FREN 100 AMU Week 6 lesson French I American Military University

FREN 100 AMU Week 6 French I American Military University assistance is available on Domyclass

Week 6 Overview

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    We have a full but exciting week this week as we finish Unit Three of Rosetta Stone and learn how to use structures, vocabulary and sound for Speaking Languages, Numbers 21-69, Teaching and Studying Languages, Oral Expression 2, Waking Up and Washing Up, Why and Because, Grooming Habits, Routines, and Music
  Students will be able to:
  • Use French structures, sounds, and vocabulary for Speaking Languages, Numbers 21-69, Teaching and Studying Languages 
  • Use French structures, sounds, and vocabulary for Waking Up and Washing Up, Why and Because, Grooming Habits, Routines, and Music
    
    In this lesson, we will discuss:
  • Speaking Languages, Numbers 21-69, Teaching and Studying Languages, Oral Expression 2, Waking Up and Washing Up, Why and Because, Grooming Habits, Routines, and Music.
     
  • Speaking Languages
  • Routines
  • Music
  • Comedy
    The following activities and assessments need to be completed this week:
  • Week 6 Lesson
  • Readings and Resources
  • Rosetta Stone, Unit 3, Lessons 3 and 4
  • Week Forums 6
  • Skill-builder 6  

Introduction

Topics to be covered in this lesson include:

• Learning languages
• Daily habits and routines
• Because and why
• Discussing music in French
• Numbers from 31 to 69

As you begin your journey in speaking new languages, one thing that you will find yourself inevitably discussing, often, as a part of your immediate experience is, you guessed it, speaking languages. Another good skill to learn very early on is to talk about what you do every single day. You are likely to use those sorts of words and structures frequently.

In this lesson, you will learn how to talk about your use of language and your daily activities, from what you study to what you do each day with your family, your friends, and your classmates or co-workers.

Languages

As you go about your day, you may need to talk about the languages you speak. If you’re visiting France, you’re likely to be asked about your ability to speak French, but you will also discuss your language abilities in other scenarios. For instance, if you attend a meeting of international residents in your town or city, you may be asked about the languages you speak.

One common question you are likely to ask, or to be asked is:

Parlez-vous français? or “Do you speak French?”

Of course, you are going to answer confidently, after completing these lessons and your work with Rosetta Stone:

Oui, je parle français. Yes, I speak French.

Or perhaps you will answer even more confidently, with:

Oui, je parle bien français. Yes, I speak French well.

If you are less confident in your abilities to speak French, you might say:

Je ne parle pas bien français. I don’t speak French well.

Je parle mal français. I speak French badly.

Keep in mind that if you are the one asking questions, and you’re speaking to a French speaker, you may also want to ask if they speak English. To do that, you will say “Parlez-vous anglais?” The answers may be the same as the ones above, depending upon how well the individual speaks English. They might also say “je ne parle pas anglais.”

You may have heard that people are likely to appreciate an effort with their language, even if you do not speak it particularly well. This is true; the gesture and attempt are considered thoughtful and respectful. Do not be surprised if French people respond to you in English; they may speak English to you to be polite, or may want the opportunity to practice their English. You can politely request to speak French, rather than English, if you would like to practice.

If you tell them you would like to practice your French, they are likely to respond well. By and large, the French love their language, and enjoy sharing it with people who work hard to learn it. To ask someone to speak French, rather than English, say S’il vous plaît, je voudrais pratiquer mon français. This means, please, I would like to practice my French. To avoid any question of politeness, use a soft tone when making this, or any other, requests. You can also compliment their English by saying, Vous parlez bien anglais! (You speak English well).  If appropriate, you may also say, Mais uau, combien de langues parlez-vous? This means, But wow, how many languages do you speak?

Keep in mind that many Europeans have been studying English, and the languages of surrounding countries for much of their lives. For most Americans, language study is more challenging because it does not begin before the teen years, rather than during the younger years when it is easier to learn a second (or third, or fourth) language. To talk about your studies of French, you might say:

• J’étudie le français depuis un mois. I have been studying French for one month.
• Je suis étudiant. I am a student.
• J’adore les langues. I love languages.

Again, notice that there is no article “un” in the French version, but there is an “a” in the English sentence.

If you are working as an English teacher in the country where you find yourself, you could always offer,

• J’enseigne l’anglais à l’école. I teach English at a school for children.
• Je suis professeur. I am a teacher.
• Je ne sais pas écrire le français mais je le lis bien. I don’t know how to write French, but I read it well.

If you overhear some of your classmates speaking in another language, you might ask them,

• Vous parlez en chinois? Are you speaking in Chinese.
• Non, je ne parle pas en chinois. I am not speaking in Chinese.
• Je parle japonais. I am speaking Japanese.

Notice a grammatical oddity in French; that one can speak in a language or simply speak the language. This is true in English too, and often implies or refers to a specific instance or time in which the language was being spoken.

Conversations about languages may include discussions of your studies, or why you are studying French; this can be a bit trickier, given the formality of French conversation. That said, if you have identified yourself as a student of French, this is not considered impolite.

Pourquoi étudiez-vous le français? Why are you studying French ?

This provides you with the chance to respond and talk about why you like to study French, or what interested you about studying French. Keep in mind that the French like their language and their country; these answers are likely to be quite flattering for them!

J’étudie le français parce que cela me plaît beaucoup. I study French because it pleases me a lot to do so.

It is awkward to repeat words in a sentence; you do not want to, for instance, say j’étudie le français parce que j’aime le français.

You can also give a number of other answers, explaining why you were interested in learning French and studying the culture of France. Options include:

• J’adore la France. I love France.
• J’aime la langue française. I love the French language.
• La culture française me plaît beaucoup. French culture pleases me very much.
• Je voudrais vivre en France. I would like to live in France.
• La France est un beau pays. France is a beautiful country.

You could answer with any one of these responses, or even with more than one. If you would like to continue your conversation, some of these make good conversational openers. For instance, you could ask questions about their favorite parts of France, or the best places to visit in France.

Les Habitudes ou les Routines Quotidiennes or Habits and Daily Routines

While you might spend some time in your life travelling or engaging in other fun and exciting activities, most days are pretty boring. Think about the different things you do every day, whether you’re travelling, attending classes, going to work, or even just staying home. These are les habitudes and les routines quotidiennes. Every day, you get up in the morning, you wash and groom to get ready for the day, you eat meals, and go to bed. These are the basic activities that shape daily life, regardless of nearly anything else; this is what you’ve done since you were old enough to do it independently.

While you might not use many of these phrases or sentences in small talk, you likely will use them when talking with family and friends, or if you’re traveling and staying with a French host family.

Did you notice that se réveilleris a reflexive verb, likes’appeler?Many of the verbs you will use while discussing your daily routines and activities are reflexive.

Once you have discussed staying in bed and waking up, you may want to talk about what you do first thing in the morning.

Preparing for the Day

Laver is the word for to wash. Notice that the translation does not correspond to a word for word translation in English and French. The idiomatic form changes. You do not say, Je lave mon visage. Literally, in French, you are saying, “I wash myself, the face.” This can sound strange to an English speaker, but it is grammatically correct in French. When you become used to using these reflexive verbs, it will start to sound “right” to you. Be certain, when memorizing new verbs, to learn which ones are reflexive from the start.

After you shower, you will need to dry off; there are different ways to express that, should you need to in conversation. You can dry yourself off or you can be dry; you will see the differences in the structure of these two statements. Se sécheris the verb meaning to dry.

Other Tasks

Here are some other ordinary and routine tasks.

• Il se brosse les dents avec unebrosse à dents et du dentifrice can mean “he brushes his teeth with a toothbrush and some toothpaste” or “he is brushing his teeth with a toothbrush and some toothpaste.”

Notice that the present simple in French corresponds to both present continuous and present simple in English: brushes and is brushing. Se brosser is the verb meaning to brush.

You can go on to discuss styling your hair, putting on makeup, and drinking your morning coffee. Se maquilleris to put on makeup. S’habiller is to get dressed. The word déjeunermeans to eat breakfast, whileprendreis a verb meaning to take.

Outside the House

After you get ready in the morning, you are likely to leave your house, hotel, or lodgings, and may want to talk about what you do during the day.

At the end of the work or school day, you may want to talk about your other activities. These may include coming home, completing school work, or leisure time activities.

These sentences give you an idea of how you might describe a weekday. Remember, the French value a good work-life balance. They enjoy their weekends! What do you like to do on the weekends?