French course

Lesson 196 of 240

New here? This is lesson 196 of a free 240-lesson French course.

Start hereHow this works

How I'm feeling in French

Sam walks into Café des Tilleuls still bristling from Claire's meeting. Odile clocks the mood before he can order.

This page is for naming how you feel and what caused it, not hunger, cold or tiredness.

You will say you are stressed or not in a great mood, name what cheers you up, and feel the crème help.

A woman adds an e to stressé and détendu. Sam, as a man, does not.

By the end of this lesson

Describe your mood and what caused it.

  • Là, je suis un peu stressé.I'm a bit stressed right now.
  • Je ne suis pas de très bonne humeur.I'm not in a great mood.
  • Ça me met de bonne humeur.That puts me in a good mood.
  • Je me sens vraiment détendu.I feel really relaxed.
  • C'est à cause de cette réunion.It's because of that meeting.
  • Rien que d'y penser, ça me fait plaisir.Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Scene — the mood first

Late afternoon on rue des Tilleuls. Sam pushes the café door with his shoulders still high from Claire's meeting.

Odile is already watching from the zinc counter. Gaspard sits at the table next to the window table, on two chairs, café crème untouched.

The blank brass sign stays on the window table.

Wide late-afternoon café interior with Sam coming through the door, Odile watching from the zinc, and Gaspard by the windows.

Learn — mood and cause

Six lines cover a tense mood, a low mood, what cheers you up, feeling relaxed, a cause, and a happy thought.

Sam's forms are stressé and détendu; a woman adds e.

  1. Sam pauses in the café doorway with shoulders still high from the street.

    Là, je suis un peu stressé.

    I'm a bit stressed right now.

    When to use it: Say this when you feel tense in this moment.

    A man says stressé; a woman says stressée.

    Say it: The un in un peu is a nasal sound.

  2. Sam leans on the zinc with head lowered in a closed, stressed pause.

    Je ne suis pas de très bonne humeur.

    I'm not in a great mood.

    When to use it: Say this when your mood is low, without naming why.

    Bonne agrees with humeur, which is a feminine word.

    Say it: The h in humeur is silent.

  3. Odile slides a coffee with milk across the zinc toward Sam.

    Ça me met de bonne humeur.

    That puts me in a good mood.

    When to use it: Point at something that cheers you up.

    Ça stands for the thing that lifts your mood.

  4. The unused window table sits empty in the late light, with Gaspard soft at the next table.

    Je me sens vraiment détendu.

    I feel really relaxed.

    When to use it: Say this when the tension has gone.

    A man says détendu; a woman says détendue.

    Say it: The en in détendu is a nasal sound.

  5. From behind Gaspard, Sam stands at the zinc with one hand open in a small explaining gesture.

    C'est à cause de cette réunion.

    It's because of that meeting.

    When to use it: Name that meeting as the reason for your mood.

    À cause de names the reason, then the thing that caused it.

    Say it: C'est drops the e of ce before est.

  6. Odile stands still at the end of the zinc, looking toward the empty window table in a private pleased pause.

    Rien que d'y penser, ça me fait plaisir.

    Just thinking about it makes me happy.

    When to use it: Say a thought alone is enough to make you glad.

    D'y points back to that thing, in one short piece.

    Say it: D'y is de plus y, said as one syllable.

Story — the crème helps

Watch Sam walk in still bristling from the meeting. Odile sees the mood before the order, then the crème helps.

The highlighted words are the lines you just learned. Turn on Show English if you need it.

  1. Sam's shoulders are still high. Odile looks up from the counter before he even orders.
  2. OdileBonjour.Hello.
  3. SamBonjour.Hello.
  4. OdileÇa va ?How are you?
  5. SamLà, je suis un peu stressé. Je ne suis pas de très bonne humeur.I'm a bit stressed right now. I'm not in a great mood.
  6. OdileTu veux en parler un peu ?Do you want to talk about it a bit?
  7. SamC'est à cause de cette réunion.It's because of that meeting.
  8. She does not wait for an order. A crème is already on the zinc.
  9. OdileTiens. Un crème.Here. A coffee with milk.
  10. SamÇa me met de bonne humeur.That puts me in a good mood.
  11. Gaspard looks over from the next table. His own crème is still full. The window table stays empty.
  12. GaspardMieux, là ?Better now?
  13. SamJe me sens vraiment détendu.I feel really relaxed.
  14. GaspardRien que le crème ?Just the coffee?
  15. SamRien que d'y penser, ça me fait plaisir.Just thinking about it makes me happy.

Practice — name how you feel

Eleven short tasks wait here. You will listen, match, fill a gap, and build a line.

They stay on mood and cause, not on being hungry or tired.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

  2. What do you say?

    You walk into Café des Tilleuls in the afternoon. Odile looks at you and waits.

  3. Match the pairs

    French

    Là, je suis un peu stressé.Drop the English here
    Je ne suis pas de très bonne humeur.Drop the English here
    Je me sens vraiment détendu.Drop the English here

    English

    Drag an English line onto its French, or tap one and then the other.

  4. Fill the gap

    I'm not in a great mood.

    Je ne suis pas de très bonne ____.

  5. What does it mean?

    Ça me met de bonne humeur.

  6. Pick the reply

    Odile says:

    C'est le boulot ?

    Is it work?

    And you reply with:

  7. Swap the word

    The crème has done its job. Say you feel really relaxed.

    Je me sens vraiment ____.

  8. Fill the gap

    Just thinking about it makes me happy.

    Rien que d'y penser, ça me fait ____.

  9. Find the mistake

  10. What do you say?

    You already said hello to Odile. Check how she is, the short way.

  11. Pick the reply

    Gaspard says:

    Je ne suis pas de très bonne humeur.

    I'm not in a great mood.

    And you reply with:

Say it — say how you feel

Now you're Sam after Claire's meeting. When it's your turn, tap the microphone and speak the line.

Tap ▶ first if you want to hear the line. Your recording stays on your device.

  1. OdileBonjour.Hello.
  2. Sam (you)Say hello back. It is still afternoon.

    Bonjour.

    Hello

0 of 7 said

Recap — what you can say now

FrenchEnglish
Là, je suis un peu stressé.I'm a bit stressed right now.
Je ne suis pas de très bonne humeur.I'm not in a great mood.
Ça me met de bonne humeur.That puts me in a good mood.
Je me sens vraiment détendu.I feel really relaxed.
C'est à cause de cette réunion.It's because of that meeting.
Rien que d'y penser, ça me fait plaisir.Just thinking about it makes me happy.
Next: lesson 197Online shopping and returns

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Want to keep these mood lines handy? Grab the Yak Cards for this lesson and review them anywhere.

A quick round with the Yak Cards each day keeps your mood lines ready for the counter.

Open Yak Cards