- In this video, we're going to be
looking at an interesting expression that
you can use to make a suggestion.
Does that sound good? Let's begin!
(upbeat French music)
Hello everyone and welcome
I'm Mark.
- And I'm Pierre-Benoît.
- Welcome back to another episode
of Coffee Break French,
and, this time, we are looking at Karen's question.
Karen, our viewer, our listener,
got in touch and Karen asked us
how you use the expression "ça te dit".
Pierre-Benoît, it's an interesting expression,
isn't it?
- Yeah, not only is it an interesting expression,
but it's also a very easy expression to use, Mark.
- Very good.
- It's using the verb "dire", which means "to say",
so it's as if the words are speaking to the person.
So you invite someone to do something,
or you suggest to them if they would like to do something
with you.
- Okay, let's look at some examples and I think
that will make things a little clearer.
So give us a first example, Pierre-Benoît.
- "Ça te dit un jus d'orange ?"
- Okay, so "ça te dit un jus d'orange ?",
so "ça te dit",
literally "that to you speaks",
or says,
"un jus d'orange ?",
an orange juice.
So what do you think that would mean?
"Ça te dit un jus d'orange ?",
"that to you says an orange juice?"
It means "do you fancy an orange juice?",
"does an orange juice speak to you?".
Something like that.
So "do you fancy an orange juice?",
"would you like an orange juice?".
And we can simply use it with a noun like that,
"ça te dit", and then whatever the noun is.
Do you fancy a cheese sandwich?
- Yeah, it could be a drink, or it could be food,
so "ça dit dit un sandwich au fromage ?".
- "Un sandwich au fromage".
So, "ça te dit un sandwich au fromage ?".
Do you fancy a cheese sandwich?
But we can also use it in a different way
when we combine it with a verb.
- Yes, with an action.
So you would need to add the word "de"
and then use your infinitive.
I'll give you an example.
"Ça te dit de voir un film ?".
- Very good.
"Ça te dit", and then we've got that
very important "de" in there.
"Ça te dit de voir un film ?".
Do you fancy going to see a film?
Would you like to see a film?
"Ça te dit de voir un film ?".
And we really need that "de" in there before
the infinitive form.
"Ça te dit de voir un film ?".
Very good. Can you give another example?
- Of course.
"Ça te dit de manger au restaurant ?"
- Okay so "ça te dit de manger au restaurant ?"
So "do you fancy, would you like to,
go and eat in a restaurant?".
Or "would you like to have dinner in a restaurant?",
something like that.
"Ça te dit de manger au restaurant ?".
Okay.
- Very good.
Now, "ça te dit" is quite direct, Mark.
Okay, it's more like "do you want?",
I know we would say "would you like",
but it's closer to "do you want",
but we can use the conditional
in French as well to make it more polite,
as "would you like?".
So that becomes "ça te dirait ?".
- So that's turning our "ça te dit",
the present tense of "dit", of "dire",
that becomes "ça te dirait", so that's
the conditional form of "dire",
"ça te dirait".
And then your example was?
- "Ça te dirait d'aller au marché ?".
- Okay, so we are making "de" into "D-apostrophe"
because it's followed by a vowel.
"Ça te dirait d'aller au marché ?".
Would you like to go to the market?
Do you fancy going to the market?
- Very good.
Now, it's not always with "te".
We could have other people.
We could be inviting a group of people.
So "ça te dirait ?" could become "ça vous dirait ?".
- Very good.
So "ça vous dirait ?", "would you all like?"
So "would you all like to", I don't know...
- "Jouer au tennis ?".
- Okay, so "ça vous dirait de jouer au tennis ?",
"would you all like to play tennis?".
"Ça vous dirait ?", so that we've got "V-O-U-S"
there, "ça vous dirait ?" the plural form.
Would you all like to play tennis?
But we also use that "vous" in another sense,
can't we?
- Yes, because "vous" also can refer to one person.
Not a group of people, just one person.
In that case, you're being very polite towards
that person.
So if I said "ça vous dirait un café ?",
either I'm talking to a group of people,
asking them would they all want to have a coffee,
or just one person, if that person
would like to have a coffee.
- "Ça vous dirait un café ?".
Now, we could also say here "ça vous dirait
de boire un café ?".
- Oui. "De boire, de prendre un café."
- So it's the same question,
just asked in different ways.
Let's go through each of these one more time.
If you can say the French, Pierre-Benoît,
I'll say the English.
So first of all, "ça te dit",
these straightforward ones.
"Would you like an orange juice?".
- "Ça te dit un jus d'orange ?"
- Would you like a cheese sandwich?
- "Ça te dit un sandwich au fromage ?"
- Very good, now let's do the ones
with the verbs, the infinitive forms here.
- "Ça te dit de voir un film ?".
- Okay. "Would you like to go to the restaurant?".
- "Ça te dit de manger au restaurant ?"
- Super.
And then what about the conditional form here?
So again, we're jumping to a conditional now.
- "Ça te dirait d'aller au marché ?".
- So it means something very similar,
but it's just that added level of maybe
a little bit more formality,
a little higher there.
"Ça te dirait d'aller au marché ?".
"Do you fancy going to the market?".
- "Ça vous dirait de jouer au tennis ?".
- So the plural one, "would you all
like to play tennis?".
- And the last one:
"Ça vous dirait un café ?"
- "Would you like to have a coffee?",
or "would you just like a coffee?".
Okay, so hopefully this has
answered Karen's question.
Karen, thank you for sending us your question.
And if you have a question like Karen,
then simply get in touch with us via
coffeebreakquestions.com,
where you can send us your question,
we'll hopefully be able to include your question
in a future episode.
And of course, if you've enjoyed this video,
then make sure you give it a "like"
and subscribe to our channel to get more videos
just like this to help you build your language skills.
- And if you do have an example,
using this new expression,
"ça te dirait", "ça vous dirait",
"ça te dit", "ça vous dit",
please do not hesitate and post it in the comments.
- Very good.
Well, thank you very much, and see you next time.
- Bye!
(upbeat French music)