Leçon 2 -- Text

1.

A classroom, a professor, some students.

 

 

 

Hello (good day). We are going to learn French.

 

 

 

Me, I am the professor. You, you are the students.

 

 

 

Me, I speak French.

 

 

 

Let's see. Where does one speak French? (Where is it that one speaks French?)

 

 

 

One speaks French in Canada, in Quebec.

 

 

 

One speaks French in Africa (in Senegal, in the Ivory Coast, for example).

 

 

 

One speaks French in the Antilles, in Tahiti, ... where else? (where again)

 

 

 

Ah, in Switzerland, in Belgium ... and then in France, of course.

 

 

 

In Alsace, in Rouen, in Chartres, one speaks French.

 

 

 

In Paris, one speaks French.

 

 

2.

In Paris. Hello, Mrs. Rosa. Hello, Miss Mireille.

 

 

 

It's going all right? It's going fine. Goodbye. Goodbye, Miss.

 

 

3.

Mireille meets a friend, Colette.

 

 

 

Mireille! Hey, Colette. Hello.

 

 

 

Where are you going? (Where is it that you are going?)

 

 

 

To the university. I'm in a hurry. Goodbye.

 

 

4.

Mireille meets a friend, Hubert, on the St. Michel boulevard.

 

 

 

Hey, Hubert? Hi! It's going OK?

 

 

 

It's going fine. Where are you going like that? (Where go you?)

 

 

 

To the university. And you?

 

 

 

Oh, me .... no. I'm not going to the university.

 

 

 

Ah, really? (Ah, good?) Well (good), excuse me.

 

 

 

I'm in a hurry. Goodbye.

 

 

5.

Mireille meets Véronique, a friend.

 

 

 

Véronique, hi! How are you? (How go you?)

 

 

 

It's all right, thanks. And you?

 

 

 

It's OK. Excuse me. I'm in a hurry. Goodbye.

 

 

6.

Mireille meets Ousmane, a friend.

 

 

 

Hello, Ousmane. You're doing all right?

 

 

 

Yes, yes. I'm doing very well, thanks. And you?

 

 

 

It's all right. Where are you going? (Where is it that you go?)

 

 

 

I'm going to the library. And you?

 

 

 

I'm going to the university. Bye.

 

 

7.

Mireille meets two friends, Marc and Catherine, Street of the Schools.

 

 

 

Hey, look. It's Mireille. Hi.

 

 

 

Hi. How's it going, you two?

 

 

 

It's OK. Where are you going like that?

 

 

 

We are going to the university restaurant. (restau-U = restaurant universitaire)

 

 

 

Already? .... Well, yeah.

 

 

 

Well, enjoy your meal. (good appetite)

 

 

 

Thanks. Bye. ... Bye

 

 

8.

Mireille meets an old professor.

 

 

 

Well, hello, Miss Belleau. How are you? (How go you?)

 

 

 

I'm very well, thanks. (I go very well.) And yourself? You're doing all right?

 

 

 

I'm fine, thanks. Goodbye, Miss. ... Goodbye, Sir.

 

 

9.

Mireille meets her Aunt Georgette and Fido.

 

 

 

Hello, my little Mireille. How are you?

 

 

 

I'm OK, thanks. Any you? You're all right?

 

 

 

Oh, me, it's not going very well.

 

 

 

It's not going well? But what's the matter? (What is there?) You are sick?

 

 

 

No, I'm not sick. It's not going well. I'm tired.

 

 

 

Oh, it's going to get (go) better.

 

 

 

(to the dog) And you my little Fido, how's it going?

 

 

 

You're fine? You're not tired?

 

 

 

You're doing very well. You're a nice doggy.

 

 

 

Oh, his health is all right. (Oh, him, the health, it's all right.)

 

 

 

He isn't sick, him. He isn't tired, him. (lui = him and is just throw in for emphasis)

 

 

 

Oh, my! I'm going to be late. Goodbye, Aunt Georgette.

 

 

 

But where are you going?

 

 

 

To the university. I'm going to be late, really. Goodbye.

 

 

 

Goodbye, goodbye, my little one. All right, come on, Fido. Come.

 

 

10.

Mireille at the Sorbonne, at the Italian class.

 

 

 

The Italian professor: (He is speaking Italian here. We won't worry about this.)

 

 

11.

The classroom.

 

 

 

Where is Mireille going? She's going to the university.

 

 

 

Why is she going to the university? She is going to learn French?

 

 

 

No, she's not going to learn French; she's going to learn Italian.

 

 

 

And us, we are going to learn Italian? No, we aren't going to learn Italian.

 

 

 

Are we going to learn Spanish, Arabic, Japonese?

 

 

 

No, and we aren't going to learn English, either.

 

 

 

What are we going to learn, then?

 

 

 

French. That's it. We are going to learn French.