Introduction

LXF002_1 Getting started with French 2 About this free course This free course is an adapted extract from the Open University course developed from extract parts of LXF002 - Beginners French 2: bien sûr! - http://www.open.ac.uk/courses/short-courses/lxf002. This version of the content may include video, images and interactive content that may not be optimised for your device. You can experience this free course as it was originally designed on OpenLearn, the home of free learning from The Open University – Getting started with French 2 There you’ll also be able to track your progress via your activity record, which you can use to demonstrate your learning.

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978-1-4730-3209-5 (.epub) Introduction Introduction Bonjour. This two-week course offers you the opportunity to discuss food, your likes and dislikes as well as to shop or order food. Little by little, you will improve your ability to make more sophisticated conversations and to understand more complex language in a variety of different scenarios. You will also find out facts about France and French habits. Each week comprises 3–4 hours of interactive activities, explanations, exercises and tips about language-learning. It’s a good idea to keep notes, either on paper in a notebook or on your preferred digital device; in any case, each week you’ll be encouraged to add to your own personal phrase book and decide how best you can go about memorising and practising key phrases and vocabulary, and there is a weekly quiz for you to practise what you’ve been learning. At the end of each week, you will have a quiz with 10 questions to revise what you have been learning. To start with, you might want to consider how you’ll organise your studies. Learning languages is a gradual process and, if possible, it is best to spread your 3–4 hours over the week, rather than studying the equivalent of the whole week in one go. You then get the opportunity to revise vocabulary and language structures, to review quickly what you did last time and above all to practise and consolidate. For example, by listening several times to the same recording you will learn vocabulary and perfect your accent for the speaking activities. You could also benefit from including other people (family or friends) in your discovery of the language. They might be happy to get involved and assist you in your endeavour. After completing this course, you will be able to: discuss food, likes and dislikes, and be able to shop for or order food understand more sophisticated conversations and complex language in a variety of different scenarios recognise facts about France and French habits express likes using j’aime, j’adore, je préfère with the articles le, la, l’, les express dislikes. Open Centre for Languages and Cultures This course has been developed from extract parts of LXF002 - Beginners French 2: bien sûr!. The Open University has launched a dedicated learning centre called The Open Centre for Languages and Cultures. OpenLearn is supporting this project and is providing extracted units of all courses on The Open Centre in our dedicated Language and cultures hub. The Open Centre for Languages and Cultures is the exciting new home for non-accredited language and intercultural communication short courses. You can study a wide range of language and language related subjects with us anywhere in the world, in any time zone, whatever your motivation – leisure, professional development or academic. It’s the one stop shop for engaging with languages, professional communication and intercultural dialogue. Our short courses allow us to be agile and responsive to the needs of learners who want to be part of a global society. We offer non-accredited short courses in a range of subjects including modern languages and languages for business and the workplace. We are also leading the way in developing short courses for academic research methods and pre-sessional English with IELTS, which will be available for registration in due course. The Open Centre for Languages and Cultures is an international leader in online language learning and intercultural communications, built on our pioneering pedagogy and research. What makes the Open Centre different? The OU is the leader in online learning and teaching with a heritage of more than 50 years helping students achieve their learning ambitions. The short courses are underpinned by academic rigour and designed by native speakers experienced in producing engaging materials for online learning of languages and cultures. The graduating nature of the courses means that learners can build up their language and skills over time. Learners will also gain a better understanding of the culture(s) associated with the language(s) they study enabling the development of intercultural communication skills. Learners can mix and match the short courses and study more than one course at a time. Once this course is complete you will be directed to OpenLearn’s hub for language content where you will be able to build on your newly found language skills. You are now ready to start Week 1. Bonnes études ! (Enjoy your studies!) Week 1: Food – saying what you like Introduction Many French people place a great deal of importance on food – as the British often resort to talking about the weather, French people will fill the conversation with what they had for dinner the night before or what they are thinking of cooking that evening. Despite the growth in supermarkets, most French people still buy their bread from a local baker, and often visit markets to stock up on fresh, locally produced, fruit, vegetables and meat. Although the pace of modern life has certainly affected how people eat, preparing food and taking time to enjoy it remain important. This week you’ll discuss what you like to eat and drink using the verbs aimer, adorer,and préférer. This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course LXF002 Beginners French 2: bien sûr!. 1 Food in France Most regions boast an impressive diversity of dishes. From bouillabaisse (a fish soup from Provence) to choucroute (a dish of sauerkraut, sausages and pork, popular in Alsace), there are dozens of dishes and drinks to try when visiting a new region. Some regional specialities, such as foie gras or champagne, have become internationally famous.

Activity 1 Part 1 Make a list of French words for food and drinks that you already know. You can also list some of your favourite French dishes. Example: Croissant, boeuf bourguignon Among others, you may know petits pois, crêpe, croque-monsieur, foie gras, crème brûlée, crème fraîche, tartiflette, brioche, baguette… Be careful: couscous in French usually means the whole dish (a spicy meat and vegetable stew served on steamed couscous grains). Part 2 Now study the following shopping list and match each item to its English equivalent. You may need to use a dictionary.

Entrées: Starters crisps eggs seafood prawns mussels oysters olives Viandes/poissons : meat fish steak chicken trout Légumes: vegetables green beans mushrooms tomatoes peas carrots onions frozen chips salad leaves potatoes Autres: Others rice pasta Desserts: Desserts ice cream pineapple bread and cheese Boissons: Drinks wine mineral water cola apple juice tea coffee 2 Discussing what you like to eat or drink In this section you will discover more vocabulary related to food. Activity 2 Claudette Dupont and her husband, Paul, have invited the Lenoirs and the Khalifes for dinner on Saturday. Claudette has made a list of what her guests and her husband like. Look at her notes and for each name, select the item(s) that person likes in the multiple choice questions below.

Vocabulaire aime likes (from aimer) surtout in particular crudités (f.pl.): raw vegetables with French dressing (typically grated carrots, beetroot, tomatoes, cucumber) aussi as well difficile fussy Select which item/s Ahmed likes. vegetables ice cream desserts The correct answers are: ice cream and desserts. Select which item/s Chrystelle likes. cheese vegetables soup The correct answers are: vegetables and soup. Select which item/s Benoît likes. fish seafood white wine The correct answers are: fish and seafood. Select which item/s Laura likes. cheese fruit Italian food The correct answers are: cheese and Italian food. Select which item/s Paul likes fish white wine red meat The correct answers are: white wine and red meat. In the notes Claudette used different ways to express what her guests and her husband like. Identify the words she uses to express liking. Ahmed : aime Chrystelle : adore Benoît : aime ; préfère Laure : aime Paul : aime Make a list of the words Claudette uses with the verb aimer. beaucoup; assez; bien. These words are adverbs: they tell us something about the verb they are used with. In this case, they tell us how strong the feeling is. 3 Definite articles – popular food and drink in France Now have a go at Activity 3, which will help you to become more familiar with French vocabulary for different food and drinks. You’ll then consider definite articles in French. Activity 3 Listen to this conversation in which French people discuss what they like to eat. (Les Francais: à table) (Collette) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? COLETTE J’aime les légumes, les crudités… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez le poisson ? COLETTE Le poisson, oui. INTERVIEWER Les moules ? COLETTE Les coquillages, oui, les moules, les huîtres… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? COLETTE Ah, j’aime beaucoup la cuisine italienne. (Maryse) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? MARYSE J’aime la viande, le fromage, les légumes, les fruits. INTERVIEWER Vous aimez le poisson ? MARYSE J’aime le poisson. INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? MARYSE Oui. J’aime les pâtes. (Philippe) INTERVIEWER: Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? PHILIPPE J’aime bien manger la viande, le poisson… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? PHILIPPE: J’aime bien la cuisine italienne : les pizzas et les pâtes, bien sûr. (Lionel) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? LIONEL J’aime beaucoup la viande, les poissons, le poulet, les… les fruits de mer… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? LIONEL Oui, beaucoup, surtout les spaghetti. We asked Colette, Maryse, Philippe and Lionel what they like eating using the question: Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? Listen to what they say and then answer the following questions. Who likes fish? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes meat? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes Italian food? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes seafood? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes cheese? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel The correct answers are: Who likes fish? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes meat? Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes Italian food? Colette Maryse Philippe Lionel Who likes seafood? Colette Lionel Who likes cheese? Maryse Box 1 Understanding the gender of nouns and learning vocabulary French nouns are either feminine or masculine in gender (shown by the letters ‘nf’ or ‘nm’ after entries in the dictionary). They are usually preceded by the definite article le, la or les (‘the’). You will have seen some examples of nouns with their articles in the shopping list. Le poisson, le fromage (masculine) La viande, la cuisine italienne (feminine) If the noun starts with a vowel sound, the articles le and la become l’, for example: L’oeuf (masculine) L’orange, l’eau (feminine) Nouns in the plural usually end in an ‘s’: Les entrées Les poissons, les viandes, les légumes Les fromages, les desserts When you learn a noun, it’s always a good idea to learn its gender at the same time: for example, learn le pain (masculine) or la viande (feminine) instead of pain or viande on their own. Activity 4 Part 1 Listen to the conversation from Activity 3 again (repeated below) and fill in the gaps in the following sentences with le, la or les. (Les Francais: à table) (Collette) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? COLETTE J’aime les légumes, les crudités… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez le poisson ? COLETTE Le poisson, oui. INTERVIEWER Les moules ? COLETTE Les coquillages, oui, les moules, les huîtres… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? COLETTE Ah, j’aime beaucoup la cuisine italienne. (Maryse) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? MARYSE J’aime la viande, le fromage, les légumes, les fruits. INTERVIEWER Vous aimez le poisson ? MARYSE J’aime le poisson. INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? MARYSE Oui. J’aime les pâtes. (Philippe) INTERVIEWER: Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? PHILIPPE J’aime bien manger la viande, le poisson… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? PHILIPPE: J’aime bien la cuisine italienne : les pizzas et les pâtes, bien sûr. (Lionel) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? LIONEL J’aime beaucoup la viande, les poissons, le poulet, les… les fruits de mer… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? LIONEL Oui, beaucoup, surtout les spaghetti. Part 2 Listen once more to the audio and try to find out how much each person likes the food item they mention. Complete the following sentences with beaucoup or bien. (Les Francais: à table) (Collette) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? COLETTE J’aime les légumes, les crudités… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez le poisson ? COLETTE Le poisson, oui. INTERVIEWER Les moules ? COLETTE Les coquillages, oui, les moules, les huîtres… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? COLETTE Ah, j’aime beaucoup la cuisine italienne. (Maryse) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? MARYSE J’aime la viande, le fromage, les légumes, les fruits. INTERVIEWER Vous aimez le poisson ? MARYSE J’aime le poisson. INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? MARYSE Oui. J’aime les pâtes. (Philippe) INTERVIEWER: Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? PHILIPPE J’aime bien manger la viande, le poisson… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? PHILIPPE: J’aime bien la cuisine italienne : les pizzas et les pâtes, bien sûr. (Lionel) INTERVIEWER Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? LIONEL J’aime beaucoup la viande, les poissons, le poulet, les… les fruits de mer… INTERVIEWER Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? LIONEL Oui, beaucoup, surtout les spaghetti. 4 The verb <language xml:lang="fr">aimer</language> In this section you will study the verb aimer in more detail. It might be a good idea to allocate a specific section of your language notebook to verbs. Activity 5 You will have noticed that the verb is pronounced the same for: J’aime Tu aimes (the final S is not sounded) Il / elle aime Ils / Elles aiment (the final NT is not sounded) But the pronunciation is different for: Nous aimons Vous aimez Table 1 Using pronouns with the verb aimer

Je (I) to talk about yourself	J’aime les fruits.
Tu (you) to address somebody informally	Tu aimes le fromage ?
Il (he) to replace the name of a man	Alain, il aime les desserts.
Elle (she) to replace the name of a woman	Brigitte, elle aime le fromage.
Nous (we) to replace a group including yourself	Nous aimons les glaces.
Vous (you singular) to address a person formally(You plural) to address a group of people	Laura, vous aimez le poisson ?
	Annie et Paul, vous aimez le vin ?
Ils (they) to talk about a group of malesor mixed group of males and females	Marc et Paul, ils aiment le vin.
	Luc et Anne, ils aiment la viande.
Elles (they) to talk about a group of females	Julie et Louise, elles aiment la bière.

Activity 6 Revise the verb aimer with different pronouns. Drag each pronoun to the right sentence. aime beaucoup les croissants aimons surtout les entrées. aiment beaucoup le fromage. aimes la bière ? aimez les desserts. 5 The verb <language xml:lang="fr">préférer</language> You’ll now practise using the verb préférer (to prefer). Activity 7 Revise verb endings with the verb préférer (to prefer). Drag each pronoun to the correct verb. préfère préfères préférons préférez préfèrent The correct answers are: Le verbe préférer Je préfère Tu préfères Il / elle préfère Nous préférons Vous préférez Ils / Elles préfèrent Now practise pronouncing the verb préférer. You will notice that the written accents and the pronunciation are different according to the subject of the verb. Je préfère - Tu préfères - Il / elle préfère - Ils / Elles préfèrent Préférer - Nous préférons - Vous préférez 6 Talking about what you like using <language xml:lang="fr">aimer, adorer and préférer + le/la/les</language> To express your likes, you can use several verbs: aimer, adorer or préférer. Chrystelle adore les légumes. Benoît aime le poisson. Il préfère les fruits de mer. Note that you will need a definite article (le, la, l’ or les) when using the verbs of liking with a noun. Il aime le poisson. He likes fish. Il aime la viande. He likes meat. Elle adore l’ananas. She loves pineapple. J’aime les desserts. I love dessert. You may have noticed that the verb endings of ‘adorer’ and ‘préférer’ when used with different pronouns are the same as for ‘aimer’.

Beaucoup (a lot), bien (rather a lot) and assez (quite), placed after the verb aimer, are used to say how much you like things. Surtout means ‘above all’. Activity 8 In this activity, you are going to practise the use of the definite article. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate article: le, la or les. 7 Now it’s your turn to speak You will now have the opportunity to take part in a conversation. Activity 9 Part 1 You are going to practise saying what you like and how much you like it. Listen to the question and the prompt, record your answer, play back your recording and then listen to a model answer. For example: (You hear) Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? (You hear) (beaucoup) (You say) Oui, j’aime beaucoup la cuisine italienne. Part 2 Now practise talking about what you like. Listen to the question and the prompt, record your answer, play back your recording and then listen to a model answer given in the feedback. For example: (You hear) Vous aimez les fruits ? (You hear) (aimer – beaucoup – ananas) (You say) Oui, j’aime beaucoup l’ananas. 8 Intonation In conversational French you can ask a simple closed question – one which will lead to the answer oui (‘yes’) or non (‘no’) – by using the basic sentence form but changing your intonation. Vous aimez le fromage. (Statement of fact; intonation goes down at end of sentence). Vous aimez le fromage ? (Question; intonation goes up at end of sentence). Such sentences have the same grammatical form as a straightforward affirmative statement, but when spoken the last syllable of the utterance is said on a high pitch to convey inconclusiveness, uncertainty or enquiry, thus inviting a response. This can also be heard in unfinished statements, and in exclamations of surprise, but is most frequently used to ask general questions. Only the higher pitch of the final syllable indicates to the listener that a question is being asked. You can also add an interrogative word at the start of the question: Qu’est-ce que vous aimez manger ? (What do you like to eat?) The interrogative word makes it clear that the sentence is a question. Activity 10 Listen to the recording and read the following dialogue at the same time. Pay particular attention to the intonation. Vous aimez le poisson ? Assez, oui. J’aime bien le saumon. Et les crustacés, vous aimez aussi ? Ah ça, oui ! J’aime beaucoup, surtout le homard. J’adore le homard ! Speaker 1: Vous aimez le poisson ? Speaker 2: Assez, oui. J’aime bien le saumon. Speaker 1: Et les crustacés, vous aimez aussi ? Speaker 2: Ah ça, oui ! J’aime beaucoup, surtout le homard. J’adore le homard !

Listen to the recording again, pause the recording and repeat each sentence trying to copy the intonation. Vocabulaire le saumon salmon les crustace´s (m.pl.) shellfish le homard lobster Check your pronunciation by listening to the recording and reading the dialogue out loud until you are confident. 9 This week’s quiz Check what you’ve learned this week by taking the end-of-week quiz. Week 1 quiz Open the quiz in a new window or tab (by holding ctrl [or cmd on a Mac] when you click the link), then return here when you have done it. 10 Summary of Week 1 At the end of each week we’ll suggest activities you can do to consolidate what you’ve been learning, before you progress to the next week. Remember that you’ll build your language skills little by little and it’s very important for you to keep returning to vocabulary and structures you’ve been learning, as well as adding new ones. You may have worked through the activities with ease, but how well will you remember the answers and vocabulary in two or three weeks time? Now is the time to get organised and start formalising the way you develop your language skills. Building a language notebook This is something you can develop week by week, which is entirely personal to you. You may find that you want to change the way you go about it as the weeks progress; don’t worry if that happens. The important thing is that you find a way to note down, each week, new vocabulary and expressions, and also tips about pronunciation, grammar, culture and communication in general that will support you as you start to learn French. How will you do this? Whether you keep your notes on paper or digitally, it’s important to get organised. Building a language notebook using the template below may help. Table 2 Language notebook

Key phrases
Pronunciation
Culture
Language

The best way to remember new vocabulary and key phrases is to practise. What did you score for the Week 1 Quiz? What did you find difficult? How could you manage better next time? In Week 1, you were introduced to an important point of pronunciation which should help with your listening and speaking skills. Now you have reached the end of Week 1, reflect a little on what you have learnt. In the box below, note down what you have found easy, useful or fun, and what was more difficult. Week 1 Reflection What was most useful this week? Why? What was most difficult this week? Why? How am I going to practise what I learned this week? Week 2: Food - saying what you don’t like Introduction In Week 1 you discovered some food vocabulary and how to express what you like using j’aime, j’adore, je préfère with the articles le, la, l’, les. This week you will find out how to express what you dislike. Last week you also learned that, in French, you need to distinguish between masculine and feminine forms, and that means that you must learn each word with its gender. This week you’ll have the chance to practise this, learn more vocabulary and express your dislikes using a wider range of expressions. Finally, you will discover some French expressions related to food. Have you got a good dictionary? You might need to refer to one for some of the activities this week, so think about how you plan to look words up when you need to. There are many online dictionaries available, or perhaps you prefer to use a printed version. Either way, find one that suits you and is reliable and accurate. Last week you started to keep your own language notebook; this week you’ll be adding to it. In particular, we suggest you make notes on the grammar you’ll be studying and how you’re going to memorise vocabulary (we give you some tips). We will also give you advice on how to improve your speaking skills. 1 Saying what you dislike In this section you’ll start to learn how to express what you dislike. Activity 1 Part 1 In Week 1 you looked at a note Claudette had made with what her guests like to eat and drink. She has now also included her guests dislikes. Read the note in Figure 1 and identify all the words and phrases which express dislike. Write your answers in the box below.

Vocabulaire surtout in particular crudités (f.pl.) raw vegetables with French dressing (typically grated carrots, beetroot, tomatoes, cucumber) aussi as well difficile fussy You should have identified: Ahmed: n’aime pas Chrystelle: n’aime pas du tout Benoît: n’aime pas beaucoup Laura: déteste Paul: n’aime pas du tout. Part 2 Now drag and drop the expressions to rank them in order of intensity from ‘dislike a little’, ‘dislike’, ‘strongly dislike’, to ‘hate’. Dislike a little Dislike strongly dislike hate 2 Fast food in France In France the word ‘fast-food’ can refer to quickly prepared snacks, like burgers and chips, or to the outlets which sell them. Types of ‘restauration rapide’ include the ‘sandwicherie’ or ‘cafétéria’. While ‘les fast-foods’ are increasingly popular in France, particularly with the young, many people disapprove of the food sold in them, describing it as ‘la malbouffe’ (‘junk food’). Is fast food popular in your country? What are the different attitudes to it?

Activity 2 Part 1 We asked six French people if they liked fast food. Listen to the recording and select the right answer. Vocabulaire J’y vais de temps en temps I go there from time to time Colette Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Colette Ah non, je déteste les fast-foods. Francis Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Francis J’ai horreur des fast-foods ! Maryse Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Maryse Non, je n’aime pas les fast-foods. Philippe Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Philippe Oui, j’aime assez les fast-foods. J’y vais de temps en temps. Pierre Interviewer Et les fast-foods, vous aimez ? Pierre J’ai horreur des fast-foods ! Lionel Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Lionel J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Colette Elle aime. Elle n’aime pas. Francis Il aime. Il n’aime pas. Maryse Elle aime. Elle n’aime pas. Philippe Il aime. Il n’aime pas. Pierre Il aime. Il n’aime pas. Lionel Il aime. Il n’aime pas. Part 2 Now listen to the recording again and find out who says what. Select the correct phrase from the options given. Colette Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Colette Ah non, je déteste les fast-foods. Francis Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Francis J’ai horreur des fast-foods ! Maryse Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Maryse Non, je n’aime pas les fast-foods. Philippe Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Philippe Oui, j’aime assez les fast-foods. J’y vais de temps en temps. Pierre Interviewer Et les fast-foods, vous aimez ? Pierre J’ai horreur des fast-foods ! Lionel Interviewer Vous aimez les fast-foods ? Lionel J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Colette J’ai horreur des fast-foods. Je déteste les fast-foods. Je n’aime pas les fast-foods. J’aime assez les fast-foods. J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Francis J’ai horreur des fast-foods. Je déteste les fast-foods. Je n’aime pas les fast-foods. J’aime assez les fast-foods. J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Maryse J’ai horreur des fast-foods. Je déteste les fast-foods. Je n’aime pas les fast-foods. J’aime assez les fast-foods. J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Philippe J’ai horreur des fast-foods. Je déteste les fast-foods. Je n’aime pas les fast-foods. J’aime assez les fast-foods. J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Pierre J’ai horreur des fast-foods. Je déteste les fast-foods. Je n’aime pas les fast-foods. J’aime assez les fast-foods. J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. Lionel J’ai horreur des fast-foods. Je déteste les fast-foods. Je n’aime pas les fast-foods. J’aime assez les fast-foods. J’aime beaucoup les fast-foods. 3 Expressing the negative Have a go at Activity 3. After, you’ll look at how to form the negative in French. Activity 3 Look at these three statements from the previous activity: Lionel : J’aime beaucoup les fast foods. Maryse : Je n’aime pas les fast foods. Philippe: J’aime assez les fast-foods. What is the grammatical clue that tells you that only Maryse doesn’t like fast food? In Maryse’s statement the words ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ appear on either side of the verb ‘aime’. To form the negative in French, use ne before the verb and pas after the verb (ne becomes n’ in front of a verb starting with a vowel sound): Elle n’aime pas les oignons. She doesn’t like onions. Il n’est pas français. He is not French. You can use ‘beaucoup’ and ‘du tout’ with ‘je n’aime pas’ to say how much you dislike something. If you use these words, they go after ‘ne ... pas’ in the sentence: Je n’aime pas du tout la viande. I don’t like meat at all. Il n’aime pas beaucoup la cuisine nord-africaine. He doesn’t like North African food very much. Note that in informal spoken French, people often omit the ne: Je n’habite pas en France. → J’habite pas en France. I don’t live in France. Elle n’aime pas les sardines. → Elle aime pas les sardines. She does not like sardines. To express your dislikes, you can also use the verbs ‘détester’ or ‘avoir horreur de’: Elle déteste les champignons. She hates mushrooms. J’ai horreur des fast-foods ! I can’t stand fast food! Activity 4 Answer the following questions in the negative, using whole sentences and ne/n’… pas, as shown in the examples. For example: Il aime beaucoup le poulet ? – Non, il n’aime pas beaucoup le poulet. Vous adorez la viande ? – Non, je n’adore pas la viande. Question 1 Vous détestez les champignons ? Non, je ne déteste pas les champignons. Question 2 Ils préfèrent le poisson ? Non, ils ne préfèrent pas le poisson. Question 3 Tu aimes les huîtres ? Non, je n’aime pas les huîtres. Question 4 Il est végétarien ? Non, il n’est pas végétarien. (He is not vegetarian.) Question 5 Vous aimez la cuisine italienne ? Non, Je n’aime pas la cuisine italienne. Question 6 Le vin est français ? Non, le vin n’est pas français. Il n’est pas français. 4 Now it’s your turn to speak! You will now practise what you have learnt so far in Weeks 1 and 2 by saying what you like and dislike. Activity 5 Claudette’s son, Frédéric, is a very fussy eater (Il est difficile). There are many things he won’t eat or drink. Listen to the recording and, putting yourself in Frédéric’s shoes, answer all the questions in the negative following the prompts you hear. For example: (You hear) Tu aimes le café, Fred ? (You hear) (Say no, you do not like coffee.) (You say) Non, je n’aime pas le café. Box 1 Improving your speaking skills Keep listening out for sounds and imitating them whenever you hear them. Do as much reading out loud as you can: this helps you to memorise language and to become familiar with pronouncing the sounds. Repeat the content as many times as necessary, until you feel confident and comfortable producing the sounds. You can use the transcripts for this purpose, reading out the text while you play the tracks and imitating the speakers’ intonation, and the rise and fall in the speakers’ voices. Aim for as much exposure to spoken French and as many opportunities to speak as possible. Activity 6 Now listen to the recording again while reading the transcript. Remember what you learnt in Week 1: use your intonation when asking questions and imitate the discussion between Claudette and her son. Try to copy the intonation for each of the questions and answers. Pause the recording as needed to repeat the phrases CLAUDETTE Tu aimes le café, Fred ? FRÉDÉRIC Non, je n’aime pas le café. CLAUDETTE Tu aimes le poisson ? FRÉDÉRIC Non, je déteste le poisson. CLAUDETTE Et la viande, tu aimes la viande ? FRÉDÉRIC Ah, non, je n’aime pas du tout la viande ! CLAUDETTE Et les légumes ? Tu aimes les légumes ? FRÉDÉRIC Non, j’ai horreur des légumes. CLAUDETTE Et la glace, alors ? FRÉDÉRIC Non, je n’aime pas beaucoup la glace. CLAUDETTE Et les fruits de mer, tu aimes ça ? FRÉDÉRIC Non, je déteste les fruits de mer. CLAUDETTE Mais que tu es difficile ! Check your pronunciation by listening again to the recording and repeating the phrases until you feel confident.

<?oxy_insert_end?>4.1 Speaking about your likes and dislikes<?oxy_insert_start author="al22273" timestamp="20210126T085958+0000"?> Now answer some questions about food and drinks based on your own likes and dislikes. Activity 7 Part 1 First, prepare your own answers to the following questions and note them in your notebook. Vous aimez les entrées ? Vous aimez le poisson ? Et les fruits de mer, Vous aimez ça ? Et la viande, vous aimez la viande ? Et les légumes ? Vous aimez les légumes ? Et les desserts, alors ? Here are some possible answers. Of course, your answers will depend on your own likes and dislikes, but you should try to use similar expressions to those in the sample answer. Vous aimez les entrées ? Ah oui, j’aime beaucoup les entrées surtout les crudités. Vous aimez le poisson ? Oui, j’aime bien le poisson. Et les fruits de mer, Vous aimez ça ? Non je n’aime pas beaucoup les fruits de mer et je déteste les huitres. Et la viande, vous aimez la viande ? J’adore le rôti de porc. Et les légumes ? Vous aimez les légumes ? J’aime beaucoup les légumes mais j’ai horreur des épinards. Et les desserts, alors ? Ça j’adore surtout le gâteau au chocolat. Part 2 Now listen to each of the questions and record your own answer. You can do this activity while reading the questions and your answers but when you feel more confident try to answer the questions without looking at your answers.

5 Writing about food likes and dislikes Now you have practised speaking about your likes and dislikes, you will move on to writing about them. Activity 8 Claudette would like to invite you to her dinner party. You need to let her know what kinds of food you like and dislike. Part 1 First, look up in your dictionary any words you need that you don’t already know, then write them down in your notebook and learn them with their gender le, la, l’ or les. Here is one possible answer. Les fruits de mer, le poisson, la glace, la truite, la viande rouge, les oignons, les fast-foods Part 2 Using a suitable note form, indicate three things you like and three you dislike, and also how much you like/dislike each one. For example: J’aime bien / j’aime assez (✓) J’aime beaucoup (✓✓) J’adore (✓✓✓) Je n’aime pas (X) je n’aime pas du tout (XX) Je déteste / j’ai horreur de (XXX). Here is one possible answer. J’aime : fruits de mer (✓✓) ; poisson (✓) ; glace (✓✓✓). Je n’aime pas : viande rouge (XX) ; oignons (XXX) ; fast-foods (XXX). Part 3 Now expand these notes into full sentences. Write your answers in the box below: Here is one possible answer. J’aime : fruits de mer (✓✓) ; poisson (✓) ; glace (✓✓✓). Je n’aime pas : viande rouge (XX) ; oignons (XXX) ; fast-foods (XXX). J’aime beaucoup les fruits de mer. J’aime bien aussi le poisson, surtout la truite. J’adore la glace. Mais je n’aime pas du tout la viande rouge et je déteste les oignons. J’ai horreur des fast foods! 6 French culture Many French people love to entertain and they often invite friends round for a meal. Another opportunity for socialising is the traditional apéritif, also referred to as l’apéro. L’apéritif is a national custom in France. It involves setting aside half an hour or so before a meal to share a drink (usually alcoholic), nibbles (olives, peanuts, savoury snacks, canapés, etc.) and conversation with family, friends, neighbours or colleagues. L’apéro is enjoyed by people of all ages, and forms an important part of home life, public and private celebrations, and café and restaurant culture. The word actually refers to both the drink and the convivial moment before a meal. If you are invited out for l’apéritif, don’t expect a full meal.

Activity 9 Food is a very important part of French culture. As such, there are many French idiomatic expressions referring to food, for example: J’ai la pêche (meaning ‘I’m on top form’, but literally tanslated to ‘I have a peach!’). Below are a few more idiomatic expressions. For each of these well-known French sayings, find the right English equivalent. C’est pas tes oignons. You’re not French It’s none of your business. These are not your onions. Les carottes sont cuites. The carrots are cooked. You look like a carrot. There is nothing that can be done. Tu racontes des salades. You like salad. You look green. You’re telling stories. C’est du gâteau. It’s a doddle. It’s delicious. It’s a cake. 7 This week’s quiz Check what you’ve learned this week by taking the end-of-week quiz. Week 2 quiz Open the quiz in a new window or tab (by holding ctrl [or cmd on a Mac] when you click the link), then return here when you have done it. 8 Summary of Week 2 This week, your language notebook will probably contain notes about how to say what you dislike, and you may also have started building up some useful vocabulary with all the new words you’ve been learning for the different food and drinks. But remember to be a bit selective: you don’t need to remember every word you come across, just concentrate on the ones that will be important to you. Think about the way you might group the words you learn. In your notebook you may prefer to keep verbs (you learned the verbs aimer and préférer last week), nouns (naming words like le pain) and adjectives (like italienne, petit for example) in separate sections. Or you might have a section for useful phrases (J’ai horreur des champignons). You should now consider how you’ll remember vocabulary and find your favorite and most effective way of doing this. It takes practice and repetition to learn a language, and in order to remember vocabulary, French expressions and structures you’ll need to revise frequently and regularly. One good way for you to remember vocabulary is through the listening activities. When you listen, repeat a phrase such as Je n’aime pas du tout les petits pois. You are not only remembering the vocabulary but you’re also practising the pronunciation, and this is a very good way to build up your vocabulary. By doing the pronunciation activities, you’re also adding to your bank of vocabulary and expressions. So, don’t just write everything down but record yourself speaking and build your listening skills. You can also improve your intonation by varying your pitch when you imitate the voices of the speakers in the recordings. Before you move on, take some time to check that your language notebook is up-to-date, and reflect a little on what you’ve been doing this week. Week 2 Reflection What was most useful this week? Why? What was most difficult this week? Why? How am I going to practise what I learned this week? This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University badged course LXF002 - Beginners French 2: bien sûr!. Next steps Learning French will take you on a fascinating journey as you learn about the language, and the society and culture of the people who speak it. We hope that you’ll continue your French studies with the Open University on our Beginners French courses: LXF001 Beginners French 1: eh oui !! LXF002 Beginners French 2: Bien sûr! LXF003 Beginners French 3: absolument!! Or continue your learning adventure on OpenLearn with our free courses in our Language and Cultures Hub. But whatever you decide to do, we wish you Bonne continuation et bonne chance ! This free course was first published in February 2021. Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence. The material acknowledged below and within the course is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this free course: Images Introduction Course image: Photo by Silvia Trigo from Pexels Week 1 Section 1, Figure 1: GitoTrevisan / iStock / Getty Images Plus Section 6, Figure 4: Marina113 / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus Section 8, Figure 5: Panama7 / iStock / Getty Images Plus Week 2 Section 2, Figure 2: Rrrainbow / iStock / Getty Images Section 6, Figure 3: Mathia Coco /iStock / Getty Images Plus Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity. Don't miss out If reading this text has inspired you to learn more, you may be interested in joining the millions of people who discover our free learning resources and qualifications by visiting The Open University – www.open.edu/openlearn/free-courses.