Improve your French listening skills with this clip from the Inner French podcast. It’s 38 words in 16 seconds. How many can you hear?
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.
There has been
It’s funny. I’ve been writing in the past few posts about how I agree, grammar is for later. Or for writing. If you want to speak, speak. I get that Hugo, the podcaster for Inner French thinks grammar is important. He’s a teacher, after all. But then you get to a phrase like the one I highlighted today. il y a eu
Definitely a little grammar here, it appears. I’m not going to try to get into it, after all I’m not your French teacher, but what is interesting is the passé composé with avoir. Avoir + avoir. Very interesting, it makes sense once you wrap your head around it. I appreciate this clip because it is still a moderate pace, making it easy to mimic and mirror his pronunciation of this phrase.
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?
Évidemment, il y a eu beaucoup de critiques pour cette première hypothèse. Moi aussi, je ne suis pas complètement d’accord avec cette hypothèse. Je pense qu’il faut connaître les règles de grammaire, mais ça n’est pas la priorité.
Obviously, there has been a lot of criticism of this first hypothesis. I don’t completely agree with this hypothesis either. I think you have to know the rules of grammar, but that’s not the priority.
The above translation from Deepl. Source
What does “il y a eu” mean?
“Il y a eu” is a French phrase that translates to “there has been” or “there have been” in English. It is a common phrase used to describe a past event or situation. The phrase consists of the subject “il,” which means “it” in this case, the adverbial expression “y a” (from the verb “avoir” in the third person singular present tense), which means “there is/are,” and the past participle “eu” of the verb “avoir,” which means “had” or “been” in this context.
“Il y a eu” can be used in various contexts and is commonly used in both spoken and written French. Here are some examples:
- Il y a eu une forte tempête la nuit dernière. (There was a strong storm last night.)
- Il y a eu beaucoup de monde à la fête. (There were a lot of people at the party.)
- Il y a eu un accident sur l’autoroute. (There was an accident on the highway.)
- Il y a eu des changements importants dans l’entreprise. (There have been significant changes in the company.)
In terms of deep background, “il y a eu” is a compound tense, which is formed using the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle of the main verb. It is used to express a completed action in the past and can be used to describe a single event or a series of events that occurred over time. Overall, “il y a eu” is a useful and commonly used French phrase to describe past events or situations.
What does “ça n’est pas la priorité” mean?
“Ça n’est pas la priorité” is a French phrase that means “that’s not the priority” in English. It is a common expression used to indicate that something is not the most important or pressing matter at hand.
Here are some examples of “ça n’est pas la priorité” in use:
- Je sais que tu voudrais peindre la chambre, mais pour l’instant, ça n’est pas la priorité. (I know you’d like to paint the room, but for now, that’s not the priority.)
- Nous avons plusieurs projets en cours, mais celui-ci n’est pas la priorité pour le moment. (We have several projects underway, but this one is not the priority at the moment.)
- J’aimerais m’entraîner plus souvent, mais avec mon travail et ma famille, ça n’est pas la priorité en ce moment. (I would like to exercise more often, but with my work and family, that’s not the priority right now.)
Overall, “ça n’est pas la priorité” is a useful phrase to indicate that something is not the most important thing to focus on at the moment. It can be used in a variety of contexts, such as personal, professional, or social situations.
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