Anyone else have this problem?

[Shesings2me]

The best place to study french is the Alliance Française, imo. Remember that Celine speaks and sings in 'international' french (which we're all learning ) so till we get more proficent we'll understand her better...

 

Yes I agree...because Alliance Francaise is where I am studying. I hear they have many centres in many cities! And I grew up around all the Francophones in Montreal, but the Instructor (he's from France) who tested my oral French said that I have no distinguishable accent. He and others have told me recently that my french sounds lovely. I'm so proud!!

[ce-line]

I have a question about the word bonjour...

Sometimes it's pronounced [bonswar] and other times [bonsjur]

What is the difference? :S

[amerikevin]

hey,

 

it's so funny because Celine speaks strangly in French AND in English... She speaks French like I speak English, but she speaks English strangly too...

We use to say "Bonjour" to say "Hello" (morning and afternoon, we don't have a "good morning" and "good afternoon", it's "bonjour" which means good day)

and "Bonsoir" is for the night i would say after 6.00PM - 8.00PM depending of the season and the weather!

 

Kevin

 

ps: sometimes you can hear people say "bonjour" on french tv show which air on night, but it's because it was taped during a day ;-)

Edited January 13, 2008 at 12:12 AM by amerikevin

[ce-line]

hey,

 

it's so funny because Celine speaks strangly in French AND in English... She speaks French like I speak English, but she speaks English strangly too...

We use to say "Bonjour" to say "Hello" (morning and afternoon, we don't have a "good morning" and "good afternoon", it's "bonjour" which means good day)

and "Bonsoir" is for the night i would say after 6.00PM - 8.00PM depending of the season and the weather!

 

Kevin

 

ps: sometimes you can hear people say "bonjour" on french tv show which air on night, but it's because it was taped during a day ;-)

 

Oh, thank you so much! I didn't even no it was two different words... Well, I'm just a beginner!

[Annalicious]

That's funny. All of my professors spoke Parisian French and so that's what I learned. I was able to understand most people in Paris but I cannot for the life of me make out what Celine is saying when she's speaking in French because of the accent.

[Fanny!]

I have a question about the word bonjour...

Sometimes it's pronounced [bonswar] and other times [bonsjur]

What is the difference? :S

LOL that's because there are two different words! you say bonjour during the day, and bonsoir in the evening. Just like good morning/afternoon and good evening/night!

 

Bonjour is pronounced [bonjur] (no s) and bonsoir [bonswar].

 

[Koolan]

I have a question about the word bonjour...

Sometimes it's pronounced [bonswar] and other times [bonsjur]

What is the difference? :S

LOL that's because there are two different words! you say bonjour during the day, and bonsoir in the evening. Just like good morning/afternoon and good evening/night!

 

Bonjour is pronounced [bonjur] (no s) and bonsoir [bonswar].

 

 

I thought it was the same.

[Xpresso]

That's funny. All of my professors spoke Parisian French and so that's what I learned. I was able to understand most people in Paris but I cannot for the life of me make out what Celine is saying when she's speaking in French because of the accent.

Celine often speaks International French, so you should be able to understand her... I can't say that because I learned Londonian English that I can't understand Americans...

[grobandion]

I took an accelerated course of French, but it's still very hard for me, even tough some words are pretty much the same in Spanish, my language. What I do with her songs is reading the translation in English first, then I can understand the lyrics a lot more.

[ch3v4li3r]

French language in Quebec is not a dialect. It's French. Most of the words are the same as in France. The difference is the way people pronounce the words. Just like English is pronounced differently in the US and in England. The written language is the same!! (95% of the words are the same but there are expressions that differ like in any language).

 

Hope that helps. Good luck with the learning!! By the way, Celine usually speaks international French when she's in France or doing interviews in Canada (but at times she uses slang or local expressions with family and friends).

 

I so like how you said france and quebec aren't that different. As far as I can say, Quebec has less english expressions (even though we have a lot).. for example we don't use "parking" "shopping" or anything like that. That's what makes our language so hard to understand because we use words that nobody else use ! Most of us can understand any people from France because we know their expressions coming from english.

 

Most of people can't understand what we say because of our accent, and we do talk very fast most of the time, but if you succed to understand mostly everything of what we say.. you should be able to understand anybody speaking french with any accent

 

By the way, don't give up ! I know french can be very hard to learn (even for people from Quebec it's hard ! ) because as far as I know, I think we have the language with the most rules and exceptions.

 

If you need any help, i'll be pleased to help you, french's great ahah

 

Hope you understood something out from this message

Edited February 22, 2008 at 01:54 AM by ch3v4li3r

[Jacqui]

I have the same problem as you...I understand a little French and try to learn more, so I understand a fair amount of what Celine says. But if I watch a French movie or the French news I barely understand a word of it! Maybe because they talk so fast, I don't know... It's also probably easier for us to understand Celine because we know what she is generally going to be talking about...

[tonybower]

It's the complete opposite for me. I speak French and have very little trouble understanding the language in France.

But when Celine speaks French... wow! I can get pretty lost! Especially when she gets all excited and starts speaking quickly.

Backstage on the AND DVD where she's talking about getting a piece of string of RC etc, I have to really concentrate.

And in the Live a Paris concert where she talks about seeing herself as a dancer as well as a singer... that took some time for me to get!

 

It's a shame really because I absolutely love Celine's French. The Quebecois accent is so sexy... I shall have to make more Quebecois friends!

Edited February 22, 2008 at 08:35 PM by tonybower

[Sarit31]

You know, they should make Qubecois French learning CDs..because I know there is France French you can learn, but how are you supposed to understand Celine if she mostly speaks her own dialect?

 

Well, I'm English but have lived in France for 12 years. I learned, and now speak France French, but I also understand Celine perfectly when she speaks her own dialect...

[Teodora]

I was in foreign languages classes in high school, so I pretty much learnt French and English like that, but I got a lot of French practice with Celine's music and interviews. What I really learnt because of Celine is to understand French with the Quebec accent. No one else I know that speaks French can understand "quebecoise", but I can, thanks to watching so many interviews with her.

I'm just sorry I don't get to practice speaking French often enough to be able to do it easily, but I intend to get a lot of conversation practice in May, in Paris

PS: The French in Quebec is not really a dialect, it's just a very different accent, and a few words they've given different meaning too, other than the original.

Edited March 16, 2008 at 11:21 AM by Teodora

[Jacqui]

I was trying to practice some French by putting French subtitles on while I was watching a DVD...I find it helps me to learn. But then I accidentally changed the whole thing into French. It took a while to undo it.

[Sarit31]

PS: The French in Quebec is not really a dialect, it's just a very different accent, and a few words they've given different meaning too, other than the original.

 

That's not entirely true. The Quebec French is the way they used to speak in France in the 17th century. Over time, some English / American terms have been added and then acquired different meanings because the dominant language is French. So, it actually IS a dialect...

[thu_celine dion]

oh, i don't know French, but i still wish u to try the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thu_celine dion]

and i wish i can understand all things which belong to celine.

and i believe i can do it well

[Bhadra]

Well. I have studied French for 5 years and I understand it well, I can use french (but not that good).

I learnt French because it was an elective prescribed course in my Country's education system.

 

For the last 3 years of the secondary education, you have to choose what language you will learn.

Every public and private schools throughout the Kingdom provide French, Germany, Spanish, Arabian,

Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Pali and Sanskrit (ancient languages of India).

English is the prescribed course, everyone has to study since 3 years of age.

 

The said languages are very essential for every students as we have to take the national lingual exam

(called Attitude National Educational Test, A-NET) after O-NET (Ordinary Na....).

O-NET composed of every general cources the students have taken

(such as Thai language, sociology, English, science, maths, etc.);

and for A-NET, the student has to choose to take what they have studied in last 3 years of secondary edu.

 

A-NET and O-NET results will be used as a part for entering the public university.

This is your future, you have to do the very best and no any other way to go.

(In order to attend the public university throughout the Kingdom, you have to pass both NETs.)

I have to tell that A-NET is very very hard test, even if the examinee is a native speaker,

he could not do every items throughout the paper.

So each year the students have to fight theirselves, to fight with each other, and they are very serious.

 

For example, for the Faculty of Laws of Thammasat University, one of the top 5 universities of the Country,

there are 10,000 students choose to attend it, but the Faculty could only accept 700 students per year.

So you have to get much scores from A-NET & O-NET in order to be in such 700 lucky people.

 

Every year there will be at least one (but usually more than one) student

whom dissappointed in entering the public university commits suicide,

such as willfuly jumping down from the high building, drowning oneself,

hanging oneself, and at the end of last year there was a student shot himself.

 

It is a truly serious feeling for every one at that extent, I have been there too.

Now I attend the Faculty of Arts at Silpakorn University.

As it is one of the top 5 universities, so I relieved

(even my hope is to be able to attend the Faculty of Laws).

 

It is too long, ha ha...

More writing, more serious. So just leave at this may be better.

Edited March 18, 2008 at 05:22 PM by Bhadra

[spazz]

Thank God I speak French and English

[Jeffieboi]

Ever since I learned how to speak, I always wanted to learned Spanish, and when I was 11 in 6th grade the school started offering it. I didn't even know who Celine was until I was 12, and I wasn't about to just quit one of my dreams of learning Spanish.

 

However, after listening to Celine for 12 years, and having ALL her french albums from La Voix Do Bon Dieu, all the way to D'elles...I have learned a little bif of French. I can mainly translate random sentences...those sentences being the titles of Celine's French songs, lol. Spanish and French are kinda similar anyway, so there are a few words I could figure out in French just by seeing or hearing them.

[nlgarrett78]

I dont know frech LOL but i love hearing celine sing in french