I cannot write about Jean de Florette without mentioning the sequel (la suite de Jean de Florette) called Manon des Sources. They were written and filmed as a pair. Jean's daughter Manon, has grown up and is played by Emmanuelle Béart. Daniel Auteuil, as Ugolin, falls for her and it is sad to see his demise as well as that of his uncle played by Yves Montand.
I don't want to tell you the story as I want you to watch both films. However I do want you to do a little préparation by learning these citations. 'J’ai payé, je veux mon eau.' You should already know the next sentence if you have followed the blog chronologically - 'c'est Manon, la fille du bossu’. One line that is very poignant is 'tu as connu sa grand-mère?' Look out for 'je garde le couteau si vous prenez le lièvre' and if you didn't know the word for a hare then you do now. Finally here is a really sad line but you will only know how sad by watching the film - 'si tu me veux pas, ou je meurs ou je deviens fou'.
A bientôt
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Monday, 23 February 2009
Jean de Florette
I mentioned that my favourite French film was Jean de Florette. It is worth watching because of the story, the magnificent views of Provence, the great French acting, and even Verdi's 'la force du destin'. The music was later used in the highly acclaimed Stella Artois adverts.
You could sit through the film and read the subtitles. However, as the main purpose of this blog is to get you to learn some French, I think it is important to be able to add to your French vocabulary by watching it. You should be able pick out the word bossu. Also listen out for the line which is difficult to miss 'je suis bossu. Vous croyez que c'est facile?' Another very nice citation is ‘c'est pas moi qui pleure ce sont mes yeux'.
If you can listen to 'je ne peux pas te le dire, c'est un secret' or 'et si par accident elle se bouchait' then you are well on your way to understanding the film without les sous-titres.
I mentioned that this was my favourite film when I was writing about words ending in ion. Generally you can say words ending in ion with a French accent and the French will understand you. However carnation is an exception, so do listen out for 'je te baptise le roi des oeillets'
A bientôt
You could sit through the film and read the subtitles. However, as the main purpose of this blog is to get you to learn some French, I think it is important to be able to add to your French vocabulary by watching it. You should be able pick out the word bossu. Also listen out for the line which is difficult to miss 'je suis bossu. Vous croyez que c'est facile?' Another very nice citation is ‘c'est pas moi qui pleure ce sont mes yeux'.
If you can listen to 'je ne peux pas te le dire, c'est un secret' or 'et si par accident elle se bouchait' then you are well on your way to understanding the film without les sous-titres.
I mentioned that this was my favourite film when I was writing about words ending in ion. Generally you can say words ending in ion with a French accent and the French will understand you. However carnation is an exception, so do listen out for 'je te baptise le roi des oeillets'
A bientôt
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Les Proverbes 2
Have you seen the episode of the Simpsons when Bart is sent to France? Bart doesn’t realise that he can speak French but he can. If you can say a French proverb, even one that has an English equivalent, then you are well on your way to speaking French because even these proverbs are not translated literally and you have to be thinking of the French version. However I hope that you can work out the translation from the words that you know and then think of the English proverb.
How about ‘un nouveau balai balaie bien’? A proverb that is a little harder to translate is ‘un œuf aujourd’hui vaut mieux qu’une poule demain’ because we have a different expression in English, but it is not impossible to work it out. Here are two more to think about: c’est l’oiseau matinal qui attrape le ver, and noël n’arrive qu’une fois par an.
Use these expressions in a French sentence then you really will be as good as Bart.
A bientôt
How about ‘un nouveau balai balaie bien’? A proverb that is a little harder to translate is ‘un œuf aujourd’hui vaut mieux qu’une poule demain’ because we have a different expression in English, but it is not impossible to work it out. Here are two more to think about: c’est l’oiseau matinal qui attrape le ver, and noël n’arrive qu’une fois par an.
Use these expressions in a French sentence then you really will be as good as Bart.
A bientôt
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Les Proverbes
I remember watching the 1978 film ‘The Deer Hunter’ in which a Frenchman in Vietnam tells us that a man who says no to champagne says no to life. I had not heard this expression before (or since) but it has stayed with me. The French have an expression ‘quand un homme est fatigué de Londres, c’est qu’il est fatigué de la vie’. This is not a proverb that I have heard in English but I realise that there are many proverbs that I do not know in French and in English.
There are hundreds of proverbs in French. Some are the same as the English proverbs and some are very nearly the same. I hope that you can work out the translation, and let’s hope that you know the English proverb!
You should recognise ‘pour un Anglais, sa maison est un château’. Do you know ‘ne jetez pas vos perles au pourceau’ ? If you can use these sentences at the right time then you will really have a great command of the French language.
A bientôt
There are hundreds of proverbs in French. Some are the same as the English proverbs and some are very nearly the same. I hope that you can work out the translation, and let’s hope that you know the English proverb!
You should recognise ‘pour un Anglais, sa maison est un château’. Do you know ‘ne jetez pas vos perles au pourceau’ ? If you can use these sentences at the right time then you will really have a great command of the French language.
A bientôt
Friday, 20 February 2009
Salutations et au revoir
Although we would normally say 'greetings' rather than salutations. salutation is an English word, in fact I have had a beer or two in a pub called The Salutation in Manchester. As we have seen, because salutation is a word that ends in ion then it is almost certainly a French word, and this is no exception. The short version is salut and it can be a salute but it usually means 'hi' or 'bye'
You may well know bonjour and bonsoir and even bon après-midi, but you may not know quoi de neuf what's new or pas grand chose, not a lot. In many classes the first words are bonjour la classe and in most classes the pupils reply to the register with oui madame or oui monsieur. You could also hear the reply salut. In my experience the French do not usually say bonjour without adding monsieur, madame. the first name if it is known or even la classe.
A tout à l'heure means see you later but is usually said if you are going to see that person on the same day. It is interesting to note that 'toodleloo' means something similar in English and you can see how the French has been corrupted. You could say à la prochaine, if you are going to see someone again but not on that day. You could even say...
A bientôt
You may well know bonjour and bonsoir and even bon après-midi, but you may not know quoi de neuf what's new or pas grand chose, not a lot. In many classes the first words are bonjour la classe and in most classes the pupils reply to the register with oui madame or oui monsieur. You could also hear the reply salut. In my experience the French do not usually say bonjour without adding monsieur, madame. the first name if it is known or even la classe.
A tout à l'heure means see you later but is usually said if you are going to see that person on the same day. It is interesting to note that 'toodleloo' means something similar in English and you can see how the French has been corrupted. You could say à la prochaine, if you are going to see someone again but not on that day. You could even say...
A bientôt
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Enjoy a trip to Rouen
On a different cultural level you may wish to visit Rouen. Flaubert’s characters in Madame Bovary live in Rouen and Emma and Léon meet in the cathedral. Flaubert also wrote 'Trois Contes', two of which, The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitatlier, and Herodias were inspired by stained glass windows within the cathedral.
Step outside and look at the exterior of the building. Monet painted La Cathédrale de Rouen many times, and the last two times that I was in Rouen there was a large copy of one of Monet’s pictures of le portail de la cathédrale right next to le portail.
Jeanne d’Arc may have been the Maid of Orleans but she was burned at the stake in Rouen. We have blue plaques to say that someone famous was born or lived or died here. Take a look around and find the plaque that tells you that Jeanne d’Arc was horribly burned here.
A bientôt
Step outside and look at the exterior of the building. Monet painted La Cathédrale de Rouen many times, and the last two times that I was in Rouen there was a large copy of one of Monet’s pictures of le portail de la cathédrale right next to le portail.
Jeanne d’Arc may have been the Maid of Orleans but she was burned at the stake in Rouen. We have blue plaques to say that someone famous was born or lived or died here. Take a look around and find the plaque that tells you that Jeanne d’Arc was horribly burned here.
A bientôt
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Enjoy a trip to Paris
They say that travel broadens the mind. It certainly leaves impressions and can be a great motivator to learn French. You may feel good if you go into a shop and manage to buy what you went in for. You may learn about the history of the area by going into the local syndicat d'initiative and picking up a booklet.
Does it make a difference to you if you are stood devant l’hôtel de ville in Paris and know that in that square there used to be hangings and burnings? It may well be that everyone is enjoying themselves at Christmas and they are ice skating around that very square, but I feel that it does enhance your French trip if you know that Henry IV had been assassinated and you were now stood where his assassin, Ravaillac was quartered by four horses setting off in different directions.
You may prefer to enjoy your Paris trip by ice skating.
A bientôt
Does it make a difference to you if you are stood devant l’hôtel de ville in Paris and know that in that square there used to be hangings and burnings? It may well be that everyone is enjoying themselves at Christmas and they are ice skating around that very square, but I feel that it does enhance your French trip if you know that Henry IV had been assassinated and you were now stood where his assassin, Ravaillac was quartered by four horses setting off in different directions.
You may prefer to enjoy your Paris trip by ice skating.
A bientôt
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