Improve your French listening comprehension with this clip from the Inner French podcast. It’s 70 words in 33 seconds.
This clip is from the Inner French podcast Episode 001. Listen and fill in what you hear below. Read more and find a translation below. Find the full podcast here.
Press play and take the transcription quiz to practice your French listening comprehension.
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The above audio sample and transcription is from the Inner French podcast episode 001. We do not own the content. Listen to the entire episode here.
We need
What I need it more practice. More time. More money. I’m always thinking about more’s that I need. In reality, I probably have enough but it doesn’t feel like that.
I need to speak French, to understand French. I need to update this site to get there. I need to inspire others on their quest to learn French. All are needs. But what are needs really? I simply spoke those into existence, I made them up. Sigh. But I’ll keep it going.
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The snippet in English
Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?
Aujourd’hui, on va parler des langues. Comment apprendre une langue ? Pour commencer, il faut faire la distinction entre la langue maternelle et une langue étrangère. La langue maternelle, on n’en a qu’une. On a seulement une langue maternelle. C’est la langue qu’on apprend quand on est enfant. On a besoin de cette langue tout simplement pour parler avec ses parents, avec ses amis, pour communiquer, pour transmettre des messages.
Today, we are going to talk about languages. How to learn a language? First of all, we have to distinguish between a mother tongue and a foreign language. The mother tongue, we have only one. We only have one mother tongue. It is the language that we learn when we are children. We need this language simply to speak with our parents, with our friends, to communicate, to transmit messages.
The above translation from Deepl. Source
What does “on a besoin de” mean?
“On a besoin de” is a French expression that translates to “we need.” It is used to express the necessity of something or to indicate the requirement of something. For example:
- On a besoin d’eau pour survivre. (We need water to survive.)
- On a besoin de plus de temps pour terminer le projet. (We need more time to finish the project.)
- On a besoin de votre aide. (We need your help.)
This phrase is commonly used in everyday conversation and can be used to express different levels of need, from simple necessities like food or water to more complex requirements like assistance or support.
What does “il faut faire” mean?
“Il faut faire” is a French expression that translates to “it is necessary to do” or “one must do.” It is used to express a requirement or obligation. For example:
- Il faut se laver les mains avant de manger. (One must wash their hands before eating.)
- Il faut étudier si tu veux réussir à l’examen. (One must study if they want to pass the exam.)
- Il faut être à l’heure pour le rendez-vous. (One must be on time for the appointment.)
This phrase is commonly used in everyday conversation and in a variety of contexts, including instructions, advice, and recommendations. It is often used to express a sense of obligation or responsibility, and can be used to describe actions that are deemed necessary in a particular situation.
What’s the difference between “il faut” and “on a besoin”?
There’s a difference between “il faut” and “on a besoin”. While both expressions mean a requirement or obligation, there’s a subtle difference in meaning between the two. There are after all many different kinds of need and requirement.
When we use “il faut”, we’re expressing an objective duty or obligation – in other words, it’s a must-do situation. For example, “il faut se laver les mains avant de manger” – we have to wash our hands before eating.
On the other hand, when we use “on a besoin”, we’re expressing a subjective need or requirement. It’s more about what we personally need in a given situation. For example, “on a besoin d’eau pour survivre” – we need water to survive.
So, to summarize, “il faut” conveys a sense of objective necessity, while “on a besoin” conveys a sense of subjective necessity.
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