About This Lesson
Use Joining a Drawing Club to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Je pense à rejoindre un club de dessin.
zhuh PAHNS ah ruh-ZHWAHN-druh uhn klyub duh duh-SAN. I'm thinking about joining a drawing club.
B
Est-ce qu'ils accueillent les débutants ?
ess-KEEL ah-KUH-Y lay day-byu-TAHN? Do they welcome beginners?
A
Oui. La première séance commence par des croquis simples.
wee. lah pruh-MYAIR say-AHNS koh-MAHNS pahr day kroh-KEE SANPL. They do. The first session starts with simple sketches.
B
Le club se réunit à quelle fréquence ?
luh klyub suh ray-oo-NEE ah kell fray-KAHNS? How often does the club meet?
A
Il se réunit chaque semaine après le travail.
eel suh ray-oo-NEE shack suh-MEN ah-PRAY luh trah-VAI. It meets every week after work.
B
Cet horaire pourrait convenir à ta routine.
set oh-RAIR poo-RAY kohn-vuh-NEER ah tah roo-TEEN. That schedule might fit your routine.
A
Je suis nerveux, mais je veux essayer.
zhuh swee nair-VUH, may zhuh vuh ay-say-YAY. I feel nervous, but I want to try.
B
Essaie de participer à une séance avant de décider.
ay-SAY duh pahr-tee-see-PAY ah EWN say-AHNS ah-VAHN duh day-see-DAY. Try one meeting before you decide.Word by Word
Je
Je is the subject pronoun meaning “I” in Je pense à rejoindre un club de dessin. It is placed before the verb when the speaker talks about their own action or thought.
pense
In Je pense à rejoindre un club de dessin, pense expresses the speaker’s thought about joining. The pattern penser à followed by an infinitive is used for considering an action.
à
In pense à rejoindre, à links the thought to the activity being considered; the whole expression means “think about joining.” A reusable pattern is a verb followed by à and an infinitive when referring to an action.
rejoindre
Rejoindre means “join” in Je pense à rejoindre un club de dessin. It is an infinitive after à and names the activity the speaker is considering.
un
Un means “a” in un club de dessin and introduces one nonspecific club. It is used before the masculine singular noun club.
club
Club means “club” in un club de dessin. The phrase de dessin specifies the club’s activity, and club can be used after an indefinite determiner such as un.
de
In un club de dessin, de links club with dessin and identifies the club as a drawing club. A common reuse pattern is a noun followed by de and another noun to specify its type or purpose.
dessin
Dessin means “drawing” in un club de dessin and names the activity associated with the club. It follows de in the expression for a drawing club.
Est-ce
Est-ce introduces the yes-or-no question Est-ce qu'ils accueillent les débutants ? Here, Est is the form of être used in this question frame, and ce is the demonstrative element that helps form the frame. Together, Est-ce makes the following statement into a question.
qu'ils
In Est-ce qu'ils accueillent les débutants ?, qu'ils introduces the clause meaning “that they” after the question frame. It combines que with ils, and it is followed by the verb accueillent.
accueillent
Accueillent means “welcome” in Est-ce qu'ils accueillent les débutants ? The subject is ils, referring to the people running or belonging to the club, and the verb is followed by les débutants.
les
Les means “the” before the plural noun débutants in les débutants. It is used to refer to beginners as a group rather than to one unspecified person.
débutants
Débutants means “beginners” in les débutants. It identifies the people the club may welcome and follows the plural determiner les.
Oui
Oui means “yes” and confirms the answer to the question about welcoming beginners. It can be used by itself as a short reply before giving more information.
La
La means “the” in La première séance and introduces the feminine singular noun séance. It is placed before the noun and its adjective.
première
Première means “first” in La première séance and identifies which session is meant. Its form agrees with the feminine noun séance.
séance
Séance means “session” in La première séance commence par des croquis simples. It refers here to one meeting of the drawing club, and it is the subject of commence.
commence
Commence means “starts” in La première séance commence par des croquis simples. It is followed by par to show what the session begins with.
par
In commence par des croquis simples, par introduces what the session starts with. A reusable pattern is commencer par followed by an activity or item.
des
Des introduces the plural noun croquis in des croquis simples and means “some” or an unspecified plural amount. It is used before the sketches mentioned as the session’s starting activity.
croquis
Croquis means “sketches” in des croquis simples. It names the simple drawing exercises that begin the first session.
simples
Simples means “simple” in des croquis simples and describes the sketches. Its plural form matches the plural noun croquis in this expression.
Le
Le means “the” in Le club se réunit à quelle fréquence ? and introduces the masculine singular noun club. It marks the club as the subject of the question.
se
In se réunit, se is the reflexive element used with the verb phrase for the club meeting. The whole expression se réunit means that the club meets or gathers, and se appears directly before réunit.
réunit
In Le club se réunit à quelle fréquence ?, réunit expresses “meets” or “gathers” as part of se réunit. The subject here is Le club, and the phrase is followed by a question about frequency.
quelle
Quelle means “what” or “which” in à quelle fréquence and helps ask for a specific frequency. Its form agrees with the feminine noun fréquence.
fréquence
Fréquence means “frequency” in à quelle fréquence. It identifies the information being requested: how often the club meets.
Il
Il means “it” in Il se réunit chaque semaine après le travail and refers back to Le club. It is placed before se réunit as the subject pronoun.
chaque
Chaque means “each” or “every” in chaque semaine. It is followed by the singular noun semaine to express a repeated time period.
semaine
Semaine means “week” in chaque semaine. The phrase chaque semaine expresses the regular frequency of the club’s meetings.
après
Après means “after” in après le travail and places the meeting later than work. It is followed here by the noun phrase le travail to specify the time.
travail
Travail means “work” in après le travail. With après, it identifies the activity that happens before the club meeting.
Cet
Cet means “this” in Cet horaire and introduces the masculine singular noun horaire. This form is used before the noun horaire in this expression.
horaire
Horaire means “schedule” in Cet horaire pourrait convenir à ta routine. It refers to the club’s meeting schedule and is the subject of pourrait convenir.
pourrait
Pourrait expresses possibility in Cet horaire pourrait convenir à ta routine: the schedule might fit the listener’s routine. It is followed by the infinitive convenir to state what may be suitable.
convenir
In pourrait convenir à ta routine, convenir means “fit” or “be suitable.” A reliable reuse pattern is convenir à followed by the person or thing that something suits.
ta
Ta means “your” in ta routine and points to the addressee’s routine. Its form is used with the feminine singular noun routine.
routine
Routine means “routine” in ta routine. It identifies the regular schedule that the club’s meeting time might fit.
suis
Suis means “am” in Je suis nerveux and is the form of être used with Je. In this sentence, the whole expression Je suis nerveux describes the speaker’s nervous state.
nerveux
Nerveux means “nervous” in Je suis nerveux. It describes the speaker’s feeling before trying the club, and its form matches the masculine speaker shown in the dialogue.
mais
Mais means “but” in Je suis nerveux, mais je veux essayer. It connects the nervous feeling with the speaker’s wish to try, showing a contrast between the two ideas.
veux
Veux means “want” in je veux essayer. It is followed by the infinitive essayer, which names the action the speaker wants to do.
essayer
Essayer means “try” in je veux essayer. It is an infinitive after veux and expresses the action the speaker wants to undertake.
Essaie
Essaie means “try” in Essaie de participer à une séance and gives direct advice to one person. Here, de participer explains what the listener is encouraged to try.
une
Une means “a” or “one” in une séance and introduces one nonspecific session. It is used before the feminine singular noun séance.
participer
Participer means “take part” or “participate” in Essaie de participer à une séance. It is followed by à une séance to identify the meeting the listener is encouraged to attend.
avant
Avant means “before” in avant de décider and places one action earlier than another. The expression avant de is followed here by the infinitive décider.
décider
Décider means “decide” in avant de décider. It is an infinitive after de and names the decision the listener should postpone until after trying one meeting.
Grammar Points
vouloir + infinitif
Je veux participer.
zhuh vuh pahr-tee-see-PAY.I want to participate.
After vouloir, use another verb in the infinitive: veux participer.
se réunir + expression de temps
Le club se réunit chaque semaine.
luh klyub suh ray-oo-NEE shack suh-MEN.The club meets every week.
Se réunir is a reflexive verb; the pronoun se changes with the subject.
French Vocabulary
accueillir
verb
ah-KUH-YEER
to welcome
accueillent
ils accueillent les débutants
club
noun
klyub
club
un club de dessin
commencer
verb
koh-mahn-SAY
to start
commence
La première séance commence
croquis
noun
kroh-KEE
sketch
des croquis simples
débutant
noun
day-byu-TAHN
beginner
débutants
les débutants
dessin
noun
duh-SAN
drawing
un club de dessin
fréquence
noun
fray-KAHNS
frequency
à quelle fréquence
penser
verb
pahn-SAY
to think
pense
Je pense à rejoindre
rejoindre
verb
ruh-ZHWAHN-druh
to join
rejoindre un club de dessin
se réunir
verb
suh-ray-oo-NEER
to meet
se réunit
Le club se réunit
séance
noun
say-AHNS
session
La première séance
simple
adj
SANPL
simple
simples
des croquis simples
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Do they welcome beginners?
Show Answer
Est-ce qu'ils accueillent les débutants ?Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
drawing
Show Answer
dessinto welcome
Show Answer
accueillentsession
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séanceto think