This is a vintage 80s French TV commercial for Scotch VHS video cassettes – outdated technology! The commercial suggests that the tapes are guaranteed for life and that the colors never fade. Two fun words used: enregistrement (recording) and s’altérer (to deteriorate)
Text and tranlsation
- (Written on ad) Scotch présente la première videocassette garantie à vie.
Scotch presents the first video cassettes guaranteed for life. - Vidéocassette Scotch, des couleurs de qualité incroyables.
Scotch video cassettes, colors of incredible quality. - Enregistrement après enregistrement, les couleurs ne s’altèrent jamais.
Recording after recording, the colors never deteriorate. - Vidéocassette Scotch, elles sont garanties à vie.
Scotch video cassettes, they’re guaranteed for life.
Vocabulary and grammar of interest
- garantie(noun f) translates to guarantee or warranty.
- Enregistrement (noun m) means recording. The infinitive enregistrer means to record.
- s’altèrer – Pronominal (also called reflexive) verb. This means to deteriorate, worsen or decline. altérer + direct object means to damage or spoil.
- elles sont garanties – Use il/elle/ils/elles to refer back to a tangible noun for it’s or they’re. E.g., the pizza is delicous -> Elle est delicieuse. It’s delicous.
