Saturday, June 12, 2010

Thoughts

I signed up to do a presentation
in French
for one of my exams.
*
At first the teacher said we would present on
a vacation that we had.
*
Now he says we can present on anything.
*
I think given the circumstances
(job search, interview prep, French learning blah blah blah)
that I may just stick with the first topic given -
a holiday.
**
Especially as I already had a beginning to this in French!
***
If you could present on any topic for 5 minutes,
what would you say?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would probably talk about myself as usual, it would be just like blogging!

I remember doing French at school and 1/3 of the exam was a spoken test. You wouldn't believe the volume of trivial minutiae about our favourite holidays, family relationships, school uniforms, weekend activities ETC. we had to memorise! Just do something relatively easy to talk about, a holiday is good. No point complicating it further.

E Helena E said...

I would talk about life with cats: observations, joys, sorrows, baffling behaviour! You know all about that as well.
Got really bogged down and floundering with talking about work in a French oral exam years ago, so wouldn't want to do that again.

elizabeth said...

Marigold - Nice! Yeah... I have to memorize a lot of these things too!

E-H... yes... talking about one's cat is very good...

sigh... I am going to have to learn to talk about work for one of those dreaded government tests... oh well! :)

margaret said...

I don't remember French at school, I remember that it happened, that is all. I think holidays are good and uncomplicated things to talk about - unlike cats ;)

E Helena E said...

Hee hee! Is Miss Tilney monitoring anything here today?

E Helena E said...

I meant to add that this photo strikes me as especially beautiful in its contrast...

elizabeth said...

thanks M! yes, it may be good to talk about a holiday only...

thanks E-H for liking the photo... I really like this one too...

RW said...

I think I would talk about your tea party.

theresia said...

talking about a holiday is a good topic,because this is something you have experienced and you can do it with relatively easy vocabulary. The pitfall might be that you have to speak in the past tense(passe compose,or,if you want to speak about a holiday you are going to take,you have to speak in in the simplified future tense as in: I'm going to travel to... etc(futur proche)Did you study passe compose and futur proche yet? One way of avoiding these would be to say that you are dreaming about going somewhere and describe all the things happening.
This you can then do in the present tense, because you are describing your dream as it happens. In my opinion it would be helpful if the teacher gave the class some directives about his expectations regarding:
tense(s) to be used, any special verbs to be included, level of vocabulary (only vocab you have studied, or outside vocab),any special adjectives, etc. Actually, he should give the students an explanation beforehand of how he will be marking the presentation. Has the class done any practice presentations, so that you know what he expects of you?
If I can contact you by e-mail, I can probably help you edit your (draft)speech.

elizabeth said...

Theresia,

Merci pour votre offre; je appreciae votre bonté.

Je ai apprendre a l' futur simple et le conditionelle tendu. Je besoin de temps beaucoup faire le devoir parceque Je suis encore à apprendre. Quelle Je besoin est de praticque parler et ecouter en francias. C'est grand problem pour moi parceque mon cours a été enseigné à moitié en anglais. Aussi, je besoin de est practique la grammaire et ecrire donc Je peux communicate clairement.

theresia said...

Elizabeth, j'ai bien compris ce que tu m'as écrit.Merci.Si tu veux, voici une petite leçon pour aujourd'hui. Peut-être, ça va *t'aider*?(help you)

apprendre: to learn
je veux apprendre: I want to learn
je vais apprendre: I'm going to learn
j'apprends: I'm learning; it also means: I learn
j'ai appris:I learned

je suis: I am
je suis contente: I am happy
je suis triste: I am sad
(you combine an *adjective* such as contente with suis, but **not** another *verb*, as in je suis apprendre

j'ai besoin de pratiquer(I need to practise)
'ai besoin de manger(I need to eat)
j'ai besoin de boire(I need to drink)
j'ai besoin d'apprendre(I need to learn)
!attention! -j'ai besoin de______ followed by a consonant (b,d,f etc), but -j'ai besoin d'______ followed by a vowel (a, e, i, o, u)
The pattern is to use *besoin de* followed by the basic form of the verb.So in French you have one word (pratiquer),but in English it's two words(to practise).
Ça suffit pour aujourd'hui. N'hésite pas de me poser des questions, s'il te plaît.

theresia said...

Pardon, j'ai fait une erreur (ai besoin de manger)
correction:
j'ai besoin de manger

elizabeth said...

Merci pour la petite leçon. Je oublie que apprendre = appris en passe compose. Merci. Ma amie est aider avec ma presentation aujourd'hui. Je trouve votre lecon utile. Merci beaucoup!

theresia said...

De rien (you are welcome)
Bonne chance (good luck) avec le projet