Conversational French Lesson 3

Language Lessons Paco: Educational and Entertaining. :)

SETTING:
You have been at your post for two days. Now that it's Monday, it’s time to go to work. Your new car (is it a Peugeot? a Renault?) hasn't been delivered yet and you are not quite ready to tackle public transportation. Fortunately, a driver from the Embassy is coming to pick you up. You forgot his name but yoU remember that he was hired only last week and that he does not speak a word of English. You will wait for him in front of your building; let's hope you get into the right car!

CONVERSATION:
A) Vous êtes Mme Smith, n'est-ce pas?

B) Oui, c'est ça. Vous êtes le chauffeur de l'ambassade des Etats-Unis?
A) Oui, oui, je suis le nouveau chauffeur. Je suis Nejeib Barka.
B) Comment? Comment vous appelez-vous?
A) Barka. Nejeib Barka. B.A.R.K.A.
B) Ah! Barka. Vous êtes français?
A) Mais non, je suis tunisien.
B) Oh! Excusez-moi. Je ne comprends pas. Je ne parle pas français.
A) Oh! Ca ne fait rien. Je ne parle pas anglais.
A CLOSER LOOK:
c'est ça that’s right
(le) chauffeur driver
des of the
nouveau new
non no
tunisian (lower case in French) Tunisian
ne…pas not
parle from the verb parler: to speak
fait from the verb faire: to do, make
rien nothing
anglais English

VOCABULARY NOTES:
Comment vous appelez vous?: What's your name?: literally, How do you calI yourself?

Ça ne fait rien: It doesn't matter: a very useful sentence to remember.

C'est ça: That's right: used to indicate agreement.

français, tunisien, anglais, américain: as adjectives, these words referring to nationalities do not take capital letters. The feminine forms are: française, tunisienne, anglaise, américaine.


*The audio and the information for this video came from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) which is in the public domain.
Conversational French Lesson 3