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
Transcript
Feedback
Check your pronunciation by listening again to the recording and repeating the phrases until you feel confident.