Words and Phrases Frequently Misused

Raconter vs Rencontrer

• Raconter – to tell
  • Il raconte une histoire. | He’s telling a story.
• Rencontrer – to meet, to run into
  • J’ai rencontré Erik. | I met Erik.

Entendre vs Écouter

• Entendre – to hear
  • J’entends un bruit. | I hear a noise.
• Écouter – to listen to
  • J’écoute de la musique. | I listen to music.

Travailler vs Voyager

• Travailler – to work
  • Elle travaille beaucoup. | She’s working a lot.
• Voyager – to travel
  • Il adore voyager. | He loves to travel.

Être tard vs Être en retard

• Il est tard. | It’s late.
• Il est en retard. | He’s late.

Voir vs Regarder

• Voir – to see
  • Je ne vois rien. | I don’t see anything.
• Regarder – to watch, to look at
  • Je regarde un film. | I’m watching a movie.

Rester vs Se reposer

• Rester – to stay, to remain
  • Ils restent 10 jours à Paris. | They stay 10 days in Paris.
• Se reposer – to rest
  • Il se repose dans son hamac. | He’s resting in his hammock.

Une librairie vs Une bibliothèque

• Une librairie – a bookstore
  • J’achète un livre à la librairie. | I buy a book at the bookstore.
• Une bibliothèque – a library
  • J’emprunte un livre à la bibliothèque. | I borrow a book from the library.

Attendre vs Assister à

• Attendre – to wait (for), to expect
  • Nous attendons le bus. | We are waiting for the bus.
• Assister à – to attend, to be present at
  • Il assiste à une réunion. | He attends a meeting.

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I apologize for missing last week. I miscounted how many posts I had scheduled for July. Anyhow, I hope you all have a good week. 🙂

Merci à vous,

Courtney

Personal Tastes – Indifference

To express likes, dislikes, and preferences, French has a range of verbs and adverbial phrases. In most cases, adverbs can be added which express a more precise shade of feeling. Note that structures on the lines of “to like/dislike/prefer someone to do something” require the use of the subjunctive. This is part 4 of 4.

It is important to distinguish between polite expressions suggesting you are equally happy to do any of the things under discussion and statements of a total lack of interest.

Polite expressions include:

• C’est comme vous voulez. Ça m’est complètement égal.
  • It’s up to you. I don’t mind at all.
• Je n’ai aucune préférence. (More formal)
  • I have no particular preference.
• Oui, n’importe lequel.
  • Yes, I don’t mind either/whichever.

To express a lack of interest:

• Ça ne me dit rien. (Colloquial)
  • It doesn’t appeal to me.
• Bof ! (Colloquial – followed with a shoulder shrug)
  • I couldn’t care less.

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I hope you’re all doing well!

A la prochaine,

Courtney

Personal Tastes – Preferences

To express likes, dislikes, and preferences, French has a range of verbs and adverbial phrases. In most cases, adverbs can be added which express a more precise shade of feeling. Note that structures on the lines of “to like/dislike/prefer someone to do something” require the use of the subjunctive. This is part 3 of 4.

As well as the verb préférer, French commonly uses the expressions aimer mieux (personal preference) and valoir mieux (general suitability/preferability).

• Tu préfères y aller tout de suite ou plus tard ?
  • Would you prefer to go there right now or later?
• Ils préfèrent qu‘on ne fasse pas de bruit après dix heures.
  • They prefer us to not make any noise after ten o’clock.
• Ils aiment mieux réserver à l’avance.
  • They prefer to make an advance booking.
• J’aime mieux que vous me parliez directement.
  • I’d prefer you to speak to me personally.
• Il vaut mieux lui téléphoner.
  • It’s better/preferable to call him/her.
• Il vaudrait mieux que vous reveniez demain.
  • It would be better if you cam back/could come back tomorrow.

Preferences can also be expressed by the following verbs or adverbs:

• Le Conseil Municipal a privilégié les transports collectifs. (Formal)
  • The city council has given priority to public transport.
• Je penche pour une solution plus simple.
  • I tend to favour a simpler solution.
• Elle travaille le soir de préférence.
  • She prefers to work in the evening.
• Je prendrais plutôt celui-là.
  • I’d rather take that one.
• Ils aiment autant l’un que l’autre.
  • They like both equally.

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I hope everyone is doing well. Have a good week. 🙂

Merci à vous,

Courtney

Personal Tastes – Dislikes

To express likes, dislikes, and preferences, French has a range of verbs and adverbial phrases. In most cases, adverbs can be added which express a more precise shade of feeling. Note that structures on the lines of “to like/dislike/prefer someone to do something” require the use of the subjunctive. This is part 2 of 4.

As well as the idioms that I will go over, the phrases used to express likes can be used in the negative to express dislikes. As indicated, expressions of dislike range from the formal to the markedly colloquial.

To express strong dislike, use détester, not haïr. The latter is almost totally confined to literary style.

• Il déteste les réunions que durent trop longtemps.
  • He hates meetings which last too long.
• Elle déteste qu‘on la fasse attendre.
  • She hates to be kept waiting.
• Le ton de cette lettre me déplaît. (Formal)
  • I do not like the tone of this letter.
• Il m’est pénible de vous faire cette réflexion. (Formal)
  • I do not like having to make this criticism of you.
• Nous avons trouvé cette brochure affreuse.
  • We thought this brochure was terrible.
• Il a pris ses nouveaux collègues en grippe. (Colloquial)
  • She’s taken a dislike to her new colleagues.
• J’ai horreur des grands immeubles. (Colloquial)
  • I can’t stand tall apartment buildings.
• Je supporte très mal les longs voyages en car.
  • I’m no good at long car rides.
• L’idée ne m’emballe pas. (Colloquial)
  • I’m not crazy about this idea.
• C’est pas terrible. (Colloquial)
  • It’s not much good.
• Franchement, ça ne me dit rien. (Colloquial)
  • To be honest, it’s not my scene.

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I hope you all are doing well. 🙂

A bientôt,

Courtney

Personal Tastes – Likes

To express likes, dislikes, and preferences, French has a range of verbs and adverbial phrases. In most cases, adverbs can be added which express a more precise shade of feeling. Note that structures on the lines of “to like/dislike/prefer someone to do something” require the use of the subjunctive. This is part 1 of 4.

Likes

French has two main ways of expressing “I like something” : the verbs aimer (usage identical to “like” in English) and plaire (used in the third person : quelque chose me plaît – literally “something pleases me”):

• J’aime la musique classique.
• La musique classique me plaît.
  • I like classical music.
• J’aime les grands magasins de Bordeaux.
• Les grands magasin de Bordeaux me plaisent.
  • I like the department stores in Bordeaux.

For the construction of “I like” + verb, only aimer is commonly used:

• Vous aimez aller au théâtre ?
  • Do you like going to the theatre?
• Ils aiment que nous passions les voir le dimanche.
  • They like us to drop in on them on Sundays.

The conditional of aimer is used for polite requests or suggestions:

• Nous aimerions acheter des œufs de ferme.
  • We’d like to buy some free-range eggs.
• Vous aimeriez reprendre la discussion demain ?
  • Would you like to resume talks tomorrow?

To qualify the extent to which one likes something, the following adverbs can be used:

J’aime	beaucoup cet artiste.	I like this artist	a lot.
	énormément		tremendously
	surtout		particularly
	pas mal (colloquial)	I quite like this artist.

Other verbs/verbal phrases to express likes include:

• Ils adorent la planche à voile.
  • They love windsurfing.
• Ils raffolent du nouvel album. (Colloquial)
  • They’re crazy over the new album.
• Ce qu’ils aiment le mieux, c’est de rester à l’hôtel.
  • What they most like is to stay at the hotel.
• Ma fille a un faible pour ce chanteur. (Colloquial)
  • My daughter is obsessed with this singer.
• La poterie artisanale fait toujours plaisir aux tourists.
  • Handmade pottery is always popular with tourists.
• Vous avez envie de manger au restaurant ?
  • Do you feel like eating out?
• Ça te dit de passer le week-end chez nous ? (Colloquial)
  • Would you like to come over for the weekend?

It is difficult to give a single translation of the English verb “to enjoy”. Here are some examples in French:

• Le concert vous a plu ?
  • Did you enjoy the concert?
• Nous avons apprécié / admiré son interprétation du rôle.
  • We enjoyed his interpretation of the role.
• Cela / Ça m’a fait grand plaisir de faire votre connaissance.
  • I’ve very much enjoyed meeting you.
• J’ai été très heureux/euse d‘en parler avec vous.
  • I’ve enjoyed talking it over with you.
• Les enfants se sont bien amusés chez mes parents.
  • The children enjoyed themselves at my parents house.

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I hope everyone is doing well!

Merci à vous,

Courtney

Entendre vs. Écouter

Entendre vs. Écouter

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a versus post!

The verbs entendre and écouter are similar, but have very different meanings. The verb entendre means “to hear”, and écouter means “to listen to”.

Entendre

• De ma chambre, j’entendais le bruit de la cascade.
  • I could hear the waterfall from my bedroom.
• J’entends un bruit.
  • I hear a noise.
• Tu entends quelque chose ?
  • Do you hear something?
• Je n’ai pas entendu.
  • I didn’t hear.

BONUS: Entendre can also mean “to mean something”.

• Qu’est-ce que vous entendez par là ?
  • What do you mean by that?

Écouter

• Il est important d’écouter attentivement.
  • It is important to listen carefully.
• Je n’ai pas envie de vous écouter.
  • I don’t want to listen to what you say.
• J’écoute de la musique.
  • I listen to music.
• Il écoute toujours la radio le soir.
  • He always listens to the radio in the evenings.
• Écoute-moi !
  • Listen to me!

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Have a great week, everyone!

A bientôt !

Courtney

Reporting Observations 1/5

I will be going over ways to write reports on projects, research, business achievements, and so forth. This will be a five part post, so be sure to come back next week for the next part!

The register of language is also suitable for formal verbal reports, such as a report to a board meeting, or a lecture at a conference.

Key verbs and verbal phrases

• Nous avons remarqué / observé une baisse du chômage.
  • We have noticed / observed a drop in unemployment.
• Le président a fait remarquer que la situation ne pouvait pas durer.
  • The president pointed out that the situation could not continue.
• On a assisté à un ralentissement de la croissance économique.
  • We have witnessed a slowdown in economic growth.
• Plusieurs équipes ont constaté le même phénomène.
  • Several teams have noted the same phenomenon.
• Mon collège a déjà indiqué que nous souhaitons poursuivre ces recherches.
  • My colleague has already indicated / suggested that we hope to continue this research.
• On ne peut pas manquer de signaler l’importance de cette découverte.
  • The importance of this discovery deserves to be underlined.
• Le chercheur a déclaré que l’investigation ne pourrait nullement nuire aux plantes.
  • The researcher declared that the investigation could in no way be harmful to plants.
• Le chef de l’entreprise a précisé qu’il était prêt à adopter de nouvelles mesures.
  • The head of the firm made it clear / explained that he was ready to adopt new measures.
• Le docteur a fait état de cette évolution dans son dernier rapport.
  • The doctor recorded / noted this development in his last report.
• Le physicist à exposé sa thèse sur l’origine de cet effet.
  • The physicist explained his thesis on the cause of this effect.
• Mon livre cherche à expliquer pourquoi ce secteur de la population est défavorisé.
  • My book seeks to explain why this sector of the population is deprived.
• Il convient d’analyser tous les résultats.
  • We should analyze all the results.
• Nous voulons regarder à la loupe ce cas qui fait exception à la règle.
  • We want to examine in detail this case, which is an exception to the rule.
• Il serait difficile de résumer les acquis de cette année en deux mots.
  • It would be difficult to summarize what we have achieved this year in just a few words.
• Le secrétaire a voulu retracer l’histoire de l’association.
  • The secretary undertook to recount the history of the association.

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Have a great week, everyone! Come back next week for part 2!

Merci à vous !

Courtney

Conjugating « c’est »

The phrase « c’est » (“it is”) is common in both spoken and written French. Here are the various ways to conjugate this common phrase.

Imparfait – c’était | it was

• Quand je parlais français tous les jours, c’était plus facile pour moi.

Passé Composé – ça a été | it was

• Quand j’ai commencé ce travail, ça a été difficile pour moi de m’adapter.

Présent – c’est | it is

• C’est difficile de trouver du temps chaque jour pour étudier.

Futur – ça sera | it will be

• Ça sera plus facile pour moi de travailler mon français le mois prochain.

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Have a great week, everyone!

A la prochaine…

Courtney

Conjugating « il y a »

The phrase « il y a » (“there is”) is common in both spoken and written French. Here are the various ways to conjugate this phrase.

Imparfait – il y avait | there was

• Il y avait moins d’habitants sur terre quand j’étais petite.

Passé Composé – il y a eu | there have been

• En 2014, il y a eu 140 millions de naissances.

Présent – il y a | there is

• Il y a plus de 7 milliards d’habitants sur terre en 2019.

Futur – il y aura | there will be

• Il y aura 9 milliards d’habitants sur terre en 2050.

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Have a great week, everyone!

A bientôt !

Courtney

Questions in the Passé Composé

Questions in the passé composé are formed in the same way as questions in the present tense. They may be formed by merely changing the intonation.

• Tu as fait le ménage ? | Have you done the housework?
• Tu es allé au travail aujourd’hui ? | Did you go to work today?

They may also be formed by the use of est-ce que.

• Est-ce que vous avez fini le projet ? | Have you finished the project?
• Est-ce qu’ils sont déjà arrivés ? | Have they arrived already?

Inversion is possible in the passé composé just as it is in the present tense. Inversion is characteristic of formal written French.

• As-tu fait la vaisselle ? | Have you done the dishes?
• Sont-ils déjà rentrés ? | Have they gotten back yet?

Inversion with je in the forms ai-je and suis-je is also possible in literary written French and in formal spoken French.

• Ai-je compris vos mots ? | Did I understand what you said?
• Suis-je arrivé à temps ? | Have I arrived on time?

In negative questions in the passé composé using inversion, the ne and pas surround the inverted subject and verb.

• N’est-elle pas encore partie ? | Hasn’t she left yet?
• N’ont-ils pas compris ? | Didn’t they understand?

Remember that if the subject of the sentence is a noun, it cannot be placed after the verb in inversion. Instead, the corresponding pronoun is added and inverted with the verb.

• Le peuple n’a-t-il pas élu ce président ? | Didn’t the people elect this president?
• Les exportations n’ont-elles pas augmenté ? | Haven’t exports increased?
• Les prix ne sont-ils pas tombés ? | Haven’t prices fallen?

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Have a great week, everyone!

Merci à vous !

Courtney