Speaker 1: Listen to this French conversation.
Speaker 2: Bardon escu.
Speaker 3: No monsieur jeenum.
Speaker 4: Jou compon peer fanci escuvousette American will mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: In the next few minutes, you'll learn not only to
understand this conversation, but to take part in it yourself.
Imagine an American man sitting next to a French woman.
He wants to begin a conversation, so he says, excuse me, pardon.
The French speaker is going to repeat this word part
by part, starting from the inn. You are to repeat
each part after him, trying to make your pronunciation sound
exactly like his. Be sure you repeat aloud.
Speaker 2: Dun dun bah bah bardon, bardon.
Speaker 1: How do you say excuse me in French?
Speaker 2: Pardon?
Speaker 1: Now he wants to ask her if she understands English.
First the word English. Listen and repeat longelais longelais? How
do you say English?
Speaker 2: Longelais?
Speaker 1: Now say the same word, leaving off the L sound
at the beginning, only only now again with the L.
Speaker 2: Sound longueli longeley.
Speaker 1: The difference is that when the L sound is off,
you're saying English, and when it's on, you're saying the English.
Most of the time, and the l sound will be
there in French even when the word the is not
there in our language. Once again, say English longeleis longeleis
say excuse me.
Speaker 2: Pardon.
Speaker 1: You should repeat after the speaker gives the right response,
trying to make your pronunciation sound like his.
Speaker 2: Pardon.
Speaker 1: Say again English longelais.
Speaker 2: Longeleis.
Speaker 1: Now he wants to ask do you understand. Here's the
word understand.
Speaker 2: Connie, repeat part by part nay nay poonie, come come
comprene comprene, say understand compne.
Speaker 1: Here's how to say you understand. Listen and repeat.
Speaker 2: Vom vous vous vopne.
Speaker 1: Say you understand.
Speaker 2: Vou comprene.
Speaker 1: Do you remember how to say English ll say you understand.
Speaker 2: Vu comprene.
Speaker 1: And now try to say you understand English.
Speaker 5: Vu com.
Speaker 2: Vu compol.
Speaker 1: Here's the phrase that makes a question in French. Listen
and repeat escu.
Speaker 2: Escu Escu.
Speaker 1: Any statement can be made into a question just by
putting this in front of it. Once again, say you
understand vu compone, and now try to ask do you understand?
Speaker 6: Escu Escu.
Speaker 1: Say pardon me, pardon, Ask me if I understand escu compe,
Ask me if I understand English.
Speaker 2: Escu escu.
Speaker 1: The woman answers no, listen and repeat no.
Speaker 7: No, no, no, sir and repeat no monsieur, sieux, sieux, MH, MH, monsieur, monsieur.
Speaker 1: How do you say, sir or mister.
Speaker 3: Monsieur say no, sir, no monsieur.
Speaker 1: How would you ask someone if he understands.
Speaker 2: Escu escu?
Speaker 1: Do you understand english?
Speaker 2: Escu?
Speaker 1: The man says, I understand. First the word I alone,
listen and repeat jous, jous, jous, and now the word understand.
Speaker 2: Compan pin.
Speaker 8: Pran come come compin compan jus compent.
Speaker 2: Jus comp.
Speaker 1: Say I understand.
Speaker 2: Ger compin.
Speaker 1: Try to say I understand English.
Speaker 2: Ger compart lingelais, g compre lingelais.
Speaker 1: Listen to the words I understand and you understand together.
Speaker 2: Gercompin vous compreni g compin vous comprene.
Speaker 1: Say you understand, vous compny say I understand.
Speaker 2: Gercompin say excuse me, pardon?
Speaker 1: Ask do you understand.
Speaker 2: Escuveux compogne?
Speaker 1: Ask the woman do you understand English?
Speaker 9: Escuvu compis escuvu compis?
Speaker 1: How does she answer, no, sir, no, monsieur, no monsieur.
How do you say I understand.
Speaker 10: J compin.
Speaker 3: Compin.
Speaker 1: Now she wants to say, I don't understand. Listen and repeat.
Speaker 10: Gehene compempin.
Speaker 3: Bah bah.
Speaker 10: Compompa, compompa, jhen jhen gehene compompa, gehen.
Speaker 1: Compompa, say I don't understand.
Speaker 3: Gehen compompa.
Speaker 1: Notice that there are two things that make this sentence negative.
Mainly it's the bah at the end, but also there's
the end sound of jehen. Listen again, gehen compompa. There
are lots of little sounds like that that almost get
thrown away in rapid speech. It's important to notice them, however,
because they can often change them meaning of a sentence.
Once again, say I don't understand.
Speaker 3: Gene compompas.
Speaker 1: Say English.
Speaker 10: Longelais.
Speaker 1: Say I don't understand English.
Speaker 3: Gene compre.
Speaker 2: Gen.
Speaker 1: Ask do you understand.
Speaker 3: Escape?
Speaker 1: Ask me if I understand English escu answer no, I
don't understand.
Speaker 3: No zencour pempins.
Speaker 1: Gencour pempis, I don't understand English gencmp Now Here is
the name of the French language. Listen and repeat lu froncis.
Speaker 2: Francis francis, lu francais, lu fronseais.
Speaker 1: Say French, meaning the French language La francais, say I
understand jens compin, say I understand French.
Speaker 2: Jou compar fanci, jou compars francis.
Speaker 1: Listen carefully to that response again, and notice how the
L sound of la francis almost gets lost, but not quite.
Speaker 2: Jou compar fanci.
Speaker 1: Listen again, noticing how the L sound gets tacked onto
the word before.
Speaker 2: Jou compars francis.
Speaker 1: Now you try repeating it after the speaker, part by part.
Speaker 2: Fansei par fansei.
Speaker 5: Par fanci, compar fanci, compar fanci, giu comports fanci ger
compards francis.
Speaker 1: Now tell me that you understand French.
Speaker 2: Gier compard.
Speaker 1: Now tell me that you don't understand French.
Speaker 2: Geen comp geen comp.
Speaker 1: Say you understand French.
Speaker 2: Vou voum.
Speaker 1: Say excuse me, Vardon, ask me if I I understand French.
Speaker 6: Escu esco.
Speaker 1: Here is how to say a little, listen and repeat
um pooh pooh, pooh, uh pooh pooh, say a little humpooh,
Say I understand a little the compin, say I understand French.
Speaker 2: Gucum pau le fanse.
Speaker 1: Say a little ampou I understand French a little? Listen
and repeat.
Speaker 5: Gaucum put poul fanse, ampou ampou lu France gucum pons poul.
Speaker 1: Fanse, tell me that you understand French? A little.
Speaker 2: Giu compo pul fanse giucum pin poul fanse.
Speaker 1: Now the woman wants to ask him, are you American?
Listen and repeat the word American American?
Speaker 3: Count count ami Ami American American?
Speaker 1: Say American.
Speaker 3: American.
Speaker 1: Here's how to say you are. Listen and repeat.
Speaker 6: Woosette, wosette, woosette, Say.
Speaker 1: You are wosette, Say you are American?
Speaker 3: Woosette American, wosette American.
Speaker 1: And now try to ask are you American?
Speaker 3: Escot? American? Escot American?
Speaker 1: Say excuse me, bardon? Ask do you understand French? Escol escuancie,
Ask do you understand English?
Speaker 6: Escu?
Speaker 1: Ask? Are you American?
Speaker 3: Esco American?
Speaker 1: Here's how to say yes? Listen and repeat.
Speaker 3: We we.
Speaker 1: Yes, Miss, listen and repeat.
Speaker 2: Will Mademoiselle, Moille, Moiselle, Mademoiselle, Mademoiselle, Will Mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: Ask are you American?
Speaker 3: Escusette, American, escoosette American?
Speaker 1: Answer yes, Miss.
Speaker 2: Will Mademoiselle. Will Mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: Asked the woman do you understand English?
Speaker 9: Escu veaux compreneilingelais escue vaux Compouneilingelais.
Speaker 1: Answer, No, I don't understand.
Speaker 10: No zencour pompins.
Speaker 1: Gencom pempins, I don't understand English genomparpeillngelais, say I understand
French A little.
Speaker 2: Jeer compon francis je comprancis.
Speaker 1: Now sit back and listen to a French conversation, the
same one you heard at the beginning of this tape
just a few minutes ago.
Speaker 2: Pardon escu.
Speaker 3: No monsieur, je.
Speaker 4: Jou compani escuvousette American wom mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: Listen to it again.
Speaker 2: Pardon escu.
Speaker 4: No monsieur, ju componi escuvouset American women, mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: Now imagine that you're the person sitting next to the
French woman. You want to begin a conversation. So what
do you say, pardon pardon mademoiselle. She doesn't answer, So
try asking her if she understands.
Speaker 2: Escu escu.
Speaker 1: Ask her if she understands French.
Speaker 2: Escu escu.
Speaker 1: Still no answer. Now ask her if she understands English.
Speaker 2: Escu esc.
Speaker 3: No, no monsieur.
Speaker 1: How does she tell you that she doesn't understand English.
How does she ask you if you understand.
Speaker 7: French escuse escu compliment France monsieur.
Speaker 1: Tell her you understand a little.
Speaker 2: Jo comp jo comp.
Speaker 1: She wants to ask you if you're American. How does
she say it.
Speaker 3: Escuse American? Escuse American?
Speaker 1: Tell her, yes, Miss.
Speaker 2: Womendemoiselle.
Speaker 1: She'll ask you a question. Try to answer it truthfully.
Speaker 3: Escu esca.
Speaker 2: Womendemoiselle.
Speaker 1: She'll ask you another question. Answer it using the expression
a little.
Speaker 6: Escu escu.
Speaker 2: A peu jem.
Speaker 1: Now try this conversation again, say it. Excuse me this.
Speaker 2: Pardo mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: She doesn't answer. Ask her if she understands.
Speaker 2: Escuvux comprene.
Speaker 1: Ask her if she understands French escuev Still no answer. Now,
ask her if she understands English.
Speaker 3: Escuev no monsieur.
Speaker 1: How does she tell you that she doesn't understand English.
Speaker 5: Je?
Speaker 1: How does she ask you if you understand French esc
Tell her you understand a little.
Speaker 2: Je comp.
Speaker 1: How does she ask you if you're American?
Speaker 3: Escuse American?
Speaker 1: Tell her yes, Miss.
Speaker 2: Will mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: She'll ask you a question, Answer it truthfully.
Speaker 2: Esc wollm mademoiselle.
Speaker 1: Jem she'll ask you another question. Answer it using the
expression a little.
Speaker 3: Escuvoucoponnfanse umpeu.
Speaker 2: Ju compont ampeur ufanse.
Speaker 1: And that's true. Now you do understand French a little.
Don't be concerned if you've not made every response correctly.
All that you've learned here will be reviewed in future units.
If you've mastered about eighty percent of the material in
this lesson, you're ready to move on to the next.
Otherwise you should invest another thirty minutes in doing this
unit over again. This is the end of today's lesson.
When you continue with the next unit tomorrow, please begin
with track number two.