Why You Should Never Say “Nous” in Spoken French: Part 2 (Improve Your French Fluency)
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- čas přidán 19. 05. 2024
- If you first learned French in a classroom, you've maybe noticed something unusual: spoken French doesn't always sound the way you expect it to based on the written French you know. Actual spoken French is almost a completely different language than technical written French, mostly because it follows certain unwritten rules that you would never learn in school. One common one (that tends to get skipped over in textbooks) is that we almost never use “nous” in spoken French. Perhaps this is new to you, perhaps it isn't. Either way, we can always benefit from more practice! So, in today's lesson, we'll go over some common instances where you can replace “nous” with more natural-sounding language in your spoken French.
0:00 - Intro
0:28 - “Nous” is for written French
7:15 - “Nous” in everyday spoken French?
8:44 - Practice
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Geraldine
It’s sad because all the conjugations for nous sound so pretty
I agree
This video changed my life. After years of hopeless French classes and some time spent in France I feel like nobody told me about the little "on" and it all makes sense to me now! Merci.
“On” is much more currant. My partner (a Frenchman) and I never use “nous.”
I heard a good one in a French TV movie just now. One woman said to another: Faut qu'on parle. I took it to mean "We need to talk." I think I'm starting to get the hang of this now!
In watching French movies and TV, I've definitely noticed the tendency to replace "nous" with "on." But I feel that "on" is somewhat impersonal - there's just something more inclusive about "nous." In fact, to my ear "on" sounds more formal than "nous" ever did. But spoken language is a living thing that changes over time, so - gotta go with the flow. Thanks for this video!
Love this! So wonderful, as I knew this usage. Making progress in "real' language usage. great to have this progress confirmed with this video.
I wonder why "nous"went out of fashion.
Très magnifique theme de grammaire française pour comprendre mieux la belle et douce langue française
♥♥♥♥ MERCI BIEN!
In English we sometimes use the present when we mean the future or past : "We go to the museum" can mean "We went to the museum" or "We'll go to the museum". Does "On va le musée" have this diversity ?
“On” is good for general “we,” but for specific “we,” “nous” is precised. But this is an idiomatic evolution (however natural it is linguistically) that will negate a language’s appeal as an international tool of communication. To wit: the reason Euro English (ex: “to precise” as an example above) is being developed for the EU as a separate language of communication is because idiomatic vernaculars (grammar and vocabulary) by various native English speakers (British, American, Australian, etc.) can be incomprehensible to non-native speakers (“I am sat” vs. “I am sitting”; “gas station” vs. “petrol station” vs. “servo”). C'est malin, comme on dit…
Yeah… totally used this in spoken to distinguish my family from the US when speaking with my dear friends. Is it ok to say “friends?”
Would one use “nous” in everyday spoken French to differentiate the speaker from the listener? For example, if I were telling a story about me and my sister, would I use “nous”because the person I’m speaking to isn’t part of the story?
Hardcore language dialect.
Passive speach vs formal written.
I don't like this video. I love French and took it many years ago. I don't like it for the reason that I like it at the same time.
Do I sound confusing? Maybe! The thing is the distinction should be whether we are referring to formal or informal or country.
I am Dominican and Spanish is spoken in many countries. As in any country or in Spain itself, we have regionalisms and vulgarisms. But we speak Spanish.
I'm not suggesting she's trying to teach regionalism but should explain whether it's formal vs informal. I do enjoy her explanation.
Can we use "on" in a reflexive verb construction? Example: "nous nous coucherons".
I don't like this video. I love French and took it many years ago. I don't like it for the reason that I like it at the same time.
Do I sound confusing? Maybe! The thing is the distinction should be made about whether we are referring to formal or informal or country.
I am Dominican and Spanish is spoken in many countries. As in any country or in Spain itself, we have regionalisms and vulgarisms. But we speak Spanish.
I'm not suggesting she's trying to teach regionalism but should explain whether it's formal vs informal. I do enjoy her explanation.
Is this Parisian French?
All the french people say ‘nous’ everyday. I know it: I’m a frenchman
Why the confusion then?
C'est un titre absurde.