French A1.16 Listening Practice: Ask About A City
Listen to a A1 French dialogue about ask about a city, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A1.16
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
19 segments
A short French listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 4: reuse il y a in a city question so the learner can ask about a real place.
Read while you listen.
1. Teacher
Welcome to today's French lesson! Today, we are exploring a city. We will learn how to ask what is in a city using 'qu'est-ce qu'il y a' and answer with 'il y a'. Let's listen to our native speakers, Luc and Marie, talking about Paris.
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2. Native Speaker 1
Qu'est-ce qu'il y a à Paris ?
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3. Native Speaker 2
Il y a un parc.
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4. Native Speaker 1
Est-ce qu'il y a un café ?
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5. Native Speaker 2
Oui, il y a un café.
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6. Native Speaker 1
Et un musée ?
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7. Native Speaker 2
Oui, il y a un musée.
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8. Teacher
Great! Now let's break down the conversation. The first sentence was: 'Qu'est-ce qu'il y a à Paris ?'. This means 'What is there in Paris?'. 'Qu'est-ce qu'il y a' means 'what is there'.
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9. Student
That sounds like a long phrase! Is 'qu'est-ce qu'il y a' always used to ask 'what is there'?
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10. Teacher
Yes, it is the standard way to ask 'what is there' or 'what is in' a place. Next, Marie answered: 'Il y a un parc.' This means 'There is a park.'
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11. Student
Does 'il y a' change if there are multiple parks?
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12. Teacher
No, it doesn't! 'Il y a' is wonderful because it means both 'there is' and 'there are'. It never changes. Next, Luc asked: 'Est-ce qu'il y a un café?'. This means 'Is there a café?'.
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13. Student
What is the difference between 'qu'est-ce qu'il y a' and 'est-ce qu'il y a'?
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14. Teacher
'Qu'est-ce qu'il y a' asks 'what' is there, while 'est-ce qu'il y a' is a yes/no question asking 'is there' a specific thing. Perfect! Let's listen to the dialogue one more time to practice.
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15. Native Speaker 1
Qu'est-ce qu'il y a à Paris ?
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16. Native Speaker 2
Il y a un parc.
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17. Native Speaker 1
Est-ce qu'il y a un café ?
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18. Native Speaker 2
Oui, il y a un café.
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19. Teacher
Excellent work today! Keep practicing these simple patterns to talk about any city.
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