Le coin des branchés
(October-November 08)

Here are a few popular expressions related to the subject of time and frequency:

En un rien de temps = very quickly.
À temps = on time.
Un laps de temps = a very short time.
Tout le temps = all the time.
De temps en temps = from time to time.
Entre temps = in the meantime.
En même temps = at the same time, simultaneously.
Les trois quarts du temps/la plupart du temps/le plus clair du temps = most of the time.
Dans le temps = in the old ages/in olden times/way back when.
Ces derniers temps = recently. Ces derniers temps, je l’ai trouvé un peu fatigué = Recently, I found he looked a little tired.
De mon temps = when I was younger.
Le bon vieux temps = old times. C’était le bon vieux temps, on faisait ce qu’on voulait = It was the good old times, we could do anything we wanted.
Prendre le temps = to take the needed time to do something. Maintenant je prends le temps d’aller au cinéma chaque week-end = Now, I take the time to go to the movies every weekend.
Prendre son temps = to take all the time, to go as slowly as needed. J’aime prendre mon temps, si je vais trop vite je ne fais rien de bien = I like taking my time, if I go too fast I don’t do anything properly.
Il faut laisser le temps au temps = one must let time pass and not be in a hurry when unnecessary; an expression coined by President François Mitterrand, and used as the title and theme of a song by the French singer Didier Barbelivien in 1990.

Listen here

Chaque chose en son temps = everything in its own time.
Perdre son temps/tout son temps = to waste one’s time, to go too slowly for no reason.
Un temps mort = a moment during which nothing is happening.
Tuer le temps/faire passer le temps = to kill time/to do anything to avoid getting bored while time is passing by so slowly. Pour tuer le temps/faire passer le temps, je lui raconte des histoires = To kill time/to make the time go by, I tell him stories.
Il y a un temps pour tout = there is a time for everything.
Au bon moment = at the right time.
Glander/traîner = to hang around, to waste time by doing something or going somewhere slowly, with something else in mind.
Faire le poireau = to wait for something or someone for a long time
Faire le pont = to take a longer weekend by not working for example on Friday when Thursday is an official holiday
Faire le viaduc = to take the full week off when at least two days in a week are official holidays.
Partir ventre à terre = to leave in a flash, to rush.

French Accent Magazine - October-November 08

Deux dictées aux choix

We provide two dictées to chose according to your level in French:
one for beginners, and another one for intermediate level French .
Click on the link below to listen to each of them. Then try and write it without making any mistakes. You can compare it to the original text on page 36 of the magazine.


N.B.: It would be a good idea to read all the articles of this issue of French Accent before doing the dictation, as you will recognize many expressions.