Learn Real French #3 for beginners – At the café.
Learn Real French #3 – At the café. Comprehension is a HUGE roadblock for many students. It’s time to break through that roadblock and focus on other things! You want to be able to speak French, and (just as importantly) understand the French you hear.
The ideal way to practice French listening comprehension is to find lots of resources that are in the sweet spot — not too far outside your comfort zone, but JUST difficult enough to be a good challenge.
You want it to be challenging but also doable. Right at the edges of your comfortable zone. They’re just difficult enough so they’re challenging but they’re useful for you to practice with
I’ve curated and edited a real audio of a conversation between a young waiter and two women. In this 30 seconds audio, he takes their order as the two women sit together for breakfast. The audio is played at real speed with some music background. I’ll play it three times. The third time is slowed down. Don’t worry if don’t understand everything. The goal is to build your comprehension of real spoken French. You’ll learn new vocabulary in the context but more importantly, you can listen and repeat to tune into the pace and flow of spoken French!
How to listen to the French audio
Active listening: Listen to the audio three times. The first time, you need to focus on the general meaning and context, the second time, narrow down on the keywords. The last time, the audio is slowed down to really focus on comprehension.
Answer the question: try to answer to the questions without checking the transcript.
Check the transcript: Listen with the transcript twice. The second time, read along out loud to help with learning pronunciation and pace.
Happy Listening!
French Vocabulary and Keywords
Qu’est-ce qu’il vous faudrait ? = What would you need?
Une tartine = a toast (usually baguette)
Un allongé = an expresso with added water (an americano in the US)
C’est parti = Here we go! We’re off!
A tout de suite = See you right away!
votre tartine qui arrive tout de suite = Your toast is coming right away
C’est gentil merci : This is nice, thank you.
Du coup = so, as a consequence (very common French expression)
Demander = to ask
C’est génial = it’s awesome
Est-ce qu’on pourrait avoir = Could we have…
Bien sûr = of course
The questions
#1 Que commande la première cliente? = What is the first customer ordering?
#2 Que commande la deuxième cliente? = What is the second customer ordering?
#3 Quel parfums de confiture le serveur apporte? = what flavors are the jams?
#4 Qu’est-ce le serveur apporte à la fin? = What is the waiter bringing at the end.
The transcription
Bonjour Mesdames, alors qu’est-ce qu’il vous faudrait ?
Un café expresso et une tartine, s’il vous plait.
Moi, plutôt allongé et un croissant.
Un expresso, une tartine, un allongé, un croissant, c’est parti ! A tout de suite
(A moment later)
Et voilà, mesdames, nous avions un allongé, un croissant pour vous, un expresso ici et votre tartine qui arrive tout de suite ! Un petit peu de sucre ?
C’est gentil ! Merci.
Je reviens vers vous. Et voilà la tartine ! Je ne vous avez pas demandé quelle confiture, du coup, je vous ai mis fraise et abricot.
Parfait, c’est génial.
Bon appétit !
Est-ce qu’on pourrait avoir du beurre, s’il vous plait ?
Du beurre ! Bien sûr !
Questions anwers
#1 Que commande la première cliente? = What is the first customer ordering?
Un café expresso et une tartine
#2 Que commande la deuxième cliente? = What is the second customer ordering?
Un allongé et un croissant
#3 Quel parfums de confiture le serveur apporte? = what flavors are the jams?
Fraise et abricot (strawberry and apricot)
#4 Qu’est-ce le serveur apporte à la fin? = What is the waiter bringing at the end.
Du beurre (some butter)
#5 Translation French Audio
Hello ladies, so what would you like?
An espresso and a toast, please.
I’d prefer an americano and a croissant,
An espresso, a toast, an americano, a croissant, let’s go! See you right away.
(A moment later)
And there you have it, ladies, we had an allongé, a croissant for you, an espresso here and your tartine coming right up! A little sugar?
Thank you.
I’ll be right back. And here’s your toast! I didn’t ask for the jam flavors, so I gave you strawberry and apricot.
Perfect, it’s awesome.
Bon appétit!
Could we have some butter, please?
Butter! Of course, butter!
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