French Colors and Commercials Posted by Tim Hildreth on May 28, 2019 in Vocabulary
We’ve talked about colors in the past. And we’ve looked at a pub (French TV commercial) for Haribo as well. But these two that I came across recently do such a good job of combining the two, that I just had to share them. They also provide a nice illustration of the useful French verb préférer.
Je préfère … / I prefer …
Just like the English to prefer, préférer means ‘to like one thing more than another’. It’s not that you don’t like the first thing, you just like something else more. As in: J’aime les westerns, mais je préfère les films d’horreur. (I like westerns, but I prefer horror movies.) Or: Monique aime la campagne, mais elle préfère la plage. (Monique likes the country, but she prefers the beach.)
The conjugation is pretty straightforward, except for a few present tense forms (like the two seen in these examples) that flip the second accent aigu for an accent grave. (Click here for a nice overview of the different accents in French.)
| Français | English |
| Power Ranger Bleu: Mais qu’est-ce qu’il fait ? | Blue Power Ranger : Where is he? (Lit. What is he up to?) |
| Power Ranger Bleu № 2 : Salut les gars ! | Blue Power Ranger No. 2: Hey guys! |
| Power Ranger Bleu № 1: On avait dit rouge, pourquoi t’es en bleu ? | Blue Power Ranger No. 1 : We said red, why are you in blue? |
| Power Ranger Bleu № 2 : Oui mais moi je préfère les bleus. | Blue Power Ranger No. 2 : Yeah, but I prefer the blue ones. |
| Présentateur : DRAGIBUS. On ne discute pas les gouts et les couleurs. | Announcer : DRAGIBUS. You don’t question taste, or color. |
| Le chœur : Haribo, c’est beau la vie, pour les grands et les petits ! | Chorus: Haribo, life is good for the big and for the small! |
| [Convient aux Végétariens] | [Suitable for vegetarians] |
| Oiseau : Il vous reste un jaune ? | Bird : Have you got any yellow left? |
| [Pour votre santé, mangez au moins cinq fruits et légumes par jour. www.mangerbouger.fr | [For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day. URL: manger – to eat, bouger – to move] |
| Français | English |
| Elle: Merci pour cette belle soirée. | Her: Thank for a lovely evening. |
| Lui : Je te raccompagne ? | Him: Can I take you home? |
| Elle : Oh ! J’adore ! … Désolée, je préfère les verts. | Blue Power Ranger No. 1 : We said red, why are you in blue? |
| Présentateur : DRAGIBUS. On ne discute pas les gouts et les couleurs. | Announcer : DRAGIBUS. You don’t question taste, or color. |
| Le chœur : Haribo, c’est beau la vie, pour les grands et les petits ! | Chorus: Haribo, life is good for the big and for the small! |
| [Convient aux Végétariens] | [Suitable for vegetarians] |
| Homme : Moi, je préfère les rouges. | Bird : Have you got any yellow left? |
| [Pour votre santé, mangez au moins cinq fruits et légumes par jour. www.mangerbouger.fr | [For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day. URL: manger – to eat, bouger – to move] |
Photo https://www.pexels.com/@foodie-factor-162291 [CC0].
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.