La vie parisienne !Class 9 French Chapter 3 Notes – Maharashtra Board

Summary: La vie parisienne !

3.1 Julien Ledoux, a colleague of M. and Mme Deshmukh, lives in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, opposite Radio France. On Saturday he plans a full day: the big department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps), the Louvre after lunch, a walk through the Tuileries, and home by about 7 p.m.

When Mme Deshmukh asks about resting, Mme Ledoux explains that Parisian life is tough: people get up early, leave home at 8, come back at 6, eat dinner with the family between 7 and 8, watch TV and go to bed early. In the evening Karan is exhausted and Luc is starving — he dreams of roast chicken and chocolate mousse, but dinner is spinach pasta and an apple tart.

3.2–3.4 Weekend activities (alpinisme, promenade, théâtre, film, courses, rester chez soi), a typical day in the life of Luc Ledoux told with reflexive verbs, and the three meals: petit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner.

3.5 Grammar: reflexive verbs (verbes pronominaux) with me, te, se, nous, vous, se — affirmative, negative and question forms; the same verb used reflexively or not (se laver / laver); revision of possessive adjectives mon, ma, mes …

The poem 'Chanson urbaine' (R. Gelis) shows a family's morning rush in the city; 3.7 Civilisation explains that the Statue of Liberty in New York was a gift from France, and the Obelisk in Paris a gift from Egypt.

Key points to remember

• Meals: le petit-déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch), le dîner (dinner)
• Reflexive verbs: the doer and receiver of the action are the same person — Je me lave
• Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nous, vous, se (m', t', s' before a vowel or mute h)
• se laver: je me lave, tu te laves, il se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils se lavent
• Negative: ne + pronoun + verb + pas — Je ne me lève pas
• Question by inversion: Te reposes-tu ? Se repose-t-il ? Vous reposez-vous ?
• laver (wash something else) vs se laver (wash oneself); coucher le bébé vs se coucher
• Possessives: mon / ma / mes, ton / ta / tes, son / sa / ses, notre / nos, votre / vos, leur / leurs
• mon, ton, son are used before a feminine noun starting with a vowel: mon école, son amie
• The Statue of Liberty was a French gift to the USA; sculptor: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi

La vie parisienne ! – Notes

1. 3.1 The dialogue — a busy weekend in Paris

• M. Julien Ledoux works with M. and Mme Deshmukh. He lives in the 16th arrondissement, right opposite Radio France, and the Deshmukhs are spending the weekend at his home.
• On Saturday morning M. Deshmukh asks what the plan is ('Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire aujourd'hui ?'). M. Ledoux's programme, all in the futur proche: the big stores Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, the Louvre after lunch, then across the Tuileries garden, and back home around 7 p.m.
• Mme Deshmukh wonders whether they won't rest during the day. Mme Ledoux laughs — that is Parisian life, and it is very hard: early rising, leaving home at 8, returning at 6, family dinner between 7 and 8, some TV and early to bed. During the week there is little time for fun.
• Around the dinner table, Karan says he is really tired. Luc agrees and is very hungry: he would love roast chicken, chips and a chocolate mousse. But Mme Ledoux has made pasta with spinach and an apple tart. Luc then wishes everyone good night and goes to bed ('Je me couche').
• Useful phrases: Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire aujourd'hui ? — On va visiter … — En général … (usually) — C'est très dur ! (it's very hard) — Je suis vraiment fatigué ! — Bonne nuit tout le monde !

2. 3.2–3.4 Weekend, a daily routine and meals

• 3.2 'Qu'est-ce que tu fais ce weekend ?' — Je fais de l'alpinisme (mountain climbing). Je reste chez moi (I stay home). Je fais une promenade avec mes amis. Je regarde un film. Je vais au théâtre. Je fais des courses (I go shopping).
• 3.3 Luc's day: his alarm rings at 6.30. He gets up (se lever), washes (se laver), brushes his teeth (se brosser les dents), shaves (se raser) and gets dressed (s'habiller). After breakfast and the radio news he says goodbye and leaves.
• At noon Luc eats in his school canteen with his friends; at 4.30 p.m. he takes the metro home, does his work, has dinner and then rests (se reposer).
• 3.4 Meals: le petit-déjeuner (breakfast), le déjeuner (lunch), le dîner (dinner). The verbs are déjeuner (to have lunch) and dîner (to have dinner); for breakfast say prendre le petit-déjeuner.
• Food words from the dialogue: le poulet rôti (roast chicken), les frites, la mousse au chocolat, les pâtes aux épinards (spinach pasta), la tarte aux pommes (apple tart).

3. 3.5 Grammar — reflexive verbs (affirmative)

• A verbe pronominal needs a reflexive pronoun that matches the subject: je me, tu te, il / elle / on se, nous nous, vous vous, ils / elles se. Before a vowel or mute h: m', t', s' — je m'appelle, il s'habille.
• se laver (to wash oneself): je me lave, tu te laves, il / elle / on se lave, nous nous lavons, vous vous lavez, ils / elles se lavent.
• Many verbs work both ways. Reflexive — the action comes back to the doer: Rohan se lave. Non-reflexive — the action goes to someone or something else: Rohan lave son vélo.
• More pairs: se coucher (to go to bed) / coucher (to put to bed): Je me couche à 22 h — Le père couche l'enfant. se réveiller (to wake up) / réveiller (to wake someone): Nous nous réveillons tôt — Maman réveille mon frère.
• Other common ones: se lever, se brosser, se raser, s'habiller, se reposer, s'amuser, s'appeler, se promener, s'arrêter, se trouver (to be situated).

4. 3.5 Grammar — negative and questions

• Negative: ne goes before the reflexive pronoun, pas after the verb — the pronoun stays glued to the verb: Je ne m'habille pas, tu ne t'habilles pas, il ne s'habille pas, nous ne nous habillons pas, vous ne vous habillez pas, ils ne s'habillent pas.
• Question with est-ce que: Est-ce que je me repose ? (always used for je).
• Question by inversion: the pronoun stays in front, the subject goes after the verb with a hyphen — Te reposes-tu ? Se repose-t-il ? Se repose-t-elle ? Nous reposons-nous ? Vous reposez-vous ? Se reposent-ils ?
• With a noun subject, keep the noun and add the pronoun: Catherine se lève tôt → Catherine se lève-t-elle tôt ?

5. 3.5 Revision — possessive adjectives

• The possessive agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner: Luc → sa mère (mère is feminine), Anne → son père.
• je: mon (m), ma (f), mes (pl); tu: ton, ta, tes; il / elle / on: son, sa, ses; nous: notre, nos; vous: votre, vos; ils / elles: leur, leurs.
• Before a feminine singular noun starting with a vowel or mute h use mon, ton, son for easy pronunciation: mon école, ton amie, son histoire.
• Examples: Nous aimons notre quartier et nos voisins. Ils prennent leur voiture et leurs valises.

6. Poem, exercises, sounds and civilisation

• Poem 'Chanson urbaine' (R. Gelis): every morning at seven Dad leaves on his moped for a factory in the nearby suburb; at a quarter to eight Mum catches the coach to cross the city; and the child rides an old rusty bicycle to school, having fun in the traffic-jammed streets. 'Réglo' means a regular routine.
• Phonetics: [s] as in 'sac' (Cécile, garçon, intéressant, ce), [ʃ] as in 'chat' (Chinoise, chanteuse) and [ʒ] as in English 'measure' (rouge, joli, jardin, japonais, Jacques, intelligent). A single s between vowels sounds z (maison, Chinoise), not s.
• Tongue twister: 'Poisson sans boisson, c'est poison' — poisson [s] (fish) vs poison [z] vs boisson (drink).
• 3.7 Civilisation — 'Amitiés…': the Statue of Liberty in New York was given by the French to the Americans; its sculptor was Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. A smaller Statue of Liberty stands in the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, and there are others in France.
• L'Obélisque on the Place de la Concorde is an ancient Egyptian monument, a gift from Egypt to France.

Les verbes pronominaux — se laver, s'habiller, se reposer

Key terms

La vie parisienne ! – Flashcards

Read the question, answer it in your head, then tap the card to check. 20 cards.

La vie parisienne ! – MCQ Quiz

15 questions. Tap an option — you will see at once if it is right and why.

How to study La vie parisienne !

⏱ About 1 hour 15 minutes

1. Dialogue and routine (20 min)
   Read 3.1 and 3.3 aloud; list the Parisian timetable (8 h, 18 h, 19–20 h) and every reflexive verb in Luc's day.
2. Grammar (30 min)
   Conjugate se laver, s'habiller (negative) and se reposer (questions); write five pairs like se laver / laver; revise the possessive table.
3. Practise (25 min)
   Do the 'Try it yourself' exercises, describe your own day, take the quiz, revise with flashcards and finish with 🎮 Play.