Le groupe français 2016 - 2023 Les Voyageurs

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tomgosse
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby tomgosse » Sun Apr 16, 2017 4:08 pm

Ani wrote:
Carmody wrote:I am finding a listing of French synonyms a bit difficult to come by

What would you be looking for in a list of synonyms? A short list? Almost every word has oodles of synonyms. Larousse publishes a dictionary of synonyms and am sure there are plenty of others as well.

Here is an online dictionary of synonyms: Larousse at reverso.
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Carmody
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby Carmody » Sun Apr 16, 2017 5:45 pm

Many thanks, Tom,

Yes, I know about the dictionaries and they are useful. However, I find it interesting to be able to go from listings. Having a listing actually shows me the differences between synonyms that I had not known about or suspected. I guess I really have to buy a dictionary for them, if I want to find out. Does anyone have a synonym dictionary that they suggest? I am compiling a synonym listing for myself and it is definitely getting long. So often I go to a dictionary and it gives the same meaning to 2 different words when I know that can't be.

ouf... zut alors........ :D
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MorkTheFiddle
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby MorkTheFiddle » Sun Apr 16, 2017 6:34 pm

Carmody wrote:Does anyone have a synonym dictionary that they suggest?


There is this: Nouveau Dictionnaire des Synonymes, by Émile Genouvrier, Claude Désirat, Tristan Hordé and published in 1977. The Amazon site shows several other books of synonyms.

Here is one of the main entries from the book:

étang Étang et lac se différencient fondamentalement par la superficie : un étang est une étendue d’eau généralement moins vaste et moins profonde qu’un lac, qui peut atteindre les dimensions d’une mer fermée ; lagune se dit d’une étendue d’eau saumâtre, séparée de la mer par un cordon de terre ; marais se dit d’une étendue d’eaux stagnantes, de faible épaisseur de envahie par une végétation spéciale. V. aussi mare. [page 174]

Other entries on this page are étape, état, été, éteindre, étendre, éternel, étinceler, étincelle, étoile, étonner.

As a very rough guess, there are about 4,000 main entries in all in the book. There is enough white space for comfortable reading, but not so much that the publishers have padded the book with wasted space.
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Many things which are false are transmitted from book to book, and gain credit in the world. -- attributed to Samuel Johnson

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Carmody
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby Carmody » Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:10 pm

Many thanks.

However, it does seem to me that since there are many lists around for the 5,000 or 10,000 most frequently used words in French, then it should be possible to have a list of the 5,000 or 10,000 most frequently used synonyms. Knowing the basic list would help greatly in writing ones exercises correctly that one does privately or for proficiency tests at whatever level. Discerning the difference between two apparent synonyms would certainly help on a test score, and increase one's enjoyment of the language.

I would also add that I believe that many of the "synonyms" one finds in the French language are in fact not different words with identical meanings, but rather words with both similarities and differences and that often 2 words with similar meanings have shadings or nuances for use in different context. My interest is in the shadings or differences that exist between the two words.

Capretz in his introduction to French In Action emphasized that French words are not something that can be translated with a dictionary alone and I believe that point is clearly apparent when it comes to many synonyms and their usage.
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rlnv
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby rlnv » Fri Apr 21, 2017 3:51 pm

I'd like to do some verb drills. I'm looking for a site that has configurable verb options, and it must take typed in responses. Does anyone have any good sites to recommend?
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Arnaud
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby Arnaud » Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:03 pm

rlnv wrote:I'd like to do some verb drills. I'm looking for a site that has configurable verb options, and it must take typed in responses. Does anyone have any good sites to recommend?

That one seems to match your expectations: you can choose which tenses and verbs you want to drill.
http://www.toutelaconjugaison.com/exercice.html
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rlnv
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby rlnv » Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:17 pm

Arnaud wrote:
rlnv wrote:I'd like to do some verb drills. I'm looking for a site that has configurable verb options, and it must take typed in responses. Does anyone have any good sites to recommend?

That one seems to match your expectations: you can choose which tenses and verbs you want to drill.
http://www.toutelaconjugaison.com/exercice.html


Thanks! That is exactly what I was looking for. Excellent site.
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rlnv
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby rlnv » Mon Apr 24, 2017 4:12 am

I've been using Cavesa's Memrise conjugaison française deck for verb drills. This is my first time using Memrise, and I really like it. Thanks Cavesa for creating and sharing your deck!
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DaveBee
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby DaveBee » Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:58 am

I've just come across a YouTube channel with french subtitles. It's only four videos though :( (3 of them also have english subs).

It's called Confessions d'histoire: YouTube channel / website.
Confessions d’Histoire est une série de divertissement à vocation ludo-éducative sur l’Histoire de France et des grandes civilisations.

L’écriture du scénario est volontairement axée sur l’humour en jouant principalement sur l’anachronisme du langage utilisé par les interviewés et leur époque. Chaque fait relaté est cité sur la base de sources historiques réelles.

L’Histoire racontée par ceux qui l’ont vécue : A la façon d’un confessionnal de TV réalité, des personnalités historiques viennent témoigner confrontent leurs visions originales, et souvent divergentes, sur ces événements.
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tastyonions
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Re: Le groupe français 2016 - 2017 Les Voyageurs

Postby tastyonions » Fri Apr 28, 2017 12:41 pm

DaveBee wrote:It's called Confessions d'histoire: YouTube channel / website.
Confessions d’Histoire est une série de divertissement à vocation ludo-éducative sur l’Histoire de France et des grandes civilisations.

Nice! I had never come across that before. Looks interesting.
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