Module 7

La Tour Eiffel

The Eiffel tower was built for the World’s Fair in . Construction began in and it was designed by Gustave Eiffel. It weighs 10,100 tons. It is meters high (more than three football fields). There are 1656 steps.

The majority of people when surveyed named the Eiffel Tower when asked to name three European monuments.

500 people are because of the tower for security, concession of running tours. Millions have visited and continue to each year.

When it was built, most Parisians did not it. It was supposed to stand for only years and it was going to be in 1909 when it was reverted back to the city but plans changed when they realized the tower was a great help for efforts. It became a victory when the military used it to dispatch Parisian taxis to the front line in the First Battle of the Marne.

7.01 Le temps

La Météo en France

France is a beautiful land with a varied geographical make-up. There are to Mount Blank, the mountain that runs across the border of France and Italy. of France is mountains and hills. The Mediterranean includes areas such as the French Rivera which is a popular area with tourists. The land in Northern France in very .

Because of this, France enjoys a of weather conditions in the different areas. France generally experiences the same distinct seasons that the Midwest of the experiences and at the same times of year.

African nations that speak French, however, have a far different weather . The African nations generally have hot and more conditions with very little wintertime .

Let’s learn to talk about the weather we experience:

English French Sun

Il fait du soliel

Sky Le vent

leafIt fait du vent

Cloud Du brouillard

Ice Il gèle

It is cloudy Pleuvoir

It is raining Un imperméable

It is chilly Il fait mauvais

It is nice outLa neige

It is snowing Il fait froid

It is hot La nuit

Star La lune

Let’s talk about the weather.

Il du soleil. J’ai besoin de lunettes de . Il y a du soleil.

Il fait du . Il frais. C’est l’ . Il y a du vent.

Il y a des . Il ne pas, mais il frais.

Il fait mauvais. Je veux sortir.

Il . J’ai d’un imperméable ou d’un parapluie.

Il neige et il fait froid. C’est l’hiver.

Il fait très froid. Il fait degrés.

Il fait chaud. C’est l’été et je veux !

La météo en France : En France, il y a des dans le nord. Dans le sud, il chaud et il fait du soleil, Dans les Alpes, il fait et il neige. Dans l’ouest, il y a du brouillard et du . Dans le centre, il .

Different weather situations

Let’s talk about the weather

To ask what the weather is like, you say : Il fait quel temps? Or Quel temps fait il?

To say what the weather is like, you say : Il fait… and then a weather expression like froid (cold) of chaud (hot).

French English Il fait beau

It is hotIl fait mauvais

It is coldTo say it is sunny, add du:

Il fait du soleil. Il fait du vent. or Il y a du soleil. Il y a du vent.

To say it is raining or snowing, we do not use fait or il y a. Instead we simply say:

Il pleut. Il neige.

Note:

You can use a definite article and a color to point out a specific item.

Tu aimes la robe blanche? Oui, la blanche est plus jolie que la noire.

Commencer is an ER verb but it changes in the nous form:

Vous commencez à parler, mais nous commençons nos devoirs.

All verbs that end in –cer add a « cedilla » in the nous form to keep the soft s sound

7.02 Nice

Nice

France has a very varied and regions. One area that many French (as well as Europeans and other foreigners) love to visit is Nice, in the of France on the Mediterranean.

Nice it located on the Mediterranean coast. The largest city of the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur Region of France. The Cote d’Azur (The French Riviera) spans about miles of Mediterranean coastline. It includes the principality of Monaco.

Vieux Nice, the Old Quarter, offers quaint streets with colorfully houses and open air . Although called the Old Quarter, Nice actually records a much history.

Nice contains sites considered to be one of the oldest in Europe. Evidence of utilization of fire is present in one such , Terra Amata.

In more recent history, Nice gained renown as a resort for and royalty beginning in the second half of the 18th century. The Promenade des Anglais (The Walkway of the English) was and added to the calm natural beauty of Nice.

With its natural light, clean air and picturesque views, Nice became and is still an attraction for artists including Henri and Marc Chagall.

Nice continues to be a center for the with its Musée Marc Chagall, Musée Matisse and the Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret. An example of art decorating the streets of Nice is a by Guillaume Bottazi gracing the side of a building.

The streets of Nice come alive with during the month of February when Carnival is celebrated.

The origin of the word “ ” means “away with meat” and forecasts the upcoming of the season of lent. Earliest records of the ceremonies date back as

far as . Huge floats through the seaside streets.

Similar to held in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the Carnival parade, tall floats, dancers, musicians and participants follow the parade route. Twenty flower-covered compete in the Bataille des Fleurs (Battle of the Flowers).

With its Mediterranean climate, fresh flowers abundantly fill Nice’s open air markets. Although located not far from the snowy Alps, the weather in Nice typically is mild.

Spices, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables also fill the market places. It is no surprise that Nice is known for its excellent .

One such dish is Ratatouille, a which originated in Nice. Fresh from the farmer’s market fill the savory stew. Paired with a fresh French Baguette, Ratatouille represents a meal in Nice.

Along with Ratatouille, another traditional dish bears the name of the city: Salade Niçoise. Although on the traditional recipe have evolved, typically the dish

includes lettuce, tomatoes, black , tuna and anchovies.

Although Nice is a coastal spot in the extreme southwestern corner of , its cuisine also has strong influence not only from bordering such as Italy but also from regions in Europe. Evidence of multicultural influence returned in September of 2010.

The Moscow-Nice rail began again after a lapse of almost 100 years. The two-day passage through six European countries with 22 stops and luxury accommodations.

The Moscow-Nice rail service began in the 19th century until with the outbreak of World War II. The historical of Russia in Nice can be seen in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral built by Czar Nicholas II. An example of the varied in Nice, the French courts recognize the cathedral within its borders as Russian-owned.

Nice also connects to its Corsica, an Island that is one of the 27 regions of France. The NGV (navires à

grande vitesse), a craft, serves as a ferry between Nice and Corsica.

Visitors welcomed to Nice can select lodging at the Hotel Negresco. Opened in 1913, the hotel holds the distinction of a National Building.

With its beaches, , cuisine, architecture, multicultural and rich history, Nice earns its distinction as “Nice la Belle”. Nice the Beautiful.

The Alps

The great range, the Alps, wind from Austria and Slovenia westward through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and into France. The climate if the Alps varies from the cold, peaks to the more temperate . The French Alps extend primarily through two of the regions of France and form the easternmost rim of the country.

The region of Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur (PACA) includes the stretch of the French Alps. The region of Rhone-Alpes shares a with Switzerland and Italy. On the border of Italy and France lies the largest peak of the range: Mont Blanc.

Le Mont Blanc, also known as La Dame Blanche (the White Lady) rises to 15.782 feet and is the peak of the Alps and ranked highest in the world. The Mont Blanc tunnel, begun in 1957 and completed in 1965, etches its way the mountain to form a major trans-Alpine transport route Courmayeur, Italy, and Chamonix, France.

Located at the foot of Mont Blanc, Charmonix draws many visitors as the world’s third most visited natural site. The lofty dominate the view through the quaint streets.

Charmonix holds the distinction of the site of the first Winter Olympics Games held in . It remains one of the most popular for sports enthusiasts including snow skiers.

The Alps continue as a popular venue for the Winter Olympics. In 1992, Albertville, located in the Rhone-Alpes region, held the XVI Winter Olympics. Within its boundaries, Albertville, known more for than tourism, contains a town dating back to the 14th century.

Another Olympic site in the Rhone-Alpes region, Grenoble hosted the X Winter Olympic Games in . Grenoble ranks highly among European cities for its high-tech industries and also a center including the Grenoble Institute of Technology.

Grenoble is also famed for manufacturing.

Although the Alps gain much recognition for winter sports, the sports influence extends beyond winter. Other sports practices include , golf, and more. Stages of the Tour de France bicycle race roll through the Alps.

Also a stage in the Tour de France, Annecy is situated on the northern edge of Lake Annecy which serves as a location for individual time for the race.

Many historical sites line the of Annecy. One such site, the Palais de l’isle, resembles the of a ship. The palais served as a castle and residence in the century, as a courthouse, a and even one time a jail. Now it is a .

Within several miles of the border with Italy is Val d’Isère which, with the use of snow , provides year-

round skiing. To transport skiers up the mountain, Val d’Isère boasts Funival, the that begins above ground and then through the mountain to a station at the top.

Val d’Isère is known as a ski and for the high difficulty level of its slopes. During the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, several alpine skiing events were held in Val d’Isère.

The French Alps provide history, , scenery and sport year round. In the French Alps, one can enjoy the beauty of its waters. The French Alps also provide many, many opportunities to enjoy the activities for which the mountains are so well known.

Le temps

Quel temps fait-il?

Vocabulary

English Français The sun

Il pleutIt is windy

L’étoile

It is coldIl gèle

What is the weather like?Il fait du soleil

One must…Il fait mauvais

The dayUn nuage

The rainLa nuit

It is hotLa glace

It is coolIt is 30 degrees (Celsius not Fahrenheit)

Il fait 30 degrees

It is beautiful (outside)Temps gris

It is snowing La lune

7.03 Les activites du temps

Quelles activités aimes-tu faire selon le temps et la saison?

Les activités : qu’est-ce qu’aimes-tu?

You will like to do a variety of activities depending on what season it is. The vocabulary for this lesson is related to activities. Listen to the pronunciation of each word and look at the picture. Read the sentence that contains the vocabulary word. Repeat the sentence or word aloud to practice your pronunciation and to help you remember the word.

English FrenchSoccer

Le rugbyBasketball

Le badmintonGolf

Le tennisRoller skater

Le hockey (h is silent)Skateboarding

Le patin à glaceCycling

Le judoPing pong

Le VTT (velo tout terrain) Gymnastics

La natation The dance

L’athlétisme Horseback riding

Le skiWaterskiing

Faire un voyageSailing

Les devoirsShopping

C’est le printemps (m)It is winter

C’est l’été (m)It is fall

The « h » in « le hockey » is called an « aspire h. » When a word ending in a vowel appears before an aspire h, the is no elision: “aller a l’hopital,” bu “jouer au hockey”; “Un jour d’hiver,” but “un match de hockey.”

The words “le hot-dog” and “le hamberger” begin with an aspirate h. In a French dictionary the aspirate h is indicated by placing a “a’” in front of the word or “a*” after the word.

Did you notice that many of the vocabulary words in this lesson are cognates and borrowed words?

True cognate:

Le cyclisme

False cognates

Le football

Les courses

L’athletisme

Borrowed words

Le rugby

Le basket

Le badminton

Le golf

Le tennis

Le roller

Le hockey

Le judo

Le ping-pong

De, de la, et de l’

In English, many optional contractions are used. For example:

I+am = I’m

We+are = we’re

Do+not= don’t

Is+not= isn’t

There are similar contractions in French, however they are not optional. When the French preposition “de” appears before the masculine singular definite article “le,” the words contract.

For example:

De+la=de la

De+l’=de l’

De+le contracts to make =du

De+ les =des

Je fais de la danse. Je fais de l’équitation. Je fais du judo.

Note : In French, an adjective must always agree in number(singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine) with the noun it modifies.

Oui, je fais du, de la, de l’

Du= « le » words (masculine)

De la= « la » words (feminine)

De l’ = « l’ » words (can be masculine or feminine but begins with a vowel or vowel sound.

You have learned that when a word ends in the letter “e,” the consonant before it is pronounced: intelligent/intelligente. You have also learned to pronounce the final consonants “c,” “r,” “f,” and “l.” Other final consonants may be pronounced when they are followed by words beginning with vowels sounds. This is called liaison. Below, in the examples, we will indicate the liaison with a “_.” (For example, “un_examen” It almost sounds like there are two n sounds Un nexamen.)

7.04 Faire

After “etre” and “avoir,” “faire” is the most important French verb. In English, “faire” means “to do” or “to make.”

Qu’est-ce que tu fais?

Je fais mes devoirs

Qu’est-ce que tu fais? Je nage. Je fais la natation.

You have already studied verbs “etre,” “avoir,” and “aller” which are irregular verbs. “Faire” is an irregular verb which means it does not follow a predictable pattern in its conjugation.

Je Fais Tu Il Fait Nous Vous Faites Ils/elles

There are several phrases in French that include the verb “faire.” These phrases cannot be translated directly from French to English because their literal meanings differ drastically.

Expression What it means

To play a game (sport)Faire une promenade

To take a trip Faire attention

To practice dancing

When you speak, pronounce all singular forms the same. “Faire” is used in many idiomatic expressions. This means that you cannot tell what the expressions mean by looking for the exact English equivalents. For example, “il fait beau” (the weather is good) literally means “it does good” and “il fait jour” (it is light) means literally “it does day”

The imperative forms of faire are:

Fais! Faites! Faisons!

Ex: Fais attention en classe!

Faites vos devoirs de sciences.

Faisons une promenade dans le parc.

7.05 le négatif

We have talked about the negative before, but there is one more part pf the negative that we need to learn. Les questions negatives et “si”

You have learned to make negative sentences by putting “ne” and “pas” around the verb. Negative questions are formed in the same way.

Elles ne sont pas au café?

Elles n’ont pas faim?

So far you have asked questions by raising your voice and using the expressions « est-ce que » and « n’est ce pas. » You answered these questions with “oui” or “non”, Look at the following:

Vous n’allez pas en ville?

Non je ne vais pas en ville.

Si je vais en ville.

Negatives

There is another way to respond « yes » in French. To disagree with a negative question, use “si” (pronounced see)

Tu n’as pas de devoirs aujourd’hui?

Si1 J’ai des devoirs!

You can also disagree with a negative statement by using “si”

Henri ne fait pas de bateau.

Si, il fait du bateau.

In negative sentences, you have used de or d’ instead of des: Je n’ai pas de frères. Do the same thing with negative questions.

Tu ne portes pas d’écharpe aujourd’hui?

Il fait froid!

7.05 le futur proche

In English we often say we are going to do something. Similarly, in French you can talk about the future by using a form of the verb “aller” and the infinitive of action verb. This formation is called “futur proche.”

Ecouter (to listen)

Singular Plural Je vais écouter Nous allons écouter

Tu vais écouter Vous allez écouterIl, elle, on va écouter Ils, elles vont écouter

Look at the following examples showing how to change the present tense sentence to « futur proche »

Ils travaillent = they are working. (the infinitive for “travaillent” is “travailler”)(the form of “aller” for “ils” is “vont”)= ils vont travailler. They are going to work.

Je suis au magasin.= I am at the store. (The infinitive of “suis” is “être”) ( the form of “aller” is “je vais”)= je vais être au magasin. I will be at the store.

Vous allez au cinéma. You are going to the movies. (The infinitive of allez is aller) the form of aller for “vous” is “allez”)= Vous allez aller au cinéma. You are going to go to the movies.

Review the forms of the verb aller (which is the first part of the future proche)

Singular Plural Je vais Nous allonsTu vas Vous allezIl/elle/on va Ils/ells vont

7.07 Plus de pronoms

Les pronoms disjonctifs

In English, we can emphasize different words in a sentence simply by putting stress on them when we speak. “He is going?!” (Emphasis is shown in italics in English not in ALL CAPS as social media would have you believe) In French you cannot emphasize whom you’re talking about with your voice. Instead, you use disjunctive pronouns for emphasis.

You have already used the disjunctive pronouns “toi,” “vous,” and “moi” in expressions like “Et toi?,” “et vous?,” “Moi non plus!,” and “je ne sais pas, moi!”

Here are the disjunctive pronouns with their subject pronouns

Singular Plural Disjunctive pronoun

Subject Disjunctive pronoun

Subject

Moi Je Nous nousToi Tu Vous VousLui Il Eux Ils

Elle Elle Elles Elles

Les pronoms disjonctifs

1. To emphasize who is doing something:

Ils font des sandwichs, eux. They’re making sandwiches

Tu aimes ça, toi? Do you like that?

Moi, je vais rester chez moi. I am going to stay home.

2. You can use disjunctive pronouns in short answers without verbs.Qui va faire ça? Who is going to do it?Pas moi! Lui! Not me! Him!

3. Disjunctive pronouns can help to emphasize and identify people when the subject includes more than one person.Elle et lui, ils font du ski. They are skiing.Toi et moi, nous faisons du vélo. We’re riding bikes.Claire et toi, vous étudiez? Are you and Claire studying?

4. Use disjunctive pronouns after prepositions.They are in front of me. Ils sont devant moi.

Stay next to me. Reste à côté de moi.I am going to his house. Je vais chez lui.

5. You can show possession by using “a” before a disjunctive pronoun. A qui sont les gants marrons? Whose brown gloves are these?Ils sont à moi. They are mine.Ce chapeau, il est à toi? This hat, is it yours?Non, il est à lui. No, it is his.

6. Use disjunctive pronouns in comparisons.Anne est plus grade que lui. Anne is taller than he.Il est plus impoli qu’elle. He’s more impolite than she.Note: the adjective agrees with the subject of the sentence.

7.08 La lecture

La mer

C’est la Corse, une ile sur la Méditerranée. Elle est située au sud-est de la France. La Corse est une région de la France. Ma famille aime aller en vacances en Corse.

7.09 DBA