French Beginners - Week 7 homework
Due date: Monday October 12 (gray day) / Tuesday October 13 (purple day)
Nom: __________________________ Période: _______________ Date: ________________
Before doing this Homework, review REVIEW THE LESSON ON SOUND “AN” (see
homework week 4 on the Ms. Tran’s webpage) + Review lessons and calendar, time
LA FRANCE DE MON ENFANCE: Listen and sing alone on your tube the song “La France de
mon enfance” (The France of my childhood) of Enrico Macias.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf37f6xkZJU
CULTURE: FRANCOPHONIE – TO READ
Enrico Macias is a French songwriter and musician. He was born to an Algerian Jewish family in
in Constantine, close to Algiers, Algeria. He was a teacher in Algeria. In 1961, Enrico with his
family went to exile to France because his heart wanted Algeria to remain a French territory.
Algeria got its independence in 1962. The History of France and Algeria is a painful one, as after
1961, many Algerian who wanted Algeria to remain a French territory (pieds-noirs = the black
feet) went to exile to mainland France.
France and his former colonies in Africa and other part of the world share a same language:
French though enriched by the local cultures such as “creole” in the West Indies Island, “cajun”
in Louisiana, “canadien” in Quebec. We call that “Francophonie” (countries sharing French as
language). In France, Enrico Macias started his career as a musician. He sings in French but
brought in the French music the Arabic and Oriental influence. So, there are many FRANCE, not
only the ONE FRANCE from the mainland FRANCE, which we call also “FRANCE
METROPOLITAINE” or “LA METROPOLE”, in contrast with the FRANCE from the
ISLANDS such as “La Martinique” or “Le Guadeloupe”. French is the 5th most speaking
language in the world after English and Chinese. It is the language for Diplomacy, Business, and
Research. French is spoken by 274 millions persons and is present in 5 continents.
Exercise 1: Learn the song, and sing along with the Karaoke version on you tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf37f6xkZJU
1
LA FRANCE DE MON ENFANCE
La France de mon enfance
N'était pas en territoire de France
Perdue au soleil du côté d'Alger
C'est elle la France où je suis né.
The France of my childhood
Was not in French territory
It was lost in the sun close to Algiers
This was the France where I was born
La France de mon enfance
Juste avant son rêve d'indépendance
Elle était fragile comme la liberté
La France celle où je suis né.
The France of my childhood
Just before her dream of independence
Was fragile like freedom
This was the France where I was born
Le soleil n'était pas celui de Marseille
Ma province n'était pas ta Provence
Je savais déjà que rien n'était pareil
Et pourtant mon coeur était en France.
The sun there was not the one of Marseilles
My province was not your Provence
I already knew that nothing was the same
Yet, my heart was in France
La France de mon enfance
Mon pays ma terre ma préférence
Avait une frontière Méditerranée
C'est elle la France où je suis né.
The France of my childhood
My country, my land, my preference
Had the Mediterranean Sea as frontier
This was the France where I was born
La France de mon enfance
N'avait pas tous ces murs de silence
Elle vivait en paix sous les oliviers
La France, celle où je suis né.
The France of my childhood
Did not have all these walls of silence
She lives in peace under the Oliver trees
This was the France where I was born
On avait l'accent d'une région lointaine
On était perdu comme en Lorraine
A l'école on apprenait la différence
Mais c'était la même histoire de France.
We have the accent of a far region
We were lost like in Lorraine
At school, we learnt differences
But, it was the French History
La France de mon enfance
Par amour, par désobéissance
Son prénom était un nom étranger
C'est elle la France où je suis né.
The France of my childhood
By love, by disobedience
Her name was a foreign name
This was the France where I was born
La France de mon enfance
Moi je pleure encore de son absence
Elle était française on l'a oublié
La France, celle où je suis né.
The France of my childhood
I still cry for your absence
She was French, she was forgotten
The France where I was born
2
Exercise 2: Highlight in the French text all the words with the sound “an” “en”, and write then
down with the corresponding meaning.
French
English
La France
France
Exercise 3: Translate into French.
January
May
August
July
June
February
April
Septembre
Novembre
April
3