Comment ça va?
Let’s take a look at some French people greeting and introducing themselves now.
What did you hear? What gestures did you see as people greet each other ? Non-verbal gestures, as you know, are an important way of communicating.
What do they mean? Figure out from context and match the French with its English equivalent. Then, watch again and number the order in which you hear each of these greetings.
BONJOUR! COMMENT ALLEZ VOUS? (SALUTATION FORMELLE)
–Bonjour, Angela.
–Bonjour, Emmanuel
–Comment allez-vous ?
–Bien, merci. Et vous ?
–Pas mal, je vous remercie. Je suis content de vous revoir.
–C’est gentil, mais tout le plaisir est pour moi, Emmanuel.
SALUT! COMMENT ÇA VA? (SALUTATION INFORMELLE)
–Salut, Léon Marchand!
–Salut, mes amis!
–Comment ça va, Léon?
–Très bien, je suis champion du monde!
LES SALUTATIONS
Greetings are an important part of French culture. Every time you enter a shop or restaurant, you should greet the shop keeper or wait staff with bonjour or bonsoir, depending on the time of day. When leaving, you should also be certain to acknowledge them with bonne journée or bonne soirée as well. When addressing someone, be sure to use the proper title. Monsieur (M.) for a male of any age, married or single. Madame (Mme.) is used to for married women or women who are over 30, regardless of their marital status. Mademoiselle (Mlle) is used for young and unmarried women. Cultural note: As of December 2012, the title mademoiselle is no longer used on government documents. Instead, madame is used for women regardless of age or marital status. Today, the term mademoiselle is still used, though typically by older French speakers or to refer to a young girl. The idea of a single title for women may seem like a recent subject of debate, but this was first adopted shortly after the 1789 French revolution when men were called citoyen (citizen) and women were called citoyenne (feminine form of citoyen). However, following the revolution, the old titles reappeared in society. France is not the only country to make this change. In 1972 Germany dropped fräulein and in the same year, the U.S. Government Printing Office approved the use of Ms on official documents.
Pratiquons!
On se rencontre. Ecoutez la conversation.
A : Bonjour, je m’appelle Daniel.
B : Bonjour. Je m’appelle Mimi. Vous allez bien?
A : Très bien, merci. Et vous? [A et B se serrent la main.]
Asking someone’s name – Comment Tu t’appelles?
Mathieu Boogaerts “Comment tu t’appelles” – Lyrics
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom non
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom, comment tu t’appelles?
Mais comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom non
Comment tu t’appelles? J’sais pas ton nom, comment tu t’appelles?
Tu t’appelles pas l’eau
Tu t’appelles pas le ciel
Pas les animaux
Tu t’appelles pas mes oreilles
Tu t’appelles pas les mots
Tu t’appelles pas le vermeil
Tu t’appelles pas le beau …
| Ça s’écrit comment ? | How is that spelled? |
| écrivez | write |
| épelez | spell |
| le nom | last name |
| le prénom | rst name |
| le/la camarade | friend, classmate |
Pratiquons!
La chasse aux noms. Find out the name of three of your classmates and how their name is spelled, either in class or in the discussion forum.
A: Comment tu t’appelles ?
B: Je m’appelle Shahira.
A: Ça s’écrit comment ?
B: S-H-A-H-I-R-A.
A: Et ton nom ?
B: Mon nom, c’est Jones.
A: Ça s’écrit comment ?
B: J-O-N-E-S. Et toi, comment tu t’appelles ?
RENCONTRES AVEC DES FRANÇAIS.
Interpretation: Vidéo.
We have all kinds of variations on the ways we greet each other and tell our names. In English, you might say
“Hi!” “Hey, there” “What’s up?” or any of a number of other greetings. We might say “My name is Sammy” or we might say “I’m Sammy” or “I’m called Sammy.” French is the same way – there are many variations on how to say hello and introduce yourself. Let’s explore some more possibilities in French.
Click on the link “Salut” and watch the video of these middle school aged French kids and their greetings to each other.
What different salutations do you hear? Jot them down.
What different ways do you hear to say your name? Jot them down.
What is a “surnom”? What “surnoms” did you hear? Do you have a “surnom”?
What gestures did you see these French kids use? Did you see them kiss each other on the cheek? This is called “faire la bise.”
