❤ Géraldine Luper ❤ Our French language teacher with so much effort and heart. ... I just want to thank you for all you have done for us learners of French. Spoken French in particular. My teachers at Uni in the USA shunned Modern Spoken French. They indicated that it is not good French. But, ofcourse, they know very little of the French language spoken in France. They get away with this farce education because they teach directly from a text book. They feel that they are so limited in time that they must stick directly to the text book. So, Spoken language is not taught. The student is taught to repeat the text in the textbook as if it is spoken French. Hence, we get a false sense of accomplishment, thinking we are actually speaking French. But when we speak this in France, people know we are American, and don't know how to really speak French. They probably understand what we are trying to say, not too much of a problem. But, we find out very quickly that we can't understand almost anything the French people say ! So very different than Textbook French. I enjoy French music. Often times the lyrics of a song has spoken French. This brings the song closer to the listener, not formal. I enjoy that I can now understand much of the Spoken French constructions, so that I can really understand the song. As an example: Le Tourbillon de la vie. A beautiful French song with a wonderful message. From Texas, USA in August, 2024.
Saying "well done" in English can carry that same air of "serves you right". Its somewhere between sarcasm and exaggeration (and sometimes both). "You were having a barbecue and you burnt down your shed. Well done" Context! I've also seen Bien Fait in textbooks. Although I was taught "Mademoiselle" at school 55+ years ago, I've not really heard it in France. Now you've explained why! I have heard "Garcon" being used and I'd probably follow the lead of locals if I heard it again. Mostly you find it being used in old films. Allons-y... I've been taught that more recently than at school but it was couched with "Theres a trend towards On-y-va". I notice that you use C'est parti when you are getting into something. ;-) There are some other phrases youve used where I think, yes the direct to English translation would work in English. I'm wondering if this is a slang trend of using an English like construction of a phrase without using english or if its always been like that? I'm guessing old french slang makes you sound as dated as the slang. Same in English. "Its not cool to be cool anymore". (although I find it hard to keep up with new terms, and modern English slang ...aaaargh)
I'll have to disagree slightly with "mon ami", at least from my experience. As an American living here in France for 23 years-just recently moved to a small village in Provence- I would have agreed NOT to use the phrase. But within 2 years here in the small village, the bar keep, and most of the older regulars I see at my local café for my morning coffee and on the street as I shop at the local outdoor market, they always address me as "mon ami" (and I do likewise) as we buy each other our second or third round of coffee (or the occasional early morning beer for some). Perhaps it is a regional thing, something that's frowned upon in the big, international cities? A generational thing? Or the tourist areas? Still loving your lessons, always learn something new and useful. Merci!
@@trianglebook3616 or regions, and especially rural regions, don’t move as quickly linguistically as urban centres. If you live in there, I will accept your « obviously » but it does sound a little condescending without context.
Shee seems a bit confused about the way languages work Example: Bien Fait can mean good job, just like you can use the word "sick" in English to mean good. She also believes that all French is the same. It's not. If you gave a continental French speaker a book written in Quebec French, they would most likely get lost in the first paragraph. That is why she would never be "Mon blonde" or "Mon petit amie". :D
As someone who studied French in the 1970s, I really appreciate being notified about these updates to the French language. Merci beaucoup! I'm glad to hear the language is evolving to treat people with more respect. One change I recently heard is that the word “bicyclette” has fallen out of favor and is now commonly called a “vélo.” I would love an update series for those of us who learned French in the 20th century. I want to know what to “unlearn.”
During a school exchange trip to the US, I attended a high school French class and had to tell the teacher (who asked, I’m not rude haha) that no one would use the word « boum » to refer to a party anymore 😅 She clearly had learnt French in the 80s !
I love the tips you give us. I am sorry there are “haters” out there on your channel. You put so much effort into these videos, it’s so helpful. Thank you.
I'm so happy that I found your channel! I studied French for 8 years around 50 years ago but never really used it. Now, my husband and I are planning to buy a home in France, so I have begun studying French again! It shouldn't be strange to me that the language has changed a bit since 1975 because, of course, that only makes sense. At the same time, I'm running into phrases that I've never heard before, as well as no-no's that we used in the past. Your lessons will be very helpful to me. Merci!
We’re so glad this lesson helped! If you’re interested in more lessons like this, please join our mailing list to get a new lesson each week: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom -Lyndsie Comme une Française Team
Thank you for this. I recently saw that my anchor program for French (Busuu, which has some stellar pedagogy and some really crappy pedagogy, depending on which part you are in) which I use as base practice at any hour, has a whole lesson on swear words in their A2 module. You actually can't even count as having finished the A2 level to test from in their course without exposing yourself to bad words and to learning things you will inevitably say at the wrong time as a beginner. My policy has always been not to learn swear words in any language I'm not fluent in. It's recipe for disaster and I think disrespectful of the culture and the people who know how to wield the language properly, which is NOT what an A1-B2 can do. I'm also finding some variation in even current-day lessons from various sources, even conjugation differences within same tenses, so I'm very cognizant of what the most appropriate choices are and how to find them. This was extremely helpful! I will also be filing a complaint with Busuu to let them know it's not appropriate to require people to subject themselves to swear words in order to advance on to B1. I sure wouldn't want a child doing that and I shouldn't have to do it either.
We’re so glad this lesson helped! If you’re interested in more lessons like this, please join our mailing list to get a new lesson each week: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom -Lyndsie Comme une Française Team
Thank you for your message and kind words! Each week we provide a new spoken French lesson to help you improve your modern, every day French. You can receive this lesson straight to your inbox by joining our mailing list here: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom -Lyndsie Comme une Française Team
I guess the Mademoiselle thing is the same as Fräulein here in Germany. In the past absolutely normal it is a no no today. I guess the only situation, i would use Fräulein today would be to address an 8 year old girl who has behaved badly 'listen my Fräulein' - meaning: you are not a woman yet, but you are no little child either, you should know better! The equivalent for the 'mon ami' would be our expression 'junger Mann or junge Frau' (young man/young woman), You have lost your purse, young man! Can you help me to get the bottle from the top shelf, junger Mann. I'm mid 70 now, when i get called junger Mann i always give a nice smile and say 'thank you for the young...!' Géraldine, i consider you to be une amie, you have helped me during the last months and you are such a relatable person..
One of my friends, a Creole speaker from Louisiana, calls me "Mon ami" every day. It has become my nickname. Each person in our group at the coffee shop has a unique nickname. I enjoy it. At least it's better than mumbled "Hello" or just "Ça va?" ( from Cajun French ).
In the US, Mr/Mrs/Miss used to be standard on forms too, but we got over it. My great-grandparents used to tease me as a very young boy and use the "Master" (a boy under age 13) prefix. It's been out of date for a century now and mostly used in the Old South.
Thank you for your message and kind words! Each week we provide a new spoken French lesson to help you improve your modern, every day French. You can receive this lesson straight to your inbox by joining our mailing list here: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom -Lyndsie Comme une Française Team
A fair amount of our text books for learning french here in the US were not authored by french native speakers who are good at english. They are often put together by Americans who got some degree in french and maybe lived in france for a couple of years while taking classes. So they will have some poor grammar choices sprinkled throughout the text book. One I was given years ago was "se raviser" to mean "to change your mind". I tried using it a few times and no one knew what I was trying to say. I mentioned this to one french speaker and he didn't know it either. He suggested "J'ai changé mon avis/idée". So we get lead astray at times.
❤ Géraldine Luper ❤ Our French language teacher with so much effort and heart. ... I just want to thank you for all you have done for us learners of French. Spoken French in particular. My teachers at Uni in the USA shunned Modern Spoken French. They indicated that it is not good French. But, ofcourse, they know very little of the French language spoken in France. They get away with this farce education because they teach directly from a text book. They feel that they are so limited in time that they must stick directly to the text book. So, Spoken language is not taught. The student is taught to repeat the text in the textbook as if it is spoken French. Hence, we get a false sense of accomplishment, thinking we are actually speaking French. But when we speak this in France, people know we are American, and don't know how to really speak French. They probably understand what we are trying to say, not too much of a problem. But, we find out very quickly that we can't understand almost anything the French people say ! So very different than Textbook French. I enjoy French music. Often times the lyrics of a song has spoken French. This brings the song closer to the listener, not formal. I enjoy that I can now understand much of the Spoken French constructions, so that I can really understand the song. As an example: Le Tourbillon de la vie. A beautiful French song with a wonderful message. From Texas, USA in August, 2024.
@@phillipmcduffie9353 Exactly. Usually the problem isn't French speakers can't understand us, though yes that happens, it's more about that we have trouble understanding them, because text books never explained things like "Je ne sais pas" can get reduced to "Shais pas". You have to learn all that yourself through tons of trail and error. It's difficult enough to get good at understanding text book spoken French, throw in the slang and reductions that you're never taught, and forget it. I went through a bitter stage when I found this out (why don't they teach this at least to some degree), though I'm over it now. Maybe offer an intermediate/advanced class that focuses on this more, just so you're at least aware of it. I had no clue from my classes.
I work at a very international Francophone school, and allons-y is still appropriate for teachers with students. So that is what I learned. Now I know that context matters. Ya learn something new…
Merci! sometimes when folk really like my photography they say "Tout à Fait." (I'm an Anglo living in Québec.) I think that's a nice compliment? Sometimes, greeting a neighbour I ask 'Quoi du Neuf.' A Francophone business acquaintance introduced me to and asks me that. When I greet friendly neighbours with that they look at me quizzically. 'Faut pas?'
Je dois être un peu vieille école car je continue à dire , garçon , m"adressant à un garçon de café. . Quand à mon ami, je suis d'accord avec vous. Pour ma part je dirais. Bonjour mon cher ami ou mon cher , mais bon de nos jours cela ne se dit plus beaucoup et c'est bien dommage. Pour ma part je continue à le dire. J' 'ajoute que je suis français et que j'ai écouté votre post pour le fun. J'aurais pu rédiger mon.commentaire en anglais ou dans une autre langue européenne à votre convenance et j'ajoute que ,étant d'un certain âg,e je continue ,m' adressant à une personne plus jeune à dire "Mademoiselle", faisant fi des modes actuelles. .
Your comment strikes a chord with me because one of the sweetest things for me to say in English is "my friend" sincerely to emphasize the special connection I have with someone.
02:44 Your example with the porte-clé can actually mean "Well done!" -- in a sarcastic way. 😉 Regarding madmoiselle : You're talking about France only, right? I remeber when I married in February in Cameroon the marriage registrar proclaimed to my wife that she is now officially to be adressed not as madmoiselle anymore but now as madame.
That’s probably right. An Ivorian lady I knew told me that a lot of “West African French” sounds old fashioned to French people. I think that’s not unusual when a foreign language or other foreign practices get rooted in a country (eg through colonialism) and then either doesn’t evolve, or evolves in a different way, from the language as spoken in the “home” country. “Indian English” is another example - it’s understandable but often has an elaborate formality that would have been familiar to Victorian era British imperial administrators but which has disappeared from British English. BTW as a non native speaker of very average French I often found it easier to understand the French of Ivorians, Senegalese etc than that of many French natives.
French is the only language I've experienced where native speakers are not the least bit happy you're trying to speak their language, they strive to correct you even if you're just visiting. Everywhere else I go, people's faces light up if I try to say things in their language. Not in France. Native English speakers encounter myriad mistakes, strange pronunciation, thick accents, grammatical errors, bad slang, dropped letters (like you say 'sometime' when it should be 'sometimes', or 'bien joué pour ton examen' should be translated as 'good luck on/with your exam, not 'for') - but 99% of the time, we don't point it out. Why? Because we get what they're trying to say, and we're not rude. We know it's not easy to speak another language. We would rather communicate than correct. Frankly, no one is ever going to mistake me for a native French speaker, so if I say allons-y and get an eye roll, that's just rude.
I think she was referring to the French(ish) he was speaking, not to his nationality. It was clearly written by English writers both in book and film forms. Flemish of course combines common features and words and phrases of many other neighboring languages.
You live in Grenoble and paint a very cute picture of France that I have not seen the four years I have lived here with my partner. Social problems everywhere. Dangerous and aggressive driving my god. Having lived in Nice, Paris and now Montpellier. My French partner hates it more than me and wants to go back to London. I am trying my hardest to make it work and we may try Annecy / Near Geneve.
I don't know a lot about Mont, but I'd expect that definitely in Paris and Nice. Those are large and very expat-filled places. I've never met a heavy-tourist city where people are as respectful of one another's safety as in a city that is not oriented that way.
5:45 No one likes getting scooped up into a generalization. I remember the "garcon" clarification was made in the 2nd ou 3rd lesson. " Monsieur Hulot, that is my father whom you are calling 'boy'",
I was at a party in Paris a few years back and a local was surprised that I used the word "vedette" when talking about a film star. He told me it was old-fashioned as you mentioned on your video. What is the current term for a "movie star", or "celebrity"? Thank-you.
I will continue to use Bien Fait but that is because I am a very sarcastic person so it fits me well lol. Is a slow clap also considered sarcastic in France as well?
Around 25 years ago I adressed (somewhere in Languedoc) in a store a woman of around 20-25 years with a friendly "Bonjour, Madame" and I got corrected: "Mademoiselle!" But well...some things have changed in France....
That's good to know and I do wonder if this may depend on location as well. In the southern US it's a compliment and a sign of high respect to call someone M'am at any age but in the northern US it's as if you are calling someone old. Conversely, in the north women frequently like to be called Miss even if they are way older than you, while in the south calling someone Miss is disrespectful and infantilizing - as a feminist in the south, I would not even call a child Miss - I would call her M'am.
I didn't have much money so i went on one of the budget tours around Paris. The tour "guide" literally instructed us to say all of these things, and would then watch us from a distance and giggle. He took us to the "best" food places, which were convenient because they were right next to the big attractions we wanted to see, but the food there was just ok. He said he gets his food from some place a bit further away, but we weren't allowed to go to it because we're not citizens and we wouldn't like it anyways. While I do want to go again, i think the "visite pour les connards" was just not for me.
Salut, chere madame..... depuis mon arrivéé en France she suis a la récherche d 'une grisette qui puisse m'accompagner a divers sites touristiques, en meme temps qu'elle m'aide a alméliorer mos francais parlé. Ou peux--jej trouver une grisette?
What is with the 100 plus videos with French teachers/professors saying, "don't do this in France, don't do that, don't say that, don't say this"? Will members of the Académie Française arrest a tourist if they don't say "Bonjour" when they enter a shop? I was married to a French woman. I've visited France 15 times. Je me débrouille avec mon français même si je ne le parle pas couramment. Pourquoi ? Parce que je n'ai pas le cerveau pour les langues mais. Je sais, je sais. Il y a environ 110 websites sur youtube pour l'apprentissage de français. Comment attirer plus d'étudiants ? Bien entendu, c'est fait avec un titre accrocheur. Je vous souhaite bonne chance avec votre vidéos sur youtube. À bientôt
Es muy molesto no poder llamar Garzon al mozo. Acaso es considerado un trabajo indigno? Esto no pasa solo en Francia. También en Latinoamérica. No me hace sentido. Nadie esta discriminando, es el nombre del trabajo. Quisiera esperemos esto. Llamar a alguien diciendo "por favor" eso si es ridículo. Que opinan?
La gente - no piensa - ni sabe - ni comprende de donde salen todas estas "modas" .... y la gente lo traga como Coca-Cola (un veneno!) Hay cir-CULOS que nos quieren MANIPULAR .... a traves del idioma (y um milion de otras cosas) .... Esto vieno del marxismo-cultural (-> Escuela-de Francfort -> Tavistock-Institut London .... Rockefeller Fundaton -> G.Soros -> Anti-Defamation-League etc etc etc ) Todo esta basura viene en el fond del "diablo"!!!
I don’t think you should speak for all french people…… it’s like saying that farewell isn’t used much so you shouldn’t use it…. IF IT IS CORRECT IT IS NOT INCORRECT
I notice that you always use “vous” when speaking to the server at a restaurant. Is this a firm rule? What if I’m very, very old and the server is 18 or so? Is “tu” still too informal, almost insulting? ❤
My view is anytime money is exchanging hands, unless someone tells me to call them by their first name, they should be referred to formally. It doesn't matter how old they are. They are in a position of authority over me just like I am over them. If you want to be especially pragmatic about it, who is more likely to spit in your soup - someone you accidentally were a little too formal but respectful to or someone you were accidentally not formal enough with to be respectful? I may have the money but they are the one who tells me what I owe them and their spit can end up in my food, so they deserve all the respect I can give out as long as they are behaving respectfully.
@ “Who is more likely to spit in your soup?” Clearly this is the test that should govern all relationships, personal, commercial, community, political - it’s a kind of negative relative of the Golden Rule. I love it! 😍😂
“Miss” and “ma’am” in English can be kind of a minefield, too. Some women hate being called “ma’am” because it makes them feel old, but at least as many dislike being called “Miss” because it can come across as dismissive. It is unfortunate and a reflection of the sexist nature of language that men have just one form of address, and women have two
Yes, my experience is it is extremely regional, being from the south and having lived all around the US. South is all M'am all the time, north is all Miss all the time, and ne'er the twain shall meet on that one. In the west nobody gives a crumb; we don't really use it there except in very formal old-fashioned situations like in an old church with an elder woman - in which case I'd use either one and she'd be delighted.
Garçon doesn’t quite carry the same offensive charge as boy (nor the same possible racist undertones). It’s very outdated but it’s unlikely the waiter will be seriously offended. He’s more likely to be confused, roll his eyes or correct you.
Mademoiselle c'est un TRES beau mot. C'est domage cela soit considéré comme "sexist" aujourd'hui... Et c'est bizarre d'appeler les jeunes filles "Madame" ...
If a woman considers it to be, then we have to trust that experience - it is what is referred to as Lived Expertise of the object of the language. It is considered a less mature female than Madame, so it is infantilizing, which is an experience most if not all female-presenting people have experienced frequently, so there is a rebalancing that must occur.
durant des siècle c'était NORMAL ---- MAIS : c'est parce que "les marxistes" (la déstruction de la culture et 1000 autres choses) sont arrivés au pouvoir depuis 30 ans !! C'est tout simple si on connait la source!!!!
She was specifically speaking of adult interactions. Given that 12 can be young or old depending on the person, I would choose what would seem respectful to her based on temperament. As with all terms, I would err on the side of greater respect (have you ever met a 12yo who didn't want to be 25?) for what they would like, so I would start with Madame but if you are not of her same gender then I would watch for cues from others and/or ask her parent what is appropriate. A woman calling a 12yo girl Madame could do a different thing than a man calling her the same thing.
I show you how to improve your French fluency every Saturday. Subscribe here: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome
❤ Géraldine Luper ❤ Our French language teacher with so much effort and heart. ... I just want to thank you for all you have done for us learners of French. Spoken French in particular.
My teachers at Uni in the USA shunned Modern Spoken French. They indicated that it is not good French. But, ofcourse, they know very little of the French language spoken in France.
They get away with this farce education because they teach directly from a text book. They feel that they are so limited in time that they must stick directly to the text book. So, Spoken language is not taught. The student is taught to repeat the text in the textbook as if it is spoken French. Hence, we get a false sense of accomplishment, thinking we are actually speaking French.
But when we speak this in France, people know we are American, and don't know how to really speak French. They probably understand what we are trying to say, not too much of a problem.
But, we find out very quickly that we can't understand almost anything the French people say ! So very different than Textbook French.
I enjoy French music. Often times the lyrics of a song has spoken French. This brings the song closer to the listener, not formal. I enjoy that I can now understand much of the Spoken French constructions, so that I can really understand the song.
As an example: Le Tourbillon de la vie. A beautiful French song with a wonderful message.
From Texas, USA in August, 2024.
Saying "well done" in English can carry that same air of "serves you right". Its somewhere between sarcasm and exaggeration (and sometimes both). "You were having a barbecue and you burnt down your shed. Well done" Context! I've also seen Bien Fait in textbooks.
Although I was taught "Mademoiselle" at school 55+ years ago, I've not really heard it in France. Now you've explained why!
I have heard "Garcon" being used and I'd probably follow the lead of locals if I heard it again. Mostly you find it being used in old films.
Allons-y... I've been taught that more recently than at school but it was couched with "Theres a trend towards On-y-va". I notice that you use C'est parti when you are getting into something. ;-) There are some other phrases youve used where I think, yes the direct to English translation would work in English. I'm wondering if this is a slang trend of using an English like construction of a phrase without using english or if its always been like that?
I'm guessing old french slang makes you sound as dated as the slang. Same in English. "Its not cool to be cool anymore".
(although I find it hard to keep up with new terms, and modern English slang ...aaaargh)
On dira aussi "bien joué" dans ce cas. "Tu as voulu aller trop vite et tu as tout renversé ? Bien joué". C'est une condamnation moins ferme.
Bonjour Géraldine. Selon moi, votre vidéo est bien faite. Bien joué !
I'll have to disagree slightly with "mon ami", at least from my experience. As an American living here in France for 23 years-just recently moved to a small village in Provence- I would have agreed NOT to use the phrase. But within 2 years here in the small village, the bar keep, and most of the older regulars I see at my local café for my morning coffee and on the street as I shop at the local outdoor market, they always address me as "mon ami" (and I do likewise) as we buy each other our second or third round of coffee (or the occasional early morning beer for some). Perhaps it is a regional thing, something that's frowned upon in the big, international cities? A generational thing? Or the tourist areas? Still loving your lessons, always learn something new and useful. Merci!
they obviously know you are foreign so they call you that, not to insult you just as an endearing name
@@trianglebook3616💯
@@trianglebook3616 or regions, and especially rural regions, don’t move as quickly linguistically as urban centres. If you live in there, I will accept your « obviously » but it does sound a little condescending without context.
Shee seems a bit confused about the way languages work Example: Bien Fait can mean good job, just like you can use the word "sick" in English to mean good. She also believes that all French is the same. It's not. If you gave a continental French speaker a book written in Quebec French, they would most likely get lost in the first paragraph. That is why she would never be "Mon blonde" or "Mon petit amie". :D
I'm from Quebec and we do say "mon ami" to our friends. Annoying car salesmen will use that too haha.
Language changes, and not just English. Thank you for this info, which updates the French I learned 50 years ago.
As someone who studied French in the 1970s, I really appreciate being notified about these updates to the French language. Merci beaucoup! I'm glad to hear the language is evolving to treat people with more respect.
One change I recently heard is that the word “bicyclette” has fallen out of favor and is now commonly called a “vélo.” I would love an update series for those of us who learned French in the 20th century. I want to know what to “unlearn.”
During a school exchange trip to the US, I attended a high school French class and had to tell the teacher (who asked, I’m not rude haha) that no one would use the word « boum » to refer to a party anymore 😅 She clearly had learnt French in the 80s !
Bonjour Géraldine. Merci beaucoup pour cette très belle leçon. Ça m'aidera quand je parle avec mes amis français.
I love the tips you give us. I am sorry there are “haters” out there on your channel. You put so much effort into these videos, it’s so helpful. Thank you.
j'ai bien apprecie votre lecon, vais le mettre en pratique...bien a vous, vive la France, vive les Francais et leur verbe!
I'm so happy that I found your channel! I studied French for 8 years around 50 years ago but never really used it. Now, my husband and I are planning to buy a home in France, so I have begun studying French again! It shouldn't be strange to me that the language has changed a bit since 1975 because, of course, that only makes sense. At the same time, I'm running into phrases that I've never heard before, as well as no-no's that we used in the past. Your lessons will be very helpful to me. Merci!
We’re so glad this lesson helped! If you’re interested in more lessons like this, please join our mailing list to get a new lesson each week: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom
-Lyndsie
Comme une Française Team
BONJOUR Géraldine ~! THIS is excellent - because I learned French, 50 years ago!
A very useful lesson for those of us who learned French decades ago and need to sound less bookish. Thank you!
Merci beaucoup Géraldine. Je trouve les information très utiles.
Thank you for this. I recently saw that my anchor program for French (Busuu, which has some stellar pedagogy and some really crappy pedagogy, depending on which part you are in) which I use as base practice at any hour, has a whole lesson on swear words in their A2 module. You actually can't even count as having finished the A2 level to test from in their course without exposing yourself to bad words and to learning things you will inevitably say at the wrong time as a beginner. My policy has always been not to learn swear words in any language I'm not fluent in. It's recipe for disaster and I think disrespectful of the culture and the people who know how to wield the language properly, which is NOT what an A1-B2 can do. I'm also finding some variation in even current-day lessons from various sources, even conjugation differences within same tenses, so I'm very cognizant of what the most appropriate choices are and how to find them. This was extremely helpful! I will also be filing a complaint with Busuu to let them know it's not appropriate to require people to subject themselves to swear words in order to advance on to B1. I sure wouldn't want a child doing that and I shouldn't have to do it either.
Merci beaucoup, Madame
Thank you for this useful video !
We’re so glad this lesson helped! If you’re interested in more lessons like this, please join our mailing list to get a new lesson each week: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom
-Lyndsie
Comme une Française Team
Very cool video! Thank you!
Very nice video. Thank you so much.
Thank you for your message and kind words! Each week we provide a new spoken French lesson to help you improve your modern, every day French. You can receive this lesson straight to your inbox by joining our mailing list here: www.commeunefrancaise.com/youtube-welcome?&source=youtubecom
-Lyndsie
Comme une Française Team
I guess the Mademoiselle thing is the same as Fräulein here in Germany. In the past absolutely normal it is a no no today.
I guess the only situation, i would use Fräulein today would be to address an 8 year old girl who has behaved badly 'listen my Fräulein' - meaning: you are not a woman yet, but you are no little child either, you should know better!
The equivalent for the 'mon ami' would be our expression 'junger Mann or junge Frau' (young man/young woman), You have lost your purse, young man! Can you help me to get the bottle from the top shelf, junger Mann. I'm mid 70 now, when i get called junger Mann i always give a nice smile and say 'thank you for the young...!'
Géraldine, i consider you to be une amie, you have helped me during the last months and you are such a relatable person..
One of my friends, a Creole speaker from Louisiana, calls me "Mon ami" every day. It has become my nickname. Each person in our group at the coffee shop has a unique nickname. I enjoy it. At least it's better than mumbled "Hello" or just "Ça va?" ( from Cajun French ).
In the US, Mr/Mrs/Miss used to be standard on forms too, but we got over it.
My great-grandparents used to tease me as a very young boy and use the "Master" (a boy under age 13) prefix. It's been out of date for a century now and mostly used in the Old South.
Brilliant video, thank you! Still the best ❤
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-Lyndsie
Comme une Française Team
Mademoiselle! Bien fait, ma amie!
What you said about "Bonjour, mon ami" respectively "my friend" is also valid for German ("mein Freund"). It doesn't sound natural.
A fair amount of our text books for learning french here in the US were not authored by french native speakers who are good at english. They are often put together by Americans who got some degree in french and maybe lived in france for a couple of years while taking classes. So they will have some poor grammar choices sprinkled throughout the text book. One I was given years ago was "se raviser" to mean "to change your mind". I tried using it a few times and no one knew what I was trying to say. I mentioned this to one french speaker and he didn't know it either. He suggested "J'ai changé mon avis/idée". So we get lead astray at times.
❤ Géraldine Luper ❤ Our French language teacher with so much effort and heart. ... I just want to thank you for all you have done for us learners of French. Spoken French in particular.
My teachers at Uni in the USA shunned Modern Spoken French. They indicated that it is not good French. But, ofcourse, they know very little of the French language spoken in France.
They get away with this farce education because they teach directly from a text book. They feel that they are so limited in time that they must stick directly to the text book. So, Spoken language is not taught. The student is taught to repeat the text in the textbook as if it is spoken French. Hence, we get a false sense of accomplishment, thinking we are actually speaking French.
But when we speak this in France, people know we are American, and don't know how to really speak French. They probably understand what we are trying to say, not too much of a problem.
But, we find out very quickly that we can't understand almost anything the French people say ! So very different than Textbook French.
I enjoy French music. Often times the lyrics of a song has spoken French. This brings the song closer to the listener, not formal. I enjoy that I can now understand much of the Spoken French constructions, so that I can really understand the song.
As an example: Le Tourbillon de la vie. A beautiful French song with a wonderful message.
From Texas, USA in August, 2024.
Se raviser. I don't hear it much. I've seen it written though.
@@phillipmcduffie9353 Exactly. Usually the problem isn't French speakers can't understand us, though yes that happens, it's more about that we have trouble understanding them, because text books never explained things like "Je ne sais pas" can get reduced to "Shais pas". You have to learn all that yourself through tons of trail and error. It's difficult enough to get good at understanding text book spoken French, throw in the slang and reductions that you're never taught, and forget it. I went through a bitter stage when I found this out (why don't they teach this at least to some degree), though I'm over it now. Maybe offer an intermediate/advanced class that focuses on this more, just so you're at least aware of it. I had no clue from my classes.
i 100% blame allons-y on my french text books in school. i think one was actually *named* allons-y!
You must be Canadian.
@@markbernier8434 usa and taught by teachers from paris and brest 🤷
I work at a very international Francophone school, and allons-y is still appropriate for teachers with students. So that is what I learned. Now I know that context matters. Ya learn something new…
Merci! sometimes when folk really like my photography they say "Tout à Fait." (I'm an Anglo living in Québec.) I think that's a nice compliment? Sometimes, greeting a neighbour I ask 'Quoi du Neuf.' A Francophone business acquaintance introduced me to and asks me that. When I greet friendly neighbours with that they look at me quizzically. 'Faut pas?'
Merci
Merci!!! 🥰
Je dois être un peu vieille école car je continue à dire , garçon , m"adressant à un garçon de café.
. Quand à mon ami, je suis d'accord avec vous. Pour ma part je dirais. Bonjour mon cher ami ou mon cher , mais bon de nos jours cela ne se dit plus beaucoup et c'est bien dommage. Pour ma part je continue à le dire. J' 'ajoute que je suis français et que j'ai écouté votre post pour le fun. J'aurais pu rédiger mon.commentaire en anglais ou dans une autre langue européenne à votre convenance et j'ajoute que ,étant d'un certain âg,e je continue ,m' adressant à une personne plus jeune à dire "Mademoiselle", faisant fi des modes actuelles.
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Your comment strikes a chord with me because one of the sweetest things for me to say in English is "my friend" sincerely to emphasize the special connection I have with someone.
02:44 Your example with the porte-clé can actually mean "Well done!" -- in a sarcastic way. 😉
Regarding madmoiselle : You're talking about France only, right? I remeber when I married in February in Cameroon the marriage registrar proclaimed to my wife that she is now officially to be adressed not as madmoiselle anymore but now as madame.
That’s probably right. An Ivorian lady I knew told me that a lot of “West African French” sounds old fashioned to French people. I think that’s not unusual when a foreign language or other foreign practices get rooted in a country (eg through colonialism) and then either doesn’t evolve, or evolves in a different way, from the language as spoken in the “home” country. “Indian English” is another example - it’s understandable but often has an elaborate formality that would have been familiar to Victorian era British imperial administrators but which has disappeared from British English. BTW as a non native speaker of very average French I often found it easier to understand the French of Ivorians, Senegalese etc than that of many French natives.
Bravo
i think some of this comes from spanish - people actually say amigo to refer to each other.
Or amiga
French is the only language I've experienced where native speakers are not the least bit happy you're trying to speak their language, they strive to correct you even if you're just visiting. Everywhere else I go, people's faces light up if I try to say things in their language. Not in France.
Native English speakers encounter myriad mistakes, strange pronunciation, thick accents, grammatical errors, bad slang, dropped letters (like you say 'sometime' when it should be 'sometimes', or 'bien joué pour ton examen' should be translated as 'good luck on/with your exam, not 'for') - but 99% of the time, we don't point it out. Why? Because we get what they're trying to say, and we're not rude. We know it's not easy to speak another language. We would rather communicate than correct.
Frankly, no one is ever going to mistake me for a native French speaker, so if I say allons-y and get an eye roll, that's just rude.
Tut, tut. Poirot was Belgian. The author spoke fluent French, learned around 1900 when she was a child.
Operative words: “around 1900”
I think she was referring to the French(ish) he was speaking, not to his nationality. It was clearly written by English writers both in book and film forms. Flemish of course combines common features and words and phrases of many other neighboring languages.
You live in Grenoble and paint a very cute picture of France that I have not seen the four years I have lived here with my partner. Social problems everywhere. Dangerous and aggressive driving my god. Having lived in Nice, Paris and now Montpellier. My French partner hates it more than me and wants to go back to London. I am trying my hardest to make it work and we may try Annecy / Near Geneve.
I don't know a lot about Mont, but I'd expect that definitely in Paris and Nice. Those are large and very expat-filled places. I've never met a heavy-tourist city where people are as respectful of one another's safety as in a city that is not oriented that way.
5:45 No one likes getting scooped up into a generalization. I remember the "garcon" clarification was made in the 2nd ou 3rd lesson. " Monsieur Hulot, that is my father whom you are calling 'boy'",
A lot of French guidebooks published until quite recently are wrong in that case.
I was at a party in Paris a few years back and a local was surprised that I used the word "vedette" when talking about a film star. He told me it was old-fashioned as you mentioned on your video. What is the current term for a "movie star", or "celebrity"? Thank-you.
I will continue to use Bien Fait but that is because I am a very sarcastic person so it fits me well lol. Is a slow clap also considered sarcastic in France as well?
Is "rendre visite" correct to use ? Or should I say "visiter" ?
Context
Around 25 years ago I adressed (somewhere in Languedoc) in a store a woman of around 20-25 years with a friendly "Bonjour, Madame" and I got corrected: "Mademoiselle!" But well...some things have changed in France....
That's good to know and I do wonder if this may depend on location as well. In the southern US it's a compliment and a sign of high respect to call someone M'am at any age but in the northern US it's as if you are calling someone old. Conversely, in the north women frequently like to be called Miss even if they are way older than you, while in the south calling someone Miss is disrespectful and infantilizing - as a feminist in the south, I would not even call a child Miss - I would call her M'am.
Je suis excité pour toi! 😁
MDR! 😂
Mon ami.. bien fait
Omg, you look very like my high school French teacher 😂
I didn't have much money so i went on one of the budget tours around Paris. The tour "guide" literally instructed us to say all of these things, and would then watch us from a distance and giggle. He took us to the "best" food places, which were convenient because they were right next to the big attractions we wanted to see, but the food there was just ok. He said he gets his food from some place a bit further away, but we weren't allowed to go to it because we're not citizens and we wouldn't like it anyways. While I do want to go again, i think the "visite pour les connards" was just not for me.
Quel est votre avis sur l'emploi de "mon vieux" et "mon pote?"
Merci Géraldine. J’étais absent si longtemps. Désolé… 🇫🇷♥️🇫🇷
Is it not offensive to use madam if a woman is younger? I thought madam refers to either older woman or a married woman
Salut, chere madame..... depuis mon arrivéé en France she suis a la récherche d 'une grisette qui puisse m'accompagner a divers sites touristiques, en meme temps qu'elle m'aide a alméliorer mos francais parlé. Ou peux--jej trouver une grisette?
She forgot the classic "kesséça" from Québec ❤
I think a lot of these expressions came from old Hollywood movies: you know, the ones starring Maurice Chevalier and Charles Boyer.
What is with the 100 plus videos with French teachers/professors saying, "don't do this in France, don't do that, don't say that, don't say this"? Will members of the Académie Française arrest a tourist if they don't say "Bonjour" when they enter a shop? I was married to a French woman. I've visited France 15 times. Je me débrouille avec mon français même si je ne le parle pas couramment. Pourquoi ? Parce que je n'ai pas le cerveau pour les langues mais. Je sais, je sais. Il y a environ 110 websites sur youtube pour l'apprentissage de français. Comment attirer plus d'étudiants ? Bien entendu, c'est fait avec un titre accrocheur. Je vous souhaite bonne chance avec votre vidéos sur youtube. À bientôt
Es muy molesto no poder llamar Garzon al mozo. Acaso es considerado un trabajo indigno? Esto no pasa solo en Francia. También en Latinoamérica. No me hace sentido. Nadie esta discriminando, es el nombre del trabajo. Quisiera esperemos esto. Llamar a alguien diciendo "por favor" eso si es ridículo. Que opinan?
Vaya… veo que todavía hay muchos con miedo a decir lo que en verdad piensan de esto.
La gente - no piensa - ni sabe - ni comprende de donde salen todas estas "modas" .... y la gente lo traga como Coca-Cola (un veneno!)
Hay cir-CULOS que nos quieren MANIPULAR ....
a traves del idioma (y um milion de otras cosas) ....
Esto vieno del marxismo-cultural (-> Escuela-de Francfort -> Tavistock-Institut London .... Rockefeller Fundaton -> G.Soros -> Anti-Defamation-League etc etc etc )
Todo esta basura viene en el fond del "diablo"!!!
Très envie ... Do French people make le liaison in this case ? ChatGPT says no. But Google Translate does make the z liaison sound. ???
I once had French housemates. They said "putain" a lot. They also referred to someone as "cretin de mec" but I never learned who that person was.
🎉🎉
Voulez vouz avec le croissant?😂😂😂
OmG ! Qu'est-ce qui est arrivé à vos cheveux...?
Meilleures Salutations
Is “bien fait” an equivalent of a sarcastic “good going”?
Yes but more crass
I don’t think you should speak for all french people…… it’s like saying that farewell isn’t used much so you shouldn’t use it…. IF IT IS CORRECT IT IS NOT INCORRECT
Hello we are watching Emily in Paris. Lots of wrong words 🥰
I notice that you always use “vous” when speaking to the server at a restaurant. Is this a firm rule? What if I’m very, very old and the server is 18 or so? Is “tu” still too informal, almost insulting? ❤
My view is anytime money is exchanging hands, unless someone tells me to call them by their first name, they should be referred to formally. It doesn't matter how old they are. They are in a position of authority over me just like I am over them. If you want to be especially pragmatic about it, who is more likely to spit in your soup - someone you accidentally were a little too formal but respectful to or someone you were accidentally not formal enough with to be respectful? I may have the money but they are the one who tells me what I owe them and their spit can end up in my food, so they deserve all the respect I can give out as long as they are behaving respectfully.
@ “Who is more likely to spit in your soup?” Clearly this is the test that should govern all relationships, personal, commercial, community, political - it’s a kind of negative relative of the Golden Rule. I love it! 😍😂
“Miss” and “ma’am” in English can be kind of a minefield, too. Some women hate being called “ma’am” because it makes them feel old, but at least as many dislike being called “Miss” because it can come across as dismissive. It is unfortunate and a reflection of the sexist nature of language that men have just one form of address, and women have two
Yes, my experience is it is extremely regional, being from the south and having lived all around the US. South is all M'am all the time, north is all Miss all the time, and ne'er the twain shall meet on that one. In the west nobody gives a crumb; we don't really use it there except in very formal old-fashioned situations like in an old church with an elder woman - in which case I'd use either one and she'd be delighted.
“Garçon” translates as “boy”. Addressing a waiter “boy” in the USA will likely not end well for you.
Garçon doesn’t quite carry the same offensive charge as boy (nor the same possible racist undertones). It’s very outdated but it’s unlikely the waiter will be seriously offended. He’s more likely to be confused, roll his eyes or correct you.
Nor will using the word "waiter" :)
Bien fait Argentine! Bravo Les Bleus 😂
Mon ami pour s’adresser à un subordonné, un serviteur.
Do French people ever say Bonjour mon vieux!
Mademoiselle c'est un TRES beau mot. C'est domage cela soit considéré comme "sexist" aujourd'hui...
Et c'est bizarre d'appeler les jeunes filles "Madame" ...
Salut : moi j'utilise " garçon" et je trouve ça correct.
" don't say dat" ah c'mon french, be kind.. stop punch brazillians
Madame - тоже сексизм. Не сексистски - "Bonjour , humaine" ou "Bonjour , object parlant" (Я не хейтер, я обожатель.)
Zut Alors! You just debunked half the French I understand, mon amie. Bien fait.
I'm a bit confused about Mademoiselle. So you would address a 10 year old as Madame? 🤔
You’d typically address her as her first name
@rosiebowers1671 but if one doesn't know their first name? For example, like in a restaurant? What should they use?
What's sexist about Mademoiselle?
If a woman considers it to be, then we have to trust that experience - it is what is referred to as Lived Expertise of the object of the language. It is considered a less mature female than Madame, so it is infantilizing, which is an experience most if not all female-presenting people have experienced frequently, so there is a rebalancing that must occur.
Pourquoi le mot "Mademoiselle" serait-il sexiste? ??
durant des siècle c'était NORMAL ----
MAIS : c'est parce que "les marxistes"
(la déstruction de la culture et 1000 autres choses)
sont arrivés au pouvoir depuis 30 ans !!
C'est tout simple si on connait la source!!!!
Bonjour, madam. Je taim
Bad split infinitive in the English. Yes, I am a pedant.
No one cares about split infinitives since the middle of the 20th century. Even pedants.
???
@@daytimecloudsurferto badly split an infinitive isn't actually bad, any more than is using a preposition to end a sentence with.
If mademoiselle is no longer used, what is appropriate to greet or be introduced to a young girl? Madame seems pretentious for a 12 year old.
She was specifically speaking of adult interactions. Given that 12 can be young or old depending on the person, I would choose what would seem respectful to her based on temperament. As with all terms, I would err on the side of greater respect (have you ever met a 12yo who didn't want to be 25?) for what they would like, so I would start with Madame but if you are not of her same gender then I would watch for cues from others and/or ask her parent what is appropriate. A woman calling a 12yo girl Madame could do a different thing than a man calling her the same thing.
So old fashioned French isn’t French.
Cette video est tres stupide.
Commenters are not "haters". Maybe you need a lesson in English.