French Conversation – A Sampler Of The Real-life Examples

If you want to speak French well, I say there is nothing like observing and imitating what native speakers do. As I was compiling a collection of all the transcriptions of the real-life examples, I was struck by how much the language of French conversations is similar.

The ages and level of education of the speakers, the topics and the accents vary considerably. But the main features of spoken French that I discuss in my post on using these real-life examples are present in every example: How to use the real-life examples.

Here then is a sampler of conversational French real-life examples. The first few lines from each example should give you a taste of this material. Visit the individual posts to get the full treatment, especially the technical commentary that goes with the numbers.

A. Sample French conversations from Europe

1. Example 1: two women discussing how to answer difficult questions during job interviews.

-Quand j’avais vingt ans, un entretien, on m’a posé la question (1), euh, de quelle était la, (2) en fait, la profession de mes parents. Donc je voulais savoir, j’étais un petit peu (3) surprise, j’avais l’impression de retourner un petit peu à l’école, je voulais savoir comment il fallait appréhender cette question, comment il fallait le (4), la prendre, et que répondre.
-Alors, première remarque (5), pour ma part, c’est que, euh, (6) c’est une question qui sort du cadre strictement professionnel. Légalement, le recruteur n’a pas à priori à poser cette question.

–When I was 20, in an interview, I was asked the question what in fact was the profession of my parents (what did my parents do for a living). So, I wanted to know, I was a bit surprised, I had the impression that I was back in school, I wanted to know how to deal with this question, how to understand it, and what to answer.
–Well, first of all, for me, this is, eh, this question is really not very professional, Legally, the interviewer is not supposed to ask this question.

2. Example 2: two young women talking about getting into synchronized swimming.

A: Anne / L: Lauranne
A: Alors (1) bonjour Lauranne.
L: Bonjour.
A: Bon, on est en pleins (2) Jeux Olympiques (3), enfin, ça démarre (4). Et je sais que tu pratiques un sport qui est aux Jeux Olympiques.
L: Hahan la natation synchronisée. (5)
A: Voilà. (6) Mais moi en fait (7), la natation synchronisée, bon, (8) j’ai pas (9) dû en (10) voir beaucoup, donc je voudrais bien que tu m’expliques un petit peu plus parce que…(11) Alors pourquoi tu as commencé ça? Parce que bon, la natation, OK, on imagine les enfants, les parents les inscrivent et tout. Mais la nat[…] la natation synchronisée, pourquoi est-ce que tu as commencé ça ? Comment ça s’est passé ?

A: Well, hello Lauranne.
L: Hello.
A: So, the Olympic games are under way, or they’re starting. And I know that you practice a sport that is in the Olympic games. .
L: Synchronized swimming.
A: So. But for me synchronized swimming, I really haven’t watched it much. so, I would like you to explain a bit because… So why did you start? Because, swimming, well you think of kids, their parents make them take lessons. But synchronized swimming, why did you take this up. How did it happen?

3. Example 3: a conversation between a female TV host and a male chef in a cooking show.

– De retour (1) dans cette émission dédiée (2) à Marseille aujourd’hui, alors (3) Bernard nous allons passer à la fameuse bouillabaisse.
– Bouillabaisse borgne.
– Borgne. Bon (4) vous allez nous expliquer. (5)
– Sans le poisson. (6)
– Pourquoi ? Oui, ça, c’est étonnant. (7) Alors on va lister (8) d’ailleurs tous les ingrédients avant d’aller (9) plus loin. Alors dites-nous ce dont on a besoin. (10)
– Alors jeunes pousses d’épinards, oignons,[oui] fenouil, tomates,
– Poireaux.
– Poireaux.

— Welcome back to today’s program dedicated to Marseille; so, Bernard, we are going to look at the famous bouillabasse.
— Bouillabaisse borgne – (one-eyed bouillabaisse).
— Borgne. So, you’re going to explain…
— Without fish.
— Why so? Yes, that is surprising. So, we’re going to first list all ingredients. So, tell us what we need.
— Yes, young spinach leaves, onions, fennel,
— Leeks.
— Leeks.

4. Example 4: a young male student talking with a male corporate lawyer about entering the profession.

– Moi, (1) je rêve d’être avocat d’affaires (2) parce que quand j’étais (3) plus jeune, je regardais des films américains (4) où on voyait justement cet homme charismatique et libre qui avait beaucoup de succès avec les gens.
– J’ai choisi d’être avocat parce que j’aime la diversité de ce métier, la créativité et aussi le fait de mettre en oeuvre les connaissances pour pouvoir apporter des conseils (5) à des clients dont vous êtes le recours. (6)

– I dream of becoming a corporate lawyer because when I was young, I used to watch American movies with this charismatic and free-spirited character who was so successful with people.
– I chose to be a lawyer because I love the variety of this profession, the creativity and the opportunity to use my knowledge to provide counsel to clients who consider me their recourse.

5. Example 5: Movie dialog: transcript of the first four minutes of the film, Le dîner de cons (no audio).

(In a park in the outskirts of Paris. The character is practicing with a boomerang. He answers the phone.)
– Allo ! Bonjour, Monsieur Michaux. Vous ne me dérangez pas du tout. J’étais en train de m’exercer (1) au bois avec mon boomerang. Oui, je fais ça (2) avant d’aller au bureau. C’est idéal contre le stress. À diner (3) mercredi soir ? J’en (4) serai ravi, Monsieur Michaux.
(In a café. Three characters)
– Salut.
– Salut.
– Salut
– Tu viens au match mercredi soir ?
– Non, je ne peux pas. J’ai un diner mercredi soir. Charlie, un espresso, (5) s’il te plaît. (6)

– Hello. Good morning, Mr. Michaux. No bother at all. I was practicing in the park with my boomerang. Yes, I do it every day before going to the office. It does wonders for stress. For dinner, Wednesday evening? I’d love to, Mr. Michaux.
– Hi.
– Hi.
– Hi.
– Are you coming to the game Wednesday evening?
– No, I can’t. I have a dinner invitation Wednesday evening. Charlie, an expresso, please.

B. Sample French conversations from Quebec

1. Example 1: a female government employee and a male radio host discussing how to prepare for job interviews.

-Monique Bourgeois à nouveau. (1)
-Oui. Bonjour Pascal.
-Alors, cette fois nous allons parler (2) de stratégie en entretien d’embauche, tout en restant soi-même (3), bien évidemment.(4)
-Tout en restant soi-même. (5)
-Pas facile. On (6) doit être nerveux des fois, hein ?
-Je crois qu’on est nerveux toujours.(7)
-Bon. (8)
-Oui.

–Monique Bourgeois again.
–Yes. Hello Pascal.
–Now, this time we’re going to discuss strategy for the job interview while remaining true to oneself, of course.
–While remaining true to oneself.
–Not easy. One must be nervous quite often, eh.
–I think one is always nervous.
–OK
–Yes

2. Example 2: a male and a female journalist from Radio-Canada conducting tastings of ice cream at a market in Montreal. Many other voices from the public.

-Avec l’été qui est à nos portes (1), on a eu envie (2) de faire un test de goût de crèmes glacées (3) au chocolat. (4)
-Nous avons donc choisi quatre crèmes glacées très populaires auprès du public.
-Si elles (5) sont toutes glacées, elles ne contiennent pas toutes de la crème. (6)
-Identifiée par le point rouge, les gens ici présents au marché Jean-Talon, (7) vont goûter la Haagen Dazs (8). Identifiée par le point bleu, la Nestle.

–With summer at our doorstep, we wanted to do a chocolate ice cream tasting test.
–So, we selected four very popular ice cream makes.
–They’re all ice cream, but they don’t all contain cream.
–Identified by the red dot, the Haagen Daas will be tasted by passer-bys here at the Jean Talon market. Identified with a blue dot, the Nestle.

3. Example 3: two young male television hosts talking very informally about show business.

-Merci, Simon-Olivier d’être….(1) à la Banquise.
-C’est un plaisir, M.C. Comment qu’on t’appelle ? (2) On t’appelle..,
-M.C.
-M.C. Gilles. Personne t’appelle Gilles ? (3)
-Tu peux m’appeler M, tsé.(4)
-M.
-C’est encore plus (5) intime,
-Çomme de fait (6)..Merci, M.
-Est-ce que c’est un endroit que tu fréquentes, la Banquise ?(7)
-C’est un endroit que je fréquente tard la nuit.(8)

–Thanks, Simon-Olivier for being…at the Banquise.
–It’s my pleasure, M.C. What do people call you? People call you?
– M.C.
–M.C. Gilles. Nobody calls you Gilles?
–You can call me M. You know.
–M.
–It’s even more intimate.
–So.Thanks, M.
–Is this a place where you come often, la Banquise?
–It’s a place that I frequent late at night.

4. Example 4: various voices including a female police officer speaking in street French.

-Mais vous vous souvenez peut-être de la policière (1) matricule 728, une policière du SPVM (2) qui était vite devenue – on le (3) voit sur ces images – la tête de turc des étudiants – le printemps dernier (4) en raison de son agressivité, disons, envers les manifestants. Et bien, Stéfanie Trudeau – c’est son nom – est à nouveau impliquée dans une opération controversée. Voici ce qu’a obtenu Normand Grondin : (5)

– But you might remember police officer 728, an officer of the SPVM who had become – you can see by these images – the whipping boy of the students, last spring. because of her agressiveness towards, let’s say, the demonstrators. Well, Stéfanie Trudeau – that’s her name – is once again embroiled in a controversial operation. This is what Norman Grondin has to say.

5. Example 5: a lawyer questioning a witness in a courtroom.

– Ceci étant dit, (1) aujourd’hui, à l’heure qu’on se parle (2), est-ce qu’il reste de l’argent ? (3)
– Non.
– Il reste zéro cennes (4)? Vous avez,..vous avez tout dépensé ? (5)
– Ben, (6) comme j’ai dit, il y a un cent mille dollars qui était perdu (7) chez un entrepreneur. Il y a au moins peut-être deux, trois, deux cent cinquante à trois cent mille dollars qui étaient au casino. (8)

– This being said, today, at this moment, is there any money left?
– No.
– Not a penny left? You spent it all.
– Well, as I said, there was a $100,000 that was lost with a contractor. There was maybe two, three, two hundred and fifty to three hundred thousand dollars that went to the casino.

C. Sample French conversations from Africa

1. Example 1: a male journalist from the Cameroons and a female journalist from Senegal talking while cooking an African dish called yassa.

-Bonjour Khady
-Bonjour Stéphane.
-Qu’est-ce que tu vas nous faire aujourd’hui ? (1)
-Un yassa, yassa poulet. (2)
-Un yassa au poulet. (3) Le yassa au poulet, c’est un plat… du Congo ?
-Du Sénégal, attends-toi,(4) toi aussi, toi aussi.
-Du Sénégal.
-Il y a certains qui essaient de le voler dans le…(5) J’ai entendu des Maliens, des Ivoiriens, (6) toutes sortes de choses, des Canev??? (7) des gens comme toi qui essaient de voler le yassa, (8) mais le yassa est effectivement un plat sénégalais.

-Hi Khady
-Hi Stéphane.
-What are you making for us today?
-Yassa, chicken yassa.
-Chicken yassa. Chicken yassa, is it a dish from… the Congo?
-From Senefal, so, you too, you too.
-From Senegal.
-Some people have tried to steal it. I’ve heard Malians, Ivoirians. All sorts of things. some Canev???, people like you who try to steal our yassa, but yassa is in fact a dish from Senegal.

Stanley Aléong is a polyglot, author, musician and language coach in French, English and Spanish. He likes to share his passion for languages and believes that anybody can learn to speak a foreign language well with the right methods and tools. He has also invented a cool visual learning tool called the Language Wall Chart Calendar that is based on his own learning experience. Reach him at info@langcal.com.

Comments

French Conversation – A Sampler Of The Real-life Examples — 5 Comments

  1. Hi Stanley,
    I have a question for you. I would like to learn French. I have made a profile on Lrngo.com, Livemocha.com and italki.com. Do you have any experience with any of them? can you recommend something for me?

  2. Hi Lena,
    I don’t have any personal experience with any of these sites. I have heard good things about italki.com as a place to find tutors. If you are a beginner, I really would suggest taking a class somewhere to get your feet wet. Going it alone is really difficult.

    If you are not a beginner, there are lots of options such as the sites mentioned. Plus all the books and the online resources, not to mention my calendar if I may toot my own horn.

  3. Hi Stanley

    I really enjoy your website and your posts have helped with my French grammer. I have been learning French for a few years now on and off in classes and at home. Now I am learning at home through self teaching programs and studying. The only issue that I have is speaking in idiomatically. When I have to speak I just freeze and my words get minced. However if I can read a paragraph or have a lot of time to translate and/or write a sentence in French it is not too bad. Do you have any advice on how to get over this fear of speaking?

    Thanks again Stanley

    • Hi Una,
      If you’ve been studying French for a few years, you probably know all the grammar and much of the vocabulary that you need to start speaking. And that’s the problem; you have to start speaking. By that I mean you have to find some opportunity to actually use the language. I would strongly suggest a meetup or language exchange group. They are generally very forgiving.

      I would not try to translate things in advance. I would take material from the website (or the calendar, of course) and use it as a starting point or a source of inspiration.
      Bonne chance
      Stanley