French Learner City Tour (English version)

Starting point: in front of Montpellier Saint-Roch station

What short answer do you give when asked “ça va?” ?

Go straight to rue de Maguelone… And count the palm trees! Stop at the 15^th: you are in front of number 9.

What is the French for “We love”?

Go straight to place de la Comédie.

What is the antonym for “comédie”?

Go straight to rue de la Loge

Did you know that the old name of rue de la Loge is « carrièira daurada » in Occitan which means “golden street” because of goldsmiths and financiers present there.

The present name comes from the Great Lodge of merchants, a place where the merchants would meet for their business and it was created by successful self-made man Jacques Coeur (15^th) at the corner of rue de l’aiguillerie, which has disappeared now.

Look up on your left at Jean Moulin’s picture. High-ranked civil servant, he was born in Béziers, less than 100 km far from Montpellier and refused the Occupation by the Nazis during 2WW. When the German army commanded him to sign a false accusation of crime on civilians by the Senegalese soldiers of the French army, he refused so he was tortured and put in jail.

Jean Moulin was mostly based in Montpelier during the war and played a significant role in resistance. His most famous picture was taken near Arceaux Aqueduct.

Why is the name of the street “Grand rue” and not “Grande rue”?

Turn asap on your right to rue Jacques Cœur

Did you know that this 15^th-century merchant, banker and shipowner was the first Frenchman to successfully establish trade relations with the Middle East?

He owned more than 12 ships in the Mediterranean and had 300 agents stationed in all major ports and cities. He exported cloth, iron, canvas, wine, copper and other metals, and imported silks, gold cloth, furs, leather goods, carpets and precious stones. He was given a monopoly on the import of spices and the transport of French goods to Middle East ports.

He became very rich, bought beautiful properties and lent money to the king himself who even entrusted him with diplomatic missions.

At numb. 7 rue Jacques Coeur, you will find a wheat flour buckwheat crêperie, Breton specialties, but do you know how to eat them?

Savory, sweet or both?

Go in front of 15 rue des Trésoriers de la Bourse

Hôtel des Trésoriers de la Bourse has a significant place in the history of Montpellier: until the French Revolution, it was used to keep royal money safe.

Give a synonym for the verb “édifier”

To the penitents:

« Profitons de tout ce que les siècles écoulés nous ont transmis et faisons en bénéficier notre temps ».

Which words can you use to replace the part “notre temps”?

You are in front of Bistrot des musées, 22 rue Jacques Cœur

Which adjective(s) can you use to describe this palm tree?

Turn on your left on rue Valedau and go to number 1

What do we say?

Turn right on rue Embouque d’or

Grammar: the part “d’or” is called complément de détermination of the word “embouque” (= it gives more information about this noun).

Did you know that this expression means “golden way”? The word “bouque” means “mouth” (it looks like “bouche”!) and in the navy, a boat moving inside a place would be described as “embouquer” (17^th).

How many stores in the street are made of gold? (metaphore)

Turn left on rue de la petite Loge and keep walking to place Jean Jaurès

What is the statue made of?

Keep walking to rue de l’argenterie

Stop in front of Dinh Van store. How many windows can you see?

Turn right on rue de la vieille

“Vieille” is a feminine adjective, do you know the masculine for example before the noun “ami”?

Turn left on rue Saint-Ravy and then place Saint-Ravy

Which French adjective which sounds the same as “Ravy” (= homophone) do you use when you are delighted?

What is the French for the construction in the middle?

Instruction: write the French indefinite article followed by the noun

How many stairs are there to reach rue Cauzit?

Keep going on your right, you have two possible ways: rue Joubert and rue des Trésoriers de la Bourse

In French, when you have two options both literally and figuratively, you can say:

Je suis à…

Turn left on rue Joubert and go straight to rue de l’ancien courrier

Fun fact: if you send a letter to someone living in this street and you write “rue du courrier”, will it be delivered? Haha, ask yourself in a shop!

Turn right on rue du bras de fer. How do you pronounce the word “fer”?

Turn left on rue de la Friperie

Riddle: Dans cet espace, elles ne sautent pas.

In this place, they don’t jump

To help you find the answer, find the French for what is below:

1. It can be outside or covered
2. You need to drink it to survive
3. It is one of the most frequent sweet feminine nicknames in French

It is “le…”

Turn right on rue Saint-Guilhem

Did you know that Guilhem I^st founded the Guilhem dynasty, lords of Montpellier during two centuries (11^th-12^th)?

Then turn again right on place Castellane and keep going to rue des Trésoriers de la Bourse, 15

“fut reconstruit” is conjugated with…

Keep going rue des Trésoriers de la Bourse then straight rue Cauzit and rue de la Croix d’Or.

You are now rue de la Loge, look up at 19 bis, there is a commemorative plaque:

AMICALE DES ENFANTS DE MONTPELLIER

DANS CETTE MAISON, SUIVANT LA TRADITION ANTIQUE, SE TROUVE LE PUITS DE SAINT-ROCH

ENFANT DE MONTPELLIER

It’s about a well in the house where a local saint was born, Saint-Roch.

This well is still there but the water is now unfortunately unfit for consumption!

You can go into the store: most of the time, the manager lets people have a look…

What is the word “amicale”?