Very difficult parts to hear

RichardC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Very difficult parts to hear

It seems the speaker is saying "l'impact de gigantesque."  I understand that a "de" here would be incorrect, but that is what I hear.  I presume this is because she is actually emphasizing the end of the word as in "l'impACT gigantesque."  Nevertheless, the emphasis on the end of the word seems over done.  

Later, it sounds as if she is saying "cette décision était facile."  I understand, too, that this would be incorrect grammatically, but nevertheless it is almost impossible for me to here clearly "ait été."  

Perhaps the lesson here is that one should not go by what one thinks one hears, but figure out what would be grammatically correct.  I guess that is probably what we do when listening to English.  We "sort of" listen but actually are just following the flow of the idea being transmitted and fill in the precise details only as needed.  


Asked 6 months ago
CélineKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Bonjour Richard,

You are correct: "one should not go by what one thinks one hears, but figure out what would be grammatically correct."

When doing a listening exercise, you have to use external elements on top of your grammar skills, especially, if you think you are hearing a word that does not make much sense. So it's important to keep an eye out for the context, the topic and use one's common sense.

Link to user's answer: audio issue

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

Very difficult parts to hear

It seems the speaker is saying "l'impact de gigantesque."  I understand that a "de" here would be incorrect, but that is what I hear.  I presume this is because she is actually emphasizing the end of the word as in "l'impACT gigantesque."  Nevertheless, the emphasis on the end of the word seems over done.  

Later, it sounds as if she is saying "cette décision était facile."  I understand, too, that this would be incorrect grammatically, but nevertheless it is almost impossible for me to here clearly "ait été."  

Perhaps the lesson here is that one should not go by what one thinks one hears, but figure out what would be grammatically correct.  I guess that is probably what we do when listening to English.  We "sort of" listen but actually are just following the flow of the idea being transmitted and fill in the precise details only as needed.  


Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Let me take a look at that...