French is no stranger—French and English pronunciation differ greatly—French is spoken by many people.
French sounds illustrated in familiar words—French nasal vowel sounds—Summary of French vowel sounds—Summary of French nasals—Summary of French consonants—Some useful words and expressions for the traveller—Linking—Elision—The stress in French words and sentences—Three easy dialogues.
Qui est Monsieur Davis?
Members of the family—Rooms of the house—Definite article—Gender of nouns—Plural of nouns—Indefinite article—Some common verbs.
WHY IS MR. DAVIS STUDYING FRENCH?
Pourquoi est-ce que M. Davis étudie le français
Some European languages—Expressions of greeting and farewell—Use of des—Some common verbs—Omission of the indefinite article.
Dans le salon de Monsieur Davis
Objects in the living-room—Some common prepositions—Contractions du, des, au, aux—Possession indicated by a phrase with de or à.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogues: Où est la rue Scribe? … Où s’arrête l’autobus?—Reading Selection: Monsieur Davis apprend le français.
Les verbes sont importants, monsieur
Countries of Europe and North America—About verb endings—Present tense of parler to speak, regular -er verb—Imperative or command forms of parler—Interrogative—Negative—Some regular verbs like parler.
La famille de M. Davis
The French endings -tion and -sion equal the English endings -tion and -sion—French ending -ment equals the English ending -ly—Present tense of avoir to have, aller to go, être to be.
Au bureau de M. Davis
Some common adjectives—Agreement of adjectives—Position of adjectives—Some irregular adjectives.
MR. DAVIS GREETS A FRIEND IN HIS OFFICE
M. Davis salue un ami à son bureau
Present tense of vendre to sell, regular -re verb—Present tense of prendre to take, lire to read, écrire to write.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogues: Quel autobus faut-il prendre? … Quel autobus va à …?—Reading Selections: Deux amis de M. Davis … M. Davis est malade.
Dans la salle à manger
Furniture and other objects in the dining-room—Verbs dire to say, voir to see—Demonstrative adjective ce this, that—Use of c’est this is, it is, instead of il est, elle est.
Les nombres, toujours les nombres
Present tense of the verbs vouloir to wish, want, pouvoir to be able—Numbers 1 to 69—Arithmetical terms.
Le système monétaire de la France
Present tense of faire to make, to do; croire to believe, to think—Numbers 70 to 100—Table for converting sterling to francs and vice versa.
PROBLEMS IN ARITHMETIC IN THE RESTAURANT, AT THE STATION, IN A SHOP
Les problèmes d’arithmétique, au restaurant, à la gare, dans une boutique
Weights and measures—Present tense of savoir to know (how); connaître to know, to be acquainted with—Possessive adjectives.
Quelle heure est-il?
Words of approval and praise—Words dealing with railway travel—Present tense of partir to leave, and sortir to go out—Expressions of time of day.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogue: Un touriste prend des renseignements sur la poterie française—Reading Selections: La famille Davis rend une petite visite à papa … Le percheron et l’automobile (Une fable moderne)—Present Tense of boire, to drink.
Le cinéma
Words dealing with films—Present tense venir to come—Direct object pronouns—Use of y (there).
SOME DATES IN THE HISTORY OF FRANCE
Quelques dates de l’histoire de la France
Months of the year—Present tense of finir to finish, regular -ir verb—Ordinal numbers—Dates.
A FEW QUESTIONS ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF FRANCE
Quelques questions sur la géographie de la France
Present tense of mettre to put—Comparison of adjectives and adverbs—Expressions of comparison—Some irregular comparisons.
La journée de M. Davis
Meals—Foods—Present tense of the reflexive verb se laver to wash oneself—Some common reflexive verbs.
La vie en banlieue
Fruits and vegetables—The partitive—Omission of the definite article with the partitive—The partitive pronoun en (some of it, any of it, etc.).
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogue: Au Marché aux Puces—Reading Selection: Une visite au paquebot ‘Île de France’.
Quel sale temps!
The weather—For various kinds of weather—Present tense of ouvrir to open—Indirect object pronouns—Some common verbs which may take indirect objects.
Le climat de la France
The four seasons—Present tense of devoir must, to owe, to be obliged to, to have to; recevoir to receive—Some negative expressions.
THE CLIMATE OF FRANCE (CONTINUED)
Le climat de la France (suite)
Demonstrative pronouns—Uses of ceci this, cela (ça) that.
La bonne cuisine française
Some French cooking expressions adopted in English—Some tasty French dishes not difficult to prepare—Present tense of envoyer to send—Independent or disjunctive pronouns with prepositions—Other uses of the independent or disjunctive pronouns.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogue: Au restaurant—Reading Selection: Philippe n’aime pas étudier l’arithmétique.
Les Français
Points of the compass—Smoking terms—Working men and working women—Reflexive verbs with reciprocal meaning—Verbs after prepositions—Formation of the present participle.
L’art et la mode
Noun combinations—Clothes—Verbs with spelling changes: acheter, préférer, appeler.
Les jours de fête de la France
Present tense of tenir to hold, to keep—More verbs with spelling changes: commencer, manger—on one, people, they, you—ne … personne no one, not anybody, and ne … rien nothing, not anything.
WHICH PLACES DO YOU WISH TO VISIT, MR. DAVIS?
Quels endroits voulez-vous visiter, M. Davis?
Expressions indicating future time—Future tense of parler, vendre, finir—Some verbs with an irregular future.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogues: Dans l’autobus … le courrier—Reading Selection: L’anniversaire de Mme Davis.
MR. DAVIS WRITES A LETTER TO HIS AGENT
M. Davis écrit une lettre à son représentant
Present tense of suivre to follow, traduire to translate—More verbs with an irregular future—Uses of depuis, depuis quand, depuis combien de temps, pendant.
M. Davis reçoit une lettre
Expressions referring to past time—Salutations and conclusions of business letters—Conversational past tense of parler, finir, vendre—How to form the regular past participle—Some irregular past participles.
MR. PICARD’S FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE
Les derniers conseils de M. Picard
Words whose appearance deceives—More irregular past participles—Agreement of the past participle.
M. Davis part pour la France
Tickets—Passport—More irregular past participles—Past participles used as adjectives.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogues: A l’aéroport … Bienvenu en France—Reading Selection Un programme exceptionnel au cinéma.
L’arrivée à Paris
Introductions—Salutations and conclusions of letters to friends—Verbs with the auxiliary être—List of être verbs.
MR. DAVIS VISITS THE PARMENTIER FAMILY
M. Davis rend visite à la famille Parmentier
Some professions—The conversational past of reflexive verbs—Present and conversational past of reflexive verbs—Present and conversational past of s’asseoir to seat oneself, to sit down—Some reflexive verbs you have met.
Une belle promenade
La place de la Concorde—Les Champs-Élysées—La place de I’Étoile—Relative pronouns.
Le Mont-Saint-Michel
Visit to the Abbey—Imperfect tense.
GUTGNOL (FRENCH PUPPET CHARACTER)
Guignol
rire to laugh, vivre to live (present, imperfect, conversational past)—The past infinitive.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Dialogue: À la station-service—Reading Selections: Une excursion à Versailles … L’avenue de l’Opéra.
THE MAIN STREET OF THE VILLAGE
La grand-rue du village
Shops and shopkeepers—Summary of single object pronouns—Two object pronouns.
Une excursion à Chartres
Motoring expressions: tyre, jack, flat, etc.—Past perfect tense—Possessive pronouns.
MR. DAVIS BUYS A LOTTERY TICKET
M. Davis achète un billet de loterie
Lottery expressions—Present conditional—Irregular present conditional.
M. Davis s’en va
Mr. Davis loves French culture, French art, history, politeness, sense of humour, passion for discussion, and French food—Past conditional—Conditional sentences—s’en aller.
Vocabulary revision—Vocabulary and Grammar Exercises—Reading Selection: Nice, la capitate de la Côte D’Azur.