French Grammar and Absurdity

As I said in the "Read Me" page, I try to post links to native French-language sites. I think that this is one of the best ways to practice French, but occasionally there is an English site that's just too good to pass up.

Tex's French Grammar is an American site with Grammar explanations and exercises and I love this site. It's free and it's full of useful information.

Here you'll find many great grammar explanations (written in English and using proper grammar terminology). (If proper grammar terminology intimidates you, don't let it turn you away from this great resource. Read past the first paragraph or two of any grammar point and you'll see loads of useful examples and less frightening information.) You'll find exercises that you can do online (complete with answers). You'll find downloadable PDF's and you'll even find downloadable MP3's. I confess, I haven't used the MP3's much, so I can't comment on their quality, but if they're like the rest of the site, they should be pretty good.

Two caveats:
-I have found one or two mistakes on this site – there aren't many, but they're there. Think you've found one? Post it in a comment!
-This is a university site and it is aimed at university students. While it is never explicit, some of the themes are more adult than what you will find in most high school texts. High school or middle school teachers and tutors may want to review any specific grammar sheet before handing it out to students.

One of the fun things about this website? All of the grammar rules and exercises tell the complicated story of some very odd characters:

(Click on the cast of characters to visit the website.)

Qui or Que – The Saga Continues

Okay, so this grammar point maybe isn't convoluted enough to deserve to be labeled a "saga." Last week, in this post about super-spies and couch potatoes, we talked about the fact that "qui" refers to the subject of a sentence while "que" refers to the object – regardless of whether these were people or things.

Today we're going to review the exception to this rule. You knew it was coming, right? There's always an exception. Where's the fun if there isn't? If the super-spy always gets the documents and the girl without a hitch, the film is pretty dull.

For the grammophiles among you – the difference comes down to parts of speech. In last week's post, "qui" and "que" were relative pronouns « des pronoms relatifs », but this week we are talking about "qui" and "que" as interrogative pronouns  « des pronoms interrogatifs ». For example:

 

Here you can see that the second "qui" or "que" is following the rules for the super-spy and the couch potato. However, the "qui" or "que" that introduces the question now refers to a person or a thing.

    Who loves numbers? (Who is it that loves numbers?)
        Who did you see in the desert? (Who is it that you saw in the desert?)
           
            What is in the sky? (What is it that is in the sky?)
                What did the rose say? (What is is that the rose said?)

Of course, in the last two questions the "que" at the beginning of the sentence become "qu" with an apostrophe joining it to "est-ce" because "est-ce" starts with a vowel.

And a few more examples:

Fairly straightforward, but remember – the point her is that "qui" and "que" are asking questions. A sentence doesn't have to have the question phrase "est-ce que" to be a question. For example:

Que fait le buveur ?

Qui êtes-vous ?

Of course, a great way to practice these pronouns is simply to read them and use them. If you don't immediately recognize the references in this post then you are missing out and your Francophone education has been sorely lacking.  You can practice your pronouns and fix this glaring hole in your education by checking out the following book:

 

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=DF9E1E&t=aegtra-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=2070612759 http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=D79224&t=aegtra-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=0156012197

(Same book, different cover/size. I've always had a fondness for the blue cover.) I love this book. It's great for children and adults alike. Check it out!

Qui or Que?

  This question comes up a lot with students. Just what on earth is the difference between "qui" and "que"?

It's really very simple –

"Qui" is CEO of a multi-billion dollar, international corporation; president of a country that is a major player on the world stage; and also a super-spy (think 007 meets Chuck Norris meets Ninja meets James Bond- wait… well… you get my point).

"Que" is that annoying cousin that sits on your couch all day and eats your chips – but never vacuums up the crums and doesn't leave until you leverage him out the door with a shovel.

Obviously, by this I mean that "qui" refers to the subject of the sentence – "qui" is the active one."Que" refers to the object of the sentence – "que" is the lump on the log.

A quick review for those of us who have forgotten:

(Okay, technically, "cupcake with sprinkles" is the object.)

The subject does the action to the object. Now, if we'd had a different object in this sentence – say a cookie – that would mean that the spy had failed to get the super-top-secret documents. Fortunately, he ate the cupcake. *Whew.*

Remember, "subject" and "object" are grammatical terms. So, your object can be a person.

"The spy paid the baker."

Similarly, your subject can be a thing:

"The cupcake choked the spy."

How does all of this help with "qui" and "que"? Let's take a look at two more sentences:

"The spy who ate the cupcake." (or) "The spy that ate the cupcake."

vs.

"The cupcake that I gave to the spy."

"L'espion qui a mangé le petit gâteau."

"Le petit gâteau que j'ai donné à l'espion."

 

In the first sentence, "qui" refers to the spy, the subject of the sentence. In the second sentence, "que" refers to the cupcake, the object of the sentence. In the second sentence, the object comes first. "I" am the subject and I give the "cupcake" (direct object) to the spy (indirect object).

I doubt we're done with this subject, but what do you think? Does this help? After all, it is an important distinction. You don't want to go through life confusing super-spies with couch-sitting chip eaters. That just wouldn't do.

Do you know your Harry Potter Basics?

Today one of my Harry Potter workshops is starting (if you don't know what I'm talking about, check out the Sacramento or San Francisco page) and I thought it would be appropriate to practice our French today with a little Harry Potter. So, we're returning to TV5. Yup, I told you that website was a great resource!

Under their "jeunesse" (youth) section they have a fairly simply Harry Potter quiz. But to get it right you'll not only have to know your Harry Potter and your basic French vocab, you'll also need to know your Harry Potter vocab. What do you think? Think you can ace this simple little quiz? Give it a try and let me know how you do!

 

 

Haven't checked out Harry Potter in French? You should!

 

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&npa=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=DD8E10&t=aegtra-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&asins=2070612368

Online Vocabulary – Values & Virtues

Last week I talked about learning French online – using resources about favorite pastimes and hobbies to pick up vocabulary as well as a sense of how French is really used (both well and poorly) in day-to-day life.

The vocabulary you can pick up from these excursions into French websites is a little more broad than you might at first expect. For example, in this post about martial arts resources I refer to the Fédération Française de Judo and on their site you will find this handy-dandy list of core values:

The given definitions are not necessarily what you will find in a dictionary, but they are short, fairly straitforward, and in French!

Personally, I like "courage" and "sincerity". I like the definition of "courage" because it means that something as common (and unfortunate) as lying to make yourself look good is an act of cowardice, and I'm intrigued by the definition of "sincerity" because that is one demanding definition!

Think about it, by this definition I may be "honest" if I say I don't want to sit down and write that book I've been talking about, but I'm only "sincere" if I admit that the reason I don't want to write it is that I'm terrified it won't be well-received.

What do you think of these virtues and their definitions?

Listening Online – RFI

RFI – Radio France Internationale – is an excellent online resource for listening comprehension. Not does the primary page provide new stories and links to radio programs which can be accessed online, but rfi.fr also offers some excellent language-learning resources.

The RFI homepage:
www.rfi.fr

Learn French:
Accueil Langue Française

One of my favorite things about the online French listening exercises at RFI is that they include exercises from many different French-speaking countries. Interested in hearing the French accent specific to the Congo? Or maybe Senegal? RFI is a great resource for practicing and appreciating all sorts of different French accents. Check it out!

French Vocabulary Online – Martial Arts

Yesterday we looked at crochet – today we're going to balance things out a bit by looking at martial arts.

For starters:
martial arts = les arts martiaux (m)

The Wikipedia article: Art Martial

In this article we learn all sorts of vocab such as:
un sport de combat = a combat sport
un sabre = a sabre
un couteau = a knife
la compétition = competition

As well as nouns and adjectives dealing with nationality:
le Japon = Japan
asiatique = Asian
japonais(e) = Japanese
coréen(ne) = Korean
birman(e) = Burmese
chinois(e) = Chinese

This is an easy subject to find links for, so I will make no attempt to list a representative sampling, but here are a few:

French Judo Federation
Capoeira France
le Taekwondo
French Karate Federation

And of course, there are a ton of related videos on YouTube, but just one as an example:

 

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/7mFnN1qaa0o?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&hd=1

How about you? What did you find?

Learning French Online – Vocabulary

The easiest, quickest, and most effective way to learn a language is to pick up and move to a country that speaks it. Once in a sink-or-swim situation you'd be surprised at how well you can swim. Unfortunately, this is not always practical. Given this reality, we look for ways to study the language in our day-to-day lives and online.

There are two essential aspects to learning a language:

1) Study it.
2) Use it.

The complication comes in deciding just how you will accomplish these simple steps. While the internet is full of online activities and lessons, some free, some costly, one of my favorite ways to study French has nothing to do with lessons, activities, or fees.

Start with what you know and love.

It's that simple. What interests you? Do you spend every free moment golfing? On the tennis courts? Creating new crafty gifts for your friends? Painting? Discovering music? With your pet? Whatever your hobby, your career, your passion – research it in French.

Assuming you have a basic grasp of the fundamentals, you'll be surprised at how much you can pick up this way. Many French words are similar to English words and you will be working with a subject that you know well. What is interesting is easy to learn and remember and what's more – it's easy to use. Start thinking about your hobby in French. Are you making a shopping list for your next trip to the craft store or REI? Write it in French. Have friends who are into the same thing and who also speak French? Practice with them!

The internet is full of excellent online resources for building your grasp of vocabulary and grammar in French.

Start at: www.fr.wikipedia.org
Read about your hobby.

(Not sure what it's called in French?
Look it up at: www.wordreference.com)

Then click on the external links on the Wikipedia article (you'll find these at the bottom of the article under "liens externes".)

Finally, enter some of the key vocabulary terms you've found in French in your favorite search engine and have fun!

Okay, seriously now – I want your comments! What are your favorite hobbies, pastimes, interests?

l’Alliance Française

As a francophone or francophile, you have surely heard of the Alliance Française. The Alliance Française is a not-for-profit organization that exists to encourage knowledge of French language and culture around the world. As the website for the Paris Alliance Française says:

Qu’est ce qu’une Alliance française ?

Chaque Alliance française est une association de droit local à but non lucratif, qui exerce sa mission de manière autonome, en dehors de tout engagement de nature politique ou religieuse.
Les Alliances françaises ont en commun la poursuite de trois missions essentielles :

• Proposer des cours de français, en France et dans le monde, à tous les publics

• Mieux faire connaître les cultures françaises et francophones

• Favoriser la diversité culturelle

Les Alliances françaises ont en partage les valeurs qui font la force et la vie du réseau et sous-tendent chacune de leurs actions :

• Le respect de la diversité des cultures, la passion de l’échange et la solidarité

• Les valeurs associatives

• La convivialité

• La recherche de l’excellence dans toutes les activités entreprises

• La modernité et l’innovation

Haven't been to an Alliance Franaçise event or tried an Alliance class? You're missing out! The local Alliance is a great place to go if you're looking to meet up with other French speakers. Whether you're a beginner or a native speaker, you're sure to find something fun at your local Alliance. Check out the Alliance Française USA website or simple google "Alliance Française" and your city name to see if there is an Alliance Française near you.

If you're in the Sacramento area, I've made it easy for you: Alliance Française de Sacramento

*** One of the coolest benefits offered by the AF? A language assessment test. And it's free! If you're interested in taking the test visit the Alliance Française USA.***

Online Verb Conjugator

Looking for a quick, easy way to check the conjugation of a verb?

I love this site for it's simplicity (and for the humor of the link). You can choose the "version polie:"

Allez vous faire conjuguer

Or the "version impolie:"

Va te faire conjuguer

Both links take you to the same page, and as far as I can tell, the pages are the same – except for the title.

It's unfortunate that they don't organize their verbs in the "boot" friendly pattern (I wouldn't recommend memorizing them the way they have them written out), but it is a great resource for looking up a verb quickly.