Reading has been defined as "decoding the graphic material to the phonemic patterns of spoken language which have already been mastered when reading is begun." To put it another way, reading consists of coming back to speech through the graphics symbols. In short, meanings reside in the sounds of the spoken language. Speaking a language is the necessary first step to acquiring the ability to read a language with meaning.
The reading lessons in French III are designed to familiarize you with material (signs, words, phrases) that you are likely to see or hear in a French-speaking country.
The recorded portion of the reading materials will be found at the end of most units. Full instructions on how to proceed with the readings are contained in the audio portion of the course.
Pimsleur - French 3-01 (leτon un)
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services publics - public services
1. AΘroport
Airport
2. Terminal
Terminal
3. Navette
Shuttle
4. Gare
Railway Station
5. ArrΩt d'autobus
Bus stop
6. ArrivΘe
Arrival
7. DΘpart
Departure
8. La poste
Post Office
9. France TΘlΘcom
French telephone company
10. TΘlΘphone
Telephone
11. SociΘtΘ Nationale des Chemins de Fer Franτais - SNCF
French railway
12. RΘgie Autonome des Transports Parisiens - RATP
Public transportation in Paris
13. RΘseau Express RΘgional - RER
Suburban commuter rail system
14. MΘtro
Subway
15. Station de mΘtro
Subway station
Pimsleur - French 3-02 (leτon deux)
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α l'aΘroport - at the airport
1. Contr⌠le des passeports
Passport Control
2. Douane
Customs
3. Informations
Information
4. Vols internationaux
International Flights
5. Vols intΘrieurs
Domestic Flights
6. Correspondance
Flight Connection
7. NumΘro de vol
Flight Number
8. Porte
Gate
9. Billet
Ticket
10. Carte d'accΦs α bord
Boarding Pass
11. Escale
Stopover flight
12. Vol sans escale
Non-stop Flight
13. Passagers
Passengers
14. Parking
Parking
15. Location de voitures
Car Rental
16. Satellite
Concourse Gate
Pimsleur - French 3-03 (leτon trois)
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pour circuler en ville - driving in town
1. Centre ville
Town Center
2. Stationnement interdit
No Parking
3. Stationnement payant
Meter parking
4. Paiement par carte
Payment by card
5. Paiement pas piΦces
Payment with coins
6. Voie sans issue
Dead end
7. Sortie de vΘhicules
Auto Exit
8. Voie piΘtonne
Pedestrian Way
9. PiΘtons
Pedestrains
10. Police
Police
11. DΘviation
Detour
12. Sens unique
One Way
13. Θcole
school
14. Travaux
Street Repairs
15. Rond-point
Traffic Circle
16. PΘriphΘrique
Beltway
Pimsleur - French 3-04 (leτon quatre)
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pour circuler sur la route - driving on the road
1. Autoroute numΘro quatre
Expressway #4
2. PΘage
Toll
3. Route nationale sept
Highway #7
4. Route dΘpartementale
Secondary Road
5. vitesse limitΘe α 90 kilomΦtres α l'heure sur route
speed limit 90 kilometers per hour on the road
6. vitesse limitΘe α 130 kilomΦtres α l'heure sur autoroute
speed limit 130 kilometers per hour on the expressway
7. vitesse limitΘe α 50 kilomΦtres α l'heure en agglomΘration
speed limit 130 kilometers per hour in town
8. Station-service
Service station
9. Aire de repos
Rest stop
10. Service de dΘpannage
Breakdown service
11. Circulation fluide
Normal traffic
12. Ralentissement.
Slow Down.
13. Gardez vos distances.
No tailgating.
14. Boire ou conduire, il fait choisir.
To drink or drive, you have to choose.
Pimsleur - French 3-05 (leτon cinq)
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prΘnoms - first names
1. Alain
2. GΘrard
3. Marie-Claire
4. Yves
5. Catherine
6. Pierrette
7. Monique
8. ╔dith
9. Henri
10. Franτois
11. Franτoise
12. Brigitte
13. Philippe
14. Christophe
15. Christiane
Pimsleur - French 3-06 (leτon six)
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auteurs, compositeurs et peintres - writers, composers and painters
1. MoliΦre
2. Voltaire
3. Victor Hugo
4. HonorΘ de Balzac
5. Charles Baudelaire
6. Marguerite Yourcenar
7. Jean-Paul Sartre
8. Simone de Beauvoir
9. Claude Debussy
10. Hector Berlioz
11. Maurice Ravel
12. Claude Monet
13. Auguste Renoir
14. Edgar Degas
15. Paul Matisse
Pimsleur - French 3-07 (leτon sept)
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dans la salle de bains - in the bathroom
1. la brosse α dents
toothbrush
2. le dentifrice
toothpaste
3. le savon
soap
4. le miroir
mirror
5. la douche
shower
6. le shampooing
shampoo
7. le papier hygiΘnique
toilet paper
8. le rasoir Θlectrique
electric razor
9. la serviette de toilette
hand towel
10. le drap de bain
bath towel
Pimsleur - French 3-08 (leτon huit)
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en cas d'urgence - in an emergency
1. premiers secours
first aid
2. Le Service d'Aide MΘdicale d'Urgence - le SAMU
Medical emergency service
3. l'ambulance
ambulance
4. l'h⌠pital
hospital
5. une infirmiΦre
nurse
6. une ordannance
prescription
7. un mΘdicament
medication
8. l'assurance-maladie
health insurance
9. la pharmacie de garde
pharmacy open at night
10. une radio
radio
11. je suis malade.
I am sick.
Pimsleur - French 3-09 (leτon neuf)
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voyage en train - traveling by train
1. gare centrale
central station
2. grandes lignes
long distance lines
3. banlieue
commuter lines
4. Le Train α Grand Vitesse - Le TGV
high speed train
5. Eurocity
international express trains
6. train α supplΘment
train with surcharge
7. la voiture-restaurant
dining car
8. vente ambulante
pushcart vendor
9. les wagons-lits
sleeping cars
10. le train-couchettes
coach-car with sleeping berths
11. quai
platform
12. voie
track
13. la rΘservation
seat reservation
14. issue de secours
emergency exit
15. horaire
train schedule
16. gare routiΦre
bus station
Pimsleur - French 3-10 (leτon dix)
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au supermarchΘ - at the supermarket
1. entrΘe
entrance
2. fruits
fruits
3. lΘgumes
vegetables
4. viande
meat
5. poulet
chicken
6. poisson
fish
7. un kilo
a kilogram or 1000 grams
8. produits laitiers
dairy products
9. fromage
cheese
10. caisse
cashier
11. sortie
exit
Pimsleur - French 3-11 (leτon onze)
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α l'h⌠tel - in the hotel
1. rΘception
reception desk
2. le rΘceptionniste / la rΘceptionniste
receptionist (m / f)
3. le directeur
(hotel) manager
4. l'ascenseur
elevator
5. une chambre double
double room
6. une chambre individuelle
single room
7. pension complΦte
full board
8. demi-pension
partial board
9. le standardiste / la standardiste
telephone operator (m / f)
10. les bagages
luggage
Pimsleur - French 3-12 (leτon douze)
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au restaurant - at the restaurant
1. le petit dΘjeuner
breakfast
2. le dΘjeuner
lunch
3. le dεner
supper / dinner
4. le menu
menu
5. la liste des consommations
beverage list
6. la carte des vins
wine list
7. l'apΘritif
cocktail or pre-dinner drink
8. hors-d'oeuvres
appetizers
9. potages
soups
10. salades
salads
11. plat principal
main course
12. desserts
desserts
13. l'addition
check
14. service compris
service included
15. le pourboire
tip
Pimsleur - French 3-13 (leτon treize)
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α la poste - at the post office
1. toutes opΘrations
main desk (all services)
2. timbres
stamps
3. colis
parcels
4. cartes postales
postcards
5. virements
transfers
6. boεte aux lettres
mailbox
7. exprΦs
special delivery
8. par avion
airmail
9. recommandΘ
registered mail
10. le guichet
window
11. poste restante
general delivery
Pimsleur - French 3-14 (leτon quatorze)
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α la banque - at the bank
1. un compte courant
checking account
2. un compte Θpargne
savings account
3. ouvrir un compte
to open an account
4. un retrait
withdrawal
5. un transfert
transfer
6. un dΘp⌠t
deposit
7. le montant
amount
8. les intΘrΩts
interest
9. une hypothΘque
mortgage
10. guichet automatique
self-service window
Pimsleur - French 3-15 (leτon quinze)
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au kiosque α journaux - at the newsstand
1. un journal
newspaper
2. un quotidien
daily newspaper
3. un hebdomadaire
weekly newspaper
4. une revue
magazine
5. un magazine
illustrated magazine
6. le plan de la ville
city map
7. un guide
travel guide
8. une carte routiΦre
road map
9. un livre de poche
pocket book
10. un livre pour enfants
children's books
11. des bandes dessinΘes
comic books
Pimsleur - French 3-16 (leτon seize)
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quelques expressions typiques - some typical expressions
1. J'ai une faim de loup!
I am as hungry as a horse!
literal translation: I have a wolf's hunger!
2. C'est un bon vivant.
He enjoys life.
3. Il aime la bonne chΦre.
He likes good food.
literal translation: He likes a good meal.
4. Il a un bon coup de fourchette.
He eats alot.
literal translation: He has a good stroke of the fork.
5. C'est un bourreau de travail.
He is a hard worker.
literal translation: He is an executioner of work.
6. Il n'y a pas de quoi fouetter un chat.
There is not much to worry about.
literal translation: There is not anything to whip a cat.
7. Il faut arroser τa!
We have to celebrate this!
literal translation: This has to be watered!
8. On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser d'oeufs.
You don't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
9. Impossible n'est pas franτais.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
literal translation: Impossible is not French!
Pimsleur - French 3-17 (leτon dix-sept)
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quelques proverbes - some proberbs
1. Tout nouveau, tout beau.
Everything that's new is good.
literal translation: All new, all good.
2. Le temps c'est de l'argent.
Time is money.
3. Qui se ressemble s'assemble.
Birds of a feather flock together.
literal translation: Who resembles, assembles.
4. La parole est d'argent, le silence est d'or.
Speech is silver, silence is gold.
5. AprΦs la pluie, le beau temps.
Everything cloud has a silver lining.
literal translation: After the rain, the good weather.
6. Plus on est de fous plus on s'amuse.
The more, the merrier.
literal translation: The crazier one is, the more fun he has.
7. Loin des yeux, loin du coeur.
Out of sight, out of mind.
literal translation: Far from the eyes, far from the heart.
Pimsleur - French 3-18 (leτon dix-huit)
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autres proverbes - other proverbs
1. Mieux vant tard que jamais.
Better late than never.
2. Quand le vin est tirΘ, il faut le boire.
What's done is done.
literal translation: When the wine is drawn, you have to drink it.
3. Autres temps, autres moeurs -
Other times, other customs -
4. Un tien vant mieux que deux tu l'auras.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
literal translation: One that you have is better than two you will have.
5. Rira bien qui rira le dernier.
He who laughs last, laughs best.
literal translation: He will laugh well who will laugh last.
