You just got the job you have always wanted. Now, they want you to move to their office in France for the first year for training. The boss mentions in passing that you will get all of the benefits the employees at the French office enjoy. You are excited that he has given you this incredible opportunity to work at his company and now to travel to France as well! However, you are also a little saddened at the mention of moving halfway across the world. The thought continues to pop into your head, “what benefits do they have at the French office?” On your first day of work in your new French office, your new boss introduces you in French to everyone and shows you around the beautiful French building. As he goes over everything you need to know to begin working, he mentions your FIVE weeks of vacation time! What? Was he joking? Is this some sort of French initiation?
Learning French with FrenchPod101.com is the most fun and effective way to learn French! This French Audio Blog lesson is entirely in French. I would be willing to bet that you will still pick-up on the fact that the French average five weeks of vacation time a year though! Find out all about it here in French Audio Blog 11!
Formal French
Utiliseriez-vous cinq semaines de vacances en France ?
Aah ! Me voilà enfin en vacances ! De vraies vacances !
Encore étudiant je suis censé avoir des vacances en juillet et en août mais j'ai tellement travaillé tout l'été en librairie que je n'ai pas vraiment eu de repos. Je vais pouvoir enfin me reposer et ne rien faire ! Le bonheur absolu !
Les Français qui travaillent ont en général 5 semaines de vacances et les professeurs quant à eux ont les mêmes vacances que les écoliers, c'est-à-dire à peu près treize semaines ! C'est hallucinant !
En France, on a la culture du repos, c'est le moins qu'on puisse dire ! J'ai entendu dire que les étrangers considéraient les français comme des fainéants…
C'est vrai qu'il y a la loi des trente-cinq heures par semaine qui fait que l'on ne travaille pas énormément comparé aux autres pays… Mais avec le gouvernement du président Sarkozy, les choses changent peu à peu et on nous incite à travailler plus pour gagner plus d'argent.
Pour les personnes qui ont cinq semaines de vacances, en général, elles se répartissent sur l’année de cette manière : deux ou trois semaines pendant les vacances d'été, une semaine en hiver pour la période de fin d'année et souvent une autre avant mai pour partir au ski.
Mais j'ai bien dit en général car en ce qui me concerne, je ne prends jamais mes vacances en même temps que les autres, je n'apprécie pas du tout la foule !
Je ne sais pas encore où je vais partir, mais je ne pense pas partir bien loin pour ces vacances de la Toussaint.
Peut-être vais-je seulement m'affaler sur mon canapé à regarder de stupides programmes télé. Pas très enrichissant mais très reposant !
Et vous auditeurs, combien de vacances avez-vous par an ? Est-ce que vous aimez comme moi ne rien faire parfois ?
Formal English
Could You Use Five Weeks of Vacation in France?
Finally school vacation. I finally have vacation! A real vacation! As a student, I am supposed to have vacation in July and in August. However, I work throughout the summer in a shop therefore, I don't have quiet time. I am finally going to have some quiet time when I can relax and do nothing. How delightful!
In general, people in the workforce have five weeks of vacation, and keep in mind teachers have the same holidays as their students. For teachers, that works out to be about thirteen weeks. That's wild!
France is a society of vacation as some may say. I have heard that some of those outside of France say that the French are lazy. It is true that by law, our workweek is thirty-five hours maximum and we don't work as much as some people in other countries. However, with President Sarkozy's New Government, things are beginning to change. People are beginning to work more and more in order to earn more money.
For people with five weeks of vacation, it usually breaks down as follows: two or three weeks in the summer, one for winter vacation at the end of the year, and usually one more week before May for some skiing. As for me, I never take my vacation at the same time as all the others! I am not crazy!
For people with five weeks of vacation, it usually breaks down as follows: two or three weeks in the summer, one for winter vacation at the end of the year, and usually one more week before May for some skiing. As I said in general, I never take my vacation at the same time as all the others! I don't like crowds!
I don't know yet where I'm going, but I don't think I'm going far for this All Saints Day vacation. Maybe, I'm going to be lying on the couch to watch stupid shows on TV. Not really very enriching, but relaxing!
And you listeners, how many days of vacation do you have per year? Do you like to not do anything from time to time?
French / English / Class
absolu / total (absolute) / adjective
hallucinant / incredible / adjective
repos / rest / noun
fainéant / lazy / adjective
inciter / to incite, to encourage / verb
argent / money / noun
souvent / often / adverb
apprécier / to appreciate / verb
foule / crowd / noun
stupide / stupid / adjective
canapé / couch / noun
s'affaler / to plunk down / verb
reposant / relaxing, restful / adjective
enrichissant / rewarding / adjective
absolu
J'ai acquis la certitude absolue de son incapacité à travailler.
“I acquired the absolute certainty of his inability to work.”
hallucinant
Ce joueur de foot est hallucinant !
“This soccer player is incredible!”
repos
Je suis fatigué(e), j'ai besoin de repos.
“I am tired, I need some rest.”
Il a trop travaillé. Il a besoin de repos !
“He worked too much. He needs rest.”
fainéant
Le week-end je suis fainéant.
“On the weekend I'm lazy.
inciter
Il ne faut pas inciter les gens à boire de l'alcool.
“We should not encourage people to drink alcohol.”
argent
Je n'ai pas d'argent liquide sur moi.
“I don't have any cash on me.”
L'argent n'a pas d'odeur.
“Money doesn't have any odor.”
Il n'aime pas dépenser son argent, il est vraiment radin.
“He doesn't want to spend his money; he is really cheap.”
souvent
Il triche souvent quand il joue aux cartes.
"He often cheats when he plays cards."
Il a souvent raison.
"He is often right."
Je suis souvent en retard.
"I'm often late."
apprécier
J'apprécie ton honnêteté.
“I appreciate your honesty.”
Les roses sont des fleurs appréciées pour leur odeur.
“Roses are appreciated flowers for their scent.”
foule
La foule lors des soldes est insupportable.
“The crowd is unbearable during the sale periods.”
La foule se déchaîne.
“The crowd goes wild.”
stupide
Il ne comprend rien. Il est stupide.
“He doesn't understand anything. He is stupid.”
canapé
Le canapé est assorti aux fauteuils.
“The couches match the armchairs.”
Le canapé est confortable.
“The couch is comfortable.”
La table basse est devant le canapé.
“The coffee table is in front of the couch.”
s'affaler
J'adore m'affaler sur mon lit en rentrant du travail.
“I love to plunk down on my bed when returning from work.”
reposant
Je trouve cet endroit très reposant.
“I found this place very restful.”
enrichissant
Pour ma culture c'est enrichissant de lire des livres.
“For my culture, it's rewarding to read books.”