Chapter 6

Getting to Know You:

Making Small Talk

In This Chapter

Asking key questions

Recounting your likes and dislikes

Using demonstrative adjectives

Talking about the weather and what you do for a living

Whether you’re conversing with someone you just met or chatting with an old acquaintance, small talk is a key part of many conversa-

tions. Although it can lead to more serious discussions, small talk generally deals with innocent subjects such as what you do for a living, your likes and dislikes, the weather, and so on. It’s a wonderful way to get acquainted with someone and allows you to decide whether you want to pursue a conversation with the stranger next to you on the plane or bus or go back to the book you’re reading. After reading this chapter, you’ll have the information you need to parler de tout et de rien (pahr-ley duh tooh ey duh ryahN) (talk about everything and nothing).

Basic Questions and Polite Expressions

As Chapter 3 explains, you can ask a yes-or-no question in French in numerous ways: make your voice rise at the end of a sentence, place est-ce que (ehs-kuh) in front of the sentence, or invert the subject and the verb. When you make small talk, however, you want to ask questions that elicit more than a yes-or-no answer. With the information in the following sections, you’ll be able to ask basic questions and use expressions that are an important part of every conversation.

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Using key question words

To get specific information, you need to know these key question words:

à quelle heure (ah kehl uhr) (at what time)

combien de (kohN-byaN duh) (how many)

combien (kohN-byaN) (how much)

comment (koh-mahN) (how)

où (ooh) (where)

pourquoi (poohr-kwah) (why)

qu’est-ce que (kehs-kuh) (what)

quand (kahN) (when)

quel(s)/quelle(s) (kehl) (which, what)

qui (kee) (who)

You can use these question words on their own, just as in English, or you can use them in sentences. For example, to find out someone’s name or to ask who someone is, you can ask these questions:

Qui est-ce? (kee ehs?) (Who is it?)

Comment vous appelez-vous? (koh-mahN vooh-zah-pley-vooh?) (What’s your name?)

Comment s’appelle . . . ? (koh-mahN sah-pehl. . . ?) (What’s . . . name?)

Quel est son prénom? (kehl-eh sohN prey-nohN?) (What’s his/ her first name?)

You can also ask about where someone lives and someone’s age with these questions:

Où habitez-vous? (ooh ah-bee-tey-vooh?) (Where do you live? [formal or plural])

Quel âge avez-vous? (kehl-ahzh ah-vey-vooh?) (How old are you? [formal or plural])

The question Quel âge avez-vous uses the verb avoir (ah-vwahr) (to have) instead of être (eh-truh) (to be), so the literal translation is What age do you have? The logical answer uses the verb avoir, as well: J’ai douze ans (zhey dooh-zahN) (I am 12 [Literally: I have 12 years]).

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Chapter 6: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 91

Saying the magic words: Polite expressions

Your mother was right: A kind word goes a long way. Saying please, thank you, and excuse me, as well as a few other universal phrases, mark you as a considerate person and one worth getting to know. So use these following expressions liberally:

Pardon/Excusez-moi. (pahr-dohN/eks-kew-zey-mwah.) (Excuse me.)

Je suis désolé/désolée. (zhuh swee dey-zoh-ley.) (I am sorry.)

Ce n’est pas grave! (suh neh pah grahv!) (That’s okay!)

De rien. (duh ryahN.) (You’re welcome. [Literally: It’s nothing.])

Je vous en prie. (zhuh vooh-zahN pree.) (You are welcome.)

S’il vous plaît. (seel vooh pleh.) (Please.)

When you’re just learning a foreign language, you may need to let the person speaking to you know that you’re having a little difficulty understanding or responding. Instead of saying “Huh?” try out these expressions:

Je ne comprends pas. (zhuhn kohN-prahN pah.) (I don’t understand.)

Je ne sais pas. (zhuhn seh pah.) (I don’t know.)

Pouvez-vous parler plus lentement, s’il vous plaît? (pooh-vey-vooh pahrley plew lahNt-mahN, seel vooh pleh?) (Can you speak more slowly, please?)

Pouvez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît? (pooh-vey-vooh rey-pey-tey seel vooh pleh?) (Can you repeat, please?)

Un moment, s’il vous plaît. (uhN moh-mahN, seel vooh pleh.) (One moment, please.)

Talkin’ the Talk

After arriving in Paris from New York on an all-night flight, Amanda gets on her connecting flight to Nice. Exhausted, she collapses in her seat and is about to fall asleep when a young man addresses her. (Track 5)

Patrick: Pardon, madame, quel est le numéro de votre place? pahr-dohN, mah-dahm, kehl eh luh new-mey-roh duh vohh-truh plahs?

Excuse me, ma’am. What is your seat number?

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