92 Madame Déficit

Sur le plateau

The phrase “sur le plateau” literally translates to “on the set” or “on the plateau”, but its meaning depends on the context in which it’s used. Here are the different interpretations:

1. In Film, Television, or Theater: “On Set” 🎬

In the entertainment industry, “sur le plateau” refers to being on a film set, TV studio, or stage where a production is being filmed or performed.

✅ Example:

• Les acteurs sont déjà sur le plateau. (The actors are already on set.)
• Il y avait beaucoup de tension sur le plateau pendant le tournage. (There was a lot of tension on set during the shooting.)

2. In Journalism or Talk Shows: “On the Show” 🎤

In TV news or talk shows, “sur le plateau” can mean “on air” or “on the set of the show”, referring to the location where discussions or interviews happen.

✅ Example:

• Ce soir, nous accueillons un invité spécial sur le plateau. (Tonight, we welcome a special guest on the show.)
• Les débats sur le plateau étaient très animés. (The debates on set were very lively.)

3. In Geography: “On the Plateau” 🌄

Geographically, “un plateau” refers to a flat elevated area, like a high plain or tableland. In this case, “sur le plateau” means “on the plateau”, referring to a specific region.

✅ Example:

• Les fermiers vivent sur le plateau depuis des générations. (The farmers have lived on the plateau for generations.)
• Sur le plateau central, le climat est plus sec. (On the central plateau, the climate is drier.)

4. In Cuisine: “On the Platter” 🍽️

In a culinary context, “sur le plateau” can mean “on the serving tray” or “on the platter”, often referring to food presentation (e.g., a cheese platter or seafood tray).

✅ Example:

• Il y a plusieurs variétés de fromages sur le plateau. (There are several types of cheese on the platter.)
• Sur le plateau de fruits de mer, il y avait des huîtres et des crevettes. (On the seafood platter, there were oysters and shrimp.)

Summary Table: Different Meanings of “Sur le plateau”

Prefixes

French prefixes are an essential aspect of the language, allowing speakers to modify the meaning of words and create new vocabulary. A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to alter its meaning. Understanding these prefixes can help learners expand their vocabulary and recognize patterns in word formation.

1. “Re-” (Again, Back, Repetition)

One of the most common prefixes in French, “re-” indicates a repetition or a return to a previous state.

• Refaire (to redo, remake) → Il faut refaire cet exercice. (You need to redo this exercise.)
• Revoir (to review, see again) → Je dois revoir ma leçon. (I need to review my lesson.)
• Renaître (to be reborn) → L’espoir renaît après la crise. (Hope is reborn after the crisis.)

2. “Dé-” (Negation, Reversal, Removal)

The prefix “dé-” is used to indicate opposition, reversal, or removal of something.

• Démolir (to demolish) → Ils ont démoli l’ancienne maison. (They demolished the old house.)
• Désactiver (to deactivate) → Il faut désactiver l’alarme. (You need to deactivate the alarm.)
• Dégeler (to thaw, unfreeze) → La glace commence à dégeler. (The ice is starting to thaw.)

3. “Pré-” (Before, Anticipation)

The prefix “pré-” conveys the idea of something happening before another action or in anticipation of something.

• Précéder (to precede) → Le prologue précède le premier chapitre. (The prologue precedes the first chapter.)
• Prévoir (to foresee, predict) → Nous devons prévoir les risques. (We need to anticipate the risks.)
• Préparer (to prepare) → Elle prépare son discours. (She is preparing her speech.)

4. “In- / Im- / Il- / Ir-” (Negation, Opposite Meaning)

These prefixes indicate negation or an opposite meaning. Their form changes depending on the following letter.

• Impossible (impossible) → C’est impossible de tout faire en un jour. (It’s impossible to do everything in one day.)
• Inutile (useless) → Ce document est inutile maintenant. (This document is useless now.)
• Illégal (illegal) → Ce commerce est illégal. (This business is illegal.)
• Irrégulier (irregular) → Son emploi du temps est irrégulier. (His schedule is irregular.)

5. “É- / Es-” (Out, Removal, Intensity)

Derived from the Latin “ex-”, this prefix often signifies movement out of something, completion, or intensity.

• Écourter (to shorten) → Il faut écourter le discours. (We need to shorten the speech.)
• Élever (to raise) → Il a été élevé en France. (He was raised in France.)
• Espérer (to hope) → J’espère que tu viendras. (I hope you’ll come.)

6. “Sous-” (Under, Below, Insufficient)

The prefix “sous-” is used to indicate a lower position, an insufficient quantity, or something incomplete.

• Sous-estimer (to underestimate) → Ne sous-estime pas ton potentiel. (Don’t underestimate your potential.)
• Sous-titrer (to subtitle) → Le film est sous-titré en anglais. (The movie is subtitled in English.)
• Sous-sol (basement) → La cave est au sous-sol. (The cellar is in the basement.)

7. “Co-” (With, Together, Cooperation)

The prefix “co-” expresses the idea of working or being together.

• Coexister (to coexist) → Ces deux espèces coexistent pacifiquement. (These two species coexist peacefully.)
• Coproduire (to co-produce) → Ils ont coproduit ce film. (They co-produced this film.)
• Collaborer (to collaborate) → Nous devons collaborer sur ce projet. (We need to collaborate on this project.)

8. “Mal-” (Bad, Wrong, Difficulty)

The prefix “mal-” often implies something negative, incorrect, or difficult.

• Malhonnête (dishonest) → Cet homme est malhonnête. (This man is dishonest.)
• Malheureux (unhappy, unfortunate) → Elle est malheureuse sans lui. (She is unhappy without him.)
• Maltraiter (to mistreat) → Il ne faut pas maltraiter les animaux. (Animals should not be mistreated.)

9. “Mé-” (Wrong, Bad, Improper)

Similar to “mal-”, the prefix “mé-” suggests error, imperfection, or something done incorrectly.

• Méconnaître (to misunderstand, to not recognize) → Il méconnaît la gravité du problème. (He misunderstands the seriousness of the problem.)
• Mécontent (dissatisfied, unhappy) → Il est mécontent de son travail. (He is unhappy with his job.)
• Mésentente (misunderstanding, disagreement) → Il y a une mésentente entre eux. (There is a misunderstanding between them.)

10. “En-” (To Put Into a State, To Enter, To Become)

The prefix “en-” can indicate putting something into a state, going into a place, or becoming something.

Examples:

• Encourager (to encourage) → Elle m’encourage à essayer. (She encourages me to try.)
• Enrichir (to enrich) → Lire enrichit l’esprit. (Reading enriches the mind.)
• Envelopper (to wrap up) → Elle enveloppe le cadeau. (She wraps the gift.)
• Enhardir (to embolden, to make bold) → Le succès l’enhardit. (Success makes him bolder.)
• Enlaidir (to become ugly, to make ugly) → Ce bâtiment enlaidit la ville. (This building makes the city uglier.)

cerveau vs. cervelle

In French, “cerveau” and “cervelle” both refer to the brain, but they have different uses:

1. Cerveau (masculine):

   • Refers to the brain in a scientific, anatomical, or general sense.
     E.g.: “The brain controls body functions.” (Le cerveau contrôle les fonctions du corps.)
   • Can also mean a smart person or the mastermind behind something.
     E.g.: “He is the mastermind of the operation.” (C’est le cerveau de l’opération.)

2. Cervelle (feminine):

   • Refers more to brain matter, often in a culinary or graphic context.
     E.g.: “He lost his brain in the accident.” (Il a perdu la cervelle dans l’accident.)
     E.g.: “Eating lamb brains.” (Manger de la cervelle d’agneau.)
   • Can also be used figuratively to refer to intelligence (often in a casual or slightly negative way).
     E.g.: “He doesn’t have much brains.” (Il n’a pas beaucoup de cervelle.)

Summary:

• “Cerveau” is the general term for the brain and can also mean “mastermind.”
• “Cervelle” is more about brain matter, often used in food or figurative expressions.

📔 Grammar Breakdown

Breakdown of “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”

1. Imperative Use of the Subjunctive

• The imperative mood is typically used for commands, but it has no third-person forms (il/elle/on, ils/elles).
• To express a command or wish for “he,” “she,” or “they,” French uses the subjunctive with “que”:
  • Qu’il vienne ! (Let him come!)
  • Qu’elle parte ! (Let her leave!)
  • Qu’ils mangent ! (Let them eat!)
• “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” follows this pattern, making it an example of the imperative use of the subjunctive.

2. Grammar Breakdown

• Qu’ → Conjunction (subjunctive trigger)

  • A contraction of “Que,” which introduces a subjunctive clause (expressing a wish or hypothetical situation).

• ils → Subject Pronoun

  • Means “they” (at least one masculine individual).

• mangent → Verb (subjunctive mood)

  • From “manger” (to eat), conjugated in the third-person plural subjunctive:
    • Indicative: Ils mangent (they eat)
    • Subjunctive: Qu’ils mangent (that they eat)

• de la → Partitive Article

  • Means “some” (used before feminine singular nouns to indicate an unspecified amount).

• brioche → Noun (feminine singular)

  • A type of sweet bread.

3. Translation & Context

• “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” translates to “Let them eat brioche” (often misquoted as “Let them eat cake”).
• It implies a dismissive or out-of-touch attitude toward people lacking bread, assuming they can simply eat brioche instead.

More examples from the text

1. Vive le Roi ! (Long live the King!)

   • “Vive” is the third-person singular present subjunctive of vivre (to live).
   • The phrase implicitly follows the structure of a subjunctive clause (Que le Roi vive !).
   • It expresses a wish or encouragement for the King to live long.

2. Que Dieu bénisse la France ! (May God bless France!)

   • “Que” explicitly introduces a subjunctive clause.
   • “Bénisse” is the third-person singular present subjunctive of bénir (to bless).
   • The sentence expresses a wish (not a statement of fact), which is why the subjunctive is used.

Passé Simple

The passé simple is mostly used in literature and formal writing. If you’ve ever read a French novel or historical text, you’ve probably seen it in action!

What is the Passé Simple?

The passé simple is a past tense used to describe completed actions in the past, similar to the passé composé. However, there’s a key difference:

• The passé composé (j’ai mangé, il est parti) is used in everyday speech and writing.
• The passé simple (je mangeai, il partit) is mostly found in literature, historical accounts, and formal writing—you won’t hear it in casual conversation.

For example, in this sentence:
“Ainsi, elle fut tour à tour adorée et haïe, mais elle était tenue éloignée du monde des hommes.”

👉 “fut” is the passé simple of “être” (to be), showing completed actions (“was adored and hated”).
👉 “était” is in the imperfect because it describes a continuous state (“was kept away”).

Passé Simple vs. Imparfait: What’s the Difference?

How to Conjugate Common Verbs in Passé Simple

Here’s a handy table with some common verbs in the passé simple!

When Should You Learn Passé Simple?

If you’re just starting with French, focus on passé composé and imparfait first. But if you love reading in French, learning the passé simple will help you understand books, news articles, and history texts much better!

Vocabulaire