Chapter 12: Recreation and the Outdoors 197

Going to the Beach

Allons à la plage! (ah-lohN-zah lah plahzh!) (Let’s go to the beach!) Nothing is more relaxing than a day spent lounging on the sand or playing in the water. La Côte d’Azur (lah koht dah-zewr) (the Azure Coast), also known as the French Riviera, is situated on the southern coast of France, along the Mediterranean. Its numerous beaches are quite crowded during the months of July and August. Swimming is quite safe because most beaches are supervised by les surveillants de plage/de baignade (ley sewr-vehy-ahN duh plahzh/duh beh-nyahd) (lifeguards).

When you go to the beach, here are some activities you may find amusing:

le ski nautique (luh skee noh-teek) (water skiing)

la plongée sous-marine (lah plohN-zhey sooh-mah-reen) (scuba diving)

la plongée libre (lah plohN-zhey lee-bruh) (snorkeling)

la voile (lah vwahl) (sailing)

la planche à voile (lah plahN-shah vwahl) (windsurfing)

la natation (lah nah-tah-syohN) (swimming)

For each of the preceding activities, you use the verb faire (fehr) plus the preposition de (duh) and the appropriate definite article — le (luh) or la (lah). Refer to the earlier section “Using the verb ‘faire’ when talking about individual sports” for details.

Topless sunbathing is accepted on most French beaches, and there are also nudist beaches, primarily around Saint-Tropez (sahN troh-pey) and l’île du Levant (leel dew luhv-ahN). Before disrobing completely, look around to see what is acceptable! As they say, “When in Rome . . .”!

With a couple of towels, some suntan lotion, a refreshing drink, and these vocabulary words, you’re all set to spend a day at the beach:

la mer (lah mehr) (the sea)

le bord de la mer/au bord de la mer (luh bohr duh lah mehr/oh bohr duh lah mehr) (the seashore/by the seashore)

la plage (lah plahzh) (the beach)

le sable (luh sah-bluh) (sand)

le banc de sable (luh bahN duh sah-bluh) (sand bank)

la dune de sable (lah dewn duh sah-bluh) (sand dune)

le château de sable (luh shah-toh duh sah-bluh) (sand castle)

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198 Part II: French in Action

la vague (lah vahg) (wave)

les coquillages (ley kohh-kee-yahzh) (seashells)

l’algue (lahlg) (seaweed)

la serviette (lah sehr-vyeht) (towel)

les lunettes de soleil (ley lew-neht duh soh-lehy) (sunglasses)

la lotion/la crème solaire (lah loh-syohN/lah krehm soh-lehr) (suntan lotion/sunscreen)

le bronzage (luh brohN-zahzh) (suntan)

bronzer (brohN-zey) (to tan)

se faire bronzer (suh fehr brohN-zey) (to get a tan)

le coup de soleil (luh kooh duh soh-lehy) (sunburn)

la visière (lah vee-zyehr) ([sun] visor)

If you see a sign posted that reads Baignade interdite (beh-nyahd aN-tehr-deet), beware. That means No swimming!

Talkin’ the Talk

Mme. Lafarge and her two sons Gaston and Henri are spending the day at the beach.

Gaston et Henri: Maman! Nous allons nager. mah-mahN! nooh-zah-lohN nah-zhey.

Mom! We’re going swimming.

Mme. Lafarge: Attendez! Vous oubliez la crème solaire. ah-tahN-dey! Vooh-zooh-blee-yey lah krehm soh-lehr.

Wait! You’re forgetting your suncreen.

Gaston: Oh, maman! Dépêche-toi!

oh mah-mahN! dey-pehsh-twah!

Oh, Mom! Hurry up!

Henri: Gaston, regarde les très grandes vagues! gah-stohN, ruh-gahrd ley treh grahNd vahg!

Gaston, look at those really big waves!

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Chapter 12: Recreation and the Outdoors 199

Gaston: C’est super! Maman, as-tu mon tuba et mes palmes? Nous allons faire de la plongée libre. seh sew-pehr! mah-mahN, ah-tew mohN tewbah ey mey pahlm? nooh-zah-lohN fehr duh lah plohN-zhey lee-bruh.

It’s great! Mom, do you have my snorkel and flippers? We are going snorkeling.

Mme. Lafarge: Oui, ils sont dans le sac. Je vais bronzer.

Amusez-vous bien!

wee, eel sohN dahN luh sahk. zhuh veh brohNzey. ah-mew-zey-vooh byaN.

Yes, they are in the bag. I’m going to tan. Have fun!

Words to Know

Setting Up Camp

Camping is a great way to get away from it all. Traditionally in France, the months of July and August are when the French, especially the Parisians, head to the hills, so to speak. Highways are jammed with cars and campers escaping from the city. Along the French Riviera, traffic has been known to be stalled for hours as cars wind their way to the coast.

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200 Part II: French in Action

Camping along the coast is very well organized. Most campgrounds have showers and restaurants, as well as separate sites for bicycles and tent campers. Many are situated along the beaches. If you plan to go, making reservations well in advance is a good idea, especially during the months of July and August. Off-road camping is illegal.

The following vocabulary words and phrases pertain to camping and fishing that will be useful in case you want to pursue this fun-filled — and perhaps a little rugged — activity.

la tente (lah tahNt) (tent)

monter la tente (mohN-tey lah tahNt) (to pitch the tent)

les allumettes (ley-zah-lew-meht) (matches)

faire un feu de camp (fehr uhN fuh duh kahN) (start a campfire)

le sac de couchage (luh sahk duh kooh-shahzh) (sleeping bag)

les douches (ley doohsh) (showers)

les toilettes (ley twah-leht) (the toilets)

les services (ley sehr-vees) (the facilities)

pêcher (peh-shey) (to fish, to go fishing)

attrapper (ah trah-pey) (to catch)

le poisson (luh pwah-sohN) (fish)

la canne à pêche (lah kahn ah pehsh) (fishing pole)

You can find many terrains de camping (tehr-ehn duh kahN-peeng) (campgrounds) in France. To find out where to camp in France and for other important details about booking your ideal spot, check out these websites:

www.campingfrance.com

about-france.com/tourism/camping.htm

gofrance.about.com/od/lodging/a/camping.htm

The Laurentian Mountains are about an hour’s drive north of Montreal. This area, inhabited by the Algonquin Indians, is full of natural beauty. The long, narrow glacial lakes are fed by freezing cold streams coursing down wooded slopes of yellow birch, beech, pine, and maple trees. Camping along these river banks is one of the best ways to appreciate the rugged splendor of the mountains. Advance reservations are usually not required at park campgrounds operated by the Québec government.

For camping information in the Québec region, check out these websites:

www.camping-canada.com

www.campcanada.com

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Talkin’ the Talk

Etienne and Christine are going camping. Christine has been napping in the car. (Track 13)

Etienne: Lève-toi! Nous sommes arrivés. lehv-twah! nooh sohm-zah-ree-vey.

Get up! We’re here.

Christine: Oh! C’est très joli, n’est-ce pas? oh! seh treh zhoh-lee, nehs-pah?

Oh! It’s very pretty, isn’t it?

Etienne: Oui. Montons la tente. wee. mohN-tohN lah tahNt.

Yes. Let’s pitch the tent.

Christine: D’accord. Quels services y-a-t-il? dah-kohr. kehl sehr-vees ee-ah-teel?

Okay. What facilities are there?

Etienne: Il y a des toilettes et des douches.

eel ee ah dey twah-leht ey dey doohsh.

There are toilets and showers.

Christine: Voilà les sacs de couchage. vwah-lah ley sahk duh kooh-shahzh.

Here are the sleeping bags.

Etienne: Merci. Peux-tu trouver les allumettes? mehr-see. puh-tew trooh-vey ley-zah-lew-meht?

Thanks. Can you find the matches?

Christine: Oui, les voilà. wee, ley vwah-lah.

Yes, here they are.

Etienne: Bon. Je vais faire un feu de camp. bohN. zhuh veh fehr uhN fuh duh kahN.

Good. I’ll start a campfire.

After their campsite is set up for the evening, the friends talk about how to spend their afternoon.

Etienne: Christine, je vais pêcher. krees-teen, zhuh veh peh-shey.

Christine, I’m going fishing.

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202 Part II: French in Action

Christine: Je n’aime pas pêcher. Je vais lire mon livre. zhuh nehm pah peh-shey. zhuh veh leer mohN lee-vruh.

I don’t like fishing. I’m going to read my book.

Etienne: J’espère attraper des poissons pour le dîner. zhehs-pehr ah-trah-pey dey pwah-sohN poohr luh dee-ney.

I hope to catch some fish for dinner.

Christine: Tu as ta canne à pêche? tew ah tah kahn ah pehsh?

Do you have your fishing pole?

Etienne: Oui et des vers aussi. wee ey dey vehr oh-see.

Yes, and some worms, too.

Christine: Dégoûtant! Va-t-en! dey-gooh-tahN! vah-tahN!

Disgusting! Go away!

Words to Know

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