Ch 23 · Lesson 19French · Chapter 23 · Lesson 19 · Phrase session
Small talk
The weather, the weekend, the work: the easy questions that start every conversation.
Why these go together
French small talk tends to be shorter than English small talk and gets to real subjects faster; a colleague may ask what you think of the news before the coffee is poured. These six carry you through the first two minutes, which is the hard part. Note , said warmly to anyone you have not seen for a while.
, ?
Lovely weather today, isn't it?
Literally: it makes beautiful today, no
?
Did you have a good weekend?
Literally: you have spent a good weekend
!
It has been ages!
Literally: that makes long time
?
What do you do for a living?
Literally: you do what in life
?
Where are you from?
Literally: you are from where
, ?
And how is work going?
Literally: and the work, it goes well
Matching
0/6Match each phrase to what it means.
Fill in the blank
0/6Put the missing word back.
Il beau aujourd'hui, non ? (Lovely weather today, isn't it?)
Tu as un bon week-end ? (Did you have a good weekend?)
Ça fait ! (It has been ages!)
Tu fais quoi dans la ? (What do you do for a living?)
Vous êtes d' ? (Where are you from?)
Et le travail, ça se bien ? (And how is work going?)
Lesson 19 of 27 in this chapter