Improve your French listening comprehension with this clip from the Inner French podcast. It’s 70 words in 36 seconds, so very accessible for all levels. Take our listening practice daily and improve your French understanding.
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.
Something
Something interesting about this clip is the relation between acquire and acquire as to buy. There’s still an action there, no? I went to buy the car, it’s mine now. What do we acquire subconciously like language? Maybe knowledge from books? Grammar rules from reading? We understand ways that people make sentences, and if we’re aware of punctuation, use of adverbs, descriptive adjectives, etc., then we may begin to internalize them and put them in our own writing. I wonder if that happens…
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?
Alors acquisition qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ? Acquisition, c’est un nom qui vient du verbe acquérir. Acquérir quelque chose, ça veut dire obtenir quelque chose. Par exemple, si vous achetez une voiture, vous acquérez cette voiture, elle est à vous. Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire « acquérir une langue » ? Acquérir une langue, c’est quand vous êtes enfant et que naturellement, inconsciemment, vous commencez à utiliser une langue.
So what does acquisition mean? Acquisition is a noun that comes from the verb to acquire. To acquire something, it means to get something. For example, if you buy a car, you acquire the car, it is yours. What does it mean to “acquire a language”? Acquiring a language is when you are a child and naturally, unconsciously, you start using a language.
The above translation from Deepl. Source
What does “quelque chose” mean?
“Quelque chose” is a French phrase that translates to “something” in English. It is commonly used to refer to an unspecified or unknown thing or object.
The phrase “quelque chose” comes from the French language and has been used for centuries. It is composed of two words, “quelque,” which means “some” or “a few,” and “chose,” which means “thing” or “object.”
There are several synonyms for “quelque chose” in French, such as “une chose,” “un truc,” or “un machin.” These terms are also used to refer to an unspecified object or thing.
Here are a few examples of appropriate use of “quelque chose” in a sentence:
- Il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas. (There is something wrong.)
- Je cherche quelque chose à manger. (I’m looking for something to eat.)
- J’ai oublié quelque chose à la maison. (I forgot something at home.)
What does “qu’est-ce que ça veut dire” mean?
“Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire?” is a French phrase that translates to “What does that mean?” in English. It is a common expression used to ask for the meaning of a word, phrase, or concept.
This phrase is made up of several parts: “qu’est-ce que” means “what” or “what is,” “ça” means “that,” and “veut dire” means “means.” So when you put it all together, “Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire?” literally translates to “What is it that that means?”.
Here are a few examples of how “Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire?” can be used in a sentence:
- Je ne comprends pas ce mot. Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire? (I don’t understand this word. What does that mean?)
- Il a dit quelque chose en français, mais je ne parle pas la langue. Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire? (He said something in French, but I don’t speak the language. What does that mean?)
- J’ai vu ce sigle sur Internet, mais je ne sais pas à quoi il correspond. Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire? (I saw this acronym on the internet, but I don’t know what it stands for. What does that mean?)
Overall, “Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire?” is a very useful and common expression in French that can be used to ask for clarification or to seek the meaning of a word, phrase, or concept.
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