Showing posts with label il y a. Show all posts
Showing posts with label il y a. Show all posts

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Learn French 17: Quarante

Learning a new language is like a quirky question, you can answer only if you understand the question. Let's be quirky.

Quarante


The word quarante means the nunber forty (40).

Il y a quarante élèves dans la classe.
There are 40 students in a class.

Il faut rester chez vous pour quarante jours.
It is necessar to stay home for 40 days.






Conversation:

Marc: Il y a combien d'élèves dans la classe?

Annie: Il y a quarante élèves dans la classe.


      The words il y a and dans have been discussed in the earlier sessions.


Culture tip:

Quarante has a connect with the word quarantine. 
The word quarantine is defined as a strict isolation, originally of 40 days of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease.





Thursday, April 23, 2020

Learn French 16: Piscine

Learning a new language is like learning a new sport. It is tough in the beginning but with practice, it gets perfect.






La piscine 
The swimming pool





Je vais à la piscine.
I go to the swimming pool.

La piscine est grande.
The swimming pool is big.

Il y a une piscine près de mon école.
There is a swimming pool near my school.

Swimming is an important exercise, leisure activity and sport in France. Snchronised swimming is practiced.


Culture Tip:

The film Life of Pi, adapted from the book with the same name written by Yann Martel has an interesting reference to the word Piscine.
Pi, the protagonist, whose full name is Piscine Molitor Patel, got his name from a champion swimmer, who named him after a swimming pool in France. At school, he was called “Pissing” because Piscine sounds like that word. He then began using the nickname Pi, which recalls the number beginning with 3.14 and having no end that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. 

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/l/life-of-pi/life-of-pi-at-a-glance

Friday, April 10, 2020

French Class 9: Il y a


Learning a new language is like waking up early and doing an extra task. Here is a new word is at your behest



Il y a - there is/there are
This phrase is used often.



Il y a is a phrase.
It means there is or there are.
The words il, y, and a have individual meanings.
il - he/it
y - there
a - has
We collectively use it as a phrase here.

It also means it has been.
Here the examples discussed are w.r.t there is or there are.

Il y a un hôtel près d'ici.
There is a hotel near by/close by.

Il y a beaucoup d'étudiants dans la classe.
There are many students in the class.

Il y a un bon café au centre-ville.
There is a good café in the centre of the city.

Some words here have been discussed earlier.
https://srishtirajeev.blogspot.com/2020/04/french-class-8-hotel.html
https://srishtirajeev.blogspot.com/2020/04/french-class-5-etudiant.html
https://srishtirajeev.blogspot.com/2020/04/french-class-4-dans.html
https://srishtirajeev.blogspot.com/2020/04/french-class-3-cafe.html
https://srishtirajeev.blogspot.com/2020/04/french-class-2-bonjour.html

Next time you want to say there is, use this phrase.
The word Voilà is also used to say there is.


Culture tip:

The Louvre, located in Paris, France, is the largest art museum in the world with an area size of 782,910 square feet. This museum is considered a historic monument in Paris and is part of the Louvre Palace, which was built in the 12th century.Today, it is home to around 38,000 pieces of art. The Louvre is also the most visited museum in the world, receiving 7.4 million visitors every year.