Balades ep. 1, Quiz 31: ensuite … puis … enfin

The above audio sample and transcription is from Balades ep. 1. We do not own the content. Listen to the entire episode here.

Next, Then, Finally

Let’s continue with lesson 31. A series of actions broken up wonderfully by these three words.

Twice in this segment Isabelle uses the strucutre “il fallaiit”. Google translates this as it was necessary. I think this word has appeared in other clips, or another construction using “avoir” has also shown up. This construction seems to make the activities she’s discussing in the past more passive. It feels more like we’re taking this walk she promised at the beginning of this episode and meandering through her mind.

That’s just an observation by my untrained eyes and ears, but it is interesting to me.

I also learned the word for water lilies in this clip, it seems that in English we use that word as well – so much for my (nonexistent) green thumb. And in that same segment I had to scratch my head as the text I have says “des pots de nénuphars”, why is it des… and de and not des and des? If you know it’s a typo, let me know and we’ll get it fixed. This is from the transcript I have from the dropbox linked.

I was also surprised by her pronunciation of “tuyaux” it sounds almost like the English word trio to me. I know it isn’t, I’m just saying it kind of sounds like that. And I struggled witht he last line: “se mettre au nettoyage” the au blends together so much, my ear was hearing a “de” or “d-” instead of the “n”. Just wanted to share my experience.

How much of this snippet are you understanding?
Can you only hear the articles or are you catching keywords?
What’s your favorite part about this?

There’s absolutely no way that I could get through an entire podcast in French without melting my brain, that’s why I broke it up into snippets like this. Join me for the next snippet.

The snippet in English

Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?

The above translation from Google Translate. Source

What does “ensuite … puis … enfin” mean?

“Ensuite… puis… enfin” is a French phrase that can be translated to “then… next… finally” in English.

It is a common way to organize ideas, events or actions in a logical and coherent way. It is used to express a sequence of events, actions or ideas. The words “ensuite” means “then”, “puis” means “next” and “enfin” means “finally”. They are used to indicate a logical progression of events, actions or ideas.

For example:

• “Ensuite, j’ai fini mes études, puis j’ai trouvé un emploi, enfin j’ai acheté une maison” which means “Then, I finished my studies, next I found a job, finally I bought a house.”
• “Ensuite, nous avons visité la ville, puis nous avons pris un café, enfin nous sommes allés au musée” which means “Then, we visited the city, next we had a coffee, finally we went to the museum.”

It is used to indicate a logical progression of events, actions or ideas, and it makes the discourse more structured and easy to follow.

What does “des tuyaux” mean?

“Des tuyaux” literally translates to “pipes” in English. However, in French, it has both a literal and a figurative meaning, depending on the context. In this context, it does mean pipes, but the slang meaning is interesting!

Literal Meaning:

“Des tuyaux” refers to pipes or tubes used to transport liquids, gases, or other substances. It’s a common word in plumbing or mechanical contexts.

• Example:
  Il y a une fuite dans les tuyaux de la salle de bain.
  (There is a leak in the bathroom pipes.)

Figurative Meaning (Slang):

In colloquial French, “des tuyaux” can also mean “tips” or “insider information.” It’s often used in everyday language to refer to helpful hints, advice, or privileged information that might give someone an advantage.

Example:
Il m’a donné des tuyaux pour réussir l’examen.
(He gave me some tips to pass the exam.)

What does “au tour de(s)” mean?

“Au tour de” translates to “It’s [someone’s] turn” in English. It is used to indicate that it is the turn of a specific person to perform an action or task.

Usage:

“Au tour de” is commonly used when people are taking turns or when it’s time for someone to do something, such as in games, discussions, or shared tasks.

• Example:
  C’est au tour de Paul de jouer.
  (It’s Paul’s turn to play.)

Contexts:

Maintenant, c’est au tour de toi de donner ton avis.
(Now it’s your turn to give your opinion.)

In Games or Activities:
When participants take turns doing something.

C’est au tour de Marie de lancer les dés.
(It’s Marie’s turn to roll the dice.)

In Conversations:
When people speak in a set order.

What does “se mettre au nettoyage” mean?

“Se mettre à” means “to start” or “to begin” doing something, and it is followed by an infinitive verb.

• Example:
  Se mettre à nettoyer (to start cleaning)

In phrases like “se mettre au nettoyage”, “nettoyage” is a noun. The structure changes from “se mettre à” + infinitive to “se mettre à” + noun (e.g., nettoyage).

• Example:
  Se mettre au nettoyage (to start cleaning)

The preposition “à” contracts with “le” to form “au” before masculine nouns, like in “au nettoyage.”

Summary:

“Se mettre à” means to begin something, and it’s followed by an infinitive verb or a noun, as in “se mettre au nettoyage” (to start cleaning).

here are several common examples of “se mettre à” used in everyday French with different actions:

1. Se mettre à travailler

• Translation: To start working.
• Example:
  Je dois me mettre à travailler si je veux finir à temps.
  (I need to start working if I want to finish on time.)

2. Se mettre à courir

• Translation: To start running.
• Example:
  Quand il a vu le chien, il s’est mis à courir.
  (When he saw the dog, he started running.)

3. Se mettre à pleurer

• Translation: To start crying.
• Example:
  Elle s’est mise à pleurer en entendant la nouvelle.
  (She started crying when she heard the news.)

4. Se mettre à lire

• Translation: To start reading.
• Example:
  Il s’est mis à lire dès qu’il est rentré chez lui.
  (He started reading as soon as he got home.)

5. Se mettre à manger

• Translation: To start eating.
• Example:
  On peut se mettre à manger maintenant.
  (We can start eating now.)

6. Se mettre à rire

• Translation: To start laughing.
• Example:
  Tout le monde s’est mis à rire à la blague.
  (Everyone started laughing at the joke.)

What did you love about this?

Comment below with your feedback! Tells us what you think. Send a note or leave a comment below. We appreciate the feedback. Also, we’re always looking for partners to build this site and grow the content available.