The Secrets of French Small Talk Super Easy French 89

If you're learning French it's primarily to communicate with those who speak it isn't it But first you need to know how to start a conversation with them Today we'll teach you how to chat in French Ready There are various types of small talk It can involve chatting with strangers in public places One then tends to favor light and general topics To start a conversation one can talk about the situation one is in If you're waiting in line at the supermarket checkout for example you could say: Oh my goodness there are a lot of people here today You can also strike up a conversation at the bus stop like this Is it taking a long time to arrive Yes I've been waiting for an hour And I'm sure the next one to arrive will be packed Do you usually take this bus Yes every day Is he often late like this No never I don't know what's going on Maybe he's stuck in traffic I don't know Maybe there was an accident Or perhaps a strike A strike I haven' t heard anything about that Talking about strikes or any other current topic is also an effective way to start a conversation Did you see the protest against the university's new law Oh yes there was a huge crowd Have you heard about the pension reform Oh that All you hear about these days in the media is the pension reform You're aware of the pollution peak in Paris No I wasn't aware But you know what I'm not surprised If you're worried about slipping up when discussing current events you might as well play it safe and talk about the weather instead At least we're lucky—it's not raining today Yes that's true It feels good to have some sunshine I hope it lasts I don't think so They're forecasting a storm for next week A storm I hope it doesn't get too cold I think the temperatures are going to drop I thought spring was finally coming It's true chatting about the weather is a nice way to pass the time while waiting for the bus or fill an awkward silence in an elevator But there are also situations in which small talk can become a bit more personal When you start at a new school begin a new job or meet friends of friends at a party for instance You'll likely encounter the people you met in these situations again So feel free to start a conversation with slightly more specific questions But to break the ice it's always easier to start with a harmless little comment Not bad this wine huh It's really good yeah I'm already on my second glass I should be careful Me too I shouldn't drink too much I have to get up early tomorrow for work Oh really What do you do for work You see the conversation was rather pointedly steered toward a somewhat more personal topic than wine preferences I'm a biologist working in a lab Oh that sounds interesting Yes it's nice but I've got crazy hours It's extremely exhausting And what do you do for a living Well I'm still a student A student in what Digital communication And what do you plan to do with that later To work in advertising agencies or manage companies' social media accounts Oh that's awesome You'll actually get paid to be on Twitter There you go exactly Oh that's nice You're learning a lot from our videos but you feel you could use a bit more practice If you join our Community Membership on Patreon you'll gain access to a private chat platform o discuss French daily with us and other learners We also meet on Zoom once a month for live discussions You've got it—asking questions about the person's studies or work is the foundation Don't hesitate to memorize these questions to use them at the right moment What do you do for a living What are you studying What do you work in Where do you work Are you studying What are you studying Which university are you attending But if the person you want to start a conversation with is your new colleague or new classmate These questions might sound a bit strange So what are you studying Well same as you really But don't worry there are plenty of other topics to discuss For instance if you're in the same class you could talk about your courses What do you think of this class I'm utterly bored Me too I'd rather have Madame Lambert's class That's in that class too right Yeah she's really nice but she gives way too much homework It's true last weekend I spent so much time on my assignment that I hadn't even finished the outline What a pain And did you realize we still have another oral presentation to do next week No way really Yeah you wanna get together Absolutely And there you go you've just met someone in your class Of course feel free to vary the topics to get to know native French speakers You could for instance talk about TV series What series are you watching Did you see the latest season of 10% What's your favorite show Do you have a French series to recommend Have you watched Lupin What did you think of it You can talk about leisure activities You play music Have you been to the cinema recently You could also start a conversation about fashion with a compliment I love your scarf Where did you buy it Oh I've had it for ages It was on sale at Monoprix last year I love Monoprix too It's a bit expensive though And in France a great way to get to know someone is of course to talk about food I'm hungry I didn't have time to eat at noon No really Do you want an apple No thanks What did you eat I had a four-cheese pizza from the pizzeria next door It was delicious I haven't been there yet but I really need to try it I really recommend the four-cheese option—it's affordable and incredibly filling There that makes me hungry Really Hida I'm very interested in French Can you teach me how to say hello in French Of course Hello and hi What Hello and hi Doesn't that sound rude No it's just hello and hi That's true After watching this episode you'll have no excuse left for not speaking with a French speaker Leave us a comment to let us know if you know of other topics we can discuss to easily start a conversatio And if you've already experienced small talk in France feel free to share your experience in the comments Like the video and subscribe to our channel See you soon