Learning guitar in your free time | Learn French in English

French lesson set in a contemporary Paris everyday setting: At home, one adult describes learning guitar through online lessons and practicing in a quiet room..

EN → FR / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Learning guitar in your free time to practice French conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

J'ai récemment commencé à apprendre la guitare.

zhay reh-sah-MAHN koh-mahn-SAY ah ah-PRAN-druh lah gee-TAR I recently started learning guitar.
B

Tu prends des cours ?

tew prahn day KOOR Are you taking lessons?
A

Je prends des cours en ligne après le travail.

zhuh prahn day KOOR ahn LEEN-yuh ah-PRAY luh trah-VAI I'm taking online lessons after work.
B

Est-ce difficile pour un débutant ?

ess duh dee-fee-SEEL poor uhn day-bew-TAHN Is it difficult for a beginner?
A

Le rythme est difficile, mais j'aime ça.

luh REETM ay dee-fee-SEEL meh zhem SAH The rhythm is hard, but I enjoy it.
B

À quelle fréquence est-ce que tu t'entraînes ?

ah kell fray-KAHNSS ess kuh tew tahn-TREN How often do you practice?
A

Je m'entraîne le soir quand ma chambre est calme.

zhuh mahn-TREN luh SWAHR kahn mah SHAHM-bruh ay KAHLM I practice in the evening when my room is quiet.
B

Un moment régulier devrait t'aider à progresser.

uhn moh-MAHN ray-gew-lee-AY duh-VRAY teh-DAY ah proh-gray-SAY A regular time should help you improve.

Word by Word

J'ai 'J'ai' means 'I have' here and, together with 'commencé', helps express 'I started'. It is used in the pattern 'J'ai commencé à + infinitive' to say that you have started doing something.
récemment 'récemment' means 'recently' and places the starting point in the near past. It can be used with a past event, as in 'J'ai récemment commencé'.
commencé 'commencé' means 'started' in 'J'ai récemment commencé à apprendre'. It is the form used after 'J'ai' in this past expression; the reusable pattern is 'commencer à + infinitive'.
à 'à' introduces the activity after 'commencé' in 'commencé à apprendre', so the phrase means 'started to learn'. It also appears in 'À quelle fréquence', where it is part of the question asking how often something happens.
apprendre 'apprendre' means 'to learn' in 'commencé à apprendre la guitare'. It is an infinitive after 'commencer à'; a useful pattern is 'apprendre + an activity or subject'.
la 'la' is the definite article before 'guitare' in 'la guitare', referring to the guitar as the instrument being learned. It is used directly before the noun.
guitare 'guitare' means 'guitar' in 'apprendre la guitare'. The common pattern here is 'apprendre la guitare' when talking about learning to play the instrument.
Tu 'Tu' means 'you' when speaking to one person in this dialogue. It is the subject of 'Tu prends des cours ?'; the same pronoun also appears as 'tu' inside 't'entraînes' and 't'aider'.
prends 'prends' means 'are taking' in 'Tu prends des cours ?' and is also used in 'Je prends des cours'. With lessons, the reusable expression is 'prendre des cours'.
des 'des' is the plural article in 'des cours', referring to lessons or classes without specifying which ones. It comes directly before a plural noun, as in 'prendre des cours'.
cours 'cours' means 'lessons' or 'classes' in 'Tu prends des cours ?' and 'Je prends des cours en ligne'. The common expression is 'prendre des cours' followed by the subject or type of lesson.
Je 'Je' means 'I' and is the subject of 'Je prends des cours en ligne'. It is placed before the conjugated verb when describing your own activity.
en 'en' contributes to the meaning 'online' in the expression 'en ligne'; the meaning comes from the whole expression, not from 'en' alone. Use 'en ligne' to describe an activity or service provided online.
ligne 'ligne' means 'line' in general, but in 'en ligne' it contributes to the expression meaning 'online'. The reusable expression is 'en ligne', as in 'des cours en ligne'.
après 'après' means 'after' in 'après le travail' and places the lessons after work. It can introduce a noun in a time expression, as in 'après + noun'.
le 'le' is the definite article in 'le travail' and 'Le rythme'. It appears directly before the noun in both 'après le travail' and 'Le rythme est difficile'.
travail 'travail' means 'work' in 'après le travail'. The reusable time expression is 'après le travail', meaning after work.
Est-ce 'Est-ce' is used as a whole question expression in 'Est-ce difficile pour un débutant ?' to form a yes-or-no question. Inside this expression, 'Est' is the form meaning 'is' and 'ce' is the element meaning 'it' or 'that'; the question function belongs to the complete expression. A reusable pattern is 'Est-ce + adjective ... ?'.
difficile 'difficile' means 'difficult' or 'hard' in 'Est-ce difficile pour un débutant ?' and describes the activity or situation. It also describes the rhythm in 'Le rythme est difficile'.
pour 'pour' means 'for' in 'difficile pour un débutant', showing for whom the situation is difficult. A useful pattern is 'difficile pour + person or group'.
un 'un' is the indefinite article before 'débutant' in 'un débutant', meaning 'a beginner'. It is used directly before a singular noun when the person is not specified.
débutant 'débutant' means 'beginner' in 'pour un débutant', referring to someone who is starting an activity. It can follow 'pour un' when discussing whether something is suitable or difficult for a beginner.
rythme 'rythme' means 'rhythm' in 'Le rythme est difficile'. It refers to the timing pattern that makes the guitar practice hard in this dialogue; the reusable pattern is 'Le rythme est + adjective'.
est 'est' means 'is' in 'Le rythme est difficile'. It links the subject 'Le rythme' with the description 'difficile'; the same form is part of the question expression 'Est-ce'.
mais 'mais' means 'but' and introduces a contrast in 'difficile, mais j'aime ça'. It is useful for connecting a difficulty with a positive reaction.
j'aime 'j'aime' means 'I like' or 'I enjoy' in 'j'aime ça'. It combines the subject idea 'I' with the verb 'like'; the reusable pattern is 'j'aime + noun or ça'.
ça 'ça' means 'that' or 'it' in 'j'aime ça', referring to what has just been discussed. The expression 'j'aime ça' is used to say that you like an activity or situation.
quelle 'quelle' means 'what' or 'which' in 'À quelle fréquence', the expression used to ask how often something happens. It comes before the noun 'fréquence' in this question pattern.
fréquence 'fréquence' means 'frequency' in 'À quelle fréquence', which asks how often an activity is done. The reusable expression is 'À quelle fréquence + question clause ?'.
que Here 'que' is part of the question structure 'Est-ce que tu t'entraînes ?'. The question function belongs to the whole structure, not to 'que' alone; a reusable pattern is 'Est-ce que + subject + verb ?'.
t'entraînes 't'entraînes' means 'you practice' or 'you train' in 'tu t'entraînes'. The initial 't'' represents 'te' before a vowel, and the reusable pattern is 'tu t'entraînes' for asking or talking about regular practice.
m'entraîne 'm'entraîne' means 'I practice' or 'I train' in 'Je m'entraîne le soir'. The initial 'm'' represents 'me' before a vowel; it is used with 'Je' to describe your own practice.
soir 'soir' means 'evening' in 'le soir'. The expression 'le soir' is a common way to say when an activity takes place.
quand 'quand' means 'when' and introduces the time condition in 'quand ma chambre est calme'. It connects an activity with the time or situation in which it happens.
ma 'ma' means 'my' before 'chambre' in 'ma chambre'. It shows possession and is placed directly before the noun it describes.
chambre 'chambre' means 'room' or 'bedroom' in 'ma chambre'. In this dialogue, it is the room where the speaker practices; a useful pattern is 'ma chambre est + adjective'.
calme 'calme' means 'quiet' or 'calm' in 'ma chambre est calme'. It describes the room as suitable for practicing; the pattern is 'être calme' for a person, place, or situation.
moment 'moment' means 'time' or 'moment' in 'Un moment régulier'. It refers to a regularly scheduled time for practice; a useful pattern is 'un moment pour + activity'.
régulier 'régulier' means 'regular' in 'Un moment régulier', describing a practice time that happens consistently. It is placed after the noun here: 'un moment régulier'.
devrait 'devrait' means 'should' in 'devrait t'aider à progresser' and expresses an expected helpful result or suggestion. A reusable pattern is 'devrait + infinitive', as in 'devrait aider'.
t'aider 't'aider' means 'help you' in 'devrait t'aider à progresser'. The initial 't'' represents 'te' before the vowel in 'aider'; the reusable pattern is 'aider quelqu'un à + infinitive'.
progresser 'progresser' means 'to improve' or 'to make progress' in 't'aider à progresser'. It follows 'aider ... à' here; use the pattern 'aider quelqu'un à progresser' when describing help with improvement.

Grammar Points

commencer à + infinitif

J'ai commencé à apprendre la guitare récemment.

zhay koh-mahn-SAY ah ah-PRAN-druh lah gee-TAR reh-sah-MAHN

I recently started learning guitar.

After commencer, use à before another verb in the infinitive: commencer à apprendre.

s'entraîner + pronom réfléchi

Tu t'entraînes le soir dans une chambre calme.

tew tahn-TREN luh SWAHR dahnz yewn SHAHM-bruh KAHLM

You practice in the evening in a quiet room.

S'entraîner is reflexive: with tu, s' becomes te and is shortened to t' before a vowel.

French Vocabulary

apprendre verb
ah-PRAN-druh to learn
après prep
ah-PRAY after
commencer verb
koh-mahn-SAY to start commencé
cours noun
KOOR lessons
débutant noun
day-bew-TAHN beginner
difficile adj
dee-fee-SEEL difficult
en ligne phrase
ahn LEEN-yuh online
guitare noun
gee-TAR guitar
prendre verb
PRAHN-druh to take prends
récemment adv
reh-sah-MAHN recently
rythme noun
REETM rhythm
travail noun
trah-VAI work

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Are you taking lessons?

Show AnswerTu prends des cours ?

Is it difficult for a beginner?

Show AnswerEst-ce difficile pour un débutant ?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

guitar

Show Answerguitare

lessons

Show Answercours

work

Show Answertravail

recently

Show Answerrécemment