Improve your ear for French with this clip from the Balades podcast. It’s 26 words in 10 seconds. How many can you hear and understand? Take today’s transcription quiz and see what you hear.
This clip is from Balades Episode 3. 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 Balades ep. 3. We do not own the content. Listen to the entire episode here.
In his/her memories
I love a good faux amis. Souvenirs is one of my favorites. It’s so close, yet so far away in meaning.
Apparently, the word “souvenir” in French comes from the Latin “subvenire” which means “to come to mind” or “to recall”. So French is far more accurate! The word has been passed down to French and evolved to mean “memory” or “reminder”. Since the 17th century, French has records of “souvenir” being used to express the idea of keeping something in mind, or preserving something from the past.
In English, the word “souvenir” was borrowed from French in the 18th century and it was used to refer to physical objects that were purchased or obtained as a reminder of a place or an event. For example, a person would bring back a small item from a vacation as a souvenir, as a reminder of the experience. And that’s still how we use it to this day.
This distinction in the meaning of “souvenir” between French and English, is an example of how words can evolve and change meaning in different languages over time. And a wonderful, wonderful faux amis.
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How did you find today’s clip compared to yesterday’s clip? I tend to be most comfortable when the clip is around 150wpm. I love Balades for my current level, around A1 (hopefully progressing to A2). Hopefully you’re enjoying these clips, too. This story is fantastic and Even when there’s a fast clip, it’s still manageable. The right amount of challenge. What do you think? Join us for the next quiz.
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The snippet in English
Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?
Elle est encore plus belle que dans ses souvenirs. Mais la jeune fille proteste. Elle n’accepte le mariage que si ses parents assistent à la cérémonie.
She is even more beautiful than in his memories. But the girl protests. She accepts the marriage only if her parents attend the ceremony.
The above translation from Deepl. Source
What does “dans ses souvenirs” mean in French?
“Dans ses souvenirs” is a French expression that means “in his/her memories” in English. It is used to indicate that something is held or remembered by someone in their mind or that something is part of someone’s past experiences. The “dans” here, expresses the idea of being inside or within something, and “souvenirs” is the French word for memories.
For example:
- Il revit ces moments dans ses souvenirs (He relives those moments in his memories)
- Elle garde cette image dans ses souvenirs (She keeps that image in her memories)
- Il a passé son enfance dans ses souvenirs (He spent his childhood in his memories)
It’s used to express the idea of something being part of someone’s past, something that someone remembers and it’s still present in someone’s mind.
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