French Made Simple

196 Pages·29.557 MB·English

by  Eugene Jackson, Antonio Rubio

French
A comprehensive
course for
T
self-study and review
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By Eugene Jackson
and Antonio Rubio
New
Revised Edition
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FRENCH
MADE
SIMPLE
Revised Edition
BY
EUGENE JACKSON,
A.B.
'
Chairman of Foreign Languages (Ret.)
Samuel Tilden High School, Brooklyn, N.Y.
J.
AND
ANTONIO RUBIO, Ph.D.
Late Chairman, Dept. of Modern Languages
DePaul University, Chicago, 111.
MADE SIMPLE BOOKS
DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY, INC.
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
isbn: 0-385-08691-1
library of congress catalog card number: 73-9033
©
Copyright 1957, 1974 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.
all rights reserved
printed in the united states of america
ABOUT THIS BOOK
FrenchforTourist, Traveler,andBusinessMan
Doyou wish to attain rapidly and easily the ability to pronounce French well, to engage in
everyday conversation, to read simple French texts—in short, do you wish to acquire enough
knowledge ofFrench to meet your needsas tourist, traveler, or businessman in a French-speak-
ing country? FRENCH MADE SIMPLE is the book for you.
The bilingual text which eliminates the burdensome and time-consuming looking up of
words in the dictionary, the dialogues dealing with common topics, the word building exer-
cises, the French questions and the answer-key for self-checking, all these will enable you to
attainyourgoal pleasantlyandeffectively.
Theimportantwordsandexpressionsand manycultural factsareeasilyrememberedbecause
theyappearnaturallyinaseriesofconversationsbetween theFrench teacher Mr. Picardandhis
pupil Mr. Davis,a businessmanofNewYork,wholikeyou isabout to take a trip to Franceand
wishestobeable togetalonginFrench.
FrenchforStudents
Do you wish a thorough grounding in the French language for secondary school or college?
FRENCH MADE SIMPLE will enable you to attain your goal. The essential grammatical
facts of French grow naturally out of the conversation and reading texts. The facts are clearly
explained. Non essentials are omitted. The numerous illustrative drills and exercises, and the
answer key for self-checking will enable you to gain a thorough knowledge of the elements of
Frenchandlaythefoundation foradvancedstudyofthelanguage.
FRENCH MADE SIMPLE thus meets the needs of the self-learner, whether his aim is the
practical conversation and comprehension ability needed by the tourist, traveler, or business-
man, or a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of the French language desired by the
high school or college student. It can also serve as an excellent refresher course for those who
alreadyhavehadsomestudyofthelanguage.
French TextforClassroom Use
Although primarily designed for self-study, FRENCH MADE SIMPLE can serve as a text-
book in French classes in secondary schools or college. The material is practical; the conver-
sationalapproach issimpleand interesting; and the cultural aspects are closely integrated with
the language elements. The book offers an easy method for acquiring vocabulary, everyday
expressions, and even grammatical facts which are generally a bugbear to students. FRENCH
MADE SIMPLE
is a refreshing change from the conventional textbook with its academic ap-
proachandover-emphasisongrammar.
—EugeneJackson
—AntonioRubio
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2011
in
http://www.archive.org/details/frenchmadesimpleOOjack
.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 6
MEET THE FRENCH LANGUAGE 9 THE VERBS ARE IMPORTANT, SIR
. .
French is no stranger—French and English Les Verbes Sont Importants, Monsieur . 30
pronunciation differ greatly—French is Countries of Europe and North America—
spoken by many people. Aboutverbendings—Present tenseofparler
to speak, regular -er verb—Imperative or
CHAPTER 2 ... command forms of parler—Interrogative-
FRENCH PRONUNCIATION Negative—Someregular-erverbslikeparler.
10
Frenchsounds illustrated in familiarwords CHAPTER
—French nasal vowel sounds—Summary of THE FAMILY .7 ...
French vowel sounds—Summary of French
nasals—Summary of French consonants- La Famille De M. Davis 33
Some useful words and expressions for the The French endings -tion and -sion equal
traveler—Linking—Elision—The stress in the Englishendings-tion and-sion—French
French words and sentences—Three easy ending -ment equals the English ending
dialogues. -ly—Present tense of avoir to have, aller to
go, être to be.
CHAPTER
3
WHO IS MR. DAVIS? CHAPTER 8
Qui Est Monsieur Davis? .16 IN THE OFFICE ....
. . .
Membersofthefamily—Roomsofthehouse Au Bureau De M. Davis 36
—Definite article—Genderof nouns—Plural Some common adjectives—Agreement of
ofnouns—Indefinitearticle—Somecommon adjectives—Position of adjectives—Some ir-
verbs. regular adjectives.
CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 9
WHY IS MR. DAVIS STUDYING FRENCH? MR. DAVIS GREETS A FRIEND IN HIS
Pourquoi Est-ce Que M. Davis Étudie Le OFFICE
Français? 20 M. Davis Salue Un Ami À Son Bureau 39
.
Some European languages—Expressions of Present tense of vendre to sell, regular -re
greeting and farewell—Use of des—Some verb—Present tense of prendre to take, lire
common verbs—Omission of the indefinite to read, écrire to write.
article.
REVIEW
CHAPTER 2
5
IN THE LIVING ROOM ... REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 6-9 . 42
Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
Dans Le SalonDe MonsieurDavis 24
Opbrjeepcotssitiinontsh—eColinvtirnagctriooonms—dSu,omdees,caoum,maounx mFaaurt-iElxPerrecnidsrees?—D.i.a.lQougeulesA:utoQbuueslVAauÀto.bu.s?
—Reading Selections: Deux Amis De M.
—Possession indicated by a phrase with de
Davis ... M. Davis Est Malade.
or à.
REVIEW 1 CHAPTER 10
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 1-5 26 IN THE DINING ROOM ....
. . .
Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram- Dans La Salle À Manger 46
mar Exercises—Dialogues: Où Est La Rue Furniture and other objects in the dining
Scribe? ... Où S'Arrête L'Autobus?-Read- room—Verbsdiretosay,voirtosee—Demon-
ing Selection: Monsieur Davis Apprend Le strative adjective ce this, that—Use of c'est
Français. this is, it is, instead of il est, elle est.
French Made Simple
CHAPTER 11 Quelques Dates De L'Histoire De France 67
.
NUMBERS, ALWAYS NUMBERS Months oftheyear—Present tense offinirto
Les Nombres, Toujours Les Nombres 49 finish, regular -ir verb—Ordinal numbers-
. . Dates.
Present tense of the verbs vouloir to wish,
want, pouvoir to be able—Numbers 1 to 69 CHAPTER
—Arithmetical terms. 17
A FEW QUESTIONS ON THE GEOGRAPHY
CHAPTER 12 OF FRANCE
THE MONETARY SYSTEM OF FRANCE Quelques Questions Sur La Géographie de
Le Système Monétaire De La France 52 France 70
. .
Present tense of faire to make, to do; croire Present tenseofmettre toput—Comparison
to believe, to think—Numbers 70 to 100— of adjectives and adverbs—Expressions of
Table for converting dollars to francs and comparison—Some irregular comparisons.
vice versa.
CHAPTER
CHAPTER 18
13
PROBLEMS IN ARITHMETIC IN THE MR. DAVIS' DAY ....
RESTAURANT. AT THE STATION. La Journée De M. Davis 74
IN A SHOP. Meals—Foods—Presenttenseofthereflexive
Les Problèmes D'Arithmétique. Au Restau- verb se laver to wash oneself—Some com-
rant. À La Gare. Dans Une Boutique . 55 mon reflexive verbs.
Weightsandmeasures—Presenttenseofsav-
oir to know (how); connaître toknow, to be CHAPTER 19
acquainted with—Possessive adjectives. LIFE IN THE SUBURBS ....
CHAPTER La Vie Dans La Banlieue 77
14
Fruitsandvegetables—Thepartitive—Omis-
WHAT TIME IS IT? sionofthedefinitearticlewith the partitive
Quelle Heure Est-Il? 57 —The partitive pronounen (some of it, any
Wordsofapprovalandpraise—Words deal- of it, etc.).
ing with railroad travel—Present tense of
partir to leave, andsortir togoout—Expres- REVIEW 4
sions of time of day.
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 15-19 80
. .
REVIEW Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
3
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 10-14 . .61 mPuacresE—xeRrecaidsiensg—DiSaelleocgtuieo:n:AUuneMaVricshitée aAuux
Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
Paquebot île De France.
mar Exercises—Dialogue: Un Touriste
Prend Des Renseignements Sur La Poterie
Française—Reading Selections: La Famille CHAPTER 20
Davis Fait Une Petite Visite À Papa . . . WHAT NASTY WEATHER!
Le Percheron et L'Automobile (Une Fable Quel Sale Temps! 83
Moderne).
The weather—Forvarious kinds ofweather
CHAPTER 15 —Present tense of ouvrir to open—Indirect
THE MOVIES object pronouns—Some common verbs
which may take indirect objects.
Le Cinéma 64
Words dealing with the movies—Present
tensevenirtocome—Directobjectpronouns CHAPTER 21
—Use of y (there). THE CLIMATE OF FRAN.CE...
CHAPTER Le Climat De La France 86
16 The fourseasons—Present tenseofdevoirto
SOME DATES IN THE HISTORY OF owe, tobeobliged to, to have to; recevoirto
FRANCE receive—Some negative expressions.
.
French Made Simple
CHAPTER 22 Expressions indicating future time—Future
THE CLIMATE OF FRANCE (CONTIN- tense of parler, vendre, finir—Some verbs
UED) ... with an irregular future.
Le Climat De La France (Suite) 89
REVIEW
Demonstrative pronouns—Uses of ceci this, 6
cela (ça) that. REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 24-27 109
. .
CHAPTER Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
23
mar Exercises—Dialogues: Dans L'Autobus
THAT GOOD FRENCH C.OOK.IN.G .
... Le Courrier—Reading Selection: L'An-
La Bonne Cuisine Française 92 niversaire de Mme. Davis.
Some French cooking expressions adopted
in English—Some tasty French dishes not CHAPTER
28
difficult to prepare—Present tense of en-
voyer to send—Independent or disjunctive MR. DAVIS WRITES A LETTER TO HIS
AGENT
pronouns with prepositions—Other uses of
the independent or disjunctive pronouns. M.Davis ÉcritUneLettreÀSonReprésentant 111
Present tenseof suivre to follow, traduire to
REVIEW 5 translate—More verbs with an irregular fu-
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 20-23 94 ture—Usesofdepuis,depuisquand,combien
. . de temps, pendant.
Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
mar Exercises—Dialogue: Au Restaurant-
CHAPTER
Reading Selection: Philippe N'Aime Pas 29
Étudier L'Arithmétique. MR. DAVIS RECEIVES A .LET.TE.R .
M. Davis Reçoit Une Lettre 114
CHAPTER
24 Expressions referring to past time—Saluta-
THE FRENCH PEOPLE tions and conclusions of business letters-
Les Français 97 Conversational past tense of parler, finir,
Points of the compass—Smoking terms- vendre—How toform theregular past parti-
Working men and working women—Re- ciple—Some irregular past participles.
flexive verbs with reciprocal meaning-
Verbs after prepositions—Formation of the CHAPTER 30
present participle. MR. PICARD'S FINAL WORDS OF AD-
CHAPTER VICE
25
Les Derniers Conseils de M. Picard .118
ART AND FASHION .
Words whose appearance deceives—More
L'Art Et La Mode 100 irregular past participles—Agreement of
Noun combinations—Clothes—Verbs with
the past participle.
spelling changes: acheter, préférer, appeler.
CHAPTER
CHAPTER 31
26
MR. DAVIS LEAVES FOR FRANCE
FRENCH HOLIDAYS
LesPrJeosuernst tdeensFeêtoeftdeeniLratoFhroalndc,etok.eep—.More.103 M.TiDcakveitss—PaPratsPspoourrtL—aViFsraa—ncVeaccination cer- 121
tificate—More irregular past participles-
verbs with spelling changes: commencer,
manger—on one, people, they, you—ne . . . Past participles used as adjectives.
personne no one, not anybody, and ne
. . REVIEW
rien nothing, not anything. 7
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 28-31 123
CHAPTER
27 Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
WHAT PLACES DO YOU WISH TO VISIT, mar Exercises—Dialogues: À L'Aéroport
MR. DAVIS? Bienvenu En France—Reading Selec-
. . .
Quels Endroits Voulez-Vous Visiter, M. tion: Un Programme Exceptionnel Au Cin-
Davis? 106 éma.
French Made Simple
CHAPTER 32 REVIEW 8
ARRIVAL IN PARIS REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 32-36 142
. .
L'Arrivée À Paris 126 Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
Introductions—Salutations and conclusions mar Exercises—Dialogue: Au Poste d'Es-
of letters to friends—Verbs with the aux- sence—Reading Selections: Une Excursion
À
iliary être—List of être verbs. Versailles . . . L'Avenue de L'Opéra.
CHAPTER
37
CHAPTER 33 THE MAIN STREET OF THE TOWN
MR. DAVIS VISITS THE PARMENTIER La Grande Rue Du Village . .145
FAMILY Shops and shopkeepers—Summary ofsingle
M. Davis Rend Visite À La Famille Parmen- object pronouns—Two object pronouns.
tier 130 CHAPTER 38
Some professions—The conversational past
A TRIP TO CHARTRES
of reflexive verbs—Present and conversa-
tional past of reflexive verbs—Present and Une Excursion À Chartres . . . .148
conversational past of s'asseoir to seat one- Automobile expressions: tire, jack, flat, etc.
self, to sit down—Some reflexive verbs you —Past perfect tense—Possessive pronouns.
havemet. CHAPTER
39
MR. DAVIS BUYS A LOTTERY TICKET
CHAPTER
A PLEASANT STROLL 34 M. Davis Achète Un BilletDe Loterie . . 152
Lottery expressions—Present conditional-
Une Belle Promenade 133 Irregular present conditional.
La Place de la Concorde—Les Champs-
CHAPTER
Elysées—La Place de l'Étoile—Relative pro- 40
nouns. MR. DAVIS GOES AWAY
M. Davis S'En Va 154
CHAPTER 35 Mr. Davis loves French culture, French art,
MOUNT SAINT MICHEL history, politeness, sense of humor, passion
for discussion, and French food—Past con-
Le Mont St Michel 136 ditional—Conditional sentences—s'en aller.
Visit to the Abbey—Imperfect tense.
REVIEW
9
REVIEW OF CHAPTERS 37-40 156
CHAPTER
36
Vocabulary review—Vocabulary and Gram-
GUIGNOL (FRENCH PUPPET CHARAC- mar Exercises—Reading Selection: Nice,La
TER) Capitale De La Côte D'Azur.
Guignol 139 VOCABULARY-ENGLISH-FRENCH 159
VOCABULARY-FRENCH-ENGLISH
rire to laugh, vivre to live (present, imper- 167
fect, conversational past)—The past infini- ANSWER SECTION 174
SUMMARY OF VERBS .191
tive. . . .