- Introduction
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- Task
- Vocabulary
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Jacques Brel was born in Brussels on April 8, 1929. His childhood is characterized by its unremarkable nature and the absence of any distinguishing talent.
Weak in academics, Brel found affirmation as an actor in his Boy Scout theater troupe, singing in his Catholic youth group, and writing poems and short stories.
In 1947, he quit school and began working at his father's cardboard factory. A few years later, now married and a father, he began performing on the radio and in the local cabarets. Success was not immediate, but after a number of false starts, he recorded a song, Quand on n'a que l'amour (When You Only Have Love), which reached number three on the French music charts.
Hear the emotional performance of the song for which he is most widely known Ne me quitte pas (If You Go Away).
Faux Amix
Cognates are the words that look similar to words in another language. Learning these patterns of cognates can be very helpful, and you can add to your vocabulary very quickly if you learn how these work.
In this lesson, however, we are going to focus on false cognates. These are words in another language that look like words in English, but do not mean what we expect they will mean. They are also sometimes called false friends or faux amis because although they seem to be use-friendly, they are actually misleading.
Try to guess what these words mean before you rollover them and learn the actual meaning. But be prepared to be deceived.
Forte émission de GES
Logement énergivore
Since 2011, all French homeowners must advertise the energy consumption levels of their residence when listing them for sale.
To be labeled Class A is ideal. It indicates that the home is energy efficient with very low carbon (GES) emissions. Glass G, on the other hand, is terrible. It suggests that the residence is an energy "hog" and/or produces high levels of carbon dioxide. This policy is part of a larger measure within the European community. According to the Energy Efficiency Directive of 2012, all members of the European Union are obligated to increase energy efficiency in their respective countries by 20% by the year 2020.
Remember that direct object pronouns answer the question, "Who or what is receiving the action of the verb?"
The direct object may be a person or thing.
| J'aime le film. | I love film. |
| Je l'aime. | I love it. |
| J'aime ma mére. | I love my mom. |
| Je l'aime. | I love her. |
Remember that indirect object pronouns answer the question, "To whom or for whom is the subject performing the action?"
Many verbs that take a direct object in English, do not take one in French and vice versa. The easiest way to know if a French verb takes an indirect object is to look it up in the dictionary. If the verb is followed by the preposition à, it takes an indirect object.
For example: conseiller (à quelqu'un de) = to advise (someone to do something)
Je lui conseille d'acheter la montre.
If you are struggling with direct and indirect object pronouns, don't be discouraged. With time and practice, you will learn when and how to use them.
| DIRECT | INDIRECT | ||
| me | me | me | to me; for me |
| te | you | te | to you; for you |
| le | he; it | lui | to him; for him |
| la | she; it | lui | to her; for her |
| nous | us | nous | to us; for us |
| vous | you | vous | to you; for you |
| les | them | leur | to them; for them |
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