Hey, I'm tring to learn French with the Pimsleur audiobooks. I think it's going relatively well; I can more or less construct my own sentances, given some time, and I can pick up the gist of a basic French conversation. Does anyone have any tips for me as I progress? Also: When asking questions like 'Est-ce que vous pouvez...' does it change the tone or formality if changed to 'pouvez-vous...'? Is 'Est-ce que' really needed anyway, and if it isn't then what does it add to the sentance? Thank you!
That's definitly a good question. And i m not sure there is a definitive answer to this one. First, I'd say, est ce que is not really needed anyway. and it doesnt not bring anything new, that s for sure, the two forms are the same. in your particular example, if you are asking somebody if he could do something, then maybe est ce que adds a very little formality as you say. But very little, maybe not enough to even notice. I'd say, put your sentence in pourriez vous, conditionnel, to make it more formal, est ce que vous pourriez, would be more formal also
Ah, thank you! How would you ask a friend a question? Would you just change the 'vous' to 'toi', or is there a different way altogether to saying the sentance?
Yes change between 2nd singular and 2nd plural person would make more personal and would be adequate for asking a question to a friend. I would insist on the tone, on the way you say your sentence. You can actually ask questions and get answers without putting est ce que or inversing the verb-subject order: Ca va? Ca va! Are two (very?) different sound. But it works for your friends or people you know well. For formal situations, use est ce que or verb-subject order inversion Usually when i ask something, i just put a question mark at the end of my sentence (means i change the tone i speak). Maybe that s because i'm lazy, that s also because it is the way we do it. T as pas cent balles? T es en forme? ...
So you just incline your voice towards the end so it sounds like a question? Pretty much the same in English then. Thanks for the advice! It's really helpful. Also, abit off-topic, but is there a good practice I can do to pronounce the 'R' in French? I also speak Welsh and we also have a similar pronounciation for the letter 'CH', so I think I'm finding it easier than a monolingual English speaker. I'm particularly finding it tricky with an 'R' followed by a 'U'; like 'Rue' for example.
Hihi, the 'r' pronounciation, endless topic. I am at the moment in Bangladesh, we were kidding with friends about Bangladeshis spitting sounds (that are frequent and not discreet, just a fact, no judgement regarding this behaviour, really) being pronouciation training to pronounce french 'r'. The 'r' will be pronouciated in very different ways depending on where (native french speaking persons geography) and with who you speak. I actually have no idea on how you could train in this. And i feel sorry about it. Oh, there might be a way, visit south of France little bars and 'troquets', there you might hear the best 'r' rrrrolling you will ever hear, hihi
Hey Actually, I speak breton, and the "c'h" sound in welsh is the same in breton. I can tell you that "c'h" is not exactly like an "r" in french, but it certainly can help you to pronouce it
hi everybody french, spanish and italian have "latin" origins. Breton, not. But breton have more and more "frenchy" words for new things :computers, etc... the breton's " ch' " is nearly if you are have to spit something bad, like la "jota : j" in spanish (Ti-J-uana, naran-J-a), and in arab languages. The "french "r" is between those and the spanish "r". To make a "good french r", your mouth has to be empty... Britain's culture has been nearly destroyed by french gouvernments since 1789. Kenavo! Quelqu'un connais , pratique la permaculture? merci!
