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How to Say ‘Would you know of a boy who lived in my flat in the '50s?’ in French

Un petit garçon qui habitait chez moi dans les années cinquante, ça vous dit rien?

uhn puh-tee gar-son kee ah-bee-tay shay mwah dahn leh ah-neh sankont sah voo dee ree-en

[uhn puh-tee gar-son kee ah-bee-tay shay mwah dahn leh ah-neh sankont sah voo dee ree-en]

Phrase Breakdown

Un petit garçon

uhn puh-tee gar-son

Words in this phrase

[uhn]

Indefinite article used before a singular noun.

Example

Un petit garçon était là.

A little boy was there.

petit

[puh-tee]

little

Describes something small in size.

Example

Un petit garçon est passé.

A little boy passed by.

garçon

[gar-son]

boy

A young male child.

Example

Je vois un garçon jouer.

I see a boy playing.

Qui habitait chez moi

kee ah-bee-tay shay mwah

Words in this phrase

qui

[kee]

who

Used to introduce a clause referring to a person.

Example

Qui est-ce?

Who is it?

habitait

[ah-bee-tay]

lived

To reside or dwell.

Example

Il habitait là-bas avant.

He lived there before.

chez

[shay]

Indicates a location or position.

Example

Je suis chez moi.

I am at home.

moi

[mwah]

The person speaking.

Example

C'est pour moi.

It's for me.

Dans les années cinquante

dahn leh ah-neh sankont

Words in this phrase

dans

[dahn]

Indicates inclusion within an area.

Example

Il est dans la maison.

He is in the house.

les

[leh]

the

Determiner used to indicate something specific.

Example

Les étoiles brillent encore.

The stars are still shining.

années

[ah-neh]

years

Plural of 'year', indicating passage of time.

Example

Les années passent.

The years go by.

cinquante

[sankont]

fifty

The number between 49 and 51.

Example

Nous sommes dans les années cinquante.

We are in the fifties.

Ça vous dit rien?

sah voo dee ree-en

Words in this phrase

ça

[sah]

that

Used to refer to something mentioned.

Example

Ça a l'air bien.

That looks good.

vous

[voo]

you

Pronoun used to indicate the person or people being addressed.

Example

Vous êtes intéressé?

Are you interested?

dit

[dee]

say

To communicate verbally.

Example

Qu'avez-vous dit?

What did you say?

rien

[ree-en]

nothing

Not anything, the absence of anything.

Example

Ça ne veut rien dire.

That means nothing.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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