Michel Tremblay: Les Belles-Sœurs (Tremblay: Quebec Theater)

What You'll LearnAnalyze the main themes and characters in the play Les Belles-Sœurs (The Sisters-in-Law).Explain the importance of using joual (Quebec slang) [zhoo-AHL] in the work of Michel Tremblay.Use indirect speech and the past conditional to discuss a literary work.Express opinions and ideas about the characters' motivations using the subjunctive.Imagine you're at a play that completely changes how you see the world. 🎭 That's the effect Les Belles-Sœurs (The Sisters-in-Law) [lay bell-SUR] had on Quebec in 1968. This play isn't about kings or queens, but about everyday people from a working-class neighborhood in Montreal, with their dreams, frustrations, and their own unique way of speaking. It's a window into a part of society that, until then, was rarely shown on stage.Why This Ma...

French TermWhat it MeansExample in a Sentenceune pièce de théâtre (a play) [oon pyes duh tay-AHT-ruh]A story written to be performed on a stage by actors.Les Belles-Sœurs (The Sisters-in-Law) est une pièce de théâtre (is a play) en deux actes (in two acts).un auteur / une autrice (an author) [uh-NOH-tur / oon oh-TREES]The person who writes a book, play, or other work.Michel Tremblay est un auteur (is an author) québécois (from Quebec) [kay-bay-KWAH] très célèbre (very famous).un personnage (a character) [uh pair-soh-NAHZH]A person in a story, play, or movie.Germaine Lauzon est le personnage principal (is the main character) de la pièce (of the play).un thème (a theme) [uh TEM]The main subject or central idea of a work.La pauvreté (Poverty) [la poh-vruh-TAY] est un thème (is a theme) import...

1. Indirect SpeechThe Rule: To report what someone said, you use introductory verbs like dire que (to say that), annoncer que (to announce that), or prétendre que (to claim that), and then you adjust the verb tenses and pronouns. In the present tense, it's pretty simple.Direct Example: Un personnage dit : « Je suis fatiguée. » (A character says: 'I am tired.')Indirect Example: Le personnage dit qu'il est fatigué. (The character says that he is tired.)2. The Past ConditionalThe Rule: This is formed with the helper verb avoir (to have) [ah-VWAHR] or être (to be) [ET-ruh] in the present conditional + the past participle of the main verb. It expresses a regret, a criticism, or an action that could have happened in the past but didn't (a 'what if' about the past).Example (regret): J'aurais dû l...