Video transcript

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. Today, I'm back with Mathieu - I've already told you about him, he's my fiancé - for a new video in French. Today's video is a bit special. It's about learning French through play. I don't know if you've heard of this game called Scrabble. It's a game where you have to make up words from letters. You have a bag, a bag with letters in it. Like this, for example H.

The S. And you have to take 7 letters from your set and put them here. And try to make words on the board. Each time, you have to start from the words you've already made. You have to use the letters on the board. Each time, you need to have 7 letters in your game, so you can keep building words. The idea of this video, then, is to learn French in a way that's a little more playful, a little more fun.

Each time we put a word down, we'll explain what it means. Are you ready?

Ready!

So I take my letters. Careful... It's important to have a good combination of consonants and vowels, otherwise it's hard to make words. You're not cheating.

I don't cheat, I promise.

The letters have different points, for example X, which is worth ten points because it's a much more complicated letter to put into a word. In any case, in French, we'll count the points here and see who's the best between Mathieu and me.

It's off to a good start. I already have almost no vowels. Depending on the box, there are certain words or letters that count double or triple. So that means more points. Here we go. I'll let you get started.

So I'll start with "pink".

Rose can either be a flower, or it's a flower that's often given to a couple, isn't it? It's more for your wife or your girlfriend. Often, especially red roses. Pink is also a color. It's a mixture of red and white. So, my turn. I'm going to do... " Porta". "Porta" is the past tense of the verb to carry when you're carrying something. We're carrying shopping bags, and he's carrying.

It's the past simple of the verb "to carry". We're going to note the points because we forgot to note your points. So you put "rose" and now the word counts double. So that's 4 times 2... 8. And I'm at 3... 4... 8 too. We're tied for now. So, while you're thinking, I'll get some new letters. I need 4.

2...3...4. Mhhhh.

You. You have to put simple words too. You.

So you're you and me. It's when you point to the other person next to you. Is that it?

That's exactly it.

Letter triple count, that makes you 3...4...5. So in total 8 + 5, that's 13.

My turn... so... I use a slang word. I put capte. As in "capter". In slang, "capter" means "to understand". If I say to "t'as capté" the rules of the game, it means: have you understood the rules of the game? And "capte" is "he capte". It's the third person singular of the verb "capter". Again, it's a verb... it's colloquial, it's slang. Ah, I haven't put my points in... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9 and, what's more, I've got mot compte double.

Chou... chou, we'll put chou, it will be good. Cabbage!

So, Mathieu, you've just added "chou". "Chou" has two meanings: either it's used to talk about a vegetable, one that's often grown in winter, at least in France; it can be cauliflower, red cabbage, green cabbage too. So, either it's the vegetable, or it's an adjective to talk about something or someone who's cute. For example, I can say "Mathieu is super chou in the morning, he makes my breakfast every day".

Yes !

So, what am I going to wear?

I used the word "vêtue". "Se vêtir" is a synonym for "s'habiller" in more formal language, in language that's a little more... a little more classy, you might say. So, "se vêtir" and "elle s'est vêtée d'une très jolie robe". It means she dressed herself, and it's more in the language you'd find in books. We don't really say that orally. So, I forgot to count your points Mathieu, so... 3 + 4... 7... 8... 9.

And then you had a double-count word, so 18... 18 +13... 31. And that makes me 18 + 26... 44. So far, I'm winning.

So it's my turn. We'll put ravi here. Triple count word.

When someone is delighted, it means they're very happy. That's in pretty strong language.

Yes !

Yes, it's a synonym for happy, content for a girl. But in more sustained language, "he's delighted" or "she's delighted", with an E. So that makes 4... 5... 6... 7. There, you had a double letter count. So 8... and you've also got a triple word count.

Yes !

8×3… 24…

24+31... 55. So, what am I going to put? I'm doing a very small word because I don't have very good letters. I'll do... "little". "Little" means "not much". If I ask Mathieu "Do you want sugar in your coffee?", you can answer...

"A little bit."

That's a little, a little, not much. So, that makes me 3... 4... 5 points... 49.

So, "rima"... past simple of the verb "to rhyme" to make rhymes, is when you... often it's in poetry... where when two words have the same ending.

For example, raspberry/Chinese. That rhymes. So Mathieu put it in the past tense. "The sentence rhymes in the poem. We don't really use this verb in the past tense, but it works here. At least, it's correct in French.

I'm going to put "dire", the verb "dire". It's a verb that's used very often in French: "je dis quelque chose" ("I say something"), when you're talking, expressing yourself. For example, "je te dis que je sais ce que je fais".

I'm telling you. I'm expressing it. 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... so that's 60 for you. And that makes me... 2... letter triple count... so 5... 6. I'm at 56 and you're at 60. We're close.

My turn!

You can just add a letter to the end of the words. And "choux", in fact, is just the plural of "chou" the vegetable, a cabbage. So, not only does it have 10 points, but the letter below it counts double. That's 20. And on top of that, it takes up all the points that were here. So 20... 21... 22. 22 + 27, that's 29. You're at 89. There are certain words in French, so normally the plural is with "s" and there are exceptions like... Bijoux, hiboux, choux, genoux.

There are exceptions in French that take an "x" and not an "s". I think I'll make a video to explain these exceptions, because it's worth making a piece of content dedicated to this, to explain it.

Mmmh... mmmh... mmmh.

I've got something for you that might be good.

I too have something for myself that can be good.

I think you've seen it.

Do you feel the same way?

I think you've seen it...

Very, very good word... What did you think of?

I've thought of a lot worse than you.

So I put "jusque"... First of all, that's going to give me a lot of points. "Jusque" is a little word used to indicate a limit, either in time or in space. If, for example, I say to Mathieu "go that far", I'm defining a space for him. So, too, "until" can often be transformed depending on what comes next.

"I partied just until the morning," we define the time limit. But the basic word is "until". And after that, it can be "until" "until tomorrow" or "until dawn" or "until morning". There's a little contraction depending on what comes after. So that makes me... letter double count... 16... 17... 18... 18+8... 26... 27... 28 and I have word double count. So 28 x 2... that's 56... 56+56... 112.

Not bad, well done.

Cheek.

The cheek is very simple. It's part of the face.

So "play"... that's 8... 9... 10... 11×3... 33...

119+3… 122.

I'll show you where we stand. Matthew 122 and I've got 112, I've got to catch up.

Oh yes, I know!

Tu bave is the verb to drool. So just "la bave", drool on its own, without s. It's often babies... when there's liquid coming out of their mouth, like this coming here, it's drool. So it's the verb drool. And in the second person singular, so "tu" in the present tense, "tu baves". If I say to Mathieu "tu baves", it means he's salivating, there's liquid coming out of his mouth.

But I can also say if there's a nice cake, I'll say "Ah, you're drooling over that cake" and he'll say "yes, it's true that I'm very hungry". You can also use it figuratively, so he's not really drooling, but it's more that he's hungry for something. So, how much does "you're drooling" make me? 3... 4... 5... 9, so that makes me 123.

It takes 4... 3... 4.

Then I'll do... Irons.

"Irons" is the future simple of the verb "aller". It's a bit complicated, because "aller" and "irons" sound very different. Nous irons" means we're going to go somewhere in the first person plural, so in the future tense, "we're going on vacation to the seaside". It means we're going on vacation to the coast where there's sea.

1... 2... 3... 4... 5 and double word count... 10... 132.

It's almost the end of the game. We finish the letters we have here and that's it. We'll see who wins because we've got more... there are more letters. I've got some really hard letters to place

I don't know how to place these letters.

I put the word "gay" when someone is "gay", it means that they are homosexual, that they like people of the same sex as them, for example a man who is in a relationship with a man or a woman with a woman. That gives me 13 points, so 136.

Dong... So, D... Dongs.

What's this?

Ben a dong! The dong... Dong...

Dongs?

Yes!

There's no such thing.

Of course, Google it and you'll see.

Dongs? But I've never heard that word.

If a dong!

Donations, a dong?

But yes...

You're trying to cheat again. Dong... Larousse. It's a French dictionary. Vietnam's main currency unit. Didn't you know that?

Well... yes...

No, you're trying to cheat. Ok it's valid. But okay, okay, plural with an "S" is fine. So yes, there you go. So, Mathieu put in a word. It's not a very interesting word in French. It's the unit of currency in Vietnam, so in France, it's the Euro in Vietnam, it's the dong. So 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7. Plus, it's a double-count word... 14. So that's 146.

So I put the word sans, so "without". S A N S. There's "with" or "without". Do you take your coffee "with" or "without" sugar? That means there isn't any. Or if you say it's gluten-free bread. That means it's gluten-free. That makes me how many... not many. 1... 2... 3... 4. And my letter, it counted triple. So 142. Your turn, Math. Three letters left.

I've got two left. If you have a word, there's a place for it.

Are you kidding? Oh!

You can put all your letters, you've got a great word too. It's too pretty a word. It really is. That manager? Not only is he going to win, but I'm helping him.

JIBE ?

You don't see it, do you?

JEBI ?

But you don't see it, do you?

SEBI ?

SEBI ? What is SEBI?

Kiss! Yes, it's a beautiful word!

Yes ! A kiss is when you give someone a kiss. I can say "Give your grandmother a kiss", so give your grandmother a kiss. Well, Mathieu's going to win. But then...3... letter counts triple so 6... 7... 8... so that's 154 for you.

So, what can I do now that I've helped you? I don't know how to place it. I just can't. Here, I put a T back there, so it was you, you. And when there's a "T" in "roof", it's the roof of a house, it's the roof, what's above the house to protect it from the rain.

4 points, so, 146. So... I've got one letter left, you've got nothing left. But I can't place it, I guess. I've got the letter "K" left, if you've got an idea, feel free to put it in the comments. Because in fact, if I can place it, it allows me to win because we've got that... we've got what? We have an 8-point difference and the "K" is worth 10 points.

In French, there's what word with "K", there's képi, koala... What else is there? There aren't many. Comment on the words you know where there's a K in French.

Well, that's it... Mathieu won. Congratulations! I hope you enjoyed this video. If you liked it, put it in the comments. Above all, give us a thumbs-up and let us know if you like this kind of video.

If you like learning French through games. We'll see you soon for a new video. Have a nice day everyone.