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Improving your French
THANKS to the internet the chance to brush up on your French language skills is
just a few clicks away. One of the best ways to learn a language is to listen
to the radio and Radio France www.radiofrance.fr is worth checking out.
There are a variety of stations to listen to with news, interviews and music
all available and the site is clearly laid out. Look out for a link titled
ecouter le direct that pops up a small window allowing you to listen to live
broadcasts. For those who want to work on their written French reading the news
can be a great help and France Yahoo has plenty to get your teeth into.
fr.news.yahoo.com
You can also track down many older texts that have been
made publicly available online. A useful site is the L'Association des
bibliophiles Universels http://abu.cnam.fr which has a good collection of
books. Here you will find the French classics from Emile Zola, Victor Hugo and
Balzac as well as other authors including Karl Marx and Darwin. The books are
chopped up into manageable pages, a few paragraphs at a time, and the text is
clear to read and won’t strain your eyes too much. And you can even get a
reminder that you should be working on your language skills thanks to the
French Word of the Day site
www.french-word-a-day.com. Each day
you get an email and an explanation of that day’s word, recently you will have
found out that trouvaille means a lucky find. All these sites are free to
access and are a good place to learn French outside of the classroom or
textbook.
Useful phrases and words
The basics, understandings and the weather...
| Hello: Bonjour |
Goodbye: Au revoir |
| Please: S'il vous plait |
Thank you: Merci |
| Excuse me: Pardon |
Good night: Bonne nuit |
| See you soon: A bientot |
Yes: Oui |
| No: Non |
OK: D'accord |
| I understand a little: Jecomprends un peu |
Please speak more slowly: Parlez plus lentement,
s'il vous plait |
| I don't understand: Je ne comprends pas |
Please repeat: Repetez, s'il vous plait |
| Excuse me: Pardon |
Do you speak English?: Parlez-vous anglais |
| What's the weather like today?: Quel temps
fait-il aujourd'hui |
It's cold: Il fait froid |
| Warm: Chaud
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The time and date...
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What time is it?: Quelle heure est-il |
It's two o'clock: Il est deux heures |
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Two-fifteen: Deux heures et quart |
Two-thirty: Deux heure et demie |
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Two forty-five: Trois heures moins le quart |
Three-ten: Trois heures dix |
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Two-fifty: Trois heures moins dix |
It's midnight: Il est minuit |
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Noon: Midi |
Monday: Lundi |
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Tuesday: Mardi |
Wednesday: Mercredi |
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Thursday: Jeudi |
Friday: Vendredi |
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Saturday: Samedi |
Sunday: Dimanche |
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January: Janvier |
February: Fevrier |
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March: Mars
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April: Avril |
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May: Mai
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June: Juin |
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July: Juillet |
August: Aout |
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September: Septembre |
October: Octobre |
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November: Novembre |
December: Decembre |
Numbers...
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Zero: Zero |
One: Un |
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Two: Deux |
Three: Trois |
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Four: Quatre |
Five: Cinq |
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Six: Six |
Seven: Sept |
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Eight: Huit |
Nine: Neuf |
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Ten: Dix |
Eleven: Onze |
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Twelve: Douze |
Thirteen: Treize |
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Fourteen: Quatorze |
Fifteen: Quinze
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Sixteen: Seize
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Seventeen: Dix-sept |
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Eighteen: Dix-huit |
Nineteen: Dix-neuf |
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Twenty: Vingt |
Twenty one: Vingt et un
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Twenty two: Vingt-deux |
Thirty: Trente |
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Thirty one: Trente et un |
Forty: Quarante |
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Fifty: Cinquante |
Sixty: Soixante |
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Seventy: Soixante-dix |
Seventy one:Soixante et onze |
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Seventy two:Soixante-douze |
Eighty: Quatre-vingts |
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Eighty one: Quatre-vingt-un |
Ninety: Quatre-vingt-dix |
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One hundred: Cent |
One thousand: Mille |
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One million: Un million |
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Asking questions, directions and travel...
Who?: Qui?
What?: Quoi?
Why?: Pourquoi?
When?: Quand?
Where?: Ou?
Where is...?: Ou est...?
How?: Comment?
How much is it?: C'est combien?
Where is the nearest bank?: Ou est la banque la plus proche?
Is there a currency exchange office nearby?: Y a-t-il un bureau de change pres
d'ici?
I'd like to change some pounds: Je voudrais changer des livres
How much is the pound worth?: Combien vaut la livre?
Can I change travellers cheques?: Est-ce que je peux changer des cheques de
voyage?
Do you have a map of the city?: Avez vous un plan de la ville?
How far is it?: C'est a quelle distance?
It's straight ahead: C'est tout droit
Turn left: Tournez a gauche
Right: A droite
Where is the nearest metro (underground) station?: Ou est la station de metro
la plus proche?
Where's the nearest bus stop?: Ou est l'arret de bus le plus proche?
Where is the train station?: Ou est la gare?
What is the fare to...?: Quel est le prix du billet pour...?
I'd like a ticket to...: Je voudrais un billet pour...
When is the next train/bus to...?: A quelle heure part le prochain train/bus
pour...?
When does the train/bus for...leave/arrive?: A quelle heure part/arrive le
train/bus pour…? Which platform for the train to...?: De quel quai part le
train pour...?
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