Leçon 2: Maudit touriste!: Some simple phrases for the tourist
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In this leçon [lesson] we will learn how to ask simple questions and understand directions.
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Part I. Quebec City (pop. 502,000) is among the oldest permanent European settlement in North America (it is preceded by a few Spanish establishments, such as St. Augustine, FL and Jamestown, VA, founded a year earlier). Founded on July 3, 1608 by French explorer Samuel de Champlain, the city is named after an Algonquian word meaning "where the river narrows" (although some recent historical research dispute this filiation).
For its first 150 years, Quebec was a trading post and the capital of the fledgling colony of Nouvelle-France (New France), which streched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. Even today, traces of the former French colony is still visible in place names like as Detroit, MI (Strait), Terre Haute, IN (High ground) and Eau Claire, WI (Clear water).
On September 13, 1759, Quebec was the site of the decisive battle of the French and Indian War (known in French as La Conquête [the Conquest] or by the generic name Guerre de Sept Ans (Seven Years' War)), when the armies of generals Wolfe and Montcalm clashed on the Plains of Abraham, just outside the walls of the city in the decisive battle of the war. The Red Shirts win the day and four years later, North America is united under British rule... for a decade.
In 1775, two gentlemen came from Boston with some friends to convince the locals to join some grassroots movement down south. But the French colonists didn't trust general Montgomery and his acolyte, one Benedict Arnold, and both men had to return to the colonies without a fourteenth member to their movement. So Quebec stayed "British".
Today, Quebec City is the "capitale nationale" of Quebec. It is the seat of the Quebec government and its economy relies heavily on the public and para-public sector, education and tourism. Unemployment rate is 4.5% and the violence rate is very low, even by Canadian standards (no murders were committed in Quebec City in 2007)
Part II. Alice and Bob go to Quebec. Alice and Bob, two friendly kossacks from the Vermont Republic decide to take a short break from the presidential campaign and leave Burlington for a romantic getaway in Quebec. They made reservations at Hotel Clarendon, in the Old City. The 4½ hours road trip goes well and the Canadian border is crossed in a reasonable amount of time (road map here). But they need some gas in Drummondville. So they stop at a dépanneur (convenience store).
Part III. SAMPLE CONVERSATION
Here is a sample conversation between Alice, Bob and a cashier at the dépanneur after they filled their tank.
Alice: Bonjour. La pompe numéro 3
[Hi! Pump #3]
Bob: Où est la toilette?
[Where is the washroom?]
Cashier: Tournez à droite. C'est en arrière, près de la bière.
[turn right, It's in the back, near the beer]
Cashier: Ce sera tout?
[That'll be all?]
Alice: Oui.
[Yes]
Cashier: Quarante-trois dollars, s'il vous plaît.
[$43, please]
Bob: $43? WTF?
[no translation needed]
Alice, [to Bob]: Shut up, would you? [to the cashier]. Excusez-le. Vous acceptez VISA?
[Don't worry about him. You take VISA?]
Cashier: Certainement.
[Of course! The cashier swipes the credit card and gives the receipt to Alice]
Cashier: Votre signature, s'il vous plaît.
[Please sign this]
Alice [signs the receipt]: Merci. Quelle est la route pour Québec?
[How do I get to Quebec City?]
Cashier: Allez à la lumière [feu de circulation in proper French], tournez à gauche et gardez la droite. L'entrée de l'autoroute 20 Est est à 500 mètres. Québec est à 130 kilomètres.
[Turn left at the traffic light, then keep right. The entrance for Highway 20 East is a quarter mile away. You'll reach Quebec City in 80 miles.]
Alice [smiles]: Merci. Bonne journée.
[Thanks. Have a nice day]
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This week's vocabulary:
Numbers
1 = un- uh
2 = deux- duh
3 = trois- trwah
4 = quatre- katruh
5 = cinq- sank
6 = six- seess
7 = sept- set
8 = huit- weet
9 = neuf- nuhf
10 = dix- deess
20 = vingt
30 = trente
40 = quarante
50 = cinquante
60 = soixante
70 = soixante-dix [septante in Belgium and Switzerland]
80 = quatre-vingt
90 = quatre-vingt-dix [nonante in Belgium and Switzerland]
100 = cent
Orientation
East = Est
West = Ouest
North = Nord
South = Sud
Left = Gauche
Right = Droite
Front = Avant
Back = Arrière
This week's tip: In French, there are two subject pronouns for "you". They are not interchangeable and must be used with a certain doigté [tact] Vous is usually better in the context of tourism. It is used with people you don't know well, an authority figure or an older person, whereas Tu is used with friends, relatives or close colleagues. Québécois are more likely to "Tutoyer" [use Tu] more people, but European French-speakers will stick to "Vouvoyer" [use Vous] with colleagues or older parents.
Past and Future Lessons
- La Francophonie!
- Some Basic Phrases
- Alphabet
- Nouns, Articles and Demonstratives
- Useful Words and General Vocabulary
- Subject Pronouns
- To Be and to Have
- Question Words
- Numbers / Ordinals
- Days of the Week
- Months of the Year
- Seasons
- Directions
- Color and Shapes
- Weather
- Time
- Family and Animals
- To Know People and Facts
- Formation of Plural Nouns
- Possessive Adjectives
UPDATE: Quick pronounciation guide, courtesy of Imisa, who promised me some great recipes for next week. Strawberry pie. Hmmmmmm!