Contents

Course 03

Présentations

Introductions

A compact lesson on naming yourself, introducing someone else, asking questions with inversion, and locating people by region.

22 minSophie introduces Loïc, and the conversation shifts to where each person comes from.

Dialogue

Read first, then play a line only when you need the model.

1

Je me présente : je m'appelle Sophie Mercier.

IPA/ʒə mə pʁezɑ̃t ʒə mapɛl sɔfi mɛʁsje/

je m'appelle

`je m'appelle`

Literally 'I call myself', but idiomatically it is the standard way to say 'my name is...'.

Pronunciation

`Mercier` drops the final `r`

The surname ends more cleanly than the spelling suggests, which is why the line finishes without a pronounced final `r`.

2

Et voici mon ami Loïc Le Gall. Il est breton.

IPA/e vwasi mɔ̃n‿ami lɔik lə gal il ɛ bʁətɔ̃/

Pronunciation

Liaison in `mon ami`

The final consonant in `mon` links into the following vowel, so the phrase flows as `mɔ̃n‿ami` rather than two separated words.

breton

Masculine and feminine forms

Identity words can shift form. `breton` is masculine, while `bretonne` is feminine.

voici

`voici`

Use `voici` for 'here is' when introducing a person or presenting something nearby.

3

Et vous, êtes-vous bretonne aussi ?

IPA/e vu ɛt vu bʁətɔn osi/

êtes-vous

Question inversion with `être`

This lesson shows a more formal question pattern: `Vous êtes breton ?` becomes `Êtes-vous breton ?`

Pronunciation

`breton` and `bretonne` do not end the same way

The feminine form adds an audible ending, so this pair is worth hearing as two distinct word shapes rather than one base plus spelling changes.

4

Pas du tout, je suis de Nîmes, dans le Midi de la France.

IPA/pa dy tu ʒə sɥi də nim dɑ̃ lə midi də la fʁɑ̃s/

je suis

Lowercase `je`

Unlike English `I`, French `je` only takes a capital letter at the start of a sentence.

5

Mais maintenant nous sommes parisiens.

IPA/mɛ mɛ̃t(ə)nɑ̃ nu sɔm paʁizjɛ̃/

nous sommes

Core forms of `être`

By this point you have seen `je suis`, `il est`, `vous êtes`, and `nous sommes`.

Vocabulary

je me présente

let me introduce myself

je m'appelle

my name is

voici

here is

mon ami

my friend

breton / bretonne

Breton (masculine / feminine)

pas du tout

not at all

je suis de...

I am from...

le Midi

the south of France

maintenant

now

Exercises

Exercise 1

Translate from audio.

Prompt 1

My name is Loïc.

Hint: Use the reflexive form from line 1.

Prompt 2

And here are my two friends.

Hint: Start with `Et voici...`

Prompt 3

Are you Parisian?

Hint: Use inversion with `être`.

Prompt 4

Not at all! I'm Breton.

Hint: Keep the emphatic opening phrase.

Prompt 5

He is from Nîmes too.

Hint: Use `de` for origin and keep `aussi` at the end.

Exercise 2

Fill in the missing words.

Prompt 1

Complete the identity contrast.

Je suis
et elle est
.

Hint: Use the masculine form first, then the feminine form plus `aussi`.

Prompt 2

Complete with the `nous` form.

parisiens.

Hint: Use the `nous` form of `être`.

Prompt 3

Complete the inverted question.

-vous
de Nîmes ?

Hint: Use the inverted question form again.

Prompt 4

Complete the standard naming formula.

Je
Sophie. Et vous ?

Hint: Use the standard naming formula.

Prompt 5

Complete the ordinal.

Je suis maintenant à la
leçon.

Hint: Use the feminine ordinal form to agree with `leçon`.

After the lesson

France is a huge country, the largest in western Europe, with an incredibly varied landscape ranging from the rugged granite cliffs of Bretagne, Brittany, to the lush olive groves of southern France. We will learn more about the French regions as we progress: today we've met a Breton and a woman from the area known as le Midi, another word for the south of France. If you arrive by train in the Belgian capital, Brussels, one of the two main stations is Bruxelles-Midi, so called because it is in the south of the city.