GRAMMAR

⭐ The Focus of This Lesson Is Describing Things Around You

Il y a ... des immeubles !!!

"There are...buildings!"

Each city and each country has its own landmarks. Not only do they identify a place, but they can also become its symbols. France has a few such landmarks; among the most famous ones are the Eiffel Tower, the Riviera, and the Mont Saint-Michel. Many others that people do not mention as often are the Reims Cathedral, the Fontainebleau forest near Paris, the flea market of Saint Ouen in the suburbs of Paris, the Basilica Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire in Lourdes, and the Rouen Armada, which takes place every five years, regrouping famous private and military sailboats.

All these sites represent part of the French heritage and culture, and people use them as landmarks to get situated geographically. When describing things around you, landmarks are a practical way to provide points of reference.

To describe a monument or something around you, use il y a ("there is/there are") as follows:

(Il y a + Article + Noun)

For Example:

1. Il y a une église.

"There is a church."

2. Il y a la Cathédrale Notre Dame.

"There is the Notre Dame Cathedral."

3. Il y a un château.

"There is a castle."

4. Il y a le pont du Gard.

"There is the Gard bridge."

⭐ Language Review:

Use un ("a") for masculine singular things and une ("a") for feminine, singular things you are talking about in general. Use le ("the") for masculine, singular things and la ("the") for feminine, singular things that a speaker specifically describes or specifically implies.

In the dialogue, Rob describes Chicago as having many buildings by saying Il y a des immeubles ("There are buildings."). He is describing his impression of Chicago as a whole. If you are describing various landmarks or things around you without detailing or identifying them, use il y a ("there is"/"there are") with the indefinite plural article des ("the").

⭐ Describing Unidentified Things

The article des, translated as "the," is an indefinite article referring to things or individuals in a general sense. The speaker doesn't give details about which ones. 

(Il y a des + Noun)

For Example:

1. Il y a des jardins.

"There are gardens."

2. Il y a des maisons en pierre.

"There are stone houses."

3. Il y a des plantes.

"There are plants."

4. Il y a des restaurants.

"There are restaurants."

⭐ Describing Identified and Specific Things

After Rob describes Chicago, Cathy remembers about the all-beef hot dogs, a specialty and symbol of the city, when she says Il y a aussi les fameux hot dogs ! ("There are also the famous hot dogs!") Culinary specialties are also symbolic of a specific area, and therefore, they often have an association with a geographical area. France possesses as many or more specialties as its twenty-two regions, such as:

1. la pissaladière, from southern France, which is a flat bread with an anchovy sauce, cooked onions, and black olives
2. la saucisse de Morteau, which is a smoked pork sausage, from the Franche-Comté region
3. la fondue bourguignonne from Burgundy, which is pieces of meat cooked in oil accompanied by various sauces.

⭐ To mention specialties or specific things or landmarks, use the plural article les ("the"). This article is part of the group of French definite articles we use to define specific or identified things. We can form a sentence using les as follows:

(Il y a les + Noun)

For Example:

1. Il y a les Jardins Botaniques Borély de Marseille.

"There are the Borély botanical gardens of Marseille. ."

2. Il y a les maisons en pierre du centre historique de Lyon.

"There are the stone houses of Lyon historic center."

3. Il y a les plantes du parc du château de Versailles.

"There are plants of the Versailles Castle."

4. Il y a les restaurants de l'Île de la Cité à Paris.

"There are the restaurants of the Cité island in Paris."

➖ Cultural Insights ➖

Who Is Public Enemy Number One in France?

France also has its Public Enemy Number 1.  Jacques Mesrine, who was born near Paris, received a religious education, but he was expelled for aggressive behavior. After many years of criminal activity, he was arrested for the first time in 1962 just before a bank robbery and was released from prison eighteen months later. After he was released, he took a job in an architectural design company; but he was fired a year later due to downsizing. It is at that time that he returned to a life of crime. He accomplished his unlawful activities internationally in Spanish territory first, then in Canada; he was finally arrested in the United States and then extradited to Canada. After escaping from jail, he robbed multiple banks, and later, he returned to France. Mesrine committed various crimes, including burglaries, jewelry shop and bank robberies, kidnappings, and arms smuggling. He also killed many people throughout his criminal career, murdering approximately thirty-nine people. He excelled in disguising himself, earning his nickname of "The Man of a Hundred Faces." On June 21, 1979, Mesrine kidnapped millionaire Henri Lelièvre and received a ransom of six million francs. It was at that time that the government called Mesrine "French Public Enemy Number One."

As part of the French culture, Jacques Mesrine became the inspiration for several artists. The hard rock-punk band Trust dedicated two songs to him on its 1980 album Repression. A movie that André Génovès directed about Mesrine was released in 1984. Recently, in 2008, director Jean-François Richet produced two movies, L'instinct de mort ("Death Instinct") and L'ennemi public No. 1 ("Public Enemy No. 1"), which related to Mesrine's life. Vincent Cassel played Mesrine.

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