Chapter 12: Recreation and the Outdoors 203
Enjoying Quieter Pursuits
Sometimes you don’t feel like venturing out but want to stay at home. You can do many things at home to entertain or occupy yourself. Of course, you can watch your favorite television program, read a good book, or tend to your garden. You can also play a board game or cards with your family.
Having fun with board games
Few things are more fun on rainy days than staying indoors and playing a game or two with your loved ones. There are a number of jeux de société/ jeux de plateau (zhuh duh soh-see-ey-tey/zhuh duh plah-toh) (board games), most of which are those that you’re probably already familiar with, like Monopoly, Scrabble, Cranium, and so on. Other options include jeux de voyage (zhuh duh voh-yahzh) (travel games) and puzzles (puhzl), more appropriately called jeux de patience (zhuh duh pah-syahNs) (games of patience). Other games that you can play at home include le jeu d’échecs (luh zhuh dey-shehk) (chess), le jeu de dames (luh zhuh duh dahm) (checkers), and les jeux de cartes (ley zhuh duh kahrt) (card games).
You use the verb jouer à (zhooh-ey ah) (to play) plus the definite articles le/ la/les (luh/lah/ley) (the) to say that you are playing cards or card games. Here are some examples: jouer aux échecs (zhooh-ey oh-zey-shehk) (to play chess), jouer aux dames (zhooh-ey oh dahm) (to play checkers), jouer aux cartes
(zhooh-ey oh kahrt) (to play cards), jouer au poker (zhooh-ey oh poh-kehr) (to play poker), and so on.
Reading with the verb “lire”
Another favorite quiet activity is reading, which is a wonderful way to let your imagination soar as you travel in time and space to the farthest corners of the earth and the universe. You can read with the verb lire (leer) (to read) which is an irregular verb. Here is the conjugation of lire:
Conjugation |
Pronunciation |
je lis |
zhuh lee |
tu lis |
tew lee |
il/elle/on lit |
eel/ehl/ohN lee |
nous lisons |
nooh lee-zohN |
vous lisez |
vooh lee-zey |
ils/elles lisent |
eel/ehl leez |
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204 Part II: French in Action
Here is a list of the types of reading material you may be interested in:
un journal (uhN zhoohr-nahl) (a newspaper)
un magazine (uhN mah-gah-zeen) (a magazine)
une bande dessinée (ewn bahNd dey-see-ney) (a comic strip)
un conte/une nouvelle (uhN kohNt/ewn nooh-vehl) (a short story)
un roman (uhN roh-mahN) (a novel)
un roman d’amour/de science-fiction/d’aventures/policier (uhN rohmahN dah-moohr/duh syahNs-fee-ksyohN/dah-vahN-tewr/poh-lee-syey) (a love story/a science-fiction story/an adventure story/a detective story)
un recueil de poèmes (uhN ruh-kuhy duh poh-ehm) (a collection of poems)
Tending to the garden
Not only is gardening very relaxing for many people, but it is also very rewarding. Whether you are planting an herb, vegetable, or flower garden, in time, you get to enjoy the “fruits” of your labor. Here is some general gardening vocabulary:
faire du jardinage (fehr dew zhahr-dee-nahzh) (to garden)
planter (plahN-tey) (to plant)
arroser (ah-roh-zey) (to water)
arracher les mauvaises herbes (ah-rah-shey ley moh-veh-zehrb) (to pull out the weeds)
tondre la pelouse/le gazon (tohN-druh lah puh-loohz/luh gah-zohN) (to mow the lawn)
une tondeuse à gazon (ewn tohN-duhz ah gah-zohN) (a lawn mower)
le sol (luh sohl) (the soil)
labourer la terre (lah-booh-rey lah tehr) (to dig, to till the soil)
le tuyau d’arrosage (luh tewy-oh dah-roh-zahzh) (garden hose)
les outils de jardinage (ley-zooh-tee duh zhahr-dee-nahzh) (garden tools)
la plante (lah plahNt) (plant)
les graines (ley grehn) (seeds)
les gants de jardinage (ley gahN duh zhahr-dee-nahzh) (gardening gloves)
le transplantoir (luh trahNs-plahN-twahr) (trowel)
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Chapter 12: Recreation and the Outdoors 205
Les jardins d’herbes (aromatiques) (ley zhahr-daN dehrb [ah-roh-mah-teek]) (herb gardens) are generally easy to grow and allow you to bring fresh flavors to your kitchen all year round. Here are a few herbs you may want to include:
l’aneth (lah-neht) (dill)
le basilic (luh bah-zee-leek) (basil)
le cerfeuil (luh sehr-fuhy) (chervil)
l’estragon (lehs-trah-gohN) (tarragon)
la menthe (lah mahNt) (mint)
le persil (luh pehr-see) (parsley)
le romarin (luh roh-mah-raN) (rosemary)
la sauge lah sohzh) (sage)
le thym (luh taN) (thyme)
Want to plant un jardin d’agrément (uhN zhahr-daN dah-grey-mahN)
(a flower garden)? Here are some lovely plants to include in la plate-bande (lah plaht-bahNd) (the flower bed):
les bégonias (ley bey-goh-nyah) (begonias)
les hortensias (ley-zohr-tahN-syah) (hydrangeas)
les jonquilles (ley zhohN-keey) (daffodils)
les oeillets (ley-zuh-yeh) (carnations)
les marguerites (ley mahr-gah-reet) (daisies)
les roses (ley rohz) (roses)
les tulipes (ley tew-leep) (tulips)
les violettes (ley vyoh-leht) (violets)
If you’re interested in un potager (uhN poh-tah-zhey) (a vegetable garden), head to Chapter 8 for a long list of vegetables you may want your garden to contain!
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206 Part II: French in Action
Fun & Games |
Identify, in French, the activity shown in each of the following pictures.
A. _________________________ |
F. _________________________ |
B. _________________________ |
G. _________________________ |
C. _________________________ |
H. _________________________ |
D. _________________________ |
I. _________________________ |
E. _________________________ |
J. _________________________ |
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Part III
French on the Go
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In this part . . .
At some point, you may very well find yourself traveling to a country in which French is spoken, and
that’s what this part is all about. We cover all aspects of travel, from planning a trip and going through customs, to handling emergencies and seeking medical assistance. Furthermore, this part covers exchanging money, using public transportation, and reserving a hotel room.
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