C`est aujourd`hui dimanche!

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C'est
aujourd'hui
dimanche!
It's Sunday today!
'an' et 'en'
pronunciation practice
rester
a false friend
se reposer
a reflexive verb
avoir faim / être fatigué
an important construction to learn
Listen and repeat after each sentence. Pay special attention to distinguish the sound an as in:
dimanche
tranquillement
le temps
C'est aujourd'hui dimanche, alors vous ne travaillez pas.
It's Sunday today, so you're not working.
Ah non, ça non, je ne travaille pas! Pas question. Le dimanche, moi, j'aime rester chez
moi.
No, no way, I'm not working! Out of the question. On Sundays, me, I like to stay at home.
Tu travailles chez toi?
Do you work at home?
Non, je reste chez moi et je ne travaille pas. Je me repose!
No, I stay at home and I don't work. I rest!
Je reste à la maison tranquillement avec mon chien, et voilà, c'est tout!
I stay at home quietly with my dog and there we are, that's all.
Mais c'est mortel ce truc! C'est nul!
But how deadly can you get? That's pathetic!
Non, pourquoi? Nous regardons la télévision ou une vidéo, oui, je sais ce n'est pas très
original...
No, why? We watch the television or a video, yes, I know it's not very original...
Si j'ai faim, je prépare un petit repas pour nous deux, des pâtes, un petit ragoût, un truc
sympa...
If I'm hungry, I prepare a little meal for us both, some pasta, a little stew, something nice...
Et puis si j'ai sommeil, je reste au lit. Le chien aussi! C'est cool!
And then if I'm sleepy, I stay in bed. The dog too! It's cool!
Ton téléphone?
Your telephone?
Si le téléphone sonne... c'est vrai j'hésite, mais je réponds quand même!
Si c'est un ami, c'est bien. J'ai le temps.
If the telephone rings... it's true, I hesitate, but I reply all the same!
If it's a friend, that's good. I have the time.
Le téléphone sonne. Justement, c'est un ami.
The telephone rings. And yes, it's a friend.
Allo?
Hi?
Allo, bonjour, ça va? C'est Claire.
Hi, hello, how's it going? It's Claire.
Oh, bonjour, tu vas bien?
Oh, hello, are you doing alright?
Oui, ça va... moi, ça va bien. Et toi, ça va?
Yes, very well... me, I'm fine. And you, how's it going?
Ça va bien, comme un dimanche! Ça boum!
All's well, it's like a Sunday! Things are swinging!
... en trois points
The lesson in three points
1) Rester
The verb rester doesn't mean 'to rest' but 'to stay', in the sense of not moving.
Le week-end, je reste chez moi, à la maison.
At the weekend, I stay at my place, at the house.
The conjugation of rester is like parler and regarder, which you have already come across.
rester - to stay
le présent de l'indicatif
je reste
nous restons
tu restes
vous restez
il reste
ils restent
elle reste
elles restent
Note the s that follows tu and the -nt that follows ils or elles. They are always there.
2) Se reposer
So how do you say 'to rest' in French? You use the verb
se reposer
to rest
This is a reflexive verb. A reflexive verb is a verb that needs to be accompanied by a reflexive pronoun:
the equivalent of the English 'myself, yourself, himself ...'.
se reposer - to rest
le présent de l'indicatif
je me repose
nous nous reposons
I rest (myself)
we rest (ourselves)
tu te reposes
vous vous reposez
you rest (yourself)
you rest (yourselves)
il se repose
ils se reposent
he rests (himself)
they rest (themselves)
elle se repose
elles se reposent
she rests (herself)
they rest (themselves)
Le weekend, je reste chez moi et je me repose à la maison.
At the weekend, I stay at home and rest in the house.
Reflexive verbs are more common in French than in English. S'appeller - to be called - for example:
- Je m'appelle Michel, et toi, tu t'appelles comment?
I'm called Michel, and you, what are you called?
- Marguerite.
- C'est un joli prénom
That's a pretty first name.
Je m'appelle Pierre.
I'm called Pierre.
Tu t'appelles comme moi.
You're called the same as me.
Il s'appelle Patrick Dupont.
He's called Patrick Dupont.
Elle s'appelle Isabelle.
She's called Isabelle.
Nous nous appelons Jean et Henri.
We're called Jean and Henri.
Vous vous appelez Pascale et Martin.
You're called Pascale and Martin.
Ils s'appellent Claude et Claudine.
They're called Claude and Claudine.
Elles s'appellent Marthe et Irène.
They're called Marthe and Irène.
Some French verbs change their meaning when they are in the reflexive form. For example,
passer
to pass
Une voiture passe devant la maison.
A car passes in front of the house.
Le temps passe vite.
Time passes quickly.
Je lis le journal pour passer le temps.
I read the newspaper to pass the time.
se passer
to happen
Qu'est-ce qui se passe?
What is happening?
- J'ai un virus dans mon ordinateur!
I have a virus in my computer!
- Oh zut! Pas de chance!
Oh bother! Bad luck!
- Et toi, tout se passe bien?
And you, is everything going well?
- Oui, oui, tout va bien!
Yes, yes, everything's going well!
3) «Avoir faim» et «Être fatigué»
When you make a description in English, you use 'to be' with an adjective. Sometimes it's the same in
French, for example:
Je suis fatigué.
I am tired.
But in French there's another construction that's important to learn.
avoir
+
a noun without the article
An example. The French word for hunger is la faim. The expression 'I am hungry' is:
J'ai faim.
Literally, I have hunger.
Similarly, if you want to say 'I am cold', the expression is:
J'ai froid.
Lit: I have cold.
Le froid is the noun for 'cold'. There is also an adjective froid / froide. But here we must have the noun
without the article. The difference is important because if you are a woman you must say:
J'ai froid.
not
Another example?
J'ai sommeil.
I am sleepy.
Le sommeil is the word for 'sleep':
J'ai soif. - la soif
I am thirsty. - thirst
J'ai mal. - le mal
I'm feeling bad. - bad
J'ai mal à la tête.
I have a headache.
In French you also use avoir when speaking about the time, but here you must keep to the definite article.
J'ai le temps d'attendre. Je ne suis pas pressé.
I have the time to wait. I am not in a hurry.