Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Don't want to go to this diner party: French song captures the whole feel of it

Le Dîner de Bénabar

Qui n'a pas traîné les pieds ( dragged one's feet) pour aller chez les amis de son partenaire/époux etc.
La chanson de Bénabar résume avec humour toutes les fausses excuses présentées au partenaire pour esquiver cette obligation sociale.
 Pour écouter la chanson, allez sur You Tube Bénabar Le Dîner
A un moment, Benabar parle d'un chef d'oeuvre du 7ème art, pour bien  en prendre la mesure, je vous conseille de le visionner sur You Tube Le Gendarme de St Tropez et ....


Les paroles de la chanson
FRANCAIS                                                               ANGLAIS


Je veux pas y aller à ce dîner
J'ai pas le moral, je suis fatigué
Ils nous en voudront pas, allez on n'y va pas
En plus faut que je fasse un régime
Ma chemise me boudine
J'ai l'air d'une chipolata
Je peux pas sortir comme ça
Ça n'a rien à voir, je les aime bien tes amis
Mais je veux pas les voir parce que j’ai pas envie
(refrain)
On s'en fout, on y va pas
On a qu'à se cacher sous les draps
On commandera des pizzas, toi, la télé et moi

On appelle, on s'excuse
On improvise, on trouve quelque chose
On a qu'à dire à tes amis
Qu'on les aime pas et puis tant pis
Je suis pas d'humeur, tout me déprime
Et il se trouve que par hasard
Y a un super bon film
A la télé ce soir
Un chef-d'oeuvre du septième art
Que je voudrais revoir
Un drame très engagé
Sur la police de Saint-Tropez
C'est une satire sociale
Dont le personnage central
Est joué par de Funès
En plus y a des extraterrestres
(refrain)
On s'en fout, on y va pas
On a qu'à se cacher sous les draps
On commandera des pizzas, toi, la télé et moi

J'ai des frissons, je me sens faible
Je crois que je suis souffrant
Ce serait pas raisonnable
De sortir maintenant
Je préfère pas prendre de risque
C'est peut-être contagieux
il vaut mieux que je reste
Ca m'ennuie mais c'est mieux
Tu me traites d'égoïste
Comment oses-tu dire ça ?
Moi qui suis malheureux et triste
Et j'ai même pas de home cinéma
(refrain)
On s'en fout, on y va pas
On a qu'à se cacher sous les draps
On commandera des pizzas, toi, la télé et moi
I don't want to go to that dinner
I'm not in the mood, I'm tired
They won't mind, come on let's not go
Anyway I need to go on a diet,
My shirt's too tight
I look like a saussage
I can't go out like that
That's nothing to do with it, I really like your friends
But I don't want to see them because I don't feel like it
Who cares, we're not going
We've just got to hide  under the sheets
We'll order some pizzas, you, the telly and me

We'll ring them, apologize,
We'll improvise, we'll think of something
Why  not tell your friends
That we don't like them and that's too bad
I'm not in the mood, everthing's getting me down and it so happens that
There's a fantastic film
On the TV this evening
A cinematic masterpiece
Which I'd like to see again,
A highly political drama
About the Saint-Tropez police
It's a social satire
Whose central character
Is played by Funes
And what's more there's aliens

Who cares, we're not going
We've just got to hide  under the sheets
We'll order some pizzas, you, the telly and me

I've got the shivers and I feel weak,
I think I'm unwell
It wouldn't be sensible
To go out now
I'd prefer not to take any risks,
It could be contagious
It's better if I stay,
I don't like it but it's for the best
You're calling me selfish,
How dare you say that?
Me who's unhappy and miserable
And I haven't even got 'home-cinema'



Who cares, we're not going
We've just got to hide  under the sheets
We'll order some pizzas, you, the telly and me

Sunday, 5 February 2012

French spelling, grammar, verbs, tenses...

Photo Mario Grella

 I've just come accross a very useful blog about French spelling, grammar, verbs and tenses.
Let me know what you think.

Ressource for French Pronunciation

Photo Mario Grella


The sound system of French can puzzle many French language learners.
I touched the subject of the Dangerouse Liaisons in a previous post.
The University of Hong-Kong has produced a few very helfpful tutorials.
Let me know what you think.


The objective of this series of ten lessons is to provide a concise introduction to the sound system of French and the main features that characterize its pronunciation. Beginners in French will find these lessons particularly helpful, as they will be led through a number of problem areas that usually cause learners the greatest difficulties. We hope that learners at a more advanced stage will also be able to benefit from these tutorials.

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

Charentes-Poitou, Tradition du goût


I've just pinched this from the Facebook Wall.of a friend.According to this article, Lonely Planet is rating Poitou-Charentes very high! I knew it.
Tradition du goût, pour ceux qui se rappellent du slogan!
www.charentelibre.fr
C’est la grande surprise du palmarès 2012 des régions du monde à découvrir absolument rendu public ce week-end par le Lonely Planet: le leader mondial des éditeurs de guides de voyage place le Poitou Charentes en dixième position. Juste derrière Bornéo (9é) et dans le même classement que la Côte Gal...
 
Et pour le côté musical
www.ina.fr
Beurre des Charentes Poitou : tradition du goût verion 1 - Archives vidéos Alimentation & boisson : Ina.fr -
 
 

Monday, 10 October 2011

Theatre with a French twist

Le Cercle Dramatique Français aura le plaisir de vous présenter

« Les caprices de Marianne »
d'Alfred de Musset

Mercredi 16, jeudi 17 et vendredi 18 à 19h30
Samedi 19 à 14h30 et 19h30


au Steiner Theatre
35 Park Road
London - NW1 6XT
Métro : Baker Street
La Pièce

Mariée à Claudio, juge borné et prétentieux, Marianne va peu à peu se découvrir plus libre qu'elle ne l'avait jamais été auprès de son mari. C'est pourtant contre un bras de fer que notre héroïne devra se battre afin d'espérer trouver un écho à ses désirs naissants.

La confusion des sentiments est parfois à l'origine de petits et grands désastres. Musset nous entraîne dans une course effrénée où tous les coups sont permis.
Prix des places : £12 / £10 (tarif réduit pour les étudiants et les groupes de 10 et plus)

Réservations

• Par téléphone au 07535 682 345, ou à
Librairie La Page, sur place (7 Harrington Road, SW7 3ES, Métro : South Kensington).

Le Cercle Dramatique Français de Londres is an amateur dramatics company founded in 1929 under the initiative of native French teachers in London. Today, it is a not-for-profit association which aim is to promote French culture and literature in Great Britain by performing French plays taken from the French-speaking classical and modern repertoires.


Sunday, 4 September 2011

What my students have been up to in France...

I've asked my students, if they were going to France for their holiday to send an entry to publish in this blog: very kindly, Pam W. sent me this after her trip to Paris.


Not sure if this should be in English or French  - well La réponse est déjà dans la question Pam…

We had decided to visit Musée D'Orsay in the morning and so set off on the Métro for Assemblée Nationale station. As we walked along we noticed that the road had metal barricades along the edges and at that point I remembered it was Quatorze Juillet. I spoke to a Gendarme and asked what was happening, having said that I knew what date it was. He explained that was a parade, which started at Champs Elysées and would cross the Pont de la Concorde. We decided to wait and watch the parade and could hear the band playing on the other side of the bridge. We waited - and waited - until suddenly there were planes flying in formation overhead which then left vapour trails in red white and blue. It took me so long to switch my camera on that I missed the photo of the planes and just got the trails.

I got a bit worried then that if we waited any longer we would not have long enough in the Musée and also that it would be crowded so we continued on and spent the rest of the morning there. It was wonderful and my friend had not been there before. There was one picture I wanted to see again as my daughter had been fascinated by it on our visit there two years ago. I was able to describe the picture to the lady on the information desk and she knew exactly which one I was describing. Unfortunately there was not a poster or card of it, but I was pleased I was able to ask and she congratulated me on my French ( thank you Corinne ).

We then went to have lunch at a small Gallery which had been recommended by one of my students who is French. We had a lovely lunch - photo provided - and promised to go back next time and look at everything in the gallery.

Of course the problem with Paris on Quatorze Juillet is that all the shops are shut, so no shopping. We had a walk up the Champs Elysee ( past the statue of Winston Churchill) and then it was time to come home.

The train in front of us on our homeward journey got stuck in the tunnel so we were delayed coming home, which meant we got a free one-way ticket for the next time, so am already planning my next trip!

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

French pronunciation: Les liaisons dangereuses

Photo Krikri Memory

One of the most common complaints from the people learning French is that it all sounds "onh onh onh onh" like my students like to say. 

Pourquoi????
Because unlike the British, French speakers don't clip their words. They tend to flow, there is always a sound going out. 

Comment????
How do we do it??? We do the liaisons, or we link words together...
 
Les liaisons dangereuses
To make a ‘liaison’, you need :
·       The next word to start with a vowel or h(some h)
·       The preceeding word to end with a  consonant
DON’T sound the end consonant. Drag it to the next word. DO NOT RUSH

Je suis zitalien
Elle est  titalienne
Il est tanglais
Il est trop panglais
Il est très zanglais

So “zanglais”, “tanglais”, “panglais”, are the same word! The trick is to make all the liaisons when speaking ( there are 2 kinds, compulsory & optional) so that when hearing one, you can decrypt/decipher it.
To hear and practise go to  Marc Oddou's website on the liaison section. 
(very good website full of interactive exercices) 

Exercice de mise en pratique des liaisons
 
 Vocabulaire
Nationalités
américain
Américaine
chinois
Chinoise
Japonais
Japonaise
allemand
Allemande   Elle est_tall’mande
hollandais
hollandaise
espagnol
Espagnole
belge
Belge
autrichien
autrichienne
italien
italienne
gallois
Galloise (Welsh)
écossais
écossaise
irlandais
irlandaise
icelandais
icelandaise
russe
russe
indien
indienne
français
française
Sud-africain
Sud-africaine

Répondez en faisant les liaisons.
Ex :Jacques Chirac ?
R : il est français.
Ex :Sophia Loren ?
Elle est _titalienne

Madonna ?
-
Mao Tse Toung?
-
Angela Merkel (German chancellor)
-
Swartschenagger?
-
Jean-Claude Van Damme ?
-
Silvio Berlusconi ?
-
Pedro Almodovar ?
-
Van Gogh?
-
Michel-Ange ?
-
Goya ?
-
Thierry Henry ?
-
Mannet ?
-
Brunnel ?
-
Tom Jones?
-
Billie Connolly?
-
Bjork?
-