Chapter 10

Going Out on the Town

In This Chapter

Using the verbs sortir and s’amuser

Enjoying a variety of activities

Making plans with friends

When you visit a new city or town, you want to have fun trying out as much of the local entertainment as possible. In France, you can

find something for everyone, from museums and theater to nightclubs and movies. This chapter has information you can use to discuss where you want to go, make plans with friends, and describe how much fun you had once you got there.

Going Out with the Verb “Sortir”

When you visit a new place, you don’t want to just sit in your hotel room; you want to go out and explore the city and partake in everything it has to offer. You can visit the museums, take in a concert or play, or perhaps even go dancing at a nightclub. Whatever your activities, the verb sortir (sohr-teer) (to go out) will come in handy.

Sortir is an irregular verb, but it is not difficult to conjugate. Here is a little trick you can use to remember how to conjugate not only this verb but a few others like it, such as partir (pahr-teer) (to leave), dormir (dohr-meer) (to sleep), servir (sehr-veer) (to serve), and mentir (mahN-teer) (to lie):

For the singular, you drop not only the –ir from the infinitive but also the consonant before the –ir, which leaves you with sor–, par–, dor–, ser–, and men–. Then you add s, s, t.

For the plural, you drop the –ir from the infinitive and simply add ons, ez, ent.

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Here are some sentences that use the verb sortir:

Nous sortons ce soir. (nooh sohr-tohN suh swahr.) (We are going out this evening.)

Je sors avec mes amis. (zhuh sohr ah-vehk mey-zah-mee.) (I am going out with my friends.)

Sortir is often used in its infinitive form after a verb of preference or wish. For example, you can say Ils aiment sortir (eel-zehm sohr-teer) (They like going out) or Elle veut sortir ce soir (ehl vuh sohr-teer suh swahr) (She wants to go out this evening).

Having Fun with the Verb “S’amuser”

What better way to express the fun you are having than with the verb s’amuser (sah-mew-zey) (to have fun). This verb is a pronominal verb, which means that it needs pronominal pronouns, also known as reflexive pronouns, which correspond to the subject of the verb.

There are three categories of pronominal verbs: reflexive, reciprocal, and idiomatic:

A reflexive verb is one in which the subject does the action on itself: Je me lave (zhuh muh lahv) (I wash myself). See Chapter 5 for more on reflexive verbs.

With a reciprocal verb, two or more people are doing the action on each other. For this reason, reciprocal verbs can only be plural: Ils s’aiment (eel sehm) (They love each other), for example, or Nous nous écrivons (nooh nooh-zey-kree-vohN) (We write to each other).

An idiomatic verb is one whose meaning cannot be understood from a literal translation of the words. For example, the verb ennuyer (ahN- nwee-ey) means to bother, but when the same verb is pronominal, s’ennuyer (sahN- nwee-ey), it means to be bored.

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Whatever the category, all pronominal verbs have an object pronoun that you place before the verb. These pronouns are me (muh) (myself), te (tuh) (yourself), se (suh) (himself/herself), nous (nooh) (ourselves), vous (vooh) (yourself/yourselves), and se (suh) (themselves). If the verb is a reflexive verb, these object pronouns are called reflexive pronouns. When the verb begins with a vowel or a mute h, you drop the e from me, te, and se.

These sentences show the verb s’amuser in action; notice the reflexive pronouns that appear before the verb:

Je m’amuse beaucoup. (zhuh mah-mewz boh-kooh.) (I’m having a lot of fun.)

Nous nous amusons toujours. (nooh nooh-zah-mew-zohN tooh-zhoohr.) (We always have fun.)

When someone is going out, you would ordinarily say Have fun, which is the imperative form and therefore doesn’t have a subject pronoun (the subject, you, is understood). For information on forming the imperative, go to Chapter 5. You form the imperative of pronominal verbs in the same way, except that you include the pronouns. Here are some examples:

Amuse-toi! (ah-mewz-twah!) (Have fun! [singular you])

Amusons-nous! (ah-mew-zohN-nooh!) (Let’s have fun!)

Amusez-vous! (ah-mew-zey-vooh!) (Have fun! [singular formal or plural you])

When the reflexive pronoun te comes after the verb, it becomes toi (twah). In the negative however, it goes back to being te and is placed before the verb: Ne t’amuse pas! (nuh tah-mewz pah!) (Don’t have fun!) — now there’s a sentence you never want to hear!

Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

You’ve been dreaming about your ideal vacation and can’t wait to get there.

You may even have an itinerary planned of all the places you want to see

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and all the shows and entertainment you want to catch. You can have fun at almost any event, such as the following:

le ballet (luh bah-leh) (the ballet)

l’opéra (m) (loh-pey-rah) (the opera)

le concert (luh kohN-sehr) (the concert)

le théâtre (luh tey-ah-truh) (the theater)

le cinéma (luh see-ney-mah) (the movies)

la soirée (lah swah-rey) (the party)

Thanks to the Internet, the world is at your fingertips. You can find out what’s playing where and at what time. Almost all museums and art galleries, theaters, and nightclubs have a website where you can get information at the click of your mouse. Or, if you prefer, pick up a local newspaper for entertainment listings. If you’re in Paris, for example, and want to find local listings of cultural activities, grab one of the following publications: Pariscope (pah-ree-skohp), L’Officiel des Spectacles (loh-fee-syehl dey spehk-tah-kluh), or Figaroscope (fee-gah-roh-skohp), a supplement of the newspaper Le Figaro (luh fee-gah- roh). The Paris Tourist Office has a booklet you can pick up called Paris Sélection (pah-ree sey-lehk-syohN), or you can call the office’s 24-hour English hotline at 01-49-52-53-56 to hear the entertainment listings .You can also watch for schedules of events posted around the city on the green, cylindrical kiosks.

Visiting museums and art galleries

You can visit many different museums in Paris. Perhaps the most famous is Le Louvre (luh looh-vruh). Originally built as a royal fortress, the Louvre is now home to artifacts dating from 5,000 B.C. to 1848, including some of the most famous sculptures and paintings in the world, such as the Winged Victory

of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo, and Leonardo da Vinci’s La Joconde (lah zhoh-kohNd) (the Mona Lisa). You can also see original 12th-century fortress foundations and drawbridge supports. Another famous museum, le Musée D’Orsay (luh mew-zey dohr-sey), is home to the world’s finest collection of van Gogh (vahN guhg) paintings outside the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, as well as to an impressive collection of impressionist art.

Museums in Paris are closed on different days. Le Louvre is closed on Tuesdays, for example, and Le Musée D’Orsay is closed on Mondays. Be sure to check out the hours before you go. (Check out the admission fees, too. Some museums have free admission on certain days. Admission to the Louvre, for instance, is free on the first Sunday of the month and on July 14, France’s national holiday.)

If you’re going to a museum, check into discounts (students, young children, and senior citizens often get a price break) and consider buying a museum

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pass, a Carte Musées et Monuments (kahrt mew-zey ey mohN-new-mahN). These passes, available at museum ticket offices, tourist offices, and subway stations, can add to your savings. For more information, contact the Association InterMusées (ah-soh-syah-syohN aN-tehr-mew-zhey) online at www.intermusees.fr.

You may also tour many of the châteaux (shah-toh) (castles) of France, such as Versailles (vehr-sahy), built as a hunting lodge in 1624 by Louis XIII and turned into the official residence of the French monarchy by Louis XIV in the second half of the 17th century. Versailles is quite impressive and is well worth a day trip.

Fontainebleau (fohN-tehn-bloh) is another famous chateau turned museum. Originally built as a hunting lodge during the Middle Ages, Fontainebleau was where Napoléon set up court in the early 19th century and signed his abdication papers in 1814. There are also many fairy tale castles along the Loire (lwahr) river valley, such as Chambord (shahN-bohr), Blois (blwah), Chenonceau (shuh-nohN-soh), Azay-le-Rideau (ah-zey luh ree-doh), and Chinon (shee-nohN).

As you tour these remarkable places, you may encounter signs such as the following:

Photos au flash interdites (foh-toh oh flash aN-tehr-deet) (No flash photography)

Défense d’entrer (dey-fahNs dahN-trey) (No admittance)

Spending an evening at the theater

French theater has been world famous for centuries and offers something for every taste and budget, from classical productions to the avant-garde (ah- vahN-gahrd) (modern). Paris alone has nearly 130 theaters; the most famous is one of the national theaters of France, La Comédie Française (lah kohh- mey-dee frahN-sehz), which was established in 1680 by Louis XIV and which stages performances of the classic plays of perhaps the greatest playwrights of the 17th century — Pierre Corneille (pyehr kohr-nehy), Jean Racine (zhahN rah-seen), and Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (zhahN-bah-pteest pohk-lahN), better known as Molière (moh-lyehr).

Reservations at one of the national theaters should be made in advance, unless you plan on trying to pick up some last minute “rush” tickets, which are usually on sale (and at a discount to students) 45 minutes before the show starts. Consider using one of the many known ticket services in Paris. These eliminate the need to go to the theater box office in advance. In addition, some offer discount tickets, especially for same-day performances, though there are restrictions. Check out these websites: Kiosque-Théâtre (kyohsk-tey-ah- truh) at www.kiosquetheatre.com, which is considered the best discount

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box office, selling discount tickets the day of the show, and Alpha FNAC: Spectacles (ahl-fah fnahk spehk-tah-kluhl) at www.fnacspectacles.com or www.fnac.com.

Going to the theater is an occasion: Men and women “dress” to go to the theater. Men wear dark suits, and women wear dresses. Opening nights call for more formal attire, such as tuxedos and evening gowns. Also, it is customary to tip the usher. Note that you’re also expected to tip the attendant in the public restrooms, who is such a familiar character of the French scene that she has a name: dame pipi (dahm pee-pee).

If you’re going to the theater, you’ll need some key words to discuss your evening:

la pièce (lah pyehs) (the play)

monter une pièce (mohN-tey ewn pyehs) (to put on a play)

la représentation/le spectacle (lah ruh-prey-zahN-tah-syohN/ luh spehk-tah-kluh) (the performance)

les costumes (ley koh-stewm) (the costumes)

la comédie (lah kohh-mey-dee) (comedy)

la tragédie (lah trah-zhey-dee) (tragedy)

le rideau (luh ree-doh) (the curtain)

le décor (luh dey-kohr) (the decor/scenery)

la scène (lah sehn) (the stage)

l’éclairage (m) (ley-kleh-rahzh) (the lighting)

le billet (luh bee-yeh) (the ticket)

le balcon (luh bahl-kohN) (the balcony)

l’entracte (m) (lahN-trahkt) (the intermission)

Here are some questions that you may want to ask or that someone may ask you:

Aimez-vous le théâtre? (ey-mey-vooh luh tey-ah-truh?) (Do you like the theater?)

Voulez-vous aller au théâtre? (vooh-ley-vooh-zah-ley oh tey-ah-truh?) (Do you want to go to the theater?)

Quelle pièce voulez-vous voir? (kehl pyehs vooh-ley-vooh vwahr?) (What play do you want to see?)

Qu’est-ce qu’on joue? (kehs-kohN zhooh?) (What’s playing?)

Combien coûtent les billets? (kohN-byaN kooht ley bee-yeh?) (How much do the tickets cost?)

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À quelle heure commence le spectacle? (ah kehl uhr kohh-mahNs luh spehk-tah-kluh?) (What time does the show start?)

Talkin’ the Talk

Elise, a French student, and Steven, an American exchange student, are discussing going to the theater.

Elise: Je voudrais aller au théâtre ce soir. Et toi?

zhuh vooh-dreh-zah-ley oh tey-ah-truh suh swahr. ey twah?

I’d like to go to the theater tonight. And you?

Steven: Oui, d’accord. Qu’est-ce qu’on joue? wee, dah-kohr. kehs kohN zhooh?

Okay. What’s playing?

Elise: Tartuffe, une comédie de Molière.

tahr-tewf, ewn kohh-mey-dee duh moh-lyehr.

Tartuffe, a comedy by Molière.

Steven: Je ne connais pas beaucoup le français. Ça va me plaire?

zhuh nuh koh-ney pah boh-kooh luh frahN-seh. sah vah muh plehr?

I don’t know a lot of French. Will I like it?

Elise: Oui, bien sûr. C’est rigolo.

wee, byaN syewr. seh ree-goh-loh.

Yes, of course. It’s funny.

Later, Elise is buying tickets au guichet (oh gee-shey) (at the box office) from le caissier (luh key-syey), the ticket seller.

Elise: Bonsoir. Je voudrais deux places à l’orchestre, s’il vous plaît.

bohN-swahr. zhuh vooh-dreh duh plahs ah lohr-kehs- truh, seel vooh pleh.

Good evening. I’d like two orchestra seats, please.

Le caissier: Tout est complet à l’orchestre. tooh-teh kohN-pleh ah lohr-kehs-truh.

The orchestra seats are sold out.

Elise: Au balcon, s’il vous plaît.

oh bahl-kohN, seel vooh pleh.

The balcony, please.

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Le caissier: Il y a deux places au premier rang au balcon. eel ee ah duh plahs oh pruh-myey rahN oh bahl-kohN.

There are two seats in the front row of the balcony.

Words to Know

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Heading to the movies

Are you un cinéphile (uhN see-ney-feel) (a movie buff)? Then we’ve got good news for you! When you’re learning French — or any language for that matter — a great way to experience the language and practice your growing skills is to watch a film made in that language. Whether you plan to watch a film in a

French-speaking country or see a foreign film at a cinema closer to home, the following terms may come in handy when you are speaking about the movie theater or films in general:

l’acteur/l’actrice (lahk-tuhr/lahk-trees) (actor/actress)

le cinéaste (luh see-ney-ahst) (film maker)

les effets spéciaux/les trucages (ley-zeh-feh spey-syoh/ley trew-kahzh) (special effects)

le générique (luh zhey-ney-reek) (credits)

le guichet (luh gee-shey) (ticket window)

le long-métrage (luh lohN mey-trahzh) (feature film)

le metteur-en-scène/le réalisateur (luh meh-tuhr ahN sehn/luh rey-ah- lee-zah-tuhr) (director)

la séance (lah sey-ahNs) (a showing)

la vedette (lah veh-deht) ([movie] star)

Films marked VO (version originale) (vey oh [vehr-zyohN oh-ree-zhee-nahl]) are shown in their original language, with French subtitles. VF (version française) (vey ehf [vehr-zyohN frahN-sehz]) means that the film has been dubbed in French (dubbing is becoming more and more rare).

Most people have a favorite film genre. If someone asks you Quels genres de films aimez-vous? (kehl zhahN-ruh duh feelm ey-mey-vooh?) (What kinds of films do you like?), you can use the following list to indicate the one(s) you favor:

un film d’amour (uhN feelm dah-moohr) (a romance film)

un film d’aventures (uhN feelm dah-vahN-tewr) (an adventure film)

un film d’épouvante/d’horreur (uhN feelm dey-pooh-vahNt/doh-ruhr) (a horror film)

un dessin animé (uhN deh-sahN ah-nee-mey) (a cartoon)

un documentaire (uhN doh-kew-mahN-tehr) (a documentary)

un film d’espionnage (uhN feelm deh-spee-oh-nahzh) (a spy film)

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un film policier (uhN feelm poh-lee-syey) (a detective film)

un film de science-fiction (uhN feelm duh syahNs fee-ksyohN) (a science-fiction film)

un western (uhN weh-stehrn) (a western)

The cinema, invented by Frenchmen, the brothers Auguste (oh-gewst) and Louis (lwee) Lumière (lew-myehr), had its debut in Paris. The French film industry has always seen itself as an artistic venue first and an industry second. The French cinema is so popular that over 300 films are shown in Paris per week, more than any other city in the world. Le Festival de Cannes (luh feh-stee-vahl duh kahn) (the Cannes Film Festival) is an international film festival that takes place every year in May in Cannes, in the south of France. La Palme d’or (lah pahlm dohr) (the Golden Palm) is awarded each year to the director of the best feature film in the competition. Each year, over 1,000 films from around the globe are submitted to the festival in hopes of being selected.

Many theaters show a series of previews followed by commercials for as long as a half hour before the show. Therefore, if you don’t want to miss the previews, it is best to go early. The showings, les séances (ley sey-ahNs), are posted in the lobby of the movie theaters. You can also look them up online.

Talkin’ the Talk

The following dialogue joins Madame and Monsieur Dumont and their son Ben as they try to decide what to do today. (Track 10)

M. Dumont: Qu’est-ce qu’on fait aujourd’hui? Je voudrais visiter un musée.

kehs-kohN feh oh-zhoohr-dwee? zhuh vooh-dreh vee-zee-tey uhN mew-zey.

What shall we do today? I’d like to visit a museum.

Mme. Dumont: Non, je voudrais visiter une cathédrale. nohN, zhuh vooh-dreh vee-zee-tey ewn kah-tey-drahl.

No. I’d like to visit a cathedral.

Ben: Ah non, pas de musées, pas de cathédrales! ah nohN, pah duh mew-zey, pah duh kah-tey-drahl!

Oh no, no museums, no cathedrals!

M. Dumont: D’accord. Voulez-vous aller au cinéma? dah-kohr. vooh-ley-vooh ah-ley oh see-ney-mah?

Okay. Do you want to go to the movies?

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Ben: Super! Un film d’aventures! sew-pehr! uhN feelm dah-vahN-tewr!

Great! An adventure film!

Mme. Dumont: J’aime mieux les documentaires. zhehm myuh ley doh-kew-mahN-tehr.

I like documentaries better.

Ben: Non, un dessin animé!

nohN, uhN dey-saN ah-nee-mey!

No, a cartoon!

M. Dumont: C’est moi qui décide. Je voudrais voir un film policier!

seh mwah kee dey-seed. zhuh vooh-dreh vwahr uhN feelm poh-lee-syey!

I’ll decide! I would like to see a detective film!

Words to Know

Going to concerts

No matter what language you speak, music is international. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by having to speak French all the time, try going to a concert. While there, you won’t have to talk for a couple of hours, and you can relax and enjoy the music without worrying about making someone understand you. Check out these websites to find out what is playing where and much more: www.infoconcert.com or www.concerts.fr. Here are some general terms and different kinds of musical performances that may interest you:

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une symphonie (ewn saN-fohh-nee) (a symphony)

la musique classique (lah mew-zeek klah-seek) (classical music)

la musique moderne (lah mew-zeek moh-dehrn) (modern music)

la musique rock/le rock (lah mew-zeek rohk/luh rohk) (rock music/rock)

la musique de jazz/le jazz (lah mew-zeek duh zhahz/luh zhahz) (jazz music/jazz)

la musique techno/la techno (lah mew-zeek tehk-noh/lah tehk-noh) (techno music/techno)

le rap (luh rahp) (rap music)

un orchestre de chambre (uhN-nohr-kehs-truh duh shahN-bruh) (a chamber orchestra)

Do not shout Encore! (ahN-kohr!) (Literally: Again!) at a French concert unless you want the performers to play the entire piece again. Instead, say Bis! (bees!), which means that you want them to play some more.

The verb jouer (zhooh-ey) is a regular –er verb meaning to play. It is used with either the preposition de (duh) or à (ah). (Note: These prepositions have no meaning — that is, they’re not translated — when they’re paired with the verb jouer.) When jouer is used with instruments, you use the preposition de + the definite articles le (luh), la (lah), and les (ley), depending on the gender and number of the instrument. The preposition à is used when referring to playing sports or games, or theatrical, cinematic, or musical performances. For more on sports, check out Chapter 12. Following are examples using jouer:

Je joue du piano. (zhuh zhooh dew pyah-noh.) (I play the piano.)

Tu joues de la guitare. (tew zhooh duh lah gee-tahr.) (You play the guitar.)

Il joue du violon. (eel zhooh dew vyoh-lohN.) (He plays the violin.)

Elles jouent au film de Truffaut. (ehl zhooh oh feelm duh trew-foh.) (They are playing in Truffaut’s film.)

Enjoying the nightlife

If you’re not exhausted after a full day of sightseeing, you may want to try visiting a more lively setting. Most large cities have plenty of nightclubs that offer everything from live music to dancing. What kind of club (kluhb) (club) do you want to go to? Here are a few options:

Une disco/discothèque (ewn dees-koh/dees-koh-tehk) (a disco)

Une revue (ewn ruh-vew) (a review, show)

Une boîte de nuit (ewn bwaht duh nwee) (a night club)

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Many Parisian clubs are officially private. This means they have the right to pick and choose their clientele. In general, word of mouth and weekly journals are the best guide to the current scene. Europeans also tend to dress up more for a night on the town than do their North American counterparts. To be admitted to one of the more exclusive clubs, you may need to accompany a regular customer. Here are some other things to know: The drinking age in France is 18. Women often receive discounts or are admitted free. The best advice is not to go alone, unless you’re looking for a lot of attention. Weekday admission is much cheaper and not nearly as crowded.

Talkin’ the Talk

Paul and Denise are finishing dinner and deciding what type of nightlife to pursue.

Paul: Veux-tu aller en boîte? Nous pouvons danser. vuh-tew ah-ley ahN bwaht? nooh pooh-vohN dahN-sey.

Do you want to go to a night club? We could go dancing.

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