Friday, January 14, 2011

Lesson 6: 'You, I and We'



English

French has two different words for you: tu and vous. In English, the second person subject pronoun is always you.

In French, these distinctions are very important - you must understand when and why to use each of them. Otherwise, you may inadvertantly insult someone by using the wrong you.

Tu is the familiar you, which demonstrates a certain closeness and informality. Use tu when speaking to one
  • friend
  • peer / colleague
  • relative
  • child
  • pet
Vous is the formal you. It is used to show respect or maintain a certain distance or formality with someone. Use vous when speaking to
  • someone you don't know well
  • an authority figure
  • anyone to whom you wish to show respect
Vous is also the plural you - you have to use it when talking to more than one person, no matter how close you are.

Example :
  • familiar and singular: tu
  • Plural : vous
  • formal and singular: vous
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हिंदी


tu और vous:

जैसे हिंदी मैं, वैसे ही फ्रेंच में भी, ये भेद बहुत महत्वपूर्ण हैं - अगर tu और vous इस्तमाल सही जगह नहीं किया गया तो आप अंजाने मैं किसी का अपमान कर सकते है.

tu का उपयोग उस व्यक्ति के लिए करें जिसके साथ आपका रिश्ता निकटता और अनौपचारिकता दर्शाता है. tu प्रयोग करें जब व्यक्ति
  • दोस्त हो
  • सहकर्मी / सहयोगी हो
  • रिश्तेदार हो
  • बच्चा हो

Vous का उपयोग औपचारिक है. इसका उपयोग सम्मान दिखाने या किसी के साथ औपचारिकता दिखने मैं होता है. vous कब बोलें?
  • किसी को आप अच्छी तरह नहीं जानतें
  • कोई प्रसिद्ध व्यक्ति हो
  • जिसे आप सम्मान दिखाना चाहते हैं
Vous का उपयोग बहुवचन के लिए भी किया जाता है - आप जब एक से अधिक व्यक्ति से बात करें तब उपयोग करें


उदाहरण:
  • परिचित और अनौपचारिकता :tu
  • बहुवचन : vous
  • औपचारिक और सम्मानजनक : vous


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Lesson 5 : 'Mr, Mrs and Miss'



English

French

Hindi

Pronunciations

Hinglish

हिंदी

Madam/Mrs.

Madame

Shrimati

श्रीमती

Madham(मदाम)

Sir/Mister/Mr.

Monsieur

Shriman

श्रीमान

Misyuu(मिस्यू)

Miss

Mademoiselle

Kumari

कुमारी

Madmozel (मदमोज़ेल)

Dear

Cher

Priya

प्रिय

scher (शेअर)

Dear

Chère

Priya

प्रिय

scher (शेअर)




English

The standard French style of address are,

Monsieur - for males

Madame - for married, divorced, widowed or elderly females

Mademoiselle - for an unmarried female

While writing a letter

  1. When not knowing the gender of the person to whom one is writing, the appropriate salutation is

    1. Madame , Monsieur

  1. When writing to a woman without knowing whether she is married or not,

    1. Madame (unless the woman is very young (less than 16 or 18).

  1. In the case where the writer knows well the recipient and is in friendly term with them, it is possible to add Cher/Chère in front of the address:

    1. Cher Monsieur,
    2. Chère Mademoiselle, (though this is not considered as appropriate for a male writer which is not a close family relative of the recipient)
    3. Chère Madame,

An address using Chère/Cher and a title (Madame/Monsieur/Docteur) should normally not be followed by a person's name; the address Cher Monsieur Dupuis is thus usually considered incorrect.

  1. In case the writer and the recipients are close friends or intimates, it is possible to use the given name of the recipient immediately after Cher/Chère.


हिन्दी

फ्रांस मैं संबोधन कैसे किया जाये?


  • पुरुषों के लिए - Monsieur(मिस्यू )
  • विवाहित, तलाकशुदा, या बुजुर्ग महिलाओं के लिए - Madame(मदाम)
  • एक अविवाहित कुमारी के लिए - Mademoiselle(मदमोज़ेल)

जब किसी को पत्र लिखना हो तब -


पत्र लिखने के लिए जब व्यक्ति के लिंग नहीं पता हो तो, अभिवादन होना चाहिए

  • जब वह है कि क्या जानने के बिना एक औरत के लिए लेखन शादीशुदा है या नहीं,

Madame Monsieur

Madame (जब तक औरत बहुत युवा ना हो (16 से कम)


जहां लेखक का सोम्बोधित व्यक्ति के साथ जान पहेचन हो तो

  • Cher Monsieur, (शेअर मिस्यू)
  • Chère Mademoiselle, (शेअर मदमोज़ेल)
  • Chère Madame, (शेअर मदाम)


प्रिय श्रीमान/श्रीमती के बाद नाम का इस्तमाल नहीं होता.

  • जैसे की 'प्रिय श्रीमान राज' लिखना गलत माना जाता है.
  • बल्कि 'प्रिय श्रीमान' इतना संबोधन काफी है.
  • या फिर 'प्रिय राज' ऐसा भी लिखा जा सकता है.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Lesson 4 : 'Talk Without Speaking'



The majority of our feelings and intentions are sent through nonverbal communication. Moreover we tend to search for signals when verbal messages are unclear or ambiguous.

Why important?
- Because nonverbal communication has also cultural meanings and is being interpreted according to the cultural context it occurs. Cultural norms regarding kinesics vary considerably between countries; if you are not familiar with the local body language you might be misunderstood, and sometimes misinterpret the local nonverbal signals.

This can certainly lead to embarrassing and uncomfortable situations. To avoid these situations, I am bringing you a very basic set of gestures. Which I have learnt through a little (or more) of
embarrassment!!

Let’s have a look at the basic gestures in India and in France.


India
1. Greet
Greeting with 'namaste' - placing both hands together with a slight bow is a very common nonverbal communication and shows respect for Indian customs.
You can also shake hands; Men may shake hands with other men and women may shake hands with other women. There are seldom handshakes between men and women because of religious beliefs. If you are uncertain, wait for them to extend their hand.





2. Public displays of affection are not proper.











3. Side to side head/hand wave is frequently interpreted by Indians as "no".

4. Up and down head wave is frequently interpreted by Indians as "yes".

5. Use your right hand only to touch someone, pass money or pick up merchandise. The left hand is considered unclean.

6. When an Indian answers, "I will try," he or she generally means "no." This is considered a polite "no."

7. Pointing a finger at someone would be considered rude.

8. Don’t blow your nose at the dining table

9. In India, persons of the same gender have close physical contact with their friends.















France



1. Greet
  • In India, publicly kissing is not appreciated, while in France greeting friends and family starts with an exchange of kisses (cheek-to-cheek kiss or peck ). However the number of kisses and the side that the kisses start on vary by region.(1,2,3 or 4)
  • The French shake hands upon meeting someone for the first time, particularly in the business world.




2. Counting
When using the fingers to count the thumb is the first counter, the index finger is two, the mi ddle finger is three, etc. If you hold up two fingers (index + middle fingers), you'll get three of whatever you're ordering, not two. Because the French count the thumb even if you don't hold it up.









3. Are you Crazy?








(Laurence Wylie - professor of French Civilization)





4. I don’t believe you

To express your disbelief at what someone is telling you, put your index finger and pull down the skin under your eye and say, "Mon œil !"

This is equivalent to the English expression "My foot!"





5. OK

The "okay" sign, made with index finger and thumb, means "zero." The French use the "thumbs up" sign to say "okay."







6. It’s finished / Stop
To indicate that you don't want to continue whatever you are doing, cross your arms in front of your chest, hands up and palms out, then swing them down and out.





7. Almost
In order to indicate that what you are saying (the time you'll arrive, how long something will take, etc.) is just an estimate, hold out your hand, palm down and fingers spread, and wobble it back and forth.







8. Want to sleep or Someone asleep
This gesture has two meanings. It can indicate someone
• who is tired and wants to go to sleep, or
• who is asleep and shouldn't be woken up
Join your hands, place them on your shoulder, rest your cheek on them, and (optionally) close your eyes.


9. In France, during conversations, be especially careful about interrupting (let person finish his statement, before you start yours) - Listening is a sign of politeness and of contemplation.


10. In France, when two persons (of same or opposite gender) walk hand in hand or hug publically then they are considered as a couple/lovers. Its not even common for any family members or friends to walk in street hand in hand.


11. Burping is considered very bad in France (equivalent to farting)















Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Lesson 3 - ASK

English
Apart from Basic Greetings and French Politeness, now what you might need to know is, How to ASK? Let us begin with the very basic vocabulary to form questions.



हिंदी

अभिवादन और शिष्टाचार के अलावा, अब जरूरत हैं जानने की, कैसे कोई भी सवाल पुछा जा सकता है? हम बहुतही बुनियादी सवालों की शब्दावली के साथ शुरू करते हैं.





Monday, January 10, 2011

Lesson 2 - 'French Politeness'


English


One of the important point to be noted while speaking to a French person is the Politeness, or I would say 'French politeness!'

French politeness - Saying thank you, sorry and please for any favour, mistake and request respectively. Then it do not matter how minor the favour, mistake or request might be. To make it clearer, following are the examples to understand the level of importance of the events (especially for Indian readers).

  • Thank you - Merci (mer-si )
  • You are welcome - De rien (du-ri-yan)
  • Sorry -
    • Pardon (paar-do)
    • Desole (de-zo-le)
  • Excuse-me - Excusez-moi (Excuje-mwa)
  • Please -
    • S'il vous plaît (formal) (syl-wo-play)
    • S'il te plaît (informal) (syl-tu-play)
  • Have a good meal - Bon appetit (Bonapeti)


Examples
Here, I give examples for only Minor reasons. Rest is the same for sorry, thanks and please as in English!

1. Sorry
  • Before you ask anyone anything, you have to start with Excuse-me
    • Excuse me, what is the time?
    • Excuse me where is the post office?
  • If you are standing in the middle corridor and other person had difficulty to pass by, then you have to say sorry
  • If a person is washing dishes in sink of your kitchen, and you wanted wash your hand, then you have to ask starting with excuse me. Even the person is your mother.

2. Please
  • You ask for anything to any person
    • What is the time please?
    • Can you pass the salt please?

3. Thank you
  • You say thank you if some serve you food/drink..
  • If someone holds the flapping door for you.
  • If someone gets out of your way in the corridor. etc

4. Have a good meal
  • If you see anyone eating food, you wish him/her/them, 'Bon appetit' !
  • If you do not know the person you wish them 'Bon appetit '
    • In office or in a party or family gathering!
    • NOT in a restaurant or at railway station or in the street
  • After someone wishes you ' Bon appetit', you have to say in return Merci (Thank you!)


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हिन्दी

जब आप एक फ्रेंच व्यक्ति से बात करें तो एक महत्वपूर्ण बात याद रखें, फ्रांस मैं शिष्टाचार बहुत महत्वपूर्ण है. मुझे कहना होगा की 'फ्रेंच शिष्टाचार' बहुत ही ख़ास है.

फ्रेंच शिष्टाचार - धन्यवाद, माफ करना और कृपया का इस्तमाल काफी ज्यादा किया जाता है. शिष्टाचार कोई भी मामूली बात के लिए होता है. यह स्पष्ट करने के लिए, घटनाओं के महत्व का उदहारण निचे लिखा हुआ है .(विशेष रूप से भारतीय पाठकों के लिए).

  • शुक्रिया - Merci (मेर-सी)
  • कोई बात नहीं - du rien (द-रीयां)
  • क्षमा करें -
    • Pardon (पार-डों)
    • Desole (डेझोले े)
  • माफ करना, मुझे - Excusez-moi (एक्स्चूजे-मुआ)
  • कृपया -
    • s'il vous plaît (औपचारिक) (सिल-वू-प्ले )
    • s'il te plaît (अनौपचारिक) (सिल-त-प्ले)
  • अच्छे से भोजन कीजिये - Bon appetit (बोनापेटी)


उदाहरण

1. माफ़ी
  • इससे पहले कि आप किसी को कुछ भी पूंछे, आपको क्षमा साथ शुरू करना है
    • माफ़ कीजिए, क्या समय हुआ है?
    • माफ करना, डाकघर कहाँ है?
  • यदि आप बीच रस्ते मैं खड़ें हैं और दूसरे व्यक्ति को रस्ते मैं आगे बढ़ने की मुश्किल हो रही हो, तो आप को माफ़ी मंगनी चाहिए.
  • यदि कोई व्यक्ति आपकी रसोई में बर्तन धो रहा है, और आप अपने हाथ धोना चाहते हैं, तब आप को कुछ कहने से पहले माफ़ी मांगनी चाहिए.
  • किसी भी चीज से किसी को अगर दिक्कत हो, थोडीसी भी, तो माफ़ी मांगनी चाहिए

2. कृपया
  • अगर आप किसी भी व्यक्ति को कुछ भी माँग रहे है, तो वाक्य की शुरुवात कृपया से करें.
    • कृपया आप बता सकतें है, क्या है समय हुआ है?
    • कृपया नमक दीजिये.

3. शुक्रिया

अगर आपको कोई खब परोसे तो धन्यवाद कहेना चाहिए.


4. अच्छे से भोजन कीजिये
  • यदि आप किसी को भोजन करतें देखते हैं, तो आप उसे बोनापेटी बोलें! (जानकारी वालें व्यक्ति को ही कहें)

Lesson 1 - 'Hello, How are you?'


English

The first thing you might say when you will land here would be greeting to a person. So lets start with basic greetings!

Example (English)
  1. Neil - Good Morning!
  2. Raj - Hello!
  3. Neil - How are you Raj?
  4. Raj - Yes, I am fine, thank you. And you?
  5. Neil - Fine, fine !!

    Example (French)
  1. Neil - Bonjour!
  2. Raj - Salut!
  3. Neil - Ca va Raj?
  4. Raj - Oui, ca va, merci. Et toi?
  5. Neil - Ca va, ca va !

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हिंदी

पहली बार जब आप किसीसे बात करेग्न्गे, तो वोह होगा एक व्यक्ति को अभिवादन. तो अभिवादन के साथ शुरू करते हैं फ्रेंच समझाने की कोशिश!

उदाहरण (हिंदी)
  1. नील -नमस्ते! (Neil - Namaste)
  2. राज - नमस्ते! (Raaj - Namaste)
  3. नील -तुम कैसे हो राज? (Neil - Tum kaise ho Raaj?)
  4. राज - मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद. और तुम? (Raaj - Main thik hoon, dhanyawad, aur tum?)
  5. नील - ठीक हूँ! (Neil - Main thik hoon)
उदाहरण (फ्रेंच)
  1. नील - बोन-जुर!
  2. राज - सल्यु!
  3. नील - स वा, राज?
  4. राज - स वा, मेर्सी.त्वा?
  5. नील - स वा!