DAY ONE

2
Section Two:
Le jour de l’An et la fête des Rois
DAY ONE
In this lesson, I will learn about New Year’s celebrations.
1. Open open Section Two, Day One of the Workbook and complete the
Reflection.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 18 on the Module 5 CD.
Use the following pictures from left to right to help you understand.
Context: It is December 29. Miguel and Karine are discussing how they are going to
celebrate New Year’s Eve together.
Pg 43
Did you enjoy listening to the dialogue? Karine and
Miguel talked about different traditions associated with
la veille du jour de l’An (New Year’s Eve), including
hugging and kissing our loved ones at the stroke of
midnight, the countdown, drinking champagne, and
making New Year’s resolutions.
New Year’s is a celebration that marks
the start of a new calendar year. It is
an occasion for family and friends to
celebrate the beginning of a new year
together. Many people attend New
Year’s Eve parties where there is a big
feast, music, noisemakers, hats, and
streamers. Others may go to watch les feux d’artifice
(fireworks) or spend a quiet evening at home watching
New Year’s Eve festivities on TV.
At exactly midnight, people stop to embrace and wish
one another a Bonne et Heureuse Année (Happy New
Year). Adults often open a bottle of champagne and
make a toast for happiness and good health in the year
ahead. Many English families will sing the song
Auld Lang Syne after the clock strikes midnight. This
song talks of the times gone by and reminds people of
the good old days. There is no French equivalent for this
song.
Pg 44
continued...
In France, New Year’s Eve is called la nuit de la
Saint-Sylvestre. It is a time to celebrate with friends.
Some people also offer gifts to one another known as les
étrennes, especially if they didn’t see each other at
Christmas. One of the most well-known places to ring in
the New Year is on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. This
long avenue is shut down to traffic and people walk along
singing, chatting with friends, and of course at midnight,
they watch the beautiful fireworks display.
The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is a New
Year’s Eve custom in France rather than a Christmas
custom as in Canada. Another tradition is to eat twelve
grapes at the stroke of midnight. This is said to bring
happiness in each of the twelve months of the coming
year.
Finally, le jour de l’An (New Year’s Day) is another
occasion for families and/or friends to get together.
People listen to music, play games, eat another big meal,
and enjoy each other’s company. Some exchange cards
and/or gifts and offer each other their Best Wishes for
the upcoming year. When you want to offer someone
your best wishes in French, you say “Meilleurs Vœux”.
3. Open Section Two, Day One of the Workbook and do
questions 1 and 2.
Pg 45
DAY TWO
In this lesson, I will be introduced to vocabulary
associated with New Year’s.
1. Open open Section Two, Day Two of the Workbook and complete the
Reflection.
2. Listen to Track 19 on the Module 5 CD and take some time to learn
the vocabulary related to New Year’s celebrations. Use the pictures
on the following page to help you follow along. Listen a second time
and repeat each word after you hear it.
Pg 46
la baguette
le baiser
le bœuf
le bruiteur
le café
le câlin
le champagne
les chapeaux
de fête
le dessert
la fondue
le fromage
les feux
d’artifice
les horsd’œuvre
le poulet
la résolution
la salade
les serpentins
3. Open Section Two, Day Two of the Workbook and do question 1.
Pg 47
Did you notice that fondue was one of the vocabulary
words introduced above? Have you ever tried la fondue
before?
It is a meal that some people eat on
New Year’s Eve and is very tasty.
Fondue comes from the French word
fondre which means to melt. It refers
to food being cooked at the table with
its own heat source. There are three
main kinds of fondue.
la fondue bourguignonne, where
meat, usually beef and chicken, is
cooked in hot oil
la fondue au fromage, where you dip
pieces of bread into melted cheese
la fondue au chocolat, where pieces
of fresh fruit are dipped into melted
chocolate
One tradition relating to fondue says that if you drop a
piece of food off your fork into the pot, you have to kiss
the person next to you. It’s a good thing we normally
eat fondue dinner with our friends and family.
Pg 48
continued...
Many people serve les hors-d’œuvre (appetizers) on
New Year’s Eve. Popular appetizers include chicken
wings, mini quiches and sausage rolls.
Other foods eaten on New Year’s Eve are cheese and
crackers as well as veggies and dip. In France, une
assiette de fromage (a cheese tray) is served on New
Year’s Eve. Another item that the French enjoy on
special occasions is le foie gras (liver paté). It is an
acquired taste but very popular. The paté will be spread
on les craquelins (crackers) and/or la baguette.
Pg 49
A common way to present something is to use the
expression: C’est or Ce sont.
When we are talking about one thing we use C’est.
C’est un dessert.
When we are talking about more than one thing we use
Ce sont.
Ce sont des serpentins.
4. Open Section Two, Day Two of the Workbook and do question 2.
Pg 50
5. Look at the picture of the foods on the table below. Many of the items we eat at
Christmas time are eaten at New Year’s as well. You learned the names of these
food items in the Noël Module. Can you give the French word for each food item
with the correct definite article le, la, les? Consult the Glossary if you have
difficulty recalling some of the names.
Did you remember that every noun in French is preceded
by an article which tells us the gender (masculine or
feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of a word?
The articles le and un are always used with masculine
words. The articles la and une are the articles used with
feminine words.
Pg 51
continued...
Any word that follows the definite articles le or la and
the indefinite articles un or une is singular.
For example:
le café
une salade
Words with the articles les or des in front of them are
plural.
For example:
les boulettes de viande
des petits pains
You will need to remember whether a certain plural noun
is masculine or feminine or you can check a word’s
gender in the Glossary.
Another way to determine if a noun is singular or plural is
to look at the ending of the noun. Very often, plural
nouns will end with an s.
le bruiteur (sing.)
les bruiteurs (plur.)
However there are three words in the vocabulary list that
do not follow this rule.
Notice how the first two words end in x. The word horsd’œuvre is written without an s whether we are talking
about one appetizer or many.
Pg 52
continued...
singular
plural
le chapeau de fête
les chapeaux de fête
le feu d’artifice
les feux d’artifice
le hors-d’œuvre
les hors-d’œuvre
The addition of an s at the end of a French word will not
change its pronunciation. Therefore play close attention
to the article you hear before a noun to determine if it is
singular or plural.
Here is a simple chart that you can refer to when dealing
with articles.
Masculine
Singular
Feminine
Singular
Plural
(Feminine or
Masculine)
Definite
Articles
le
la
les
Indefinite
Articles
un
une
des
6. Open Section Two, Day Two of the Workbook and do question 3.
Pg 53
We use the verb manger to describe what we eat. Look
at the examples below
Je mange de la fondue.
(I eat fondue.)
Je mange des chocolats.
(I eat chocolates.)
We also use the verb manger to say what we don’t eat.
Look at the examples below:
Je ne mange pas de salade.
(I don’t eat salad.)
Je ne mange pas de légumes.
(I don’t eat vegetables)
Notice that the word ne is placed before the verb and the
word pas is placed after the verb.
When using the verb manger, we also need to ensure
we use du/de la/des before the name of the food we
are eating. Notice how they take the place of a definite
or an indefinite article in the sentences above.
The preposition du is used when we are talking about a
food item that is masculine, for example:
du fromage
Pg 54
continued...
If we are talking about a food item that is feminine, we
use the preposition de la, for example:
de la fondue
Finally, when we are talking about more than one item,
we use des for masculine and feminine.
For example:
des chocolats
When we use manger with ne…pas, we use either de or
d’ for masculine or feminine and singular or plural.
Je ne mangepas de salade.
Je ne mange pas d’ hors-d’œuvre
7. Open Section Two, Day Two of the Workbook and do
questions 4 and 5.
Pg 55
DAY THREE
In this lesson, I will review how to tell time in French
1. Open open Section Two, Day Three of the Workbook and do question
1.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 21 on the Module 5 CD.
Use the following pictures from left to right to help you understand.
Context: Karine is spending New Year’s Eve at Miguel’s house. They take turns asking
each other what time it is. This way they won’t miss when the clock strikes midnight.
Pg 56
When Karine wanted to know what time it was, she
asked:
Quelle heure est-il?
And Miguel answered:
Il est huit heures trente.
In order to tell time, it is important that you know your
numbers from 1 to 60. There are 12 hours on a clock
and minutes are counted from 0 to 60 as there are 60
minutes in one hour. There are two ways of writing the
time in French.
Using words:
Il est dix heures quinze.
Using numbers and an abbreviation:
Il est 10 h 15.
When a clock is showing 12 o’clock, it can either be noon
or midnight. Do you remember the words we use in
French to differentiate this specific time of day? Look at
the sentences below and on the next page.
Il est midi. (It’s noon.)
Pg 57
continued...
Il est minuit. (It’s midnight.)
We also need to differentiate between other times of day
as well: morning, afternoon and evening. To do this, we
simply add an extra expression after the time of day.
Look at the examples below.
Il est huit heures vingt du matin.
(It is 8:20 in the morning.)
Il est trois heures quarante cinq de
l’après-midi.
(It is 3:45 in the afternoon.)
Il est onze heures du soir.
(It is 11:00 in the evening.)
In the dialogue, you heard Miguel and Karine talking
about different activities they were doing on New Year’s
Eve. Once you have indicated the time, you can add an
extra sentence that tells what it’s time for. For example:
Il est 8 h 30. C’est l’heure du souper.
(It’s 8:30. It’s time for dinner.)
Il est dix heures. C’est l’heure de regarder
un film.
(It’s ten o’clock. It’s time to watch a movie.)
Pg 58
continued...
We use the expression C’est l’heure de/du to indicate
that it’s time to do a particular activity. For example,
eating dinner, going to bed, etc.
3. Open Section Two, Day Three of the Workbook and do
questions 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Pg 59
DAY FOUR
In this lesson, I will review the verb aimer and how it is
used to express likes and dislikes.
1. Open open Section Two, Day Four of the Workbook and do question
1.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 23 on the Module 5 CD.
Use the following pictures from left to right to help you understand.
Context: Miguel’s aunt, uncle and cousins are coming over to celebrate New Year’s
Day. Miguel, his cousin Victor and his sister Sonia discuss what they like and don’t like
about the New Year.
Pg 60
Did you notice that Miguel, Sonia and Victor used the
verb aimer to describe the things they like and dislike?
When you want to indicate that you like something, you
use J’aime…
For example:
J’aime les feux d’artifice.
When you want to indicate that you don’t like something,
you use Je n’aime pas…
For example:
Je n’aime pas le fromage.
Notice how the verb aimer changes form when different
people express their likes.
J’aime les câlins.
(I like hugs.)
Tu aimes le fromage.
(You like cheese.)
Il/Elle aime la fondue.
(He/She likes fondue.)
Pg 61
continued...
Here are the different forms of the verb aimer that are
used to express dislikes:
Je n’aime pas les légumes.
(I don’t like vegetables.)
Tu n’aimes pas les baisers.
(You don’t like kisses.)
Il/Elle n’aime pas le café.
(He/She doesn’t like coffee.)
Remember: The words ne/n’ and pas are words that
indicate if a sentence is negative.
3. Open Section Two, Day Four of the Workbook and do
questions 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Pg 62
DAY FIVE
In this lesson, I will learn about making New Year’s
resolutions.
1. Open open Section Two, Day Five of the Workbook and complete the
Reflection.
2. Listen to Track 24 on the Module 5 CD. Miguel, his sister and a few
friends are sharing their resolutions with each other. Use the
following pictures and sentences to help you understand.
Je promets d’être plus gentil avec ma soeur.
(I promise to be nicer to my sister.)
Je promets de promener mon chien chaque jour.
(I promise to walk my dog every day.)
Je promets d’appeler mes grands-parents en France plus souvent.
(I promise to call my grandparents in France more often.)
Pg 63
Je promets de regarder moins de télévision.
(I promise to watch less television.)
Je promets de faire mes devoirs chaque soir.
(I promise to do my homework every night.)
Making les résolutions is a New Year’s tradition. People
promise to commit to something that they might have
had a hard time doing in the past or that they think they
need to do in their lives. Talk to your friends and see
what kind of resolutions they have made that actually
worked. Their ideas can inspire you to make your own
New Year’s resolutions
3. Open Section Two, Day Five of the Workbook and do
questions 1, 2, and 3.
Pg 64
DAY SIX
In this lesson, I will learn about the celebration “la fête
des Rois”.
1. Open open Section Two, Day Six of the Workbook and complete the
Reflection.
2. Read the context below then listen to Track 26 on the Module 5 CD.
Use the following pictures to help you understand.
Context: Karine and Émilie are talking about how much they enjoyed their Christmas
and New Year’s celebrations. Karine says she is sad to see the holiday season come to
an end. Émilie explains to Karine that she still has one more holiday to celebrate on
January 6.
Pg 65
Did you notice that Émilie was talking about a new
celebration while she was on the phone with Karine?
This celebration is called la fête des Rois (Three King’s
Day) or l’Épiphanie (Epiphany). This celebration takes
place on January 6. Epiphany means appearance and is
a religious holiday that commemorates the day when the
three Wise Men brought gifts to baby Jesus.
Pg 66
continued...
This holiday is no longer celebrated by many people in
Quebec. However it is popular in France, Spain and
Italy. In Spain, toys are given to children to symbolize
the gifts that were given to Jesus. In Italy, presents are
often given on Epiphany as well as Christmas. In France,
families celebrate together with a delicious cake and the
crowning of a king and a queen.
La galette des Rois is made from puff pastry
and has an almond filling. You will learn how
to make this dessert later in the Module.
La fève is a bean or trinket that is hidden
inside the cake. Traditionally,the youngest
family member would slide underneath the
table and designate how the slices would be
distributed. After each family member is
served, the cake is eaten and the person that discovered
the bean becomes king or queen for the day. Nowadays,
many families will place two fèves in the cake, one for
the king and one for the queen. The designated king and
queen wear paper crowns and are treated like royalty for
the day.
La fête des Rois is a wonderful ending to the holiday
season. Many French schools celebrate this holiday by
serving the galette to students. Students also create
crowns to wear. There are also different songs that are
sung at school and/or at home to celebrate this special
holiday. You will learn about these songs on Day Eight of
the Module.
3. Open Section Two, Day Six of the Workbook and do
questions 1 and 2.
Pg 67
DAY SEVEN
In this lesson, I will be introduced to vocabulary
associated with La fête des Rois.
1. Open open Section Two, Day Seven of the Workbook and do question
1.
2. Listen to Track 27 on the Module 5 CD and take some time to learn
the vocabulary related to La fête des Rois. Use the following pictures
from left to right to help you follow along. Listen a second time and
repeat each word after you hear it. Record yourself saying the words
below. Compare your recording with the track. How is your
pronunciation? Practice saying the words that are giving you difficulty
again.
la couronne
l’encens
la fève
Pg 68
la galette
la myrrhe
l’or
la reine
le roi
les Rois mages
Do you remember seeing a picture of les Rois mages
(Three Wise men) before? Les Rois mages are
important figures that are linked to the holiday known as
la fête des Rois. The wise men were kings who set out
on a journey to see the baby Jesus. They followed the
brightest star in the sky, known as l’étoile du berger,
which led them to the stable where Jesus was born.
Pg 69
continued...
Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar brought
special gifts with them to celebrate the
birth of the holy child. They offered Jesus
gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
L’or is a precious and valuable metal that
is a gift fit for royalty. It shows us
Christ’s nature as a king.
L’encens is known for its medicinal and
soothing properties. In ancient times,
people burned incense and believed that it
carried their prayers to heaven. The
calming effect of frankincense represents
the Christ child as the Prince of peace and
its use as incense symbolizes his role as
Priest.
Finally, la myrrhe is known for its healing
powers. This gift reminds us of Christ’s
role as healer.
3. Open Section Two, Day Seven of the Workbook and do
questions 2, 3, and 4.
Pg 70
DAY EIGHT
In this lesson, I will learn about songs children sing to
celebrate la fête des Rois.
1. Listen to Tracks 29 and 30 on the Module 5 CD. Émilie and her
friends are singing songs to celebrate la fête des Rois. Follow along
with the words below. The pictures that accompany each song will
give you a better idea of what each one is about.
J'aime la galette
J'aime la galette
Savez-vous comment?
Quand elle est bien faite
Avec du beurre dedans
Tralalala lalala lalère
Tralalala lalala lala
Tralalala lalala lalère
Tralalala lalala lala
Pg 71
La bonne galette
Qui fera la bonne galette
La galette qui la mangera?
Qui fera la bonne galette
La galette qui la mangera?
Ce sera toi, ce sera moi
Ce sera celle que tu choisiras
1.2.3.4.5.6.
Et
Et
Et
Et
voilà
voilà
voilà
voilà
le
la
le
la
roi et la
reine et
roi et la
reine et
reine,
le roi!
reine,
le roi!
Did you enjoy listening to the songs? Did you notice
what item both songs talked about? If you guessed la
galette, you are right. As you learned on Day Six, la
galette is the dessert that is served on la fête des
Rois. Many children in France learn these songs at
school and sing them with their family and friends to
celebrate Three King’s Day. The first song, “J’aime la
galette”, has a catchy tune and tells how children like
the galette. The second song, “La bonne galette”, is
used to choose a king and a queen for the day.
2. Open Section Two, Day Eight of the Workbook and do
questions 1, 2, 3, and 4
Pg 72
DAY NINE
In this lesson, I will learn about the tradition of la galette
des Rois. I will also review colours and shapes in French.
1. Open open Section Two, Day Nine of the Workbook and
do question 1.
2. Read the context below and then listen to Track 31 on the Module
5 CD.
Context: Émilie’s mother has just finished making la galette des Rois. During this
time Émilie has been busy making the crown for the king.
Pg 73
Émilie and her mother mentioned different shapes and
colours while describing the crown.
Look at the list of shapes.
le carré
le cercle
le rectangle
le triangle
le cœur
l’ ovale
le diamant
Pg 74
continued...
Colours were also used to describe the crown. Take a
moment to review them in the chart below. Remember
that they take the gender and number of the noun they
describe.
Masculine
Singular
Feminine
Singular
Masculine
Plural
Feminine
Plural
argenté
argentée
argentés
argentées
blanc
blanche
blancs
blanches
bleu
bleue
bleus
bleues
brun
brune
bruns
brunes
doré
dorée
dorés
dorées
jaune
jaune
jaunes
jaunes
noir
noire
noirs
noires
orange
orange
orange
orange
rose
rose
roses
roses
rouge
rouge
rouges
rouges
vert
verte
verts
vertes
violet
violette
violets
violettes
Did you notice that the spelling of some colours changes
from the masculine to the feminine form?
Pg 75
continued...
le diamant bleu
(a blue diamond)
la couronne dorée
(a gold crown)
All the colours presented in the chart except orange
take an s when they are plural. The colour orange is an
exception and it never takes an s.
les triangles verts
(green triangles)
les ovales orange
(orange ovals)
Always look at the noun described by the colour. It will
help you to decide if the colour is masculine or feminine
and singular or plural.
Notice: All the shapes are masculine words in French.
Therefore you will use the masculine (singular or plural)
form of the colours given in the chart above. La
couronne is a feminine word, so remember to use the
feminine form of the colours when describing the colour
of your crown.
Pg 76
continued...
Karine used the expression Il y a to describe her crown.
For example:
Il y a un ovale rouge.
Remember that the expression Il y a means ‘there is’
when we are talking about one item and ‘there are’ if we
are talking about more than one item.
3. Open Section Two, Day Nine of the Workbook and do
questions 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Pg 77
DAY TEN
In this lesson, I will review concepts from previous
lessons in Section Two.
1. Before moving to today’s activities, take some time to review this section and be
aware of all that you have learned.
Day One:
How do you wish someone “Happy New Year” in French? Name two traditions
associated with New Year’s Eve.
Day Two:
Look at the pictures below. Name each item in French using the correct definite article
le, la, les.
Day Three:
Look at the alarm clocks below. Write the time shown on each clock in French.
Pg 78
Day Four:
Write sentences using J’aime and Je n’aime pas to say which of the foods below you
like and dislike.
Day Five:
Give two examples of New Year’s resolutions.
Day Six:
Explain the celebration la fête des Rois in your own words
Day Seven:
Write the French names for the symbols associated with la fête des Rois shown below.
Day Eight:
Sing one of the two songs you learned, either J’aime la galette or La bonne galette.
Day Nine:
What is the French word for crown? Write two sentences to describe the crown shown
below.
2. Open Section Two, Day Ten of the Workbook and do questions 1, 2,
the Reflection and 3.
Pg 79