Lesson 26

Dialogue

Alexandre et Victor se sont réveillés très tôt parce qu’il y a un décalage de deux heures entre Moscou et Paris. Ils se sont levés à 6 heures du matin et sont descendus à la cafétéria de l’hôtel pour prendre le petit déjeuner. En bas ils se sont adressés à l’employé :

Vocabulary

Exercise 1. Read and translate the dialogue. Determine if the following statements fit its content. Answer C’est vrai (It’s true) or C’est faux (It’s not true):

Exercise 2. Listen to the recording of the dialogue several times. Fill in the blanks in the sentences by recalling what you have heard:

1. Alexandre et Victor très tôt parce qu’il y a un décalage de deux heures entre Moscou et Paris.
2. Ils à 6 heures et sont descendus à la cafétéria de l’hôtel pour prendre le petit déjeuner.
3. En bas ils à l’employé.
4. Il y a de petites boutiques : une boulangerie, une boucherie, une épicerie et une crémerie.
5. Dans le supermarché « Carrefour » il y a rayons et vous pouvez acheter des vêtements et des provisions.
6. Hier dans le quartier et nous avons vu des boutiques de modes.
7. Les boutiques que vous sont assez chères parce qu’elles proposent les derniers modèles de vêtements et de chaussures.

8. On peut trouver des articles moins chers mais d’assez bonne qualité dans les deux magasins en face que vous peut-être .
9. Quant à « Tati », ce sont des magasins très bon marché, mais la qualité laisse souvent à désirer. Je ne peux pas conseiller.
10. Dans la parfumerie « Kenzo » vous des parfums pour femmes et pour hommes et vous pourrez consulter un .
11. Vous trouverez beaucoup de librairies avec un grand choix de livres et de CD.
12. Prenez les guides sur Paris. Regardez : sont gratuits pour nos clients. Là vous trouverez toutes les l’informations, les adresses et les numéros de téléphone.
13. Merci, c’est gentil. Nous prenons .
14. Oh ! Il est déjà 6 heures et .

Grammar

Passé composé (continuation)

See the beginning in lesson 25. Reflexive verbs in the compound past tense are conjugated with the verb être. Keep in mind that the past participle as part of the compound past tense with être must agree in gender and number with the subject. For example:

You already know that the past participle of verbs conjugated with avoir does not agree with the subject in gender and number. However, these participles can agree with the direct object. This is the case when the direct object is used before the verb. There are three such cases:

1. The direct object is expressed by an unstressed personal pronoun, e.g.:

2. The direct object is the pronoun que (that, which, who) which connects the parts of a compound sentence (this pronoun was discussed in lesson 24), for example:

3. The direct object goes before the interrogative construction with the reverse word order, for example:

Exercise 3. Write out the sentences from the dialogue with the reflexive verbs in the compound past tense.

Exercise 4. Put the verbs in the sentences in the compound past tense.

Exercise 5. Ask the interlocutor a question in different ways.

1. Elles se sont levées tard le matin.
   
2. Ils se sont adressés à l’employé de l’hôtel.
   
3. Vous vous êtes réveillé tôt.
   
4. Il s’est habillé très vite.
   
5. Elle s’est habillée très lentement.
   

Demonstrative Pronouns

You are already well acquainted with the French demonstrative adjective ce (cette, ces; see lesson 22), which is translated with the demonstrative pronoun this (that, these, those). This demonstrative adjective is always used together with the noun to which it refers, e.g.:

Let’s look at the following English sentence, it contains the demonstrative pronoun the one, which in other forms can be as this one or that one, but it cannot be translated with the word cette:

As you can see, the pronoun the one is used here by itself, not in a combination with a noun, and therefore it is translated with the word celle. The fact is that in French there are special words — demonstrative pronouns. In a sentence they are used independently, without the nouns that go after them, that is how they differ from the demonstrative adjectives. Let’s get acquainted with French demonstrative pronouns:

Note the peculiarity of French demonstrative pronouns which is the emphatic particles ci (can denote proximity) and là (can denote remoteness), for example:

Voilà deux pommes : vous prenez celle-ci ou celle-là ? — Here are two apples: do you take this one or that one?

If a French demonstrative pronoun is followed by a noun with a preposition or a pronoun qui or que that connects parts of a compound sentence, the emphatic particles are omitted, for example:

Je prends celle de mon jardin. — I take the one from my garden.
Je prends celle qui est rouge. — I take the one that is red.

The emphatic particles ci and là can also be added to nouns, for example: cette robe-ci (this dress), cette robe-là (that dress).

Exercise 6. Fill in the blanks using demonstrative pronouns.

Example:

Je prends mon livre et de Pierre. Je prends mon livre et celui de Pierre.

1. Voilà deux revues : vous prenez ou ?
2. Quel film vous aimez mieux ? — J’aime mieux que nous avons vu dimanche dernier.
3. Je n’ai pas de photo de ma sœur, je vous donne de mon frère.
4. Ces livres sont plus intéressants que que vous avez apportés hier.

The place of two object pronouns

Remember that if a sentence has two unstressed object pronouns, they are used before the verb, with the indirect object in the first place and the direct object in the second place. However, if both pronouns are 3^rd person pronouns, then the direct object is in the first place and the indirect object is in the second place, for example:

If there are two verbs in a sentence, one of which appears in the infinitive form, both pronouns line up before the verb in the infinitive form in the same order, e.g.:

Je ne peux pas vous le conseiller. — I cannot recommend it to you.
On peut le lui donner. — It can be given to him. / We/You can give it to him.

If a verb is used in the imperative mood, both pronouns are placed after the verb and written with a hyphen, and the direct object always comes first, for example:

Donne-le-moi (the form me is replaced by moi). — Give it to me.
Donne-le-lui. — Give it to him.

In the negative form of the imperative mood, both pronouns return to their “usual” place after the particle ne with the indirect object preceding the direct object, e.g.:

Ne me le donne pas. — Don’t give it to me.
Ne le lui donne pas. — Don’t give it to him.

Exercise 7. Translate:

Pronouns en and y

The pronoun en substitutes for persons and objects and is translated differently in English, depending on the context, compare:

Unlike the pronoun en, the pronoun y replaces only objects (inanimate objects, ideas or places; something, not someone), namely nouns with the preposition à. The pronoun y also goes before the verb. For example:

Exercise 8. Translate:

Restrictive Phrase ne... que

The restrictive phrase ne... que is translated as only. Its first component ne goes before the verb, and the second component que — after the verb. Compare:

Exercise 9. Translate:

1. She doesn’t have friends, she only has a dog.
   
2. I only eat apples today.
   
3. We only go to the mountains in summer.
   
4. I only need good quality shoes.
   
5. He doesn’t know anyone in Paris, he only knows his guide.
   

Mastering the language subtleties

As you already know very well, the French are very attentive to their language and style, striving for clarity and coherence in the text.

One of the peculiarities of French speech is the frequent use of demonstrative pronouns. This avoids repetition of nouns and smoothly connects parts of the text, for example: Tout à coup il a vu deux ombres dans le jardin : celle du chien et celle de la petite fillette.

Compare it with the English translation: Suddenly he saw two shadows in the garden: the one of the dog and the one of the little girl.

Exercise 10. Let’s see how well you have learned the vocabulary and grammar of this lesson. Translate:

1. The friends woke up early, because there is a two-hour time difference between Moscow and Paris.
   
2. They got up at 6 o’clock and went down to the cafeteria.
   
3. They spoke to the hotel employee.
   
4. Next to the hotel there are no big shops, there are only small shops: a bakery, a butcher shop, a grocery shop, a dairy.
   
5. In the evening we went for a walk in the district.
   

6. I want to buy a souvenir for my wife.
   
7. In the shops opposite you can buy cheaper items of good quality.
   
8. I don’t like supermarkets: they are the same everywhere.
   
9. In the perfume shop you can have a consultation with the specialist.
   
10. The guides on Paris are free for our customers.
    
11. There you will find all the information, addresses and phone numbers.
    

Let’s laugh and enrich our vocabulary

Text I. Dans un magasin de chaussures

Vocabulary

Exercise 11. Read and translate Text I. Choose the statements that fit the text and write C’est juste (It’s right) or C’est faux (It’s wrong):

Text II. Dans un grand magasin

Vocabulary

Exercise 12. Read and translate Text II. Determine if the following statements fit its content. Write Précisément ! (Precisely!) or Pas du tout ! (Not at all!):

Text III. Dans le rayon de prêt-à-porter

Vocabulary

Exercise 13. Read and translate Text III. Choose the statements fit its content and write C’est ça ! (That’s it!) or Absolument pas ! (Absolutely not!):

Etes-vous attentif (attentive) ?

Exercise 14. Read and translate the text and find the contradiction in it:

Vocabulary