I agree.

Perhaps the audio has been changed since this comment, but you can easily tell this is les because of the liaised "z" sound at the end of les.

I'm not sure where this comes up in the lessons, so just in case: a liaison is when an otherwise silent ending consonant (in this case, the "s") is pronounced because the next word starts with a vowel sound. It's doesn't always happen, but it will whenever les is followed by a vowel or a mute h (e.g. les hommes). Also, in this case, the "s" takes on a "z" sound so as to avoid ambiguities with other potential words.

Yes, manges, mange, and mangent are pronounced the same way. The "s" and "nt" are only written indications to show the person when you write it, you don't need it orally.

Personally, I say "manger de la soupe", and it's the way it is written in my dictionaries. But some people use "Je bois ma soupe", I think it's a little weird, but maybe it depends if your soup is liquid or rather solid, and the way you eat it.

https://fr.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090718172123AA5F8eI

Whenever you're referring to 2 people or more in the "3rd person" who are eating (such as ils = them masculine, elles = them feminine), "mangent" is used.

Whenever you're referring to 1 individual in the 3rd person for il or elle, "mange" is used.

Whenever you're talking to someone in the 2nd person, tu manges (informal) or vous mangez (formal) is used to say "you eat" or "you are eating."

"Nous mangeons" = we're eating.

Je "mange" = I'm eating

My rule of thumb is to replace the subject of the sentence with the appropriate pronoun if you get confused. La Femme... would be the same as She.... which would be the same as Elle..... so use the conjugation for elle.

Because, in French, you don't tell it "from the audio", you tell it "from the grammar".

Les enfants mangent, ("mangent" sounds the same than "manges" or "mange", but I know how to write it if I know my conjugations tables)

It's a definite soup here, so a definite article.

It's a regional difference. Very few people in North America would "drink soup." The way we see it here is that soup is usually eaten with a spoon out of a bowl, whereas drinking refers to something you consume from a glass/cup/mug without the use of cutlery. If someone talked about drinking soup here, the first thing that would come to mind (at least my mind) would be someone drinking broth from a mug, or from a bowl without using a spoon.

I may be wrong (I'm not a native French speaker and my only experience with the French language has been through Duolingo) but I think I've noticed that "les" is pronounced without the "s" unless it is followed by a word that starts with a vowel. So if you're saying "Les garçons" it is pronouced "leh" (or "lay" if that helps, but that's really not the best way to pronounce it). But if you're saying "les enfants" it's prounouced "lez". So far the only pattern I've found is that if the next word after the "les" begins with a consonant you use the traditional "leh" sound, and if the next word begins with a vowel (or an "h") you use the "lez". Native speakers and people who know the real answer please revise my statement and correct me if I'm wrong! Hope this helps!

The reason you hear the difference between fast and slow is probably due to the computer voice. When it reads the whole sentence, it smartly connects them with the "s" sound. But when it does it slow, I think the computer just reads each word individually and doesn't think of the next word, hence no "s" sound on the slow version.

french doesn't translate exactly into english word by word. You can put in, the children eat the soup or the children are eating the soup, and it marks them both as right because it means the same thing. It's "present tense"

Because "de la" would make it "The children eat soup." The version this is looking for is "The children eat THE soup" which refers to a specific soup, not just soup in general.

The important lesson is not how you would talk about eating soup. The important lesson is understand the difference between using "la" and "de la" (or "le" and "du"). So in reality you could use one or the other (depending on the context) but really the goal is to understand that when "the" is there you need just "le" or "la". And when "some" is implied you use "de la" or "du".

Because that is grammatically incorrect! The sentence is plural, children do not 'eats' the soup. A possible question could be: Q.What does Brian do? A.Brian EATS the soup...What do the children do? The children EAT the soup...you would never never say the children eats the soup!

Found an answer: Yes, they sound the same.

http://www.duolingo.com/comment/7136

Yes, for regular basic "er" verbs (like manger), the Je/tu/il/elle/ils/elles versions (mange, manges, mangent) all sound the same. Only the nous/vous forms (mangons, mangez) sound different. Makes things a bit easier when speaking but harder when spelling!

I would use: - The children eat the soup: Les enfants mangent la soupe. - The children eat soup: Les enfants mangent de la soupe.

Strictly, that's "eat of the soup," but it seems to mean the same thing.

Not an expert, anyone know for sure?

I hear "lezànfàn", like it usually is pronounced

Because "de la" would make it "The children eat soup." The version this is looking for is "The children eat THE soup" which refers to a specific soup, not just soup in general.

No. "de la" would make it "The children eat soup." The version this is looking for is "The children eat THE soup" which refers to a specific soup, not just soup in general.

Thats the 3rd person plural form of "manger" (to eat). Since it is "Les enfants" (the children, a plurality) it gets the "ent" ending. (The tricky thing is you don't pronounce the "ent", it's pronounced just like "mange" or "manges")

blackrose- this is indicative, present tense. Past would be : ils mangèrent or ils ont mangé.

Of which part? "mangent" ?

Though "mangent" sounds just like "mange" or "manges" you can tell it's plural because of the "Les enfants". "Les" (sounds like "lay") is always plural, if it was singular it would be "le" or "la"...

nick- la soupe = the soup. de la soupe = soup or some soup.

chcameron gave a very good answer, you should check it, and memorize the conjugations.

Mangent = for they.
Mange = for "he" and "she"
Manges = for "tu".

There's nothing to understand. It's only memorization.

As you have in English. "I was" but "They were", you have a conjugation form in French, but the conjugation form changes for every pronoun.

Mangez: for we
Mangent: for they
Mangeons: for we.
Mange: for he/she.
Manges: for you

Please, memorize it there: http://la-conjugaison.nouvelobs.com/du/verbe/manger.php

It's right. The "s" ending the plural worlds is spoken just if the following word become with a voyel or an mute "h". Par example "Les enfants" (lezanfan). You pronounce the -s which ends "les", but not the one which ends "enfants".

Il n'y a pas des diferences entre "mange" et "mangent" quand on parle dans les conversations unformelles, la diference est seule dans la langue écrit. Le present progressive (gérondif) est formé par "en" plus le verbe principale à une forme particuliere. Par example "J'en faisant" (I'm doing...). Ou tu peux aussi utiliser le verbe à la forme infinif, que signifie proche la même chose. "Je prépare le repas" signifie la même chose que "J'en preparant le repas".

It is not correct. In English, the article is implied, and thus isn't necessary, in the sentence "the children (are) eat(ing) soup." In French, the article is not implied and must precede a noun in nearly every instance. So, "the children eat soup" translates into "les enfants mangent de la soupe." "De la" is literally "of the," but is frequently used as a non-specific article pair (the masculine form of which is "du" while the plural is "des"), which translates into "some" (or is just implied) in English.

Short answer: no, it is not OK to skip "la" even if one is being general, and not specific as in "les enfants mangent la soupe."

Yes, absolutely preposterous that a language-teaching program would teach the correct way to translate things, and distinguish between subtleties in meaning instead of being imprecise and sloppy! ;)

Pronouncing it the same as in English is fine. The way the man pronounces it is limited to certain regions of France (as well as poetry/singing), and is no longer the norm, as far as I am aware.

1. Different languages consider the 'way' you drink soup differently. In French, any soup that is not just broth, then the French will use the verb "eating" Broth is a clear liquid. Soup usually contains things such as cut up vegetables, legumes and meat. As such it is more consistently normal for the French to use the relevant word for eating.

2. As we are learning the language, the correct translation in this case is to use the direct translation for the verb the French use, " manger " , meaning "to eat" So that we, as learners, learn the French verb, and do not seek to confuse it with the concept "to drink" : "boire".

3. For English speakers around the world, when it comes to soup, we have more variations with whether we consider we eat or drink soup. I do agree. And even in any one country, different sub communities may argue one way or the other. However this is not why we are here. We are here to learn French. So, in order to facilitate that, it has been deemed that the direct translation of the word that the French use, in reference to the consumption of soup will be used for the English translation.
   That being the verb "to eat" : " manger ".

Now verbs in French, are different to the way we form verbs in English. Their form changes according to whom is doing the action.

For "to eat" :
- manger : to eat. | 1er | wiktionary ; leFigaro
Présent :
. je mange | tu manges | il mange | elle mange
. nous mangeons | vous mangez | ils mangent | elles mangent
'avoir' + mangé | Passé composé Recent-Current Past | ie. ai/as/a/avons/avez/ont
Click here to find out about why there is a spelling change for " nous mangeons ".

Thus for :
- boire : to drink | 3me (boire/croire etc - irregular for plural.) | wiktionary ; leFigaro
Présent :
. je bois | tu bois | il boit | elle boit | on boit
. nous buvons | vous buvez | ils boivent | elles boivent
'avoir' + bu | Passé composé Recent-Current Past | ie. ai/as/a/avons/avez/ont

3e verbe ~re pattern

More information about French verbs, specific to this Duolingo course:
French Verbs

Also if you click on the light gray links, most will take you to sound files.
If you hold down your "ctrl" or "shift" key before you click on the link, it will open this link in a different window, while keeping this window open here, so you do not lose your point in the exercise.

Definition of soup noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary : a liquid food made by boiling meat, vegetables, etc. in water, often eaten as the first course of a meal.

The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary says "eaten" and not "drunk".

French language has a gender for all the nouns. The noun "soupe" is feminine.

Present tense of the verb "manger" : Je mange; tu manges; il or elle mange; nous mangeons; vous mangez; ils or elles mangent.

http://la-conjugaison.nouvelobs.com/du/verbe/manger.php

• je mange : I eat

• tu manges : you eat

• il mange : he or it eats

• elle mange : she eats

• nous mangeons : we eat

• vous mangez : you eat

• ils mangent : they eat

• elles mangent : they eat

http://la-conjugaison.nouvelobs.com/du/verbe/manger.php

Les enfants : https://fr.forvo.com/word/les_enfants/#fr

L'enfant : https://fr.forvo.com/word/l%27enfant/#fr

What is your problem with that? If "la viande" translates to "the meat" why would not "la soupe" translate to "the soup"?

Because "la soupe" is specific = the soup

You were marked for "mangez le viande" because "la viande" is a feminine noun.

Yes, the "something else" is "les gamins, les gamines" = the kids.

Children = des/les enfants

Kids = des/les gamins/gamines

Les enfants = the children.

The kids = les gamins/les gamines

Hello Driftwood-33! "Kids" are "des gamins/gamines" and "children" are "des enfants".

Les enfants mangent de la soupe = the children eat (some) soup.

Les enfants mangent la soupe = the children eat the (specific) soup

There must be hundreds of recipes, and a number of them include chunks of meat, vegetables bread or pasta, for instance, which need to be chewed.

I would say, that in certain settings, referring to children as kids can be a faux pas.

Yes I agree with you, that it is commonly known that in English we use the word kids to refer to both children and goats.
However someone that understands the English will be very aware of the word children. And also likely to understand nuances of when and when not to use the word kid. Yet here this course is designed for English speakers to learn French.

If it is that the word kid is not accepted, I support the decision of the team, and the language experts involved to choose to rule out the variation of the colloquialism of the use of the word "kid / kids".

Please note, I am not a member of this team, nor am a language expert in French in the field of teaching.

It is, as my first French teacher would say to us, that the French pay attention to detail.
To learn French, you must use the articles before the noun.

These articles are the equivalent in English of "the" and "a" .

Yet in English, if we are not referring to a specific object, we will in circumstances such as this example of soup, leave off the article of "a".

However in French, they do not normally leave off an article description.
Nouns are generally used together with their articles in French. The article tells us the gender (masculine, feminine) and number (singular, plural).

There are indefinite articles (un, une, des) and definite articles (le, la, les).

You then also have elision in French, where the final unstressed vowel ( usually an e ) is suppressed, immediately before another word beginning with a vowel.
In writing this is represented by l'.
Such as l'eau : the water ; l'oiseau : the bird ; l'église : the church

And also that an un-aspirated h is treated as a vowel. ie. l'homme : the man

While an aspirated h is treated differently, and you get : le hero : the hero ; le hibou : the owl

please be aware, I am still learning French, and I appreciate it if you correct anything I may have misunderstood.

Les enfants mangent de la soupe.

"L'enfant" and "les enfants" are quite different in sound:

https://forvo.com/word/l%27enfant/#fr

https://forvo.com/word/les_enfants/#fr

It's because Duo used to accept "kids" for "enfants". The people working on the incubator eventually decided that "kids" = "gamins" (informal), and "children" = "enfants" (formal).

Apparently when this decision was made, not all of the possible sentences using "kids", "children", "gamins" and "enfants" were changed to reflect the change.