October 21, 2008
je m'appell manar et vous comment vous appelez vous?
timlb says
November 29, 2008
Bonjour! I have a question: if you're meeting someone of the opposite sex for the first time, I'm assuming you would not kiss (unless the situation suggested it); would you shake hands, or just introduce yourself without touching in any way? Would two women or two men shake hands?
thanks
Tim
p.s. I found this educational and amusing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXIAHhbdeQw
spanishlearners says
December 2, 2008
Je m'appelle Hamad. Enchanté.
amaurylibeer says
December 2, 2008
Salut Tim,
You are right : although French people tend to kiss quite often when they know each other, they won't do it if they meet someone for the first time (I use someone here as men kiss as well when they see each other, not all of them, and depending on the region and how much they know each other), unless the situation suggests it as you wrote, like if you meet the new girlgriend of your brother for instance. But they would definitely shake hands, no matter if it is a man and a woman or two men or two women.
khalidkhoso says
January 17, 2009
Je'mappelle Khalid Je suis la Pakistan
amaurylibeer says
January 19, 2009
Salut Khalid et bienvenue à FrenchPod. Tu es pakistanais... tu viens de quelle ville au Pakistan?
viki111 says
February 28, 2009
bonjour, je m'appelle viki je suis la sri lankais
marion33 says
March 4, 2009
Bonjour Viki, tu es Sri Lankaise, c'est un beau pays!
marynavoa says
August 14, 2009
i can finish the newbie level within one day...since i don't have anything to do at home...
do you think it's advisable to finish this level in that short period of time as long as i understand it very well???
amaurylibeer says
August 16, 2009
Everyone has different abilities and is able to learn at a different pace. When you wrote 'I can finish the newbie level within one day...', did you mean all newbie lessons? If it's the case,it means that you're confortable enough with this basic level and you should listen to more advanced levels like elementary and intermediate.
Félicitations!
samiziko says
December 12, 2009
Enchante
Je m'apple Sami. Et toi ???
Je suis Égyptien.Et toi???
Merci