Saturday, October 20, 2012

Ça m'est égal

Ça m'est égal 

Ça m'est égal - I love this one. If you are new to French like me say, Je l'aime.

In English we would probably translate it literally as "It's all the same to me." But if you were a cynic, and here it matters not whether you are French or English, it might come out as "I don't give a shit." To which I would politely add, "Pardon my French," an American idiom meaning excuse my swear words. Meanings depend on context and nuance, and nuances are often subtle.

I love this one both for its attitude of sans souci, and also for the way the words come out. I have a dog named Sammy, and it almost sounds like I am starting the phrase with a call to, "Sammy". Phonetically, I guess it comes out as, "Sa may ta gal", and the emphasis is on the second syllable. But don't take my word for it, ask a Frenchman or better yet cherchez la femme.

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