LESSON NOTES

Lower Intermediate S1 #20

Don’t Be Afraid to Come Out from
under Your Desk!

CONTENTS
2 Informal French
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight

# 20
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 INFORMAL FRENCH

1. Denz el Snipes: Tu as lu les nouvelles ?

2. Assistante Oui, voici les titres de journaux. Dans le Paris Fame, "L'épopée de
personnelle: Denz el Snipes"; dans France Aujourd’hui, "Sortie du film avec
Denz el Snipes."

3. Denz el Snipes: Plutôt positif.

4. Assistante Dans L'express de l'Hexagone, Denz el Snipes en admiration et

personnelle: accro à Bono.

5. Denz el Snipes: C'est vrai, U2, c’est mon groupe préféré, et Bono, quel artiste
acharné !

ENGLISH

1. Denz el Snipes: Did you read the news?

2. Personal Yes, here are the headlines; in Paris Fame, Denz el Snipes' Saga; in
assistant: France Today, Release of the Movie with Denz el Snipe.

3. Denz el Snipes: Rather positive.

4. Personal In the Hexagon Express, Denz el Snipes in Admiration and Hooked

assistant: on Bono.

5. Denz el Snipes: It's true; U2 is my favorite group and Bono…what a fierce artist!

VOCABULARY

Fr e nc h English C lass Ge nde r

admiration admiration noun feminine

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 sortie exit, release noun feminine

film movie, plastic wrap noun masculine

lu read past participle of lire

groupe band noun masculine

artiste artist noun masculine

acharné fierce adjective masculine

nouvelles news noun feminine plural

titre title, headline noun masculine

journaux newspapers noun masculine plural

épopée epic, saga noun feminine

plutôt rather, instead adverb

positif positive adjective masculine

accro(ché) à hooked on adjective masculine

préféré prefered adjective masculine

lire to read verb

SAMPLE SENTENCES

J 'ai de l'admir at ion pour les gens La sor t ie du film est vendr edi.
dévoués à leur t r avail.
"T he movie release is on Friday."
"I have admiration for the people
committed to their work."

Ut ilise le film t r anspar ent pour les Les films de St even Spielber g sont
sandwichs. capt ivant s.

"Use the plastic wrap for the "Steven Spielberg movies are
sandwiches." captivating."

Nous avons lu l'ar t icle hier . Le gr oupe de r ock est phénoménal.

"We read the article yesterday." "T he rock band is phenomenal."

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J e ne connais pas cet ar t ist e. Le papar az z i achar né at t end
pat iemment de pr endr e une phot o.
"I don't know this artist."
"T he fierce paparazzi wait patiently
to take a picture."

Vous connaissez la bonne nouvelle? Les t it r es de jour naux ne par lent que
de Sar koz y.
"Do you know the good news?"
"T he headlines only tell about
Sarkozy."

Les jour naux sont ar r ivés ce mat in. Son épopée est spect aculair e.

"T he newspapers arrived this "His saga is spectacular."

morning."

Elle est plut ôt gent ille. J e pr éfèr e plut ôt me r eposer .

"She is rather nice." "I'd rather rest."

Un point posit if de vot r e CV, c'est Il est complèt ement accr o à la

vot r e expér ience diver se. nicot ine.

"A positive point of your resume is "He is completely addicted to

your diverse experience." nicotine."

C'est mon collègue pr éfér é. Il ador e lir e le jour nal le dimanche

mat in.
"It's my preferred coworker."
"He loves to read the newspaper
on Sunday morning."

GRAMMAR

Vowel-Dr opping Rules in Wr it t en Fr ench - L'élision à l’écrit.

In front of a vowel or a silent -h, some words drop their last vowel -a, -e or -i.

Example 1- after the articles le and la:

1. un arbre- l'arbre “a tree”

Example 2 - after the pronouns je, me, te, le, la, se:1.

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J'adore la danse. “I love dancing.”
2. Je l'adore. “I love it.”

Example 3 - after the demonstrative pronoun ce:

1. C'est bien. “It's okay.”

Example 4 - after the conjunction que and its compounds (jusque etc):
1. Elle comprend qu'il a des problèmes. “She understands that he has problems.”

Example 5- after the relative pronoun que:

1. C'est Robert qu'il voit. “It's Robert that he sees.”

Example 6- after the preposition de:

1. C'est le professeur d'Eric. “It's Eric teacher.”

Example 7 - after the negation ne:

1. Il n'aime rien. “He doesn't like anything.”

Example 8 - The si loses its final -i in front of il (not elle):

1. S'il veut, il peut. “If he wants, he can.”

CULTURAL INSIGHT

T he Fr ench Media

Nowadays, only 164 out of every 1000 French adults read the newspaper. The French Press
was most popular after World War II when about six million copies were printed among
twenty-eight newspapers.

At the birth of television and news broadcasts, the printed press lost its popularity. There are
about eighty newspapers existing now, of which the regional ones maintain their success
through their readers’ loyalty. For example, "Ouest-France" sells almost twice as many
copies as its national competitors.

The tendency of the French press is to be shy in regards to revealing political plots or
corruption. Only the satirical, but intelligent newspaper "Le canard enchaîné" makes an
exception. Their goal is to publish news with the most sarcastic point of view you can
imagine.

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