Dialogue-Building Vocabulary :
Salut ! – Hi (informal greeting)
Madame – Mrs, Ma’am
Monsieur – Mr. Sir
Ça va? – How are you ? (informal greeting)
Comment ça va? - How are you? (informal greeting)
Comment vas- tu? - How are you? (informal greeting)
Comment allez-vous? – How are you? (formal greeting)
Ça va – O.K.
Ça va bien. Ça va mal – Good / bad
Comme ci, comme ça – So, so
Merci – Thank you
Et vous ? Et toi ? – And you ?
Au revoir – Goodbye !
A demain ! – See you tomorrow !
Bonjour! – Hello
Bonsoir! - Good afternoon, Salut!
Se presenter – to introduce onself
Présentez-vous – Introduce yourself
Se serer la main – to shake hands
Comment t’appelles-tu? – What’s your name? (informal)
Comment vous appelez-vous? – What’s your name ? (formal)
Enchanté (e) – Pleased to meet you
Notes Culturelles: La Bise, le Bisou – The Famous Kiss !
While men shake hands, women tend to kiss each other in French-speaking countries. Yes, people gently kiss each other on the cheek or shake hands when they meet. As they leave, people also kiss or give a handshake. Le bisou usually starts on the right cheek. The number of kisses may vary depending on your relationship and the warmth of your encounter. In French-speaking countries, the space between the speakers is also shorter. That is very different in English-speaking countries.
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French Spelling: You too can spell in French
(é) e accent aigu
(è) e accent grave
(ê) e accent circonflexe
(ç) cedille
(ë) Tréma
Ecoutez et Répétez ces mots :
Pratiquons le son : ch
Chat (m.), Chatte (fem.) – Cat (Kreyòl : chat)
Charmant (adj.) – Charming (Kreyol: bwòdè)
Chameau (m.) – Camel (Kreyòl: Chamo)
Cher (adj.) - Expensive (Kreyòl: Chè)
Achète (verb) – Buy (Kreyòl: Achte)
Chemise (feminine noun) – Shirt (Kreyòl: Chemiz)
Chose (fem. Noun) – Thing (Kreyòl: Bagay)
Chocolat (masculine noun) – Chocolate (Kreyòl: Chokola)
Chou (m. noun) – Cabbage (Kreyòl: Chou)
Marché (m. noun) – Market (Kreyòl: Mache)
Poche (fem. Noun) – Pocket (Kreyòl: Pòch)
Chemin (m. noun) – Way (Kreyòl: Chemen)
Changer (verb) – to Change (Kreyòl: Chanje)
Here are a few exceptions: Ch is pronounced like ‘K.”
Choeur - Chorus; Choléra – Cholera; Orchestre – Orchestra; Psychanalyse – Psychanalysis; Psychologie – Psychology; Psychiatrie – Psychiatry; écho – echo ; archaïc – archaic, old, ancient ; archange – archangel etc.
Ecoutez et Répétez ces mots :
Let’s practice the ‘gn’ sound : /ɲ/
Digne – worthy; Espagne – Spain; Pologne – Poland; Allemagne – Germany; Compagnie – Company; Campagne – Countryside; Cognac – Cognac;
Let’s practice the ‘th’ sound /t/
Sympathique – Sympathetic; Gothique – Gothic; mathématiques – mathematics ; Théologie – Theology ; Pathétique – Pathetic ; Théatre – Theater ; Bibliothèque – Library ;
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