Download Vivre en France - French Accent Magazine

Nr 25 – June-July 2010
Vivre en France — How to Speak Like
a French Person, Not Like a Foreigner
The key phrases, verbs and words
At French Accent Magazine, we are a team of teachers working at Learn French at Home
and through our experience teaching adults most of whom have either moved to France
or else wish to do so, we regularly hear a number of common and very typical mistakes
or what you could also call an unusual turn of phrase that most often results from
translating directly and literally from English to French. These common errors are
what differentiate a French native speaker from a foreign French speaker.
Since summer is just around the corner, we have decided to give you a bit of light
French work with an easy list of “Say’s” and “Don’t say’s”. We have chosen the
expressions or words which make a difference to a native French person's ear!
1) Greetings
Comment vas-tu ? or Comment allez-vous ?... It’s probably the first question we ask our
students before starting a lesson. In English, the reply is “I’m well, I’m fine”, so it is natural
for an English speaker to wish to translate the reply as such into French. It doesn’t work if
you translate directly and use the verb “to be”! The French use aller to indicate how they are,
they feel…
Don’t say: Je suis bien when replying to Comment allez-vous ?
SAY: Je vais bien = I am fine.
2) When speaking about an obligation, or something that must be done
In English, “it’s necessary to…” is a common way to express obligation and the word
“necessary” in English is directly translated as nécessaire de, BUT we do not use it as such in
French! Every time a French person hears c’est nécessaire de…, they immediately know the
person is not a French native.
How do the French express “it’s necessary to…”, “we must…”? Well, use and abuse the verb
falloir. It communicates the fact that something needs to be done and this is why it can only
be conjugated with the subject pronoun il.
Don’t say: C’est nécessaire de…
SAY: Il faut…= It is necessary to...
Examples:
For things that need to be done:
Il faut appeler le plombier = We must call the plumber, it is necessary to call the plumber.
Il faut apprendre le français = We must learn French, it is necessary/needed to learn French.
For directions:
Pour venir chez moi, il faut aller au centre ville et il faut tourner à droite au grand rondpoint, etc… = To get to my place, you must go to the city center, then you have to turn right at
the round about, etc.
If you start to listen carefully to a French person speaking, you will be surprised to find out
how often they use il faut! Go ahead and use it!
Important note: the negative form of il faut : if you hear il ne faut pas…, then it becomes a
prohibition!
Example:
Il ne faut pas être en retard au travail = One must not be late for work (it’s a prohibition).
3) Timetables, making appointments
Again, because of direct translations, the wrong prepositions are used when referring to days
of the week:
Don’t say: sur lundi, dans le matin...
SAY: le lundi, le matin = on Mondays, in the morning...
Example: Je suis libre le lundi = I’m free on Mondays.
Note that putting the definite article in front of a day of the week usually expresses something
that happens in general every Monday or Saturday.
Example:
Je travaille lundi = I work this coming Monday.
Je travaille le lundi = I work on Mondays (every Monday).
Don’t say: Je vous parle à vendredi
SAY: A vendredi ! = I’ll speak to you/see you on Friday!
Note: In French, we don’t say that “I’ll speak, write, see you on …”, we just add the
preposition à in front of the day of the week and this automatically indicates that you will
either see, write or speak with that person on that day – it’s already planned!
In the following case, the choice of verb and word is not appropriate:
Don’t say: Je voudrais faire un appointement.
SAY: Je voudrais prendre (un) rendez-vous = I would like to make an appointment.
Note that “rendez-vous” in French is not a romantic appointment; it is an appointment for
business or at a service place such as a hairdresser, doctor’s office, lawyer’s office, etc…
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4) Ordering, drinking, eating
When ordering in a restaurant or telling someone what you’ve had for lunch, in French we use
the verb prendre and not “have” like in English:
Don’t say: J’ai un café
SAY: Je prends un café = I’m having coffee (I'll have a coffee).
5) Shopping for food
This is a tricky one because it doesn’t at all translate directly from English:
Don’t say: J’achète la nourriture.
SAY: Je fais les courses = I buy food (I am shopping for food).
6) To cook
There is an actual verb cuisiner and you should use it. La cuisine also means “cooking”
and “kitchen”. We rarely ever use la nourriture in this context which means food; we use it
mainly to talk about food in general to say how expensive it is or to ask if there are any food
stores… but otherwise, you should be using the word la cuisine or the verb cuisiner.
Don’t say: Je fais la nourriture .
SAY: Je cuisine/Je fais la cuisine = I’m cooking.
Don’t say: La nourriture dans le restaurant est bonne.
SAY: La cuisine du restaurant est bonne = The food in the restaurant is good.
7) The weather
The favourite subject when making small talk and for an ice breaker: talking about the
weather! For typical phrases such as “it’s a nice day”, “it’s hot today”, “it’s cold today”, “it’s
a bad day”, we don’t use the verb “to be” like in English but the verb faire – a very popular
verb indeed…
Don’t Say: Il est beau aujourd’hui.
Say: Il fait beau aujourd’
hui = It’s nice today.
8) Watching a programme on TV, listening to the radio
Again, because of direct translation of prepositions from English to French, it is easy to add
the wrong ones.
Don’t Say: J’ai regardé sur la télé or J'ai écouté sur la radio.
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SAY: J’ai regardé cela à la télé ; J’ai écouté une belle chanson à la radio = I watched that on
TV; I heard a beautiful song on the radio.
9) Bank accounts and money
A similar situation exists in choosing the correct preposition for talking about bank accounts.
In English, one says that he/she has a certain amount of money “in” an account. In French,
the preposition to use is sur.
Don't Say: J'ai dix mille euros dans mon compte en banque.
SAY: J'ai dix mille euros sur mon compte en banque = I have ten thousand euros in my bank
account.
And it should also be noted that “money” cannot be translated as monnaie as we frequently
hear. In French, “money” is argent, while monnaie means “small change”. And change
means “currency exchange”; faire du change = to do currency exchange.
Don’t say: C’est beaucoup de monnaie. Je n’ai plus de monnaie !
SAY: C’est beaucoup d’argent. Je n’ai plus d’argent ! = It’s a lot of money. I don’t have any
more money!
10) Visiting a friend
In French, the verb visiter is used mostly for tourism or discovering a new city and not for
visiting a person. When we want to say that we’ve visited someone, a friend, a family
member, we need to add another verb in front of visite: rendre = rendre visite à ...
Don’t say: Je visite ma mère.
SAY: Je rends visite à ma mère = I’m visiting my mother.
If you’re visiting a professional service like a doctor or a lawyer, then it would be more
appropriate to use aller voir = to go see or aller chez = to go to…
Don’t Say: Je vais visiter le docteur.
SAY: Je vais voir/ je vais chez le docteur = I’m going to see the doctor.
11) Flying
When speaking about flying , we rarely ever use the verb voler which litteraly means “to fly”
(and also “to steal”). In French we use voler mostly when speaking about birds or when
someone stole something. As for flying in an airplane, we add prendre in front of the noun
vol = prendre un vol.
Don’t say: je vole à New York.
SAY: Je prends un vol pour New York = I’m flying to New York.
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12) It’s OK/It’s alright…!
D’accord is used when you agree or accept an invitation/a suggestion/a task which needs to
be done.
Example: Tu veux sortir avec moi ? = Do you want to go out with me ?
Oui d’accord ! Je veux bien! = Yes OK ! I would like that!
But to say that it’s alright, that it’s OK/permitted to do something, we use the verb aller:
Don’t say: C’est d’accord de m’appeler.
SAY: Ça va de m’appeler = It’s alright to call me.
13) Having a good time/bad time
Again, another situation where the verb “to have” is not the appropriate verb in French to ask
someone if they had a good time… We would need to use the verb passer or the verb
s’amuser.
Don’t Say: As-tu du bon temps ?
SAY: Passes-tu du bon temps ? Est-ce que tu t’amuses bien ? = Are you having a good time?
Are you having fun?
14) Excited about doing something or seeing someone
The word excité in French is a bit risky as it can be interpreted as sexually excited, so to avoid
any potential misunderstanding, it is best to use the verb se réjouir !
Don’t say: Je suis excitée de te voir !
SAY: Je me réjouis de te voir ! = I look forward to seeing you!
Céline Anthonioz
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Scénario : The Right Expression
A French guy is talking to his American friend about his visit to France and he helps
him by correcting his common mistakes when he speaks French.
Alain: Hi Andy, How are you today?
Alain : Salut Andy, comment vas-tu
aujourd’hui ?
Andy : Je suis bien, merci, et toi ?
Alain : Il faut dire : “Je vais bien”, c’est
mieux !
Andy : Ah oui, c’est vrai !
Alain : Tu es à Paris en ce moment, n’est-ce
pas ? Quel temps fait-il là-bas ?
Andy : Il est très beau aujourd’hui et il fait
du soleil.
Alain : Ah, on dit: “Il fait très beau et il y a
du soleil”.
Andy : Je me trompe toujours, c’est
nécessaire pour moi de pratiquer mon
français plus !
Alain : Oui, comme ça tu pourras dire
correctement : “Il faut que je pratique mon
français plus souvent”.
Andy : Oui, tu as raison.
Alain : Alors, qu’est ce que tu vas faire cette
semaine ?
Andy : J’ai écouté sur la radio qu’il y avait
une exposition de Magritte au Grand Palais
et…
Alain : Attends, on dit : “J’ai entendu à la
radio…”
Andy : Ah, c’est vrai et j’aimerais aller voir
cette exposition sur lundi dans le matin.
Alain : Tu veux dire “lundi matin” ?
Andy : Ah oui, lundi matin.
Alain : Et autrement, tu as bien mangé
depuis que tu es en France ?
Andy : Ah oui, surtout hier je suis allé
manger à la maison d’une amie qui fait la
bonne nourriture.
Alain : Ah bien, mais on dit : “je suis allé
chez une amie qui cuisine bien”.
Andy: I have well, thanks, and you?
Alain: You should say, “I am fine”, that's
better.
Andy: Oh yes, that's true!
Alain: You're in Paris right now, aren't you?
What's the weather like there?
Andy: It's very pretty today and it's making
sunshine.
Alain: Ah, we say: “It's very nice and the sun
is shining”.
Andy: I always make mistakes. I am obliged
for me to practise my French more.
Alain: Yes, in that way you can say
correctly, “I have to practise my French
more.”
Andy: Yes, you're right.
Alain: So, what are you going to do this
week?
Andy: I listened in the radio that there was a
Magritte exhibit at the Grand Palais and...
Alain: Wait, one says “I heard on the
radio…”
Andy: Ah, that's true, and I would like to go
see that exhibit in Monday in the morning.
Alain: You mean “Monday morning”?
Andy: Oh yes, Monday morning.
Alain: And otherwise, have you been eating
well since you've been in France?
Andy: Oh yes, especially yesterday I went to
eat at the home of a friend who makes good
food.
Alain: Ah okay, but one says “I went to a
friend who is a good cook (who cooks
well)”.
Andy: Oh dear, I don't speak very well!
Alain: Oh yes you do, Andy. You get along
very well. And what did you eat?
Andy: There was a dish with chicken and
one with salmon and I did the salmon with a
lemon sauce.
Andy : Oh la la, je ne parle pas bien !
Alain : Mais si Andy, tu te débrouilles bien.
Et qu’est- ce que tu as mangé ?
Andy : Il y avait un plat avec du poulet et un
avec le saumon et j’ai eu le saumon avec une
sauce au citron.
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Alain : Miam, miam ! Tu as “pris le
saumon”, bonne idée ! Et à part ça, quels
sont tes projets pour les prochains jours ?
Andy : Je vais aller visiter mon oncle qui
habite à Lyon.
Alain : Ah, tu vas lui “rendre visite” ?
Alain: Yum, yum. You “had the salmon”, a
good idea! And other than that, what are
your plans for the coming days
Andy: I'm going to go visit my uncle who
lives in Lyon.
Alain: Ah, you're going to go “pay him a
visit”?
Andy: Yes, I think we are going to spend a
good time.
Alain: Yes, I hope that “you will have a good
time”!
Andy: At any rate, I'm very sexed-up about
seeing him!
Alain: It's better to say, I'm looking forward
to seeing him.
Andy: I have to leave because I'm flying this
evening.
Alain: Ah, you're “taking a flight” this
evening. Well, have a good trip!
Andy: Thanks, Alain! See you soon.
Andy : Oui, je pense que l’on va avoir du
bon temps.
Alain : Oui, j’espère que “vous allez passer
du bon temps !”
Andy : En tous cas je suis très excité de le
revoir !
Alain : C’est mieux de dire “je me réjouis de
le revoir”.
Andy : Je dois partir maintenant car je vole
ce soir.
Alain : Ah, tu “prends un vol” ce soir. Alors
bon voyage !
Andy : Merci Alain ! A bientôt.
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