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en In the discotheque   »   fr A la discothèque

46 [forty-six]

In the discotheque

In the discotheque

46 [quarante-six]

A la discothèque

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Is this seat taken? E-t--- q---c--t- p-ac- -st -ibr--? E_____ q__ c____ p____ e__ l____ ? E-t-c- q-e c-t-e p-a-e e-t l-b-e ? ---------------------------------- Est-ce que cette place est libre ? 0
May I sit with you? Pu----e--’as-e-ir----ô-é de-vous-? P______ m________ à c___ d_ v___ ? P-i---e m-a-s-o-r à c-t- d- v-u- ? ---------------------------------- Puis-je m’asseoir à côté de vous ? 0
Sure. J---o-s-e- -rie. J_ v___ e_ p____ J- v-u- e- p-i-. ---------------- Je vous en prie. 0
How do you like the music? Co-men- ---u----v-u---a--u------? C______ t___________ l_ m______ ? C-m-e-t t-o-v-z-v-u- l- m-s-q-e ? --------------------------------- Comment trouvez-vous la musique ? 0
A little too loud. U---e- ---p-f-rte. U_ p__ t___ f_____ U- p-u t-o- f-r-e- ------------------ Un peu trop forte. 0
But the band plays very well. M-i- le-gro----jou- -r-s b---. M___ l_ g_____ j___ t___ b____ M-i- l- g-o-p- j-u- t-è- b-e-. ------------------------------ Mais le groupe joue très bien. 0
Do you come here often? V--ez-vo-s -ou---t -c- ? V_________ s______ i__ ? V-n-z-v-u- s-u-e-t i-i ? ------------------------ Venez-vous souvent ici ? 0
No, this is the first time. Non, -’e-t -a p---i-r- -o-s. N___ c____ l_ p_______ f____ N-n- c-e-t l- p-e-i-r- f-i-. ---------------------------- Non, c’est la première fois. 0
I’ve never been here before. Je-n-y-é---s---co-- j--ais -e---. J_ n__ é____ e_____ j_____ v_____ J- n-y é-a-s e-c-r- j-m-i- v-n-e- --------------------------------- Je n’y étais encore jamais venue. 0
Would you like to dance? V------v--- da--er-? V__________ d_____ ? V-u-e---o-s d-n-e- ? -------------------- Voulez-vous danser ? 0
Maybe later. P--s-tar---p-ut---re. P___ t____ p_________ P-u- t-r-, p-u---t-e- --------------------- Plus tard, peut-être. 0
I can’t dance very well. Je--- sai- --s-t--s --e---an--r. J_ n_ s___ p__ t___ b___ d______ J- n- s-i- p-s t-è- b-e- d-n-e-. -------------------------------- Je ne sais pas très bien danser. 0
It’s very easy. C’-s--t--s ---p-e. C____ t___ s______ C-e-t t-è- s-m-l-. ------------------ C’est très simple. 0
I’ll show you. Je---us m--t----i. J_ v___ m_________ J- v-u- m-n-r-r-i- ------------------ Je vous montrerai. 0
No, maybe some other time. Non--pl-tô--u-e --t-- --is. N___ p_____ u__ a____ f____ N-n- p-u-ô- u-e a-t-e f-i-. --------------------------- Non, plutôt une autre fois. 0
Are you waiting for someone? Est-ce qu---ou- attende- --elq-’---? E_____ q__ v___ a_______ q________ ? E-t-c- q-e v-u- a-t-n-e- q-e-q-’-n ? ------------------------------------ Est-ce que vous attendez quelqu’un ? 0
Yes, for my boyfriend. O-i- mo--am-. O___ m__ a___ O-i- m-n a-i- ------------- Oui, mon ami. 0
There he is! I- -r---e-----e-d--ri-r---o---! I_ a_____ j____ d_______ n___ ! I- a-r-v- j-s-e d-r-i-r- n-u- ! ------------------------------- Il arrive juste derrière nous ! 0

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Genes influence language

The language we speak is dependent on our ancestry. But our genes are also responsible for our language. Scottish researchers have come to this conclusion. They examined how English differs from Chinese. In doing so they discovered that genes play a role, too. Because genes influence the development of our brain. That is to say, they shape our brain structures. With this, our ability to learn languages is determined. Variants of two genes are crucial to this. If a particular variant is scarce, tonal languages develop. So tonal languages are spoken by people without these gene variants. In tonal languages, the meaning of words is determined by the pitch of the tones. Chinese is included in the tonal languages, for example. If this gene variant is dominant, however, other languages develop. English is not a tonal language. The variants of this gene are not evenly distributed. That means they occur with differing frequency in the world. But languages only survive if they are passed down. In order to do this, children must be able to imitate the language of their parents. So they must be able to learn the language well. Only then will it be passed down from generation to generation. The older gene variant is the one that promotes tonal languages. So there were probably more tonal languages in the past than there are today. But one mustn't overestimate the genetic components. They can only add to explaining the development of languages. But there isn't a gene for English, or a gene for Chinese. Anybody can learn any language. You don't need genes for that, but rather only curiosity and discipline!
Did you know?
Thai is a member of the Tai-Kadai language family. It is the native language of 20 million people. In contrast to most western languages, Thai is a tonal language. In tonal languages, the pronunciation of syllables changes their meaning. Most Thai words consist of only one syllable. A word takes on a different meaning depending on the pitch in which a syllable is spoken. Altogether Thai distinguishes between five pitches. Thai society was strictly divided over many centuries. As a result, Thai still recognizes at least five different levels of speech today. These range from a simple vernacular to a very polite form of speech. Furthermore, Thai is divided into many local dialects. The language's semiotic system is a hybrid of an alphabet and syllabic writing. The grammar construction is not very complex. Because Thai is an isolating language, there are no declensions or conjugations. Learn Thai - it is really a fascinating language!