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Now that the end-of-the-year feasts known as réveillons are over, French people are glad to return to simpler, healthier food like soups, which are especially popular during winter and often the main part of the evening meal. Let's find out what ingredients typically go into a French soup and explore some soup-related vocabulary in the process.
Many French people prefer a more sustainable diet of légumes verts (green vegetables) after les fêtes (the holidays):
Après les fêtes, c'est légumes, et puis un peu d'eau plutôt que de l'alcool, voilà.
After the holidays, it's vegetables, and then a little water rather than alcohol, that's it.
Caption 7, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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These légumes verts (green vegetables), not to be confused with “legumes” in English, will be the main ingredients of a soup:
On essaye de manger un peu plus de légumes verts, bon des soupes et voilà.
We try to eat a few more green vegetables, well, soups, and that's it.
Caption 4, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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The base for a soup also includes un bouillon (bouillon or broth). Le bouillon de volaille (chicken broth) also makes a good base for a sauce:
On déglace avec le bouillon de volaille.
You deglaze with the chicken bouillon.
Caption 41, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains
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French people often make their soup from scratch by cutting up some vegetables, just as Jeremy and Marie do in the video below. However, you will notice that they call their soup un potage. Most people don’t make a distinction between une soupe and un potage, but there are some differences. Un potage sounds slightly more sophisticated, and its consistency is lighter than a soup as it is usually a blended mixture:
La dernière fois, vous vous souvenez, nous avons coupé les légumes afin de faire un potage
Last time, you remember, we cut the vegetables in order to make a soup
Captions 3-5, Marie & Jeremy Potage - Part 2
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So, what kind of légumes are popular in une soupe or un potage? The French are especially fond of poireaux (leeks), oignons (onions), and carottes (carrots). (Note the difference in spelling here: une carotte has one R and two Ts in French, the opposite of the English "carrot.")
Et tout ce qui est poireaux, euh... on va faire poireaux, carottes, euh... voilà la soupe.
And everything that is leeks, uh... we're going to make leeks, carrots, uh... that's it, the soup.
Caption 13, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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French soup names usually follow the formula: soupe + à + definite article + main ingredient. For example, we have soupe à l’oignon (onion soup) and soupe à la citrouille (pumpkin soup).
L'hiver, les gens préfèrent rester chez eux... On mange surtout de la soupe. Par exemple, de la soupe à l'oignon, de la soupe à la citrouille...
In the winter, people prefer to stay at home... We mostly eat soup. For example, onion soup, pumpkin soup...
Caption 1, 3-4 Fanny parle des saisons La Bouffe
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But sometimes you'll see the preposition de after soupe, when the soup mostly consists of one main ingredient. For example, we're more likely to say soupe de poisson (fish soup) if fish is the star ingredient, but soupe au poisson is also correct. Either way, be sure to pronounce the double S in poisson correctly, unlike Sam in this video:
Deuxième plat: soupe de la poison [sic]. Soupe de poison ? Poisson, poisson, soupe de poisson.
Second dish: poison soup. Poison soup? Fish, fish, fish soup.
Captions 1-4, Extr@ Ep. 4 - Sam trouve du travail - Part 6
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Speaking of soupe de poisson, have you ever tried a bouillabaisse, a hearty tomato-based fish soup from southern France? In the video below, one of the speakers comes from Marseille, where bouillabaisse originated:
De notre côté c'est pas les crêpes, c'est plutôt la bouillabaisse.
For us, it's not crêpes, it's more bouillabaisse.
Caption 21, Fanny et Corrine Leurs origines
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If you prefer a smoother texture to your seafood soup, you may want to try une bisque au homard (lobster bisque):
Les bisques de homard sont souvent au menu dans les grands restaurants à quatre étoiles.
Lobster bisques are often on the menu in four-star restaurants.
For an even richer, smoother texture, you may like un velouté (literally, "velvety"), a creamy vegetable soup thickened with butter, cream, or egg yolk:
Vous pouvez commander un velouté aux champignons au restaurant.
You can order a cream of mushroom soup at the restaurant.
Finally, we have a thinner, clear mixture, but with a more intense, concentrated flavor, called un consommé:
Un consommé est un fond ou bouillon qui a été clarifié avec un blanc d’œuf.
A consommé is stock or bouillon that has been clarified with egg white.
Whether you prefer a humble soupe or potage or a more sophisticated bisque or consommé, you'll have plenty of options in France! You can find even more on this page. And be sure to check out Yabla’s delicious food-related videos.
French people enjoy getting together with family or friends to celebrate Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve with a festive dinner called le réveillon. This is a time of year that involves a lot of eating and feasting! What is the French traditional holiday fare? Let's find out what these réveillons entail, and what French people do to recover from these eating marathons afterwards.
Le réveillon (from the word réveil, "waking") is a dinner party that takes place twice a year, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Usually prepared at home, such meals require much thought and preparation, which is why most people choose to stick to traditional fare:
Pour réussir son réveillon il y a ceux qui misent sur la tradition...
To make one's Christmas Eve dinner a success, there are those who rely on tradition...
Captions 1-2, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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In addition to the noun réveillon, there is even a special verb, réveillonner (to have a Christmas or New Year's Eve party). Even the lonely sailors in the video below like to réveillonner:
La solitude n'a pas empêché les marins de réveillonner.
Solitude hasn't kept the sailors from having a Christmas party.
Caption 8, Le Journal Les navigateurs du Vendée Globe - Part 3
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A réveillon usually starts with the traditional appetizer of huîtres (oysters, served raw with a squeeze of lemon):
Voilà avec une bûche [de Noël] à la fin, et en entrée des huîtres.
That's it, with a [Yule] log at the end, and oysters as appetizers.
Captions 4-5, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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(Notice that une entrée is an appetizer in French, not a main course.)
Les huîtres may be followed by such traditional fare as foie gras (goose liver pâté) and/or crustacés ("crustaceans," as in a seafood platter):
Les grands classiques de cette fête, foie gras et crustacés
The great classics of this holiday, foie gras and crustaceans
Caption 2, TLT Toulouse Noël: Les fêtes approchent!
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Then comes the main course (le plat principal). The familiar dinde aux marrons (turkey with chestnut stuffing) is an all-time favorite, although some people might find it boring and crave a change:
La dinde aux marrons, ça me fatigue parce que tout le monde fait de la dinde de marron.
Turkey with chestnut stuffing, I am tired of it because everyone cooks turkey with chestnut stuffing.
Caption 4, TLT Toulouse Noël: Les fêtes approchent!
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Chapon farci (stuffed capon) is another classic main course in a réveillon:
On va avoir du chapon farci
We're going to have stuffed capon
Caption 3, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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However, some people like to depart from tradition and add a modern twist:
On peut sortir des sentiers battus tout en conservant des produits traditionnels : chapon tikka masala, foie gras au samoussa ou vice versa.
We can get off the beaten track while keeping traditional products: capon tikka masala, foie gras samosa, or vice versa.
Captions 8-9, TLT Toulouse Noël: Les fêtes approchent!
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Those who feel a little ambitious might try un bœuf en croûte (crusted roast beef, or beef Wellington):
Ensuite en plat, un bœuf en croûte au foie gras
Then for the main dish, a crusted roast beef with foie gras
Caption 8, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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Alternatively, one can always fall back on yet another holiday classic, boudin blanc (white sausage), which this butcher likes to showcase at his shop:
...les ingrédients classiques comme le boudin blanc sont mis à l'honneur.
...classic ingredients like white sausage are showcased.
Caption 19, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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Finally, for dessert, there is the all-time favorite, la bûche de Noël (Yule log):
Voilà avec une bûche [de Noël] à la fin...
That's it, with a [Yule] log at the end...
Caption 4, Réveillon de Noël Que mange-t-on lors de ce repas?
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In addition to the delicious dishes mentioned earlier, French celebratory meals always include one or two cooked vegetables, a green salad, and a cheese platter. If this abundance of food seems too much for you, you are not alone… In the video below, Sophie and Patrice are starting to feel like une grosse dinde (a fat turkey) themselves! As they say, you are what you eat:
On est ce qu'on mange. Là je suis donc un gâteau, du vin... une grosse bûche... -Une grosse... grosse bûche... une dinde énorme... trois tonnes de saumon...
We are what we eat. So here I'm a cake, some wine... A fat Yule log... -A fat... fat Yule log... a huge turkey... three tons of salmon...
Captions 23-27, Sophie et Patrice Après le réveillon
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Moi, je suis du foie gras. Un gros foie gras. Quelle horreur. J'en mangerai plus.
Me, I'm foie gras. A big foie gras. How awful. I won't eat any more of it.
Captions 28-31, Sophie et Patrice Après le réveillon
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After so much indulgence, French people tend to crave lighter, healthier food like une bonne soupe (a nice soup). People also like to pace themselves and try to eat healthy in between réveillons:
On essaye de manger un peu plus de légumes verts... bon des soupes et voilà.
We try to eat a few more green vegetables... well, soups, and that's it.
Caption 4, TV Vendée Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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If the mention of these delicious dishes whetted your appetite, feel free to browse through Yabla's Christmas and cooking videos. Stay tuned for a new culinary experience in a future lesson!
Bon appétit!
Many nations celebrate Noël (Christmas), and France is no exception. How do French children typically spend Noël? Does Santa visit them and give out toys on le jour de Noël (Christmas Day) too? Let's discuss some of France’s traditions and explore some Christmas-related vocabulary in the process.
Le Père Noël (Father Christmas or Santa Claus) does indeed pay a visit to children in France and French-speaking countries, but he was not always called Père Noël:
À l'époque, il ne s'appelle pas encore Père Noël mais Nicolas
At the time, he is not yet called Santa Claus, but Nicholas
Captions 4-5, Le Monde D’où vient le Père Noël ?
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In any case, nowadays, children all know about le Père Noël, to whom they are encouraged to write une lettre (a letter), en français, of course:
Les enfants peuvent écrire leur lettre au Père Noël
The children can write their letter to Santa Claus
Caption 11, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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And all the lettres addressed to le Père Noël will end up at le pôle Nord (the North Pole):
La lettre arrivera bien au père Noël. Une lettre tamponnée et postée, destination le pôle Nord.
The letter will reach Santa Claus. A letter stamped and mailed, destination North Pole.
Captions 14-16, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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Le Père Noël will, as the story goes, read the letters and fulfill the children’s wishes as long as they've been sages (good). In the following video, a child gives us a candid answer about his behavior:
Oui, des fois je suis sage.
Yes, sometimes I am good.
Caption 18, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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If the children have been naughty, they will have to contend with le Père Fouettard (Father Whipper), who distributes coal to bad kids. Fortunately, according to the speaker in the video below, le Père Fouettard will not be present this year, as everybody has been good:
Donc, euh... cette année sans le Père Fouettard parce que tout le monde est sage.
So, uh... this year without Père Fouettard, because everybody is good.
Caption 57, Grand Lille TV Focus: la tradition de Saint-Nicolas
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Since so many children have been sages (good), it's an extremely busy time for le Père Noël, who has many jouets (toys) to deliver. In this cute video, poor Santa complains that he is overworked! Not only does le Père Noël distribute the toys, but he also makes them:
Le Père Noël a bien du mal à finir à temps son travail. Il y a tellement d'enfants sur terre et tellement de jouets à leur faire.
Santa Claus is having a lot of trouble finishing his work on time. There are so many children on earth and so many toys to make for them.
Captions 16-18, Les belles histoires de Pomme d'Api Les Chaussettes du Père Noël
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Le Père Noël might have to carry a large hotte (bag) for all the toys he will need to deliver, but its heaviness should not be of any concern to the little ones:
Si quelques enfants ont encore des craintes concernant la taille de sa hotte, pas de panique.
If some children still have concerns about the size of his bag of toys, no need to panic.
Caption 9, TV Vendée Le sapin de Noël décoré par les enfants
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Then le Père Noël, whose appearance is based on that of Saint Nicholas, is all set with his traîneau (sleigh) pulled by rennes (reindeer), which is filled with cadeaux (presents) to be stuffed into chaussettes (stockings):
Saint-Nicolas ressemble alors à un vieil homme à barbe, un peu gros, qui se promène sur un traîneau tiré par des rennes, et il descend par la cheminée pour fourrer ses cadeaux dans des chaussettes.
Saint Nicholas then looks like an old bearded old man, somewhat fat, who goes around on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, and he goes down the chimney to stuff his gifts into stockings.
Captions 52-55, Le Monde D’où vient le Père Noël ?
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While le Père Noël is getting ready, families are also busy setting up decorations. Of course, the magic of Christmas is not complete without un sapin de Noël (a Christmas tree)! In this small community, le sapin is the centerpiece and pride of the town:
Un peu plus loin, la star, c'est le sapin.
A little further, the star is the Christmas tree.
Caption 14, TV Vendée Le sapin de Noël décoré par les enfants
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An army of children help decorate the town’s sapin with personalized ornaments:
Celui de la place Napoléon à la Roche-sur-Yon est assiégé par une armée d'enfants venus tout simplement le décorer avec des boules personnalisées.
The one on Place Napoléon [Napoleon Square] in La Roche-sur-Yon is besieged by an army of children who came quite simply to decorate it with personalized ornament balls.
Captions 15-16, TV Vendée Le sapin de Noël décoré par les enfants
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Some communities prepare for a more religious Christmas celebration, like this little town in Alsace, which is even planning to set up une crèche vivante (a live nativity scene) in the future:
En été j'aimerais bien faire un pique-nique géant dans la cour, faire une petite crèche vivante aussi pour Noël...
In the summer I'd really love to do a huge picnic in the courtyard, to do a little live-action nativity scene as well for Christmas...
Captions 32-33, Alsace 20 Mangez bien, mangez alsacien!
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In addition, you will often hear French children sing "Petit Papa Noël" (Little Father Christmas), a song recorded in 1946 by French singer Tino Rossi:
Petit Papa Noël / Quand tu descendras du ciel
Little Father Christmas / When you come down from the sky
Captions 1-2, LCM "Cher Père Noël..."
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That’s it for our fêtes de Noël (Christmas festivities)! If you wish to find out more about the wonderful ways French people like to fêter Noël (celebrate Christmas), be sure to explore our Christmas-themed videos.
Joyeux Noël! (Merry Christmas!)
When you want to exit a building, look for a sign that says Sortie (Exit). Based on the past participle of the verb sortir (to go out), la sortie is a very versatile word that can be used in many different ways, both literally and figuratively.
As mentioned earlier, la sortie refers to “the exit” of a building. The studio in the video below has several sorties, which may explain André’s wife’s mysterious disappearance:
Ah ben... parce qu'il y a d'autres sorties...
Oh, well... because there are other exits...
Caption 24, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ? - Part 2
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Just as in English, you can combine sortie with faire (to make): faire sa sortie (to make one's exit), like singers and superstars do.
Voici comment toutes les grandes superstars font leur sortie.
Here's how all the big superstars make their exit.
Captions 64-65, Extr@ Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née - Part 3
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Speaking of singers, we also use the word sortie to talk about an album release:
Sortie de l'album le vingt-sept février deux mille douze
Album release February twenty-seventh, two thousand twelve
Caption 1, Boulbar New York, 6 heures du matin
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Sortie is also a verb form meaning "released." In this case, it's the feminine past participle of the verb sortir (to be released). Remember that sortir belongs to the small group of verbs that go with the auxiliary être and take agreement in the past tense. In the video below, sortie agrees with the feminine noun chanson (song):
Cette chanson est sortie en deux mille onze.
This song was released in two thousand eleven.
Caption 134, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1
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It’s not just songs or movies that can be released. People can too! In the example below, it’s a prisoner who is being freed.
Dès sa sortie de prison, Brice contacte Enzo.
As soon as he is released from prison, Brice contacts Enzo.
Caption 1, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon père - Part 9
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The recently released prisoner would no longer need permission for chaque sortie (each outing), unlike French residents during the early COVID pandemic:
Il faut signer une attestation, surtout attester de chaque sortie.
You have to sign a certificate, above all register every outing.
Captions 54-55, Lionel L La pandémie
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As for poor Barbara, she has to beg her mother for la permission de sortie:
Il fallait passer par d'interminables négociations pour obtenir la permission de sortie.
I had to go through endless negotiations to obtain permission to go out.
Captions 26-27, Mère & Fille La soirée
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Unlike Barbara, our former prisoner is free to enjoy être de sortie (being out and about), like the people in this Christine and the Queens song:
Nous et la "man", on est de sortie
We and the man, we are out and about
Caption 25, Christine and the Queens Christine
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Être de sortie can also just mean “to be out,” as opposed to being home:
J'aurais pu refuser et prétexter que j'étais de sortie
I could've refused on the pretext that I was out
Caption 72, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 5
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Interestingly, when sortie is preceded by the definite article la (the), as in à la sortie, the phrase usually signals the end of an activity:
À la sortie, cette idée semble avoir été abandonnée
In the end, they seem to have abandoned this idea
Caption 6, Le Journal Enseigner l'Holocauste en classe
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À la sortie de la séance, certains n'en reviennent toujours pas.
At the end of the showing, some still can't believe it.
Caption 27, Le Journal Les Ch'tis
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...et de me les communiquer à la sortie du conseil de classe.
...and communicate them to me at the end of the teachers' conference.
Captions 54-55, Mère & Fille Le coup de téléphone
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However, note the subtlety here. La sortie des classes doesn’t just mean the end of classes, but also when classes are dismissed:
Ça tombe juste pendant la sortie des classes.
That falls right when classes are dismissed.
Caption 23, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 3
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And watch out: in a different context, une sortie de classe is a "field trip" or "school trip," like the one Barbara is going on:
Les sorties de classe, c'est l'occasion de découvrir des choses nouvelles
Class field trips are an opportunity to discover new things
Caption 1, Mère & Fille La sortie de classe
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Here are some other uses of the noun sortie. This one is straightforward: à la sortie du four means “out of the oven."
...pour que les manneles à la sortie du four, ils aient une belle croûte.
...so that the mannele out of the oven have a beautiful crust.
Caption 62, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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In the next example, however, the meaning is not so obvious. Remember earlier when we talked about la sortie d’un album? This time, la sortie sort of means the opposite: "the phaseout" or "the end of an era":
Tu crois que pour toi ça symbolise la sortie du nucléaire, là ?
Do you think this symbolizes the phaseout of nuclear energy for you?
Caption 75, Actus Quartier Manif anti-nucléaire à Bastille
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Another less common meaning of sortie is “output” in an industrial context, as in la sortie de l’électricité:
Dans les batteries, on a des contacteurs qui coupent la sortie de l'électricité
In the batteries, we have contactors that shut off the electricity output
Captions 64-65, Bateau sport 100% électrique Le Nautique 196 E
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And in a commercial context, we have l'entrée et sortie de marchandises:
...logiciels informatiques pour gérer tout ce qui est entrée et sortie de marchandises.
...computing software to manage everything that is about the entry and departure of goods.
Captions 33-34, GO! Formations Présentation du centre
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Indeed, sortie can mean “departure,” as in to leave a place or depart. In the video below, la sortie refers to the time the couple left the hotel:
Au moment de leur sortie, eh bien, cette carte avait disparu.
At the time of their departure, well, this card had gone missing.
Captions 88-89, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 6
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In some cases, sortie doesn’t just mean “departure,” but “quitting,” as in giving up:
C'est-à-dire les différentes épisodes de sortie, ensuite, les envies, et cetera, correspondent en tout point à ce que nous vivons avec...des patients qui fument...
That is, the different quitting episodes, then the cravings, et cetera, correspond point by point with what we experience with...patients who smoke...
Captions 157-160, Le Figaro Elle a banni le sucre pendant un an - Part 2
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So far, we’ve explored many ways of using the word sortie, and like Sacha in the video below, you may be wondering comment vous allez vous en sortir (how you’re going to manage):
Oh là là là là, comment vont-ils s'en sortir ?
Oh dear, how are they going to manage?
Caption 10, Extr@ Ep. 6 - Le jour du loto - Part 1
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Just keep in mind that the main meanings of sortie are “exit," "departure," and "outing." However, pay close attention to context to interpret the less common uses of sortie. And remember that Yabla videos are at your disposal pour vous aider à vous en sortir (to help you cope). Thanks for reading!
Most tourist phrase books are bound to include the handy little phrase Où sont les toilettes s’il vous plaît ? ("Where are the toilets, please?") The word toilettes is self-explanatory, but it has other meanings besides the obvious. So, let’s explore some toilette-related vocabulary and discuss the evolution of public restrooms.
The French cognate of "bathroom" is la salle de bain. But whereas "bathroom" is a catch-all term for any type of restroom, la salle de bain specifically refers to a bathroom containing une baignoire (a bathtub) or une douche (a shower)—in other words, a bathroom you can bathe in (salle de bain literally means "bathing room"). You'll typically find this type of bathroom in someone's home:
Alors ici, c'est la salle de bain.
So here, this is the bathroom.
Caption 35, Joanna Son appartement
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Inside Joanna's salle de bain, you will find les toilettes (the toilet) and a few other essentials:
Vous avez un placard ici, les toilettes, le lavabo, avec du savon pour me laver les mains.
You have a cupboard here, the toilet, the sink, with some soap for me to wash my hands.
Caption 36, Joanna Son appartement
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La salle de bain is where one goes to faire sa toilette (wash up):
Allons Susie, il faut rentrer faire ta toilette.
Come on, Susie, you have to wash up.
Caption 5, Il était une fois: L’Espace 6. La révolte des robots - Part 1
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To do that, you may want to use un gant de toilette (a washcloth), an item that the piglet Piggeldy always carries in his suitcase:
Pyjama, dentifrice, brosse à dents, savon et gant de toilette.
Pajamas, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and washcloth.
Caption 13, Piggeldy et Frédéric Voyage à Pont-à-Cochon
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As for Sacha in the video below, she doesn’t travel light, since she carries deux trousses de toilette (two toiletry bags):
Trois brosses à dents, deux trousses de toilette...
Three toothbrushes, two toiletry bags...
Caption 15, Extr@ Ep. 11 - Les vacances - Part 4
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Most people don’t usually include le papier toilette (toilet paper) in their travel kit, but this essential item was in short supply in the early days of the COVID pandemic:
Les ventes de pâtes ont été multipliées par cinq, celles de papier toilette par trois et demi...
Sales of pasta have increased fivefold, those of toilet paper by three and a half...
Captions 21-22, Le Monde Coronavirus : bientôt la pénurie dans les supermarchés ?
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In France, les toilettes publiques (public toilets) come in various shapes and sizes. Some are round and made of cast-iron. Known as les vespasiennes in reference to the Roman emperor Vespasian, these vintage urinals date from the 1900s and are fast disappearing. Daniel Benchimol gives us a glimpse of one of the last remaining ones in his tour of Paris's thirteenth arrondissement:
...ce sont ces toilettes: on les appelle les « vespasiennes ».
....are these toilets: we call them "vespasiennes" [urinals].
Caption 16, Voyage dans Paris Le Treizième arrondissement de Paris - Part 1
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French speakers also adopted the British acronym "WC" (water closet) to refer to public toilets. Note that it’s always known as les WC (plural), and it's pronounced "vay-say" (as if it were written VC). The term WC is somewhat dated in France, but you'll still see it around:
Le terme « les WC » figurent encore sur les plans de ville.
The term "WC" still features on city maps.
You might even hear the term les waters:
« Les waters » est un autre synonyme pour les toilettes publiques.
"Water closet" is another synonym for public restrooms.
Even more dated is les cabinets. Be careful with this one: in the plural form, it refers to a toilet, but un cabinet is a professional office:
Les cabinets extérieurs sont plutôt rares.
Outhouses are rather rare.
Je suis secrétaire dans un cabinet médical.
I'm a secretary in a doctor's office.
For a more modern type of toilet, we have les sanisettes, which are fully automated restrooms on the streets of major cities like Paris:
La première sanisette a été ouverte le 10 novembre 1981.
The first sanisette opened on November 10, 1981.
More recently, an environmentally-friendly invention called l'uritrottoir (sidewalk urinal) was introduced in 2018 to help curb les pipis sauvages (peeing on the streets). First tested in the cities of Nantes and Paris, they caused a bit of an uproar, as the public complained that these minimalist urinals afforded little privacy and encouraged exhibitionism. Per Wikipedia:
« Un uritrottoir est un urinoir public écologique...destiné à lutter contre les incivilités urinaires ».
“A uritrottoir is a public, eco-friendly urinal...aimed at curbing public urination.”
Many public toilets have separate male and female facilities. To make sure you enter the correct one, look for the letter F (for femmes) or H (for hommes). This is the way to ask for the men’s room or ladies’ room:
Où sont les toilettes pour hommes ? Où sont les toilettes pour femmes ?
Where is the men's room? Where is the ladies' room?
But nowadays, restrooms are not necessarily gender specific:
Les toilettes unisexes ou mixtes sont utilisables par les deux sexes.
Unisex and all-gender toilets may be used by both sexes.
That’s it for our tour of the toilettes! Wishing you a stress-free search for public restrooms in French-speaking countries. If you're ever in need of one in France, try consulting toilettespubliques.com.
In our last lesson, we learned that penser à means “to think about” or "have in mind" and that penser de means "to think of" in the sense of giving an opinion. We also learned that penser à + infinitive means “to consider doing,” while penser + infinitive emphasizes planning an action. In this lesson, we will discuss which pronouns replace the de and à in penser de/à and what happens when penser is followed by a relative clause (penser que).
As you may know, à + a noun can be replaced by the pronoun y, and de + a noun by the pronoun en. (You can learn more about that here and here.) So, penser à + noun becomes y penser (to think about it), and penser de + noun becomes en penser (to think of it, to feel about it). Remember that the pronouns y and en are placed before the verb.
Elisa is interested in what her mother pense de la techonologie (thinks of technology). She asks her:
Qu'est-ce que tu en penses ?
What do you think of that?
Caption 12, Elisa et sa maman La technologie
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In the video below, en refers to what people thought about the confinement protocols during the pandemic:
Globalement, malgré ce que les gens peuvent en penser, les mesures de restriction sont plutôt respectées.
Overall, despite what some people may think of them, the restriction measures are rather well respected.
Captions 33-34, Lionel L Le déconfinement
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Now let's see some examples with y penser (to think about it). In the video below, the speaker asks her friend to consider hiring help, as she will no longer be available:
Ben essaye d'y penser.
Well, try to think about it.
Caption 73, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai escroqué mon assurance ! - Part 2
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The speaker could have said the same thing in a more succinct way:
Penses-y.
Think about it.
(Notice that in the imperative mood, prepositions are tacked onto the end of the verb with a hyphen.)
Or, the speaker could have been even more succinct:
Réfléchis.
Think about it.
(Réfléchis-y is more correct, but the pronoun y is often dropped from it in casual conversation.)
Sometimes we're reluctant to think about certain situations. In his song "Pocahontas," Grand Corps Malade mentions how some parents don’t dare think about the prospect of their children flying the nest for the first time:
Ils reviendront vider leur chambre, ça j'ose même pas y penser
They'll come back to empty their room, I don't even dare think about that
Caption 32, Grand Corps Malade Pocahontas
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Speaking of thinking about people, y and en are NOT the right pronouns to use when thinking about a person. Y and en can replace an object, a thought, an idea, an action, a place, a situation, etc., but never a person or living being. In the latter case, we simply keep the prepositions à and de and use the construction penser à/penser de + disjunctive pronoun, as in penser à eux (to think about them), just as we do in English. For example, we say:
Je pense à mes parents. Je pense à eux.
I think about my parents. I think about them.
The same rule applies with penser de, when giving an opinion about people:
Alors, qu'est-ce que les Québécois pensent de nous ?
So, what do the Québécois think of us?
Caption 42, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 11
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We’re not quite done with penser! There's one more important thing to know that has to do not with pronouns, but with tenses. When you use the negative relative clause ne pas penser que (to not think that), you must conjugate the following verb in the subjunctive, since you're expressing doubt or skepticism. The speaker in this video doubts that the common quail is endangered:
Personnellement, je ne pense pas qu'elles soient menacées.
Personally, I do not think they are endangered.
Caption 31, Canal 32 Les secrets des cailles des blés
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However, in the affirmative (penser que), the verb is conjugated in the indicative. If the speaker did think they were endangered, he would have said:
Personnellement, je pense qu'elles sont menacées.
Personally, I think they are endangered.
The subjunctive mood is also required when you use penser que in a question:
Pensez-vous qu’il soit trop tard ?
Do you think it’s too late?
As you can see, there are many rules to consider when it comes to penser! We hope this lesson will help you y penser (think about them). Thank you for reading!
Penser (to think) is a handy verb to know when it comes to sharing your thoughts or opinions. It’s also a regular -er verb, which makes it easy to use. However, the tricky part is that it requires different prepositions depending on what type of thinking is involved. So when should you use penser à versus penser de, as both translate as “to think of” in English? And what happens when penser is followed by another infinitive?
Let’s start with the most common construction: penser à + noun (to think of/about), as in penser à quelque chose/à quelqu’un (to think of something/someone). Use this construction to describe what's on your mind, what your thoughts are turning to. The singer in the video below has only one thing on his mind: his beloved. Note the use of the disjunctive pronoun after the preposition à (of):
Toutes les nuits je pense à toi
Every night I think of you
Caption 31, Alsace 20 Colonel Reyel en session live acoustique!
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Bear in mind that the preposition à takes on many forms—à, à la, aux, au—as it agrees with the noun it modifies. With feminine singular nouns, it’s quite straightforward; we simply say à la. In the example below, Caroline can’t stop penser à la cigarette (thinking about the cigarette) that she can’t have:
Puis, c'est vrai que parfois je suis irritable, parce que justement je suis en train de penser à la cigarette que je ne peux pas prendre
Then, it's true that sometimes I'm irritable, because, precisely, I'm thinking about the cigarette that I can't have
Captions 85-87, Amal et Caroline La cigarette
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Remember to make the necessary changes to à before masculine nouns, plural and singular: à + le becomes au, and à + les becomes aux.
Je pense aux Québécois... ils doivent en avoir ras le bol et ras la casquette
I think of the Quebecois... they must have a bowlful, and up to the hat [be fed up and have had it up to here]
Caption 12, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 1
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Now that we have explored penser à, which is reserved for expressing what’s on your mind, what you're thinking about, let’s focus on penser de. Why switch to de? Because penser requires the preposition de to express an opinion. This construction usually comes in the form of a question, as it involves asking someone’s view of things. In the video below, a French person wonders what French Canadians think of his fellow countrymen:
Et puis, j'étais un petit peu stressé à l'idée de... savoir: qu'est-ce qu'ils pensent de nous ?
And then, I was a little bit stressed at the idea of... finding out, what do they think of us?
Caption 11, Le Québec parle aux Français - Part 1
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You seldom come across penser de in a declarative sentence, but it’s possible. An answer to the question mentioned in the example above might look something like this:
Vous me demandez ce que je pense des Québécois. Je ne sais pas ce que je pense de ces gens.
You’re asking what I think of Quebecois. I don’t know what I think of these people.
So far, we’ve focused on the construction penser + preposition + noun and learned that penser is followed by à to describe what you're thinking about and by de to express an opinion. Similar rules apply with infinitive verbs. Penser à + infinitive means to “consider,” “to have in mind,” or “to remember." In this trailer for La Belle et la Bête, the Beast is hoping to escape, and is warned about entertaining such a thought:
Ne pense même pas à t'échapper.
Don't even think of escaping.
Caption 27, Bande-annonce La Belle et la Bête
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Penser à + infinitive is also good to use when toying with ideas and considering possibilities. The cartoonists in this video explain how they first thought of drawing Gauls:
Nous devions faire une histoire pour le journal que nous venions de créer, et nous avons pensé à faire des Gaulois, très simplement.
We had to make a story for the publication that we had just created, and we thought of doing Gauls, very simply.
Captions 8-10, Uderzo et Goscinny 1968
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In addition, you can use penser à as an alternative to se rappeler de, “to remember” to do something or "to remind" someone to do something:
Tu devrais penser à le faire chaque fois que tu manges des choses sucrées.
You should remember to do it every time you eat something sweet.
Caption 7, Il était une fois: la vie 14. La bouche et les dents - Part 6
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Penser de + infinitive is used in the same way as with a noun: to express an opinion, or more frequently, to ask someone their opinion about doing something.
Qu'est-ce que tu penses d'aller au ciné ce soir ?
What do you think/How do you feel about going to the movies tonight?
On the other hand, the construction penser + infinitive, with no preposition in between the verbs, expresses what you’re thinking of doing, your intentions, plans, or hopes. It usually indicates a firmer course of action rather than a passing thought. In the following video, penser is translated as “hope to,” as the sense of hope is strongly implied:
...et pour lesquelles nous pensons pouvoir réaliser des offres intéressantes et compétitives.
...and to whom we hope to offer interesting and competitive prices.
Caption 16, Le Journal Opérateurs virtuels de portables
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Penser + indicative indicates an intention, however uncertain it might be. Discussing the presidential elections, Edmée and Fanny mention who they might vote for, although they have not quite decided yet:
Je pense potentiellement voter Macron, mais c'est pas sûr.
I'm thinking of potentially voting for Macron, but it's not certain.
Captions 17-18, Edmée et Fanny Les présidentielles à 20 ans
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In this example, penser + indicative conveys a stronger intention, as the speaker had actually planned to come earlier but was held up at work:
Je suis désolé. Là, je pensais venir plus tôt, mais c'était de la folie au boulot aujourd'hui.
I'm sorry. I was thinking of coming here earlier, but it was crazy at work today.
Captions 42-43, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai escroqué mon assurance ! - Part 2
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You can also use penser + infinitive to reflect on and evaluate past actions, as in penser avoir fait (thinking that [I] have done) This construction is equivalent to penser que (to think that), which is the way it usually translates in English anyway:
Je pense toujours les avoir bien éduqués.
I still think I've raised them well.
Caption 19, Alain Etoundi Allez tous vous faire enfilmer! - Part 2
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Alternatively, the speaker could have said:
Je pense que je les ai toujours bien éduqués.
I still think I've raised them well.
In conclusion, there is a lot to think about in this lesson, so here is a summary for you:
Penser à + noun: to have in mind, to think about
Penser de + noun: to think of (expressing an opinion)
Penser à + infinitive: to consider, to have in mind, to remember doing something
Penser de + infinitive: to think of/feel about doing something (expressing an opinion)
Penser + infinitive: to hope to, to plan, to intend
But there's even more à penser (to think about) than that, so stay tuned for the second part of this lesson. In the meantime, pensez à regarder beaucoup de vidéos sur Yabla (remember to watch many Yabla videos)!
What’s in an egg? Besides its culinary versatility, the French œuf (egg) has some unique spelling and pronunciation features. Let’s discover its special characteristics and then take it into the kitchen to explore some egg-related vocabulary.
First, let’s explore the unique spelling feature of the noun œuf. A few common words have this special character œ, like le cœur (heart), la sœur (sister), l'œuvre (work), and le bœuf (ox):
Qui vole un œuf vole un bœuf.
He who steals an egg steals an ox (give someone an inch and they'll take a mile; once a thief, always a thief).
Let’s look at another example featuring the word œuf in Patricia’s fairy tale video, “Le vilain petit canard” (The Ugly Duckling):
Le septième œuf, le plus gros de tous n'avait toujours pas éclos.
The seventh egg, the largest of all, had not yet hatched.
Caption 10, Contes de fées Le vilain petit canard - Part 1
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Not only does the word œuf contain a special character, but it also has an irregular pronunciation in the plural form, des œufs (eggs), even though the spelling is perfectly regular. Indeed, while un œuf (an egg) rhymes with neuf (nine), des œufs (eggs) rhymes with feu (fire). Listen carefully to Lionel’s pronunciation of œuf versus œufs in his video on madeleine-making:
Ici devant moi, nous avons un œuf, o, e, u, f, mais également des œufs, le pluriel: des œufs.
Here in front of me, we have un œuf [an egg], o, e, u, f, but also des œufs, the plural: some eggs.
Captions 19-22, Lionel L'usine de madeleines de Liverdun - Part 1
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The letter œ is an example of a ligature, a character composed of two letters joined together. In French, œ is commonly called e dans l'o ("e in the o"), which is actually a pun, as it sounds like œufs dans l'eau (eggs in the water)!
Speaking of eggs in water, let’s proceed to the kitchen. As you know, there are many ways to cook an egg, but first you should know how to tell un œuf cru (a raw egg) from un œuf dur (a hard-boiled egg):
Est-ce que vous savez comment reconnaître un œuf cru d'un œuf dur ?
Do you know how to tell a raw egg from a hard-boiled egg?
Once you’ve established that your egg is cru (raw) and not dur (hard-boiled), you may want to prepare un œuf mollet (a soft-boiled egg). Not to be confused with the anatomical term le mollet (the calf), mollet here is a variant of the adjective molle (soft). Un œuf mollet (a soft-boiled egg) is often served in the country salad described below:
Nous avons une salade de lentilles avec un œuf mollet et une vinaigrette au lard paysan.
We have a lentil salad with a soft-boiled egg and a vinaigrette with country bacon.
Caption 7, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains
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If un œuf mollet is not to your taste, you could try un œuf poché (a poached egg). The restaurant Le Relais de la Poste in Alsace has a delicious version of this on their menu:
Laurent Huguet du Relais de la Poste, lui accommode un œuf poché aux asperges avec un petit riesling.
Laurent Huguet of the Relais de la Poste, he prepares a poached egg with asparagus with a little Riesling.
Captions 22-23, Alsace 20 100 recettes pour 100 vins
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Another alternative is un œuf au plat (a fried egg, literally "an egg on the plate"), which can make a nice addition to a traditional savory French crêpe:
Tu peux faire une crêpe complète avec jambon, fromage, et en plus tu rajoutes un œuf au plat par-dessus.
You can make a complete crêpe with ham, cheese, and in addition you add a fried egg to the dish on top.
Captions 44-46, Claude et Zette Les crêpes bretonnes
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You can also make œufs Bénédicte, or a simple omelette. In their video, Elisa and Mashal discuss what mouth-watering egg dishes they would like for breakfast:
Des œufs Bénédicte ou sinon je te fais des œufs... un... une omelette.
Eggs Benedict, or otherwise I'll make you eggs... a... an omelette.
Caption 82, Elisa et Mashal Petit-déjeuner
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Les œufs are also an essential baking ingredient that you can crack into your mixture. In French, though, we don’t say craquer (to crack) but rather casser les œufs (break the eggs). In his madeleine video, Lionel asks about the art of casser des œufs:
Donc là ben, on va commencer par casser des œufs entiers.
So, here, well, we're going to start by cracking some whole eggs.
Caption 36, Lionel L'usine de madeleines de Liverdun - Part 1
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Here is another culinary technique: fouetter/battre les blancs en neige (to beat the egg whites until stiff; literally, "beat the whites into snow"). This is exactly what is required to make a chocolate-rolled Christmas log:
Vous fouettez les blancs en neige
You beat the egg whites until stiff
Caption 44, Il était une fois la pâtisserie Bûche de Noël
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If le blanc is "the egg white" in French, can you guess what "the yolk" is? That's right, le jaune (literally, "the yellow")!
As you can see, there is more than one way to frire un œuf (fry an egg). Whichever way you choose to cook des œufs, be sure to use the correct pronunciation. Feel free to draw inspiration from our many Yabla cooking videos on how to prepare your eggs, and you will increase your kitchen vocabulary in the process.
Happy cooking!
In our last lesson, we discussed the word tout (all) as an adjective in the constructions tout + noun versus tout + determiner + noun, and we learned that tout, like all adjectives, agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. In this lesson, we'll explore tout as an adverb. And in the process, we'll discover how this strange adverb sometimes goes rogue and starts behaving like an adjective! So, buckle up!
Before we examine the quirks and tricks of adverbial tout, let's look at tout as a regular adverb, a word that is typically invariable (never changes form). Indeed, tout always stays the same in front of another adverb. The construction tout + adverb is equivalent to très (very) + adverb:
Et voilà. Allez, mélange tout doucement.
And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.
Caption 40, Delphine et Automne Le gâteau au yaourt - Part 1
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Delphine could have said this instead:
Voilà. Allez, mélange très doucement.
And there we are. Go on, mix very slowly.
Tout also combines well with adverbs like simplement: tout simplement (quite simply).
Alors tout simplement parce que ça fait maintenant dix ans qu'on travaille à notre compte.
So quite simply because it has now been ten years since we've been self-employed.
Caption 22, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le titre de Maître Restaurateur, c'est quoi?
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The adverb tout can also modify an adjective to mean "all" or "very," as in "to the full extent." Again, tout behaves like a typical adverb and does not change. In his song "Cha Cha du Marin," singer Cré Tonnerre describes a sailor in a happy mood, using the construction tout + singular masculine adjectives:
Tout heureux, tout amoureux, tout bleu comme le ciel bleu
All happy, all in love, all blue as the blue sky
Caption 26, Cré Tonnerre Cha Cha du Marin
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Did you notice that all the t’s are sounded except the last one? That's because it's necessary to employ liaison in constructions like tout heureux (all happy) and tout amoureux (all/totally in love).
But when the adverb tout appears before a feminine adjective, the liaison becomes a bit more dangerous (or at least trickier). If the feminine adjective (singular or plural) starts with a vowel, as in excitée (excited), tout does not change:
J'étais tout excitée d'avoir ce privilège.
I was all excited to have that privilege.
Caption 16, Melissa Mars From Paris with Love
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Tout also stays the same before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h (since a word beginning with a mute h behaves like a word beginning with a vowel, in the sense that it allows a liaison to occur):
Elle est tout heureuse.
She is very happy.
Elles sont tout heureuses.
They are very happy.
But wait, there is another type of h in French! Unlike the mute h, the aspirated h acts like a consonant. Therefore, no liaison is possible, which would make the second t in tout silent. Tout agrees in number and gender before a feminine adjective beginning with an aspirated h. In the example below, toute agrees with the feminine adjective honteuse (ashamed):
Elle est toute honteuse.
She is very ashamed.
In the same sentence in the plural form, toutes takes -es just like the feminine plural adjective it modifies:
Elles sont toutes honteuses.
They are very ashamed.
Just as adverbial tout agrees with a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h, tout also agrees with a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:
Et puis après, je me retrouve toute seule...
and then after, I find myself all alone...
Caption 29, Amal et Caroline Pourquoi tu n'es pas venue à mon anniversaire ?
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Elles peuvent fonctionner toutes seules.
They can operate on their own.
Caption 66, Lionel & Lahlou La grève
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However, there is sometimes ambiguity in the feminine plural form. In some cases, you will need context to determine whether toutes is acting as an adverb (meaning "very," modifying the adjective) or as an adjective (meaning "all," modifying the subject):
Elles sont toutes tristes.
They are very sad./All of them are sad.
Elles sont toutes honteuses.
They are very ashamed./All of them are ashamed.
On the other hand, there is no ambiguity with the construction tout + plural feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (e.g. tout heureuses). This tout can only act as an adverb, meaning "very":
Elles sont tout heureuses.
They are very happy.
Likewise, toutes heureuses can only mean "(they are) all happy." Rather than an adverb, toutes in this case is an adjective of quantity that modifies the subject elles:
Elles sont toutes heureuses.
All of them are happy.
Now let's recap the rules of the construction tout + feminine adjective (singular and plural):
Agreement
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a consonant:
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with an aspirated h:
No Agreement
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a vowel:
When tout is before a feminine adjective starting with a mute h:
(And don’t forget that adverbial tout does not take agreement before ANY masculine adjective.)
Toute la leçon est terminée! (The whole lesson is over!) This may be a lot to take in, but keep in mind that exceptions are few. Tout only changes before feminine adjectives and only in limited situations. And don’t forget: L’équipe de Yabla est tout heureuse de vous aider! (The Yabla team is very happy to help you!)
Let's talk about…everything! Or, the word tout in French. Did you know that tout can change spelling and pronunciation? And are you aware that this versatile word can function as an adjective, an adverb, a pronoun, and a noun? In this lesson, we'll focus on tout (all) as an adjective in the constructions tout + noun versus tout + determiner + noun.
Tout as a quantifier is usually equivalent to “all,” expressing totality, as in tout le temps (all the time). The construction is usually as follows: tout + determiner + a noun (a determiner is a short word preceding a noun, such as “the” in English). Tout (all) then functions as an adjective since it is attached to a noun, and it will therefore agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. So, tout has four different endings: tout, toute, toutes, tous. When tout agrees with a masculine singular noun, you're in luck: no change is required! In the example below, tout agrees with the noun votre argent (your money):
Vous donnez tout votre argent à Gérard.
You're giving all your money to Gérard.
Caption 69, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes parents se préparent à la fin du monde - Part 7
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When tout modifies a masculine plural noun, just drop the -t ending and replace it with an -s (tous), as in tous les petits commerces (all the little shops). Note that tout and tous sound the same, as the final -t and -s are both silent:
Ce qui est intéressant aussi dans la rue, c'est que tous les petits commerces sont des artisans français.
What's also interesting on the street is that all the little shops are French craftworkers.
Captions 32-34, Adrien Rue des Martyrs
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When tout modifies a feminine noun, add an -e for agreement. Note that this time, however, you do pronounce the second t! Listen for the t sound in toute la journée (all day) in the following video. Also note that we don’t say “all the day” in English, but we do in French!
Il a plu toute la journée.
It rained all day.
Caption 22, Ahlam et Timothé Des conversations basiques
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When tout agrees with a feminine plural noun, add -es to the end: toutes. As in the previous example, you will pronounce the second t, but not the final s. In other words, toute (feminine singular) and toutes (feminine plural) sound the same. In the example below, toutes agrees with the feminine plural noun les heures (hours). In this case, though, toutes les heures translates as “every hour,” not “all hours”:
Depuis que le nouveau curé a remis ses cloches à sonner toutes les heures
Since the new priest reset his bells to ring every hour
Caption 62, Actu Vingtième Le vide-grenier
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So far, so good, but watch what happens when we decide to omit the les. Just as in English, the meaning changes. In the clause below, the bell doesn’t necessarily ring on the hour, but “at all hours":
Depuis que le nouveau curé a remis ses cloches à sonner à toute heure
Since the new priest reset his bells to ring at all hours
In other words, when tout is used in the sense of “any” or “whichever," you drop the determiner and get the construction tout + noun. The person in the video below expects to be exposed à tout moment (at any moment):
Mais elle reste obnubilée par son larcin de la veille et s'attend à tout moment à être démasquée.
But she remains obsessed with her petty theft of the day before and expects at any moment to be unmasked.
Captions 47-49, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai volé pour nourrir mon fils - Part 3
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There is one more thing to consider. Even in the absence of determiners, agreement rules still apply! In the example below, we have three different spellings: agreements with a masculine plural noun (tous biens), a masculine singular noun (tout don), and a feminine singular noun (toute personne). Also note how the translation of tout varies according to the noun that follows it:
Tous biens... tout don est bienvenu, ainsi que toute personne.
All goods... every donation is welcome, as well as every person.
Caption 43, Actus Quartier Repair Café
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The use of tout can also imply diversity and inclusiveness, as in de toute religion (from all religions):
Y a de toute religion, y a des musulmans, y a de tout de chez nous.
There're people from all religions, there are Muslims, there's a bit of everything in our club.
Caption 14, Actu Vingtième Le vide-grenier
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Speaking of “all kinds," we have the expression toutes sortes (all kinds/all sorts):
Toutes sortes de décors... et une belle vaisselle.
All kinds of decorations... and beautiful dishes.
Caption 10, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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The construction tout + noun can also imply “any” possibility of something. In the video below, the pastry chef talks about being proactive by polishing the cutlery to avoid any potential marks:
Il faudra bien penser à les nettoyer, les polir correctement, pour éviter toute trace, parce que c'est plus joli, c'est plus sympa.
You really have to think about cleaning them, polishing them correctly, to avoid any marks, because it's prettier, it's nicer.
Captions 15-16, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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If the speaker had found des traces (some marks) on the cutlery, he would have had the staff remove toutes les traces (all the marks) and say something like this:
Nettoyez toutes les traces afin qu’il n’en reste plus.
Clean all the marks so there are none left.
In conclusion, a few reminders. Include a determiner to convey quantity, entirety, or diversity, as in tout le (all the) and tous les (every). But drop the determiner when tout is used in the sense of “any," “whichever,” or “all kinds." Whether you use the construction tout + determiner + noun or tout + noun, agreement rules apply in both cases. And don't forget: toutes les vidéos sur Yabla (all the Yabla videos) are available to help you. And since tout is such a common word, you'll find it in just about any video (toute vidéo). We will continue to explore tout in another lesson. Merci pour tout! (Thanks for everything!)
In our first lesson on rendre, we learned that the verb can mean "to give back," "to return," and "to render." In this lesson, we'll explore some expressions with rendre whose meanings go beyond giving/going back or rendering.
As we briefly mentioned in our previous lesson, the phrase rendre service means “to do a favor” or “to help” (literally, "to render a service"). In the video below, Sacha needs a favor from Dr. Dubois, aka Nico:
Est-ce que tu peux me rendre service ?
Can you do me a favor?
Caption 34, Extr@ Ep. 7 - La jumelle - Part 5
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Ideally, Sacha needs Nico to be willing to help and “be of service,” like the person in this video:
Moi, tu sais, si je peux rendre service
Me, you know, if I can be of service
Caption 15, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai volé pour nourrir mon fils - Part 4
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In the broader sense of the phrase, rendre service simply means “to help”—or not, as in the case of Pauline, the ungrateful guest in the video below:
Petit à petit, elle refuse de rendre service.
Little by little, she refuses to help.
Caption 3, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai été séquestré par mes amis - Part 4
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We also have the expression rendre hommage (to pay tribute/homage). On the anniversary of the death of famous singer Serge Gainsbourg, many artists wanted to rendre hommage to him:
Aujourd'hui le gratin du rock anglais rend hommage à Serge Gainsbourg, à commencer par Placebo.
Today the elite of English rock pays tribute to Serge Gainsbourg, starting with Placebo.
Caption 17, Le Journal Gainsbourg
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On a lighter note, we have the phrase rendre visite (to pay someone a visit). Our Yabla guide David encourages viewers to lui rendre visite (visit him) and explore his home country of Martinique:
Si un jour vous avez le bonheur de nous rendre visite
If one day you have the pleasure of visiting us
Caption 4, David Les animaux
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Note that if David had been talking about visiting Martinique, he would have said this instead:
Si un jour vous avez le bonheur de visiter la Martinique
If one day you have the pleasure of visiting Martinique
So, use rendre visite for visiting people and visiter for visiting places.
Speaking of places, the verbal phrase se rendre à/dans means “to go to (a place)." Se rendre is equivalent to aller (to go). In the video below, Fanny and Corrine suggest se rendre dans des magasins (going to shops) to bargain-hunt:
Pour bien commencer le printemps, on vous propose de vous rendre dans des magasins
To get spring off to a good start, we suggest you go to shops
Caption 11, Fanny & Corrine parlent de la mode La mode à bas prix
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You can also use the reflexive verb se rendre in a variety of expressions, such as se rendre compte, which means “to realize” or “to become aware of.” The teenager in the video below se rend compte (realizes) that something is not right:
L'adolescente se rend bien compte que quelque chose ne va pas.
The teenage girl quickly realizes that something isn't right.
Caption 14, Le Jour où tout a basculé Nos bébés ont été échangés... - Part 4
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(For more information on ways to use compte [count], see this Yabla lesson.) In the non-reflexive form (without the se), the verbal phrase rendre compte means “to report” or “give an account”:
Oui, mais d'abord, on rend compte à Oméga.
Yes, but first we report to Omega.
Caption 25, Il était une fois: L’Espace 3. La planète verte - Part 3
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Going back to se rendre compte: once you've realized something, you might be forced to se rendre à l'évidence (come to terms with the evidence). Something that is extremely difficult to do for this couple, who discovered that their baby was switched at birth:
Pourtant, ils doivent se rendre à l'évidence.
However, they must come to terms with the evidence.
Caption 30, Le Jour où tout a basculé Nos bébés ont été échangés... - Part 4
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Another way to translate se rendre à l’évidence is “to face the facts”:
Henri doit se rendre à l'évidence.
Henri must face the facts.
Caption 40, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 7
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Once you have come to terms with the evidence, you may come to the awful realization that it would be wise “to surrender”—se rendre. This is actually the infinitive form of rendez-vous, which, as a command, doesn't refer to "a date" or "meeting" (un rendez-vous), but rather an order to give yourself up:
Rendez-vous ! Vous êtes cernée !
Surrender! You're surrounded!
Caption 85, Mère & Fille Camping Cour
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Or, less harshly, a suggestion to go somewhere:
Pour vous abonner à Yabla, rendez-vous sur la page S'abonner.
To subscribe to Yabla, go to the Subscribe page.
As you can see, there are many ways to render rendre, from giving back, to going places, to surrendering. Now that vous vous êtes rendu(e) compte (you've become aware) of rendre’s many uses, rendez hommage (pay homage) to the word rendre by using it. Stay tuned and rendez-vous to Yabla for a future lesson!
The verb rendre is a handy verb to know, especially when you need to give something back, as it means just that, “to give back” or “to return":
Nous ne sommes pas belliqueux et tout disposés à rendre nos prisonniers.
We're not warlike, and quite willing to give back our prisoners.
Caption 6, Il était une fois: L’Espace 3. La planète verte - Part 7
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Donc c'est l'endroit où tu peux emprunter des livres mais tu dois les rendre ensuite.
So this is the place where you can borrow books, but you have to return them later.
Captions 65-66, Français avec Nelly Les faux amis - Part 1
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But rendre does not just mean “to return” an item to its owner or “to bring back” a person where they belong. It also means “to make” something happen, either good or bad. In the example below, it is something positive, rendre l’air plus sain (making the air healthier):
Les plantes ont-elles des vertus dépolluantes ? Suffisent-elles à rendre l'air plus sain ?
Plants, do they have depolluting properties? Are they sufficient to make the air healthier?
Captions 1-2, Grand Lille TV Plantes = Air intérieur sain, une idée reçue?
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Or rendre can refer to something negative, as in rendre malade (to make someone sick) or rendre fou (to make/drive someone crazy), as shown in the next two examples:
Ça me rend malade
It makes me sick
Caption 14, Le Jour où tout a basculé J'ai volé pour nourrir mon fils - Part 5
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Mais enfin, c'est pas possible! Ils vont me rendre fou!
But really, this isn't possible! They're going to drive me crazy!
Caption 2, Il était une fois: la vie 6. Les petites plaquettes - Part 5
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Note that although we say “to make” in English, we cannot use faire in instances like this, as explained in this lesson.
Sometimes, rendre is best translated as its English cognate, "to render":
Nous, on va les rendre consommables.
We're going to render them consumable.
Caption 14, Le saviez-vous? La Maison de l'Olive à Nice - Part 2
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Both French and English use the verb rendre/"render" to refer to depicting something artistically. In the video below, the artist "renders" the work in black and white instead of color to achieve a timeless effect:
Notamment pour le rendre aussi le noir et blanc, ça donne quelque chose d'assez intemporel.
Notably to render it also, the black and white gives it something quite timeless.
Captions 104-105, Le saviez-vous? La pratique de dessin de Maxime Duveau
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Rendu, the past participle of rendre, can be used as a noun in an artistic context: un rendu (a rendering).
Le résultat: des tableaux au rendu très naturel
The result: paintings with a very natural rendering
Captions 7-8, Le Mans TV Le Mans: Ouverture d'un nouvel atelier d'artistes
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Rendre can also mean "to render" in a legal context, as in rendre un verdict (to render a verdict):
La justice a rendu son verdict.
The courts have rendered their verdict.
Caption 47, Le Jour où tout a basculé Je me suis fait voler ma musique - Part 7
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The past participle rendu also can be found in the expression service rendu, equivalent to "services rendered" in English. In the example below, we're talking about medical services:
Le Comité économique des produits de santé fixe les prix en fonction de l'amélioration du service médical rendu
The Economic Committee for Medicinal Products sets prices according to the improvement of the medical service rendered
Captions 45-46, France 24 Découvrez le parcours du médicament : Du laboratoire à la pharmacie
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In conclusion, we hope that this lesson vous a rendu service (was helpful to you) and that you discovered some new ways of using rendre. But we have not exhausted the subject yet! There are many other expressions involving rendre, so stay tuned for another lesson. Thank you for reading!
Did you know that there are beaucoup (many) ways of saying "many" in French? In fact, French offers an abundance of terms to suit various styles, from common, conversational, colloquial to more formal and literary. In this lesson we will explore alternatives to the ubiquitous beaucoup.
But first, let's take a quick look at beaucoup (many, a lot). In Yabla videos, you will often come across the construction beaucoup de (a lot of/a great deal of). Here is one example:
Ben, on te souhaite, ben, beaucoup de réussite
Well, we wish you, well, a great deal of success
Caption 106, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano Médaillon de Homard - Part 3
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As an adverb, beaucoup can also stand on its own. You are probably familiar with the polite expression merci beaucoup (thank you very much):
Ben merci beaucoup, hein. C'était un plaisir.
Well thank you very much, you know. It's been a pleasure.
Caption 108, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano Médaillon de Homard - Part 3
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A close cousin to beaucoup de is plein de (plenty of), which is slightly more casual. In this cheerful video, the weather forecaster wishes her viewers a Happy Halloween, which, of course, involves eating plein, plein de bonbons:
Alors je vous souhaite une super fête et mangez plein, plein, plein de bonbons. Tchao-tchao.
So I wish you a great holiday and eat lots and lots and lots of candies. Ciao-ciao.
Caption 18, Alsace 20 Météo des Maquilleurs
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Slightly more colloquial than plein de (plenty of) is un tas de or des tas de, literally "a load of" or "heaps of." Take a look at the two examples below:
Mais on peut lui demander des tas d'autres choses
But we can request loads of other things from it
Caption 20, Il était une fois: Notre Terre 25. Technologies - Part 7
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Si vous êtes végétarienne, y a des tas d'autres choses
If you're vegetarian, there're heaps of other things
Caption 28, Mon Lieu Préféré Rue des Rosiers - Part 2
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Un tas de can also be translated as “plenty of”:
Ah, c'est bien simple. Il peut y avoir des tas de raisons
Ah, it's quite simple. There could be plenty of reasons for that
Caption 39, Il était une fois: la vie 6. Les petites plaquettes - Part 1
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There's also the expression pas mal de (a great deal of), which we've explored before. In the video below, the person interviewed has pas mal de problèmes de santé (quite a few health problems):
J'ai un pacemaker et pas mal de choses.
I have a pacemaker and quite a few things.
Caption 20, Actu Vingtième Le Repas des anciens
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Moving up a rung on the formality ladder, we have the idiomatic expression bien d’autres (many others), which has a more neutral tone (note that bien in this case no longer means “well," but “many”):
...telle cette espèce de saladier que vous voyez là à l'image, et bien d'autres.
...such as this sort of salad bowl that you see here in the picture, and many others.
Caption 13, David La calebasse
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Similarly, énormément de (an emormous amount of) followed by a noun is used to emphasize quantity:
énormément de musique
an enormous amount of music
Caption 32, Alex Terrier Le musicien et son jazz
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Depending on context, it's sometimes better to translate énormément de as “(so) many” or “a great deal of”:
Donc ce sera une ligne très intéressante parce qu'il y a énormément de personnes qui vont travailler en dehors de Paris
So it will be a very interesting line because there are so many people who go to work outside of Paris
Captions 46-48, Adrien Le métro parisien
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Vous allez découvrir d'autres petits secrets de cette rue parce qu'il y en a énormément.
You're going to discover other little secrets of this street because there are a great deal of them.
Captions 63-64, Adrien Rue des Martyrs
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On a more formal register, you may come across the adjective maint, which is etymologically related to the English "many." Interestingly, maint does not need to be followed by de (of), unlike other adverbs of quantity. Maintes (the feminine plural of maint) is often combined with fois to form the expression maintes fois (many times):
Elles ont d'ailleurs été maintes fois représentées par des célèbres peintres
Incidentally, they've been depicted many times by famous painters
Caption 10, Voyage en France La Normandie: Honfleur
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There is also a more obscure equivalent to maint: the archaic adjective moult, dating back to the 16th century. It's no longer in use, but it might be a good word to know if you want to impress your professors with your knowledge! To quote French writer Gustave Flaubert, you could derive moult satisfaction (much satisfaction) from their reaction:
J'embrasserai ta vieille trombine avec moult satisfaction.
I will kiss your old face with much satisfaction.
While people seldom use the word moult other than for effect, young people especially might like to use a little slang and say pas des masses (not many/not much). Interestingly, the expression is always in the negative form:
Il n’y en a pas des masses.
There are not many.
As you can see, there are beaucoup de façons (many ways) to say beaucoup, and if you wish to know even more, see this Larousse entry. You now have plenty to choose from, as there are different options for all contexts, from casual settings to more formal ones. Just be aware of the tone you wish to use. Save des tas de for friends, and moult for literary buffs.
Wishing you beaucoup de satisfaction in your French learning, and merci beaucoup or moult remerciements (many thanks) for reading!
Yabla features many videos that give you an opportunity to learn about French history and expand your history-related vocabulary. In this lesson, we will focus on some of France's most illustrious rulers, starting from Clovis, the first monarch, to Louis XVI and Louis Philippe, the last French kings.
As Patricia explains in her video, France was once divided into several royaumes francs (Frankish kingdoms). The Franks were a Germanic tribe that gave the country its name. In the Middle Ages, un roi franc (a Frankish king) named Clovis came into power and managed to unite all the Frankish tribes to form a kingdom roughly the shape of France:
Ce roi franc a unifié plusieurs royaumes francs et a ainsi agrandi considérablement son royaume.
This Frankish king unified several Frankish kingdoms and thus considerably expanded his kingdom.
Caption 9, Le saviez-vous? D'où vient le nom de la France?
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Clovis, who ruled from 481 to 511, is considered the first French king:
Clovis est le premier roi de France.
Clovis is the first king of France.
Caption 10, Le saviez-vous? D'où vient le nom de la France?
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Two centuries later, another Frankish king, Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, expanded his kingdom by conquering much of what would become Europe today. Charlemagne is perhaps best known in France for his contribution to education, as described in France Gall’s popular 1964 song "Sacré Charlemagne" ("Sacred Charlemagne" or "Bloody Charlemagne"): "[le roi] qui a eu cette idée folle d’avoir inventé l’école" ([the king] who had this crazy idea of inventing school). In the video below, a passerby hums part of the refrain:
Sacré Charlemagne...
Sacred Charlemagne...
Caption 39, Micro-Trottoirs Sacrée France Gall
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Much later, during the Renaissance period, another powerful king, Louis XIV (Louis Quatorze) came into power and ruled France for 72 years! In his video, Daniel Benchimol shows us the king’s birthplace, the town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in the outskirts of Paris:
À cet endroit tout simplement naquit Louis Quatorze en mille six cent trente-huit.
On this very spot, Louis the Fourteenth was born in sixteen hundred thirty-eight.
Caption 36, Voyage en France Saint-Germain-en-Laye
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Louis XIV became known as le roi Soleil (the Sun King) because he adopted the sun as his emblem:
Louis Quatorze, donc, le roi Soleil a décidé de prendre la ville ici en mille six cent soixante-trois.
Louis the Fourteenth, so, the Sun King decided to seize the town here in sixteen sixty-three.
Captions 38-39, Lionel Marsal - Part 2
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Louis XIV’s main residence was, of course, the Château de Versailles (Palace of Versailles), known for its amazing architecture:
Puisque l'art, c'est plutôt, euh... l'architecture, euh... comme le château de Versailles.
Since art, it's rather, uh... architecture, uh... like the Palace of Versailles.
Caption 15, Micro-Trottoirs Art ou science?
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Although in English we refer to the Château de Versailles as “a palace," strictly speaking, “a palace” is un palais and un château is “a castle.” And you are never far away from one of those in France, as there are over 40,000 castles throughout the country:
Autour de nous, des moulins, des châteaux, une cité médiévale.
Around us, windmills, castles, a medieval town.
Caption 43, Voyage en France Saint-Mammès
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The magnificent Château de Versailles was also the main residence of Louis XVI (Louis Seize) and la reine Marie-Antoinette (Queen Marie-Antoinette). Louis XVI also enjoyed staying at another royal castle outside of Paris, the Château de Rambouillet, where he could hunt in the nearby forest. Unfortunately, the queen hated the place, so the king, ever eager to please her, had le pavillon (the pavilion) called la Laiterie de la Reine (the Queen’s Dairy) built for his wife in 1785. In the video below, Daniel Benchimol shows us this magnificent building:
Derrière moi, ce magnifique pavillon qu'on appelle la Laiterie de la Reine. Il fut construit à la demande de Louis Seize pour la reine Marie Antoinette.
Behind me, this beautiful pavilion called the Queen's Dairy. It was built at the request of Louis the Sixteenth for Queen Marie Antoinette.
Captions 7-8, Voyage en France Rambouillet - Part 2
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Four years after the pavilion was built, the monarchy was formerly abolished during the 1789 French Revolution:
La France a été une royauté jusqu'en dix-sept cent quatre-vingt-neuf
France was a monarchy until seventeen eighty-nine
Caption 11, Le saviez-vous? D'où vient le nom de la France?
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La monarchie returned in 1815 for a brief time, as Patricia explains in her video:
En dix-huit cent quinze, avec le retour de la monarchie
In eighteen fifteen, with the return of the monarchy
Caption 26, Le saviez-vous? Histoire du drapeau français
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Indeed, there were a few more kings after the French Revolution, Louis Philippe being the last to rule from 1830 until 1848. In his video, Daniel Benchimol mentions how Louis Philippe came into power:
C'est ici que se prépara la révolution de dix-huit cent trente qui conduisit Laffitte à la présidence du Conseil de Louis Philippe.
It's here that the eighteen thirty revolution was fomented, which led Laffitte to the presidency of the Louis Philippe Council.
Captions 23-24, Voyage en France Maisons-Laffitte - Part 3
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There are many more rois (kings) and reines (queens) featured in our videos for you to explore. Daniel Benchimol's Voyage en France series is a great place to start. Thank you for taking this little trip back in time with Yabla!
In a previous lesson on French art vocabulary, we learned that “le cadre is the frame around a painting or photograph.” In this lesson, we will focus on other meanings of cadre (frame) that are not related to art. In the process, we will also discuss related vocabulary such as encadrement (frame, management) and encadrer (to frame, supervise) that are also not always art-related.
Indeed, un cadre can take on a more figurative meaning. In the example below, it means “an environment”:
On a un cadre qui est vraiment agréable donc les gens viennent.
We have an environment that is really pleasant, so people come.
Caption 59, Le Mans TV Mon Village - Malicorne - Part 1
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Or, un cadre is simply “a space,” an interior space:
On a pris une décoratrice d'intérieur pour nous faire un cadre vraiment zen, épuré
We took on an interior designer to make us a really Zen, clean space
Caption 18, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: à l'Anatable à Dinsheim
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As mentioned in the previous lesson, "un cadre is also the word for 'framework' (as in the expression dans le cadre de, 'within the framework of')":
Donc là on leur met - et bien évidemment dans le cadre de ce suivi - une bague du Muséum d'Histoire naturelle de Paris
So there we put on them - and quite obviously within the framework of this follow-up - a ring from the Paris Museum of Natural History
Captions 13-14, Canal 32 Les secrets des cailles des blés
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The expression dans le cadre de can also mean “within the context of”:
et que ça rentre aussi tout à fait dans le cadre du vivre-ensemble
and that it also falls really well within the context of harmonious living
Caption 38, Actus Quartier Fête de quartier Python-Duvernois - Part 4
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You might come across a less common meaning of dans le cadre de: “as part of,” as in part of an event, such as the anniversary of a wine route:
Oui. C'est un petit peu aussi dans le cadre du soixantième anniversaire de la route des vins.
Yes. It's a little bit also as part of the sixtieth anniversary of the wine route.
Caption 6, Alsace 20 100 recettes pour 100 vins
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In short, un cadre refers to a space, environment, setting, framework, or context. But you may be surprised to learn that it’s also the word for "executive" or "manager." For example, the mother in the following video is une cadre supérieure (a top executive):
Mère de famille, cadre supérieure
Mother of a family, top executive
Caption 7, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 2
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And it seems logical that un poste d’encadrement should refer to "a management position":
Découvrons un premier exemple pour un poste d'encadrement.
Let's discover a first example, for a management position.
Caption 64, QuestionEntretien Pourquoi vous et pas un autre ? - Part 3
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Likewise, the verb encadrer means “to organize” or “supervise.” (Note that in an art context, encadrer means to frame a picture or a photograph.) In the video below, the speaker mentions that the annual Paris-Plage event was bien encadré (well organized) thanks to its constant supervising and monitoring:
C'est toujours, euh... bien encadré.
It's always, uh... well organized.
Caption 24, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 2
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Encadrer is synonymous with surveiller (to supervise, monitor, surveil):
Il y a toujours des gens pour encadrer, surveiller.
There are always people to supervise, monitor.
Caption 29, Lionel L Paris-Plage - Part 2
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Encadré in the broader sense of the word means “taken care of.” In the following video, the speaker would like to go on a cruise where everything is encadré:
Tout est encadré.
Everything is taken care of.
Caption 40, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes grands-parents sont infidèles - Part 1
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However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, encadré can imply excessive interference to the point of feeling restricted. In the video below, Youssef Ben Amar, a contender in the legislative race, tries to debunk the myth that politics is about imposing restrictions:
On nous a vendu le mot "politique" comme quelque chose de très encadré
We've been sold the word "politics" as something very restricted
Captions 14-15, Le Mans TV Youssef Ben Amar, un rappeur engagé en politique
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Worse still, encadrer is not just a criticism—it can also describe something or someone you can't stand:
Je ne peux pas me les encadrer.
I can't stomach them.
Caption 85, Le saviez-vous? Comment dire qu'on n'aime pas?
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So, to sum up, encadrer has many meanings, ranging from “to frame," "to supervise", "to organize," "to loathe.” The Yabla team will make sure that you’re bien encadré or bien encadrée (well taken care of) thanks to our numerous videos.
\Wishing you every success dans le cadre de Yabla! Thank you for reading.
In addition to le passé composé (perfect or compound past tense), you can also use l'imparfait (imperfect tense) to talk about things that occurred in the past. So, when should you choose l'imparfait over le passé composé? Let's explore both tenses.
Before we embark on the specific uses of l'imparfait, let's find out how to form this past tense. Just take the nous (we) form of the present tense, as in nous faisons (we do/are doing), remove the -ons, and add the ending -ais, -ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, or -aient. So, nous faisons (we do/are doing) becomes nous faisions (we were doing/used to do). Margaux and Manon will show you how to conjugate the rest of the verb faire in the imparfait:
Je faisais... Tu faisais. Il ou elle faisait.
I was doing... You were doing. He or she was doing.
Nous faisions. Vous faisiez.
We were doing. You [pl. or formal] were doing.
Ils ou elles faisaient.
They [masc.] or they [fem.] were doing.
Captions 31-33, Margaux et Manon - Conjugaison du verbe faire
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Now that you know how to form the imperfect tense, let's discuss how to use it. Usually, l'imparfait indicates ongoing actions in the past that have a stronger connection to the present than le passé composé, which describes a completed action. In his conversation with Lea in the video below, Lionel uses the imperfect form tu me parlais (you were telling me) as a subtle cue that he wants to hear more about the animals in the park. It's an invitation to Lea to elaborate:
Tu me parlais aussi tout à l'heure de la
You were also telling me earlier about the
présence d'animaux dans ces parcs.
presence of animals in these parks.
Caption 43, Lea & Lionel L - Le parc de Bercy - Part 2
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If Lionel wanted to say something like “you already told me earlier” and then changed the subject, he would have used passé composé:
Ah oui, tu m’en as déjà parlé tout à l’heure.
Oh yes, you already told me about that earlier.
But l'imparfait is not only used to evoke an ongoing action drifting into the present. It's also the ideal tense for talking about things you used to do or describing repeated actions. In the following video, Claire remembers how elle allait (she used to go) to the park with her daughter:
Oh, j'y allais beaucoup avec ma fille, il y a quelques années.
Oh, I used to go there a lot with my daughter a few years ago.
Caption 47, Claire et Philippe - La campagne
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L'imparfait is very helpful for setting a background and creating a mood. In his poem "Barbara," Jacques Prévert sets the scene by describing the incessant rain in the city of Brest, which was destroyed during the Second World War:
Il pleuvait sans cesse sur Brest ce jour-là
It was raining nonstop in Brest that day
Caption 2, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert
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Later on, the poet uses the imparfait again to describe the romantic encounter that follows:
Tu souriais
You were smiling
Et moi je souriais de même
And I smiled back
Captions 9-10, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert
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(Note that we used the perfect tense in English for je souriais [I smiled]. The French imparfait does not always correspond to the English imperfect, as we'll discuss further below.)
Prévert then adds more to the background: a man who s’abritait (was taking shelter) under a porch and interrupted the scene with a shout. Whereas the imparfait is used for background or habitual actions, single actions interrupting an ongoing action are usually expressed in passé composé:
Un homme sous un porche s'abritait
A man was taking shelter under a porch
Et il a crié ton nom
And he shouted your name
Captions 17-18, Le saviez-vous? - "Barbara" de Jacques Prévert
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While all verbs can be conjugated in both the passé composé and the imparfait, certain verbs by their very nature express a state of mind, an attitude, a condition, or a desire, thus lending themselves better to the use of the imparfait. These verbs include avoir (to have), croire (to believe), désirer (to desire), espérer (to hope), être (to be), penser (to think), pouvoir (to be able to), savoir (to know), vouloir (to want). Note that some of these verbs don’t usually take the imperfect in English. For example, we can say on savait, but we don’t really say “we were knowing” in English. In the video below, on ne savait pas translates as "we didn't know":
On ne savait pas que le marché de Noël ouvrait aujourd'hui
We didn't know that the Christmas market was opening today
Caption 8, Alsace 20 - Ouverture du marché de Noël de Colmar
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In another example using the verb penser (to think), the imperfect form is necessary for expressing repetition in French, but not in English:
Je pensais souvent à toi.
I often thought of you.
Caption 38, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ?
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However, just like in English, when referring to a completed action, we switch to passé composé in French. In the example below, the action was completed hier (yesterday), hence the use of the perfect tense (j’ai pensé). So, paying attention to adverbs in French can help you choose the correct tense:
J’ai pensé à toi hier.
I thought of you yesterday.
In some rare cases, a verb's meaning can change depending on what tense it's in. For example, the verb connaître (to know) usually means “to know” in the imparfait but "to meet" in the passé composé:
Je l'avais fréquenté pendant plusieurs années et je le connaissais.
I had socialized with him for several years, and I knew him.
Caption 63, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Mes parents se préparent à la fin du monde
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J'ai connu Gérard y a une dizaine d'années.
I met Gérard about ten years ago.
Caption 39, Le Jour où tout a basculé - J'ai escroqué mon assurance !
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In the first example, the speaker uses the imparfait to describe an old acquaintance she has known for a long time—something in the past that has an effect on the present. In the second example, we're dealing with a singular event that can't be repeated, when the speaker first met Gérard. So the passé composé is in order here.
Sometimes certain grammatical structures dictate which tense you should use. For example, to describe hypothetical situations, we use the construction si + imparfait. Zaz uses this construction throughout her song "Si" (If):
Si j'étais l'amie du bon Dieu
If I were the good Lord's friend
Caption 1, Zaz - Si
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Now that you’re familiar with the imparfait and passé composé, why not write your own story in the past tense using both forms? Yabla videos are at your disposal for inspiration.
In our previous lesson, we learned that rester is a false cognate meaning "to stay/to remain." In this lesson, we will continue to explore the various uses of rester and focus on the impersonal verb il reste (there remains). We will also look at the meaning of le reste (the rest) as a noun.
The phrase il reste is a bit tricky as it does not necessarily mean "he/it stays." Indeed, the construction il reste is what we call an impersonal verb, as the subject of the sentence (il) doesn’t stand for anything or anyone in particular. Hence the translation of il reste is open to interpretation and will vary. The impersonal pronoun il can be equivalent to "there" in English. In the example below, the construction il reste + noun means "there’s also" in the context of the video:
Et ensuite il reste un dessert en supplément à deux euros soixante
And afterward there's also a dessert for an additional two euros sixty
Caption 10, Alsace 20 - Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains
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In another example, we have the expression ce qu’il en reste, which simply means "what’s left of it." Il is omitted in the translation as it only has a grammatical function in French and is therefore not needed in English:
Ce qu'il en reste.
What remains of it.
Caption 14, Arles - Un Petit Tour d'Arles
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Il reste (there remains) often comes in a negative form, such as il ne reste que... This is a very useful expression to convey that "only x remains":
Maintenant il ne reste que le cadre.
Now only the frame remains.
Another variation of il ne reste que is il ne reste plus que, which means "there remains only":
Du fait de nombreuses fusions,
Because of many mergers,
il ne reste plus qu'une société anonyme de cartes de crédit
there remains only one limited liability credit card company
Caption 15, Patricia - Pas de crédit dans le monde des clones
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Il ne reste plus que can also translate as "all that’s left":
Aujourd'hui, derrière, malheureusement,
Today, behind it, unfortunately,
il ne reste plus qu'un parking.
all that's left is a parking lot.
Caption 25, Voyage en France - Fontainebleau
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And there is yet another way to interpret il ne reste plus que. It can also mean "there is only x left":
Il ne reste plus que cette porte
There is only this door left
Caption 22, Voyage en France - Fontainebleau
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We also have the negative expression il ne reste plus rien, which means "there’s nothing left":
Donne-moi tout, même quand il [ne] reste plus rien
Give it all to me, even when there's nothing left
Caption 1, Corneille - Comme un fils
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What’s more, you can even throw a personal pronoun such as me in the mix. In the example below, we have il ne me reste plus qu’à, which is a complex turn of phrase best translated as "all that remains for me":
Il [ne] me reste plus qu'à vous souhaiter un très bon appétit
All that remains for me to do is wish you a very good appetite
Caption 114, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano - Médaillon de Homard - Part 3
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Indeed, French speakers often insert a personal pronoun in between il reste, as in il nous reste (we still have). The personal pronoun nous becomes the subject pronoun "we":
Il nous reste encore quelques minutes de cuisson pour le homard.
We still have a few minutes of cooking time left for the lobster.
Caption 15, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano - Médaillon de Homard - Part 2
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In another video, il ne nous reste plus que translates as "we only have x remaining":
Et là, il [ne] nous reste plus que deux colonnes de marbre
And here we only have two marble columns remaining
Caption 16, Arles - Un Petit Tour d'Arles
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The expression il ne vous reste plus grand-chose (you don’t have much left) works in a similar way. Once again, the personal pronoun (vous) becomes the subject in English:
Et ça a bien marché puisqu'il [ne] vous reste plus grand-chose.
And business has been good since you don't have that much left.
Caption 52, Arles - Le marché d'Arles
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There are many other ways of using il reste, which you can explore here. All this may seem a bit complicated, but fortunately, when reste is used as a noun, it's much simpler! Le reste is a direct cognate that simply means "the rest":
Tout le reste du temps, je dors là où je suis assise
The rest of the time, I sleep right where I'm sitting
Caption 15, Le Journal - Les navigateurs du Vendée Globe
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However, the plural les restes takes on a new meaning. Now we're talking about "leftovers" or "leftover food":
Bon, souvent parce qu'il y a des restes,
Well, often because there are leftovers,
donc il faut éliminer les restes.
so it's necessary to eliminate the leftovers.
Caption 9, TV Vendée - Fêtes de fin d’année : manger léger et équilibré
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Finally, to be clear, "to rest" in English is NOT rester but se reposer or reposer:
Tu peux admirer le paysage et te reposer.
You can admire the scenery and rest.
Caption 45, Le saviez-vous? - Comment voyager?
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Maintenant, on va la laisser reposer
Now we are going to let it rest
Caption 32, Alsace 20 - Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas
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Now that you have worked so hard, il ne vous reste plus qu’à vous reposer (there is nothing left for you to do but rest)!
Sometimes, the meaning of a French word is easy to guess when it looks similar to an English word. However, for every cognate, there are just as many false cognates. And yet, il en reste encore beaucoup (there are still many more) that are worthy of our attention. In this lesson, we will look at the word rester, which—you guessed it—is un faux ami (a false cognate) and doesn’t mean “to rest." So what does it really mean?
The basic meaning of rester is “to stay/to remain.” In the example below, it means “to stay put”:
Bouge pas de là, Léon. Tu restes ici!
Do not move from here, Leon. You stay here!
Caption 5, Les zooriginaux - 3 Qui suis-je?
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A more forceful variation of Tu restes ici! is the idiomatic expression Reste tranquille! (Keep still!), which is often used to control restless children:
Restez tranquilles, les enfants!
Keep still, children!
You can also use rester (to stay) for all sorts of situations, as in rester en contact (to stay in contact):
Par ailleurs, Manon est restée en contact avec Émilie.
Moreover, Manon stayed in contact with Émilie.
Caption 30, Le Jour où tout a basculé - Nos bébés ont été échangés...
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Rester also means "to remain,” as we mentioned earlier. The tour guide at Joan of Arc's house uses rester to tell us where Joan’s family lived for a long time:
Mais le principal de sa famille est effectivement restée en Lorraine.
But the majority of her family indeed remained in Lorraine.
Caption 56, Lionel - La maison de Jeanne d'Arc
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It’s important to note that rester is one of the few verbs that require the auxiliary être (to be) in the passé composé. Patricia discusses this in a video on the subject:
Et comme tu es resté(e) concentré(e) depuis toutes ces leçons
And since you've remained focused for all these lessons
Caption 5, Le saviez-vous? - Exception dans les verbes du 1er groupe au passé composé
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Rester is also used in the present tense, of course. For example, we have the expression ça reste (that remains). In the example below, ça (that) becomes redundant in English and is therefore omitted:
Ouais, très bonne question.
Yeah, very good question.
Donc, le plat du jour c'est sûr, ça reste un produit d'appel.
So the daily special certainly remains a promotional product.
Caption 17, Alsace 20 - Grain de Sel: Au Caveau de l'étable à Niederbronn-les-Bains
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Ça reste sometimes means “it's/these are still”:
Rappeler effectivement aux gens que ça reste des produits de confiserie, c'est pas une mauvaise mesure
Indeed, to remind people that these are still sweets, it's not a bad idea
Caption 14, Le Journal - Publicité anti-calories
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On a l'impression d'être secoué, mais ça reste très agréable.
You have the feeling of being shaken, but it's still very pleasant.
Caption 16, À la plage avec Lionel - La plage
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Il reste encore (there is still) the expression il reste (there remains), which we will discuss in a future lesson. Merci d’être resté(e) concentré(e) pendant toute cette leçon (thank you for staying focused throughout this lesson)!
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