Improve your French listening skills with this clip from the Inner French podcast. It’s 49 words in 27 seconds. How many can you hear in our transcription quiz? Start at any level.
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.
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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.
How
How is the great, open-ended question word.
How are you finding this quiz today? How do you like this tool? How can I make it better? How can I find more people to see this tool.
All valid questions, and many open ended questions leaves me scratching my head. But it’s late, and I didn’t want to make it too serious. So I guess, how about we get back to the quiz.
What’s opening up for you in this clip? I’m open to any and all feedback, as always. Let me know.
The snippet in English
Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?
Comment est-ce que votre cerveau peut comprendre un mot qu’il ne connaît pas ? Il peut utiliser des images. Il peut comprendre une explication de ce mot. C’est pour ça que je pense qu’il est plus intéressant de comprendre un mot avec sa définition et pas avec sa traduction.
How can your brain understand a word it doesn’t know? It can use images. It can understand an explanation of the word. That’s why I think it’s more interesting to understand a word with its definition and not with its translation.
The above translation from Deepl. Source
About “comment est-ce que”?
“Comment est-ce que” is a French phrase that translates to “how” or “how is it that” in English. It is a common phrase used to ask questions in French and is often used in both formal and informal settings. Here are some interesting things to know about the phrase:
“Comment est-ce que” is one of several ways to ask questions in French. Other ways include using inversion (placing the subject after the verb) or using a question word at the beginning of the sentence.
The phrase can be broken down into three parts: “comment,” meaning “how,” “est-ce que,” which is a question-forming phrase that has no direct English equivalent, and the verb or action being questioned.
“Est-ce que” is a useful phrase in French because it can be added to any statement to turn it into a question, without needing to change the word order or use inversion. For example, “Tu parles français” (You speak French) becomes “Est-ce que tu parles français?” (Do you speak French?)
The phrase is commonly used in French textbooks and language classes because it is a simple and effective way to ask questions, especially for beginners who may not be comfortable with inversion yet.
“Comment est-ce que” can also be used to express surprise or disbelief, as in the following example: “Comment est-ce que c’est possible?” (How is that possible?) This usage can add emphasis and convey strong emotion.
Overall, “comment est-ce que” is a versatile and useful phrase in French that is worth learning for anyone who wants to improve their French language skills.
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