I’m excited. After three days of grunt work, rotting alphabets, and numbers, I’m finally onto something exciting. I should start with simple sentences, use them in my day-to-day life, talk to Merelin in French (hoping she won’t respond in her own version of French, which I will never ever understand).
I don’t have anyone to talk to in French, which I eventually will need to find, so that I can converse with them. It’s essential to the core of the language. The sole reason to learn a new language is to be able to talk, share ideas, ask question, and process information from people who talk in that language. You learn a tool, only and as long as you use it.
Let’s get started with basic greetings and how I should speak them.
| French | English Translation | Pronunciation in Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| Les Salutations | Greetings | ले सालुतास्यों (ले सैल्यूटास्यों) |
| Bonjour et bienvenue | Hello and welcome | बोंजू ए बियानवेन्यू (बों-जूर ए बियाँ-वेन्यू) |
| Je m’appelle Jaky | My name is Jaky | ज॑ मापेल जाकी (ज मैपेल जाकी) |
| J’habite en Inde | I live in India | ज॑ आबित आँ अंद (ज आबित ऑन आंद) |
| Je parle hindi, anglais, et français | I speak Hindi, English, and French | ज॑ पार्ल आंग्ले, अँग्ले, ए फ्रांसै (ज पार्ल हिंदी, आँग्लै, ए फ्रोंसे) |
| Je suis indien(ne) | I am Indian | – |
| (Male: Je suis indien) | (I am Indian – Male) | ज॑ स्वी अंडिआँ (ज स्वी अंडियाँ) |
| (Female: Je suis indienne) | (I am Indian – Female) | ज॑ स्वी अंडिएन (ज स्वी अंडियेन) |
No, let’s move onto asking basic questions.
| French Phrase | English Meaning | Hindi Pronunciation (Devanagari) |
|---|---|---|
| Informal Greetings | ||
| Comment ça va ? | How are you? | कोमां सा वा ? |
| Et toi ? | And you? (informal) | ए तुआ ? |
| Ça va bien, merci. | I’m fine, thank you. | सा वा बियाँ, मैर्सी। |
| Ça va mal. | Not well. | सा वा माल। |
| Pas mal. | Not bad. | पा माल। |
| Comme ci, comme ça. | Neither good nor bad. | कोम सी, कोम सा। |
| Formal Greetings | ||
| Comment allez-vous ? | How are you? (formal) | कोमां ताले वू ? |
| Et vous ? | And you? (formal) | ए वू ? |
| Je vais bien, merci. | I am fine, thank you. | झे वे बियाँ, मैर्सी। |
Some more…
| French Phrase | English Meaning | Hindi Pronunciation (Devanagari) |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour | Good morning / Hello | बॉन्जूर |
| Bon après-midi | Good afternoon | बॉन आप्रे-मिदी |
| Bonsoir | Good evening | बॉन्स्वा |
| Bonne nuit | Good night | बॉन नुई |
| French Phrase | English Meaning | Hindi Pronunciation (Devanagari) |
|---|---|---|
| Au revoir | Goodbye | ओ रव्व्वाh |
| À bientôt | See you soon | आ बियाँतो |
| À demain | See you tomorrow | आ दुमa |
| À tout à l’heure | See you later | आ तूता लh |
| French Phrase | English Meaning | Hindi Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Merci beaucoup | Thank you very much | मैर्सी बो-कू |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me | एक्सक्यूज़े-म्वा |
| Pardon | Sorry / Pardon | पार्दों |
| Oui | Yes | वी |
| Non | No | नों |
| Félicitations | Congratulations | फे-ली-सी-ता-स्योँ |
| Je suis désolé(e) | I am sorry | झु स्वी दे-जो-ले (दे-जो-ले़ for females) |
That’s it for day #4. I think this is enough to start a conversation or respond to some simple questions like how are you. I think practicing these daily will help me immensly. Once my subconscious starts taking in these words, it will align to learn more such words. For now, à demain.