Colloquial French 2: The Next step in Language Learning (Routledge Colloquials)

280 Pages·2003·2.61 MB·English

by  Elspeth Broady

2

Colloquial French

French
Italian
Russian
Spanish 2

The Colloquial 2 Series
Series Adviser: Gary King

The following languages are available in the Colloquial 2 series:

Accompanying cassettes and CDs are available for the above titles. They can be
ordered through your bookseller, or send payment with order to Taylor & Francis/
Routledge Ltd, ITPS, Cheriton House, North Way, Andover, Hants SP10 5BE, UK,
or to Routledge Inc, 29 West 35th Street, New York NY 10001, USA.

2

Colloquial French

The next step in language learning

Elspeth Broady

First published 2003
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

© 2003 Elspeth Broady

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Broady, Elspeth.
Colloquial French 2: the next step in language learning / Elspeth
Broady.
p. cm – (The colloquial 2 series)
1. French language – Conversation and phrase books – English.
2. French language –Textbooks for foreign speakers – English.
3. French language – Spoken French.
I. Title: Colloquial French two.
II. Title.
III. Series.
PC2121B76 2003
448.3′421–dc21
2003009037

ISBN 0–415–26647–5 (book)
ISBN 0–415–26648–3 (audio cassette)
ISBN 0–415–30139–4 (audio CD)
ISBN 0–415–26649–1 (pack)

This edition published in the Taylor and Francis e-Library, 2005.

“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”

ISBN 0-203-98765-9 Master e-book ISBN

Contents

Acknowledgements
vii
How to use this book
ix

Unit 1
Renouer contact
1
Getting back in touch

Unit 2
La France et ses villes
19
France and its towns

Unit 3
En route
39
On the road

Unit 4
Rendez-vous d’affaires
57
Business meetings

Unit 5
Travail / loisirs
75
Work and play

Unit 6
Le sud-ouest
94
The south-west

Unit 7
La vie en France: mode d’emploi
111
Life in France: practical tips

Unit 8
A votre santé!
130
Your health

Unit 9
Communiquer, s’exprimer
147
News and views

Unit 10
Vive le sport!
167
Sport is great!

Unit 11
Le plaisir de lire
183
The joys of reading

Unit 12
La francophonie
200
The French-speaking world

1

1

11

1

111

Grammar reference
216
Key to exercises
233
Grammar index
265
Topic index
267

vi
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Contents

Acknowledgements

The Authors and Publishers would like to thank the following for
permission to reproduce material in this book:

Association Gersoise du Foie Gras, meat photo in Unit 6; Advantages
for cover image; Bayard Presse for Phosphore cover image in Text 2,
Unit 9; Bison Futé, Ministère de l’Équipement, logo in Unit 3; Catrine
Carpenter for Dialogue 1 in Unit 2 and Dialogue 1 in Unit 12; Daniel
Raupaich and La Mairie de Lille for photos ‘Ville de Lille’ and ‘Lille
– capitale des Flandres’ in Unit 2; Dioranews, <http://www.dioranews.
com> for ‘L’actualité pour la region parisienne à 17h’ in Unit 9;
Éditions du Seuil for extract from Beni ou le paradis privé by Azouz
Begag in Unit 11; Éditions Livre de poche, Éditions du Fallois for
extract from Le Château de ma mère by Marcel Pagnol in Unit 11;
Gaby Rambault for Text 1 in Unit 3; Gîtes de France (Landes) for
Gîtes texts, photos and ‘Conditions générales de vente dans le
département’ in Unit 6; Hamid Amazigh, Acting Informatique at
<http://www.espaceetudiant.com> for French laws and customs
article in Unit 7; Investir for cover image in Text 2, Unit 9; John
Karrenbeld for ‘La banlieue parisienne’ photo in Unit 2; Label France
for ‘L’Internet francophone’ by Etienne Cazin in Unit 9; Le Nouvel
Observateur for ‘La Révolution de 35 heures’ by Martine Gilson in
Unit 5; Le Petit Larousse Compact for ‘Île Maurice’ (adapted) in Unit
12; Maison Bricolage for cover image in Text 2, Unit 9; Ministère
de L’Agriculture for Label Rouge, Agriculture Biologique and AOC
logos and for ‘Pourquoi consomment-ils bio? in Unit 8; Ministère des
Affaires Étrangères, <http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr>, for ‘La franco-
phonie’’ in Unit 12; Paul Slater for Eurostar photo in Unit 2, car
photo in Unit 3, office photo in Unit 4, café photo in Unit 7, market
produce photo in Unit 8, newsagent photo in Unit 9 and bookshop
photo in Unit 11; TFI for ‘La France est le pays de la gastronomie’
in Unit 7; Première for cover image in Text 2, Unit 9; Thijs Karrenbeld
for ‘Une maison isolée en Auvergne’ photo in Unit 2; Viapresse for
Text 2, Unit 9; Webfrancophonie, <http://www.webfrancophonie.
com> for ‘Île Maurice, lieu de plusieurs cultures’, adapted from
‘Chroniques-Evasion’ by Josée Martel, in Unit 12 and for homepage

1

1

11

111

picture in Unit 12; Yahoo France for homepage picture in Unit 9;
zitronet, <http://www.hiver.com>, for ‘Le Hockey sur glace’ in Unit
10; 321.com, <http://www.321.com>, for Text 2 in Unit 3.

Every effort has been made to trace and acknowledge ownership of
copyright. The publishers will be glad to make suitable arrangements
with any copyright holders whom it has not been possible to contact.

The author would like to thank friends, family, colleagues and
students for their support and inspiration during the production of
this book. Special thanks to Simone Doctors, Nathalie Ruas and Paul
Slater for their invaluable contributions, and to Chris Sevink, to
whom this book is dedicated.

viii
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Acknowledgements

How to use this book

If you’ve picked up this book, then you know some French already.
You probably want to refresh your knowledge and extend your skills,
perhaps because you spend time in France or you have French friends
and family, or perhaps because of your job or because you’re taking
a French course and need to revise. In all of these cases, this book
can help you.
You’ve chosen a self-study course. Learning on your own is quite
a challenge but this book is designed to help you. It’s structured so
that you get the chance to listen to, and read, lots of colloquial
French, but also to work systematically on reinforcing and extending
your grasp of French grammar and vocabulary.
Most units have three to four ‘inputs’: these texts and recordings
provide the raw material for your learning. They have been chosen
to reflect a wide range of contemporary French usage, from literary
texts to internet forums, with regional varieties of French also repre-
sented. On your cassette or CD, you’ll find scripted dialogues, extracts
from authentic interviews and recordings of some of the written texts.
There are also some speaking and pronunciation exercises. And don’t
forget there’s a web site to support the Colloquial courses. At
<http://www.routledge.com/colloquials/french> you’ll find extra exer-
cises as well as links to sites that build on the material in the units.
Key phrases and structures are highlighted under the heading
Language points. There’s also a brief Grammar reference at the end
of the book where you can check key structures. And to help you
practise your French actively, there are between nine and twelve exer-
cises in each unit, with more revision exercises under the heading
Bilan at the end. For all these exercises, you’ll find a detailed key at
the back of the book so that you can check your answers carefully.
In most cases, you’ll find there is an exercise for you to do before
reading a text or listening to a dialogue. These exercises are designed
to familiarise you with key vocabulary or key ideas. The more you
think beforehand about what you’re going to read or hear, the more
likely it is that you will understand. To help you further, you’ll find
less frequent items of vocabulary and their translations provided
under the heading Vocabulary.

1
1

11

111

We also suggest that you have a good dictionary to hand when
working on your French. This will enable you to extend and consol-
idate the knowledge you develop from this course.
As you work through the units, you’ll also learn a bit about France
and other French-speaking countries, particularly in the sections
headed Le saviez-vous? Although our main focus is on France, Unit
12 is devoted to the wider francophone world. This gives you a chance
to listen to different francophone accents – you’ll already have heard
the different pronunciation of French from Aquitaine in Unit 6 – and
to dream about speaking French in idyllic island settings such as
Mauritius or Tahiti!
Essentially, we learn languages first and foremost through our ears.
So listen, listen and listen again. If you can listen to your cassette or
CD at times when you are doing other things, such as sitting on a
train or waiting for the bus, then you’ll maximise the exposure you
get to French. Listening and reading together can really help you
identify the pronunciation of individual words and so speed up your
comprehension, but don’t forget to practise real-life listening skills as
well, i.e. understanding without the help of the written word!
Of course, there’s one thing a self-study course cannot provide –
authentic speaking practice! Just as you wouldn’t expect a book,
giving you instructions for a work-out, to enable you to become an
athlete overnight, so this book can’t on its own transform you into
a fluent speaker. But it can give you a strong basis for fluency. There
are speaking and pronunciation exercises on the cassettes and CD.
You can also practise reading out the dialogues to yourself. Why not
record yourself and listen back to check your pronunciation? The
more you practise in a variety of ways, the stronger basis you will
have for speaking French fluently. But don’t expect too much of your-
self: developing spoken fluency takes time. Be content sometimes to
enjoy reading and listening in French, knowing that your increasing
familiarity with colloquial French will stand you in good stead.
Bon courage!

x
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How to use this book

1

1

11

111

Alsace

Aquitaine

Auvergne

Basse-
Normandie

Bourgogne

Bretagne

Centre

Champagne-
Ardenne

Corse

Franche-
Comté

Haute-
Normandie

Île-de-
France

Langedoc-
Roussillon

Limousin

Lorraine

Midi-
Pyrénées

Nord-
Pas-de-Calais

Pays
de la
Loire

Picardie

Poitou-
Charente

Provence-
Alpes-
Côte d’Azur

Rhône- Alpes

Les vingt-deux régions de la France.

Maurice

Québec
Manitoba

Nouveau-Brunswick

Haiti

Réunion
Nouvelle-Caledonie

Polynésie française

Maroc

Sénégal

Guinée

Tunisia

Algérie

Cameroun

République démocratique
du Congo

Bénin

Burundi

République Centreafricaine

Seychelles

Djibouti

Liban
Égypte

Tchad

Congo
Gabon

Mauritanie

Rwanda

Togo

France

Monaco

Guadeloupe

Martinique
Sainte-Lucie

Dominique

Guyanne

Côte d’Ivoire

Mali
Niger

Burkina Faso

Madagascar

Comores
Mayotte

Cambodge

Laos

Vietnam

Belgique
Luxembourg

Suisse

Vanuatu

Louisianne

Saint-Pierre-
et-Miquelon

Pays et régions francophones.

1 Renouer contact

In this unit you can learn about:

◗
greetings, leave-taking and wishes to friends
◗
talking about the future
◗
forming questions
◗
using the imperative
◗
welcoming friends to your home

◗
revising future and perfect tenses

Text 1

The New Year – le nouvel an – is typically the time when the French
send greetings to their friends. Cécile Gérard sent the card on page 2
to her English friends, Jane and David Saunders.

Exercise 1

As you read, check whether these statements are true or false:

1
Cécile and her family have moved house.
2
They now live in Rennes.
3
Rennes is a livelier place than Scaër.
4
They live in a restored mill.
5
They have a small garden.

Once you have read the card several times, try to translate your
corrected answers into French.

1
1

1

11

111

Exercise 2

The following expressions crop up in Cécile’s card. Check their
meaning by matching them with their English equivalents.

1
meilleurs vœux
a
the area’s wonderful
2
bonheur
b
the lively atmosphere
3
réussite professionnelle
c
an old mill
4
l’animation
d
best wishes
5
le coin est superbe
e
hilly
6
vallonné
f
happiness
7
un ancien moulin
g
success in your job

2
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Getting back in touch

Chère Jane, cher David,
Nous vous adressons nos meilleurs vœux pour le nouvel an – que cette
année vous apporte bonheur, santé et réussite professionnelle.
Comme vous voyez, nous avons changé d’adresse. Nous sommes
maintenant à Scaër, une petite ville sympathique à une vingtaine de
kilomètres de Quimper. Cela change de Rennes: l’animation nous
manque un peu, mais le coin est vraiment superbe (vallonné et vert).
Nous avons acheté une maison typiquement bretonne (un ancien moulin
restauré) avec un grand jardin. Il faut que vous veniez nous voir.
Toutes nos amitiés.
Cecile & Roger