Martial Arts

1. Est-ce que je peux participer à un cours d'essai ?

   Can I take a trial class?

   Usage

   French martial arts clubs run on federation-affiliated memberships, so the anglophone drop-in culture is weaker here. What they do have is the "cours d'essai" — one or two free trial sessions — and that is the realistic way in for a traveller. Clubs are especially open to trial visitors around "la rentrée", the September start of the season

   Grammar Note

   "Est-ce que" plus normal word order is the most general way to form a question and is more colloquial than inversion ("puis-je"). "Participer" always takes the preposition "à"

2. Je peux assister à l'entraînement avant de m'inscrire ?

   May I watch a training session before I sign up?

   Usage

   "Assister à" is the verb for watching a session. French judo clubs often rent space in a municipal sports hall (gymnase municipal), so a closed door does not mean nobody is training. Never step on the tatami in shoes; visitors watch from the benches by the entrance. The children's slots are the easiest to observe, since parents are watching anyway

   Grammar Note

   Simply raising the intonation of a statement is the commonest spoken question form. "Avant de" is always followed by an infinitive, and the reflexive "s'inscrire" agrees with the subject, giving "m'inscrire"

3. Est-ce qu'il faut une licence et un certificat médical ?

   Do I need a federation licence and a medical certificate?

   Usage

   The key French-specific question. Training regularly at a federation-affiliated club requires an annual licence (FFJDA for judo, FFBoxe for the boxing disciplines), which doubles as your insurance. A doctor's certificate of no contraindication is still commonly required for combat sports. One or two trial sessions normally need neither, so settle this at the outset

   Grammar Note

   "Il faut" is an impersonal construction in which "il" refers to nobody. Followed by a noun it means "X is needed"; followed by an infinitive it means "one must do X"

4. Vous louez des gants et des protège-tibias ?

   Do you rent gloves and shin guards?

   Usage

   Savate, also called boxe française, is distinctive for kicking in purpose-made boots (chaussures de savate); some classes will not let you take part barefoot or in ordinary trainers. Clubs often lend a pair for a trial session, so ask. A judo uniform is a "judogi" or simply "kimono", and the belt is a "ceinture"

   Grammar Note

   "Louer" means both to rent out and to rent, disambiguated by the subject. "Protège-tibias" compounds the verb "protéger" with "tibia" and keeps the final "s" even in the singular

5. Je suis débutant, je n'ai jamais fait de boxe française.

   I am a beginner; I have never done savate.

   Usage

   Say it up front and they will start you on the basic kicks — fouetté, chassé, revers. Savate developed in nineteenth-century Paris around kicking, and because the shoe makes contact the range differs from barefoot striking. A female speaker says "débutante". Swap "boxe française" for "judo", "karaté" or "MMA"

   Grammar Note

   In the negative, indefinite and partitive articles collapse to "de", so "faire de la boxe" becomes "ne... jamais fait de boxe". In the compound past, "ne... jamais" wraps the auxiliary, giving "n'ai jamais fait"

6. On peut y aller doucement, s'il vous plaît ?

   Could we take it easy, please?

   Usage

   "Y aller doucement" is the everyday idiom for going easy and works with both a partner and a coach. Savate formally distinguishes "assaut" (light contact, scored on technique) from "combat" (full contact); beginners and visitors stick to assaut. Saying this before you start will get the intensity dialled down

   Grammar Note

   Spoken French uses "on" in place of "nous", with a third-person singular verb. The pronoun "y" normally stands for a place or a thing, but in "y aller" it has bleached into part of the idiom

7. J'ai mal au genou, je préfère éviter les coups de pied.

   My knee hurts, so I would rather avoid the kicks.

   Usage

   Say this before the session starts. Savate is kick-heavy, while in judo the throws (projections) and breakfalls (chutes) are what will aggravate an injury. French clubs are used to such declarations and will hand you an alternative drill. Substitute "l'épaule" (shoulder), "le dos" (back), "la cheville" (ankle) or "le poignet" (wrist)

   Grammar Note

   Pain is expressed with "avoir mal à" plus the body part with its definite article; "à + le" contracts to "au" and "à + les" to "aux". French uses the definite article here where English would use a possessive

8. Combien coûte la cotisation annuelle ?

   How much is the annual membership?

   Usage

   French clubs charge an annual subscription (cotisation annuelle) rather than a monthly fee, covering one season from September to June. A judo club typically runs 200-400 euros a year, often with the licence fee (around 40 euros) charged separately. The system suits residents rather than visitors, so ask about trials and short-term options in the same breath

   Grammar Note

   "Cotisation" is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine form "annuelle". French adjectives normally follow the noun and agree with it in gender and number

9. Combien coûte la séance à l'unité ?

   How much is a single session?

   Usage

   "À l'unité" means "one at a time", as opposed to a pass or a season ticket. Private gyms (salles de sport privées) in Paris and elsewhere are far more likely to sell single sessions than federation clubs, typically at 15-25 euros. A ten-session pass is a "carnet de dix séances"

   Grammar Note

   "Séance" covers a screening or a sitting of a meeting as well as a training session. "À l'unité" is the fixed phrase for buying things one at a time, in shops as well as gyms

10. Il y a un cours réservé aux femmes ?

    Is there a women-only class?

    Usage

    Women-only self-defence courses (self-défense féminine) are widely run by town councils and associations in France, frequently hosted by combat sports clubs. Savate has had comparatively strong female participation since the nineteenth century and still does. Even for a mixed class, asking whether there is a female instructor helps you decide

    Grammar Note

    "Réservé à" means "reserved for", with "à + les" contracting to "aux". The pattern extends to "réservé aux enfants" (children only) and "réservé aux membres" (members only)

11. Où est-ce que je peux voir les horaires des cours ?

    Where can I see the class timetable?

    Usage

    French clubs concentrate on weekday evenings from about 19:00 to 21:00, with children's classes on Saturday mornings. Because they share municipal halls, the slots are fixed and rarely change. Note that most clubs shut completely in July and August (fermeture estivale), so check ahead if you are visiting in summer

    Grammar Note

    Singular "horaire" means a schedule or timetable, while the plural "horaires" usually means opening or session times. "De + les" contracts to "des"

12. Vous pouvez me montrer comment mettre les bandes ?

    Could you show me how to put on the hand wraps?

    Usage

    Hand wraps are "bandes de boxe" or just "bandes" in French. Gloving up without them risks your knuckles and wrist. A coach will wrap you the first time but will expect you to manage afterwards, so learn on day one. To ask about tying a judo belt instead, say "comment nouer la ceinture"

    Grammar Note

    The indirect object pronoun "me" goes before the infinitive "montrer", not before the conjugated verb. "Comment" can be followed directly by an infinitive

13. Au bout de combien de séances je peux faire de l'assaut ?

    After how many sessions can I take part in light-contact sparring?

    Usage

    Savate draws a firm line between "assaut", scored on technique with light contact, and "combat", which is full contact — visitors and beginners only do assaut. Around ten sessions, once your stance and the four basic kicks are solid, is a common answer, but let the coach decide. For judo, replace the phrase with "faire du randori"

    Grammar Note

    "Au bout de" marks elapsed time and carries more of an "only after" nuance than "après". Sports take "faire de" plus the definite article: "faire du judo", "faire de la boxe", "faire de l'assaut"

14. Il y a des vestiaires et des douches ?

    Are there changing rooms and showers?

    Usage

    Clubs using a municipal hall normally have changing rooms and showers, but the building is often locked shortly after the session, so do not linger. Bring your own towel (serviette) and soap. On a tatami floor you train barefoot and put shoes or sandals on the moment you step off. Wash your judogi at home, not at the club

    Grammar Note

    "Vestiaire" shares a root with "vêtement" (clothing) and means the place where clothes are left. Facilities are naturally asked about in the plural, taking the plural indefinite article "des"

15. Gardez la garde haute et regardez votre adversaire dans les yeux !

    Keep your guard high and look your opponent in the eyes!

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. This is the commonest cue during pad work and assaut in savate and boxing, and "La garde !" alone gets the message across. French coaches address the whole class with the "vous" imperative — plural rather than formal. Beginners drop the guard as they strike, so it is the first habit corrected

    Grammar Note

    The imperative is simply the conjugated form with the subject pronoun dropped; for "vous" it is identical to the present tense. Note the definite article with body parts: "dans les yeux", not a possessive

16. Frappez fort, ne retenez pas vos coups !

    Hit hard, do not pull your punches!

    Usage

    Said by the instructor. The standard call to get full power out of you on the pads or the heavy bag (sac de frappe), and also permission to hit at full force. It is never said during partner assaut. "Retenir ses coups" is also used figuratively outside sport, meaning to pull one's punches

    Grammar Note

    A negative command wraps the verb in "ne ... pas". "Fort" doubles as an adverb without changing form — "fortement" is not used here. In casual speech the "ne" often drops, leaving "retenez pas"

17. Cinq minutes de pause, buvez de l'eau.

    Five-minute break, drink some water.

    Usage

    Said by the instructor between rounds. Municipal halls often have a water fountain (fontaine à eau), but most people bring their own bottle (gourde). Few halls are air-conditioned even in summer, so drinking is not optional. During the break you sit at the edge of the mat

    Grammar Note

    Consuming an unspecified quantity of an uncountable noun takes the partitive article "du / de la / de l'". "Eau" is feminine but starts with a vowel, so it takes "de l'" rather than "de la"

18. On s'arrête là pour aujourd'hui. C'était très bien !

    We will stop there for today. That was very good!

    Usage

    Said by the instructor to close the session. In a judo club everyone kneels in a line on the mat and bows to the teacher (le salut). Savate and boxing clubs usually end with a round of handshakes or fist bumps. Answering "Merci pour le cours !" is the polite response

    Grammar Note

    "S'arrêter" is reflexive, taking "se" with the subject "on". "C'était" is the imperfect of "c'est" and is the standard way to pass judgement on something now finished

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