tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53655782195725352192024-03-13T11:04:50.102-07:00Mots Francaistranslate french phrases and words into english, traduire des mots français en anglais, idioms anglais et françaisyou are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-33328112611257607722013-04-04T07:45:00.000-07:002013-04-04T07:49:14.116-07:00Fermez la boucheIn my last post, I spoke of the idiom, "Sans ouvrir la bouche." The phrase in English translates as "without saying a word," but the French prefer to speak of the mouth, <i>la bouche</i>.<br />
<br />
My grandmother was French. She was born in <i><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">la petite ville</span> <span class="hps">de Lorraine</span> <span class="hps">Graffigny</span> <span class="hps">près de la forêt</span> <span class="hps">des Vosges</span></span>.</i> She did not teach me French, instead I had to learn the hard way, by going to school. But, I do remember the phrase, "<i>Fermez la bouche</i>," shut your mouth. If one says it <i>gentiment</i>, it almost sounds polite.<br />
<br />
I am sitting in French class the other day when <i>le prof</i> starts to talk about professions. And she says, <i>"le boucher</i>," the butcher. It has nothing to do, I think, with <i>la bouche</i>, the mouth. It is just one of those silly coincidences that pop up in any language. Instead, <i>le boucher</i> stems from <i>le bouchon</i>, the pig.<br />
<br />
It is just one of those silly things that makes a kid laugh.<br />
<br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><i><span class="hps">C'est</span> <span class="hps">juste une de ces</span> </i><span class="hps"><i>choses stupides</i>.</span> <i><span class="hps"></span></i></span><i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Il fait un</span> <span class="hps">gamin </span></span></i><i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps"><i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">rire</span></span></i>.</span></span></i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-56744555081609045592013-03-26T06:29:00.000-07:002013-03-26T06:31:17.957-07:00Sans ouvrir la bouche<b>Sans ouvrir la bouche - without saying a word.</b>
<br />
<br />
The Francophile likes to surf the web. On French TV, at BFMTV, he came across this article about the former (<i>ancien</i>) president of France, Nicholas Sarkosy.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bfmtv.com/politique/facebook-sarkozy-occupe-terrain-sans-ouvrir-bouche-478158.html" title="">"<i>Sur Facebook, Sarkozy "occupe le terrain sans ouvrir la bouche.</i>"</a><br />
<br />
Literally, the the sentence translates at "On Facebook, Sarkozy occupies the ground without opening the mouth." A better translation is "On Facebook, Sarkosy wins the day without saying a word."you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-20713993120803175522013-02-25T05:47:00.004-08:002013-02-25T05:47:51.004-08:00Très en vogue<i><b>Très en vogue</b> = Very popular.</i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-36763035579224894762013-02-25T05:44:00.001-08:002013-02-25T05:44:13.596-08:00Que faire? = What to do?<b><i>Que faire</i></b>? = What to do?you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-11489615166747769572013-02-25T05:28:00.005-08:002013-02-25T05:28:48.653-08:00en tête = on top<i>Dans toutes les régions du monde, Google arrive<b> en tête</b></i>. <br />
<br />
Worldwide, Google is <i>"</i>on top".you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-60143721280283758842013-02-24T17:01:00.002-08:002013-02-24T17:01:17.131-08:00Tapis RougeTapis Rouge - Red Carpet<br />
<br />
<br />Regardez la cérémonie des Oscarsyou are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-68773699197028606862013-02-18T06:42:00.004-08:002013-02-18T06:55:48.551-08:00Tant Pis<b><i>Tant pis</i></b>, (pronounced tan pee) can signify a range of emotions from "never mind" to "tough sh*t".<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Voyez et écoutez Joyce Jonathan chante <b>Tant pis</b></i>:<br />
<br />
From the lyrics and the refrain:<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>J'ai beau faire le tour du monde.</i><br />
I am making a grand tour of the world<br />
(or, I could make a trip around the world) <br />
<br />
<i>Mais tout me ramène à toi</i><br />
But everything reminds me of you. <br />
<br />
<i>T'es partout à la fois </i><br />
You are everywhere at once<br />
<br />
<i>Il y a d'autres histoires d'amour qui n'attendent que moi</i><br />
There are other loves that won't wait just for me <br />
<br />
<i>Mais tant pis</i><br />
But tough sh*t (Never mind, Too bad)<br />
<br />
<i>C'est avec toi que je me sens </i><br />
It is with you that I am alive (feel) <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">É</span></span>coute
<b>Kenza Farah</b> <i>Quelque Part</i><br />
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<br />
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<pre><i> </i></pre>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QrRx7DMOwk4/URuzEpDLSOI/AAAAAAAADQw/coQ4qA7cdp8/s1600/heart_clear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QrRx7DMOwk4/URuzEpDLSOI/AAAAAAAADQw/coQ4qA7cdp8/s1600/heart_clear.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">J'aime</span> <span class="hps">française</span></span><br />
<b><a href="http://french.about.com/library/media/wavs/jetaime.wav"></a></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<pre><i> </i></pre>
<pre> </pre>
This line, <i>Qui bien aime a tard oublie, comes </i>from Chaucer's <a href="http://omacl.org/Parliament/" target="_blank"><i>Parlement of Foules</i></a>, line 679, which best translates as,<br />
<br />
"Who loves well later forgets." Perhaps expressing the notion that all love is fleeting.<br />
<br />
The 700 stanza poem is famous for the first recorded mention of card giving on St. Valentine's Day, lines 309 and 310. Notice the French <i>y</i> and <i>ne</i>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For this was on seynt Valentynes day,<br />
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make,</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And in a launde (land), upon an hille of floures,<br />
Was set this noble goddesse Nature;<br />
Of braunches were hir (her) halles and hir boures (bowers),<br />
Y-wrought (There wrought) after hir craft and hir mesure;<br />
Ne ther nas foul that cometh of engendrure (engendered/created),<br />
That they ne were prest(pressed) in hir presence,<br />
To take hir doom and yeve (give) hir audience.<br />
<br />
<b>For this was on seynt Valentynes day, </b><br />
<b>Whan every foul cometh ther to chese (choose) his make</b> <b>(mate)</b>,<br />
Of every kinde, that men thenke may;<br />
And that so huge a noyse gan they make,<br />
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake<br />
So ful was, that unnethe(with difficulty) was ther space<br />
For me to stonde (stand), so ful was al the place.
</blockquote>
<br />
<i>Et si vous ne connaissez pas</i>, "I love you" in French is <i>Je t'aime. </i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-70090088356839436892013-02-10T16:30:00.001-08:002013-02-10T16:30:44.803-08:00I don't knowJe sais pas.<br />
<br />
<br />
On pourrait dire, "Je ne sais pas," mais Celine Dion chantais, "Je sais pas."
<br />
<br />
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<br />
Literally, make something new with something old.<br />
<br />
Inspiration for this post came from <a href="http://www.parisdailyphoto.com/2013/02/good-ol-tradition.html" target="_blank">ParisDailyPhoto</a>. Maybe, you will want to check it out.you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-20276805194492770002013-02-04T06:04:00.000-08:002013-02-04T06:04:21.101-08:00Get to work - mette au travailAs an informal command say, "<i>Mette au travail</i>."<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Il faut que je mette qu travail maintenant pour que nous puissions jouer demain. </i><br />
<br />
It is necessary to get to work now so we can play tomorrow.you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-7213289955586512672013-01-26T15:25:00.001-08:002013-01-26T15:27:58.265-08:00What's wrong?Qu'est qu'il ya? Literally, "What is it?" but, also, "What is wrong?"<br />
<br />
Watch the trailer for the movie Amour, 33 seconds in. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vrshKIuQyLk?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-44951152385421239682013-01-19T10:52:00.003-08:002013-01-19T11:03:24.729-08:00à toutes les sauces<b>à toutes les sauces</b><br />
<br />
Litterally, the phrase translates as "with all the sauces". Take the sentence, "Employer un mot à toutes les sauces." In English, "Use a word very loosely."<br />
<br />
Consider, "<i>Les politiciens utilisent cette expression à toutes les sauces</i>," which translates as "Politicians use this expression loosely."<br />
<br />
Other <a href="http://grammarpartyblog.com/2011/04/21/funny-french-idioms/#comment-2721" target="_blank">funny French idioms</a>. you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-82500521047737084302012-12-31T11:56:00.000-08:002012-12-31T11:56:58.455-08:00Happy New Year - Bonne année<i>Bonne année et bonne santé </i>is the classic French saying to wish one a<i> Happy New Year. </i>Literally, it is "good year and good health".<i></i><br />
<br />
New Year's Eve is the celebration of <i>la Saint-Sylvestre</i>, the 33rd pope who is credited with converting the Emperor Constantine, the first Roman emperor who converted to Christianity. The feast is called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre and includes champagne and foie gras. The celebratory party ranges from an intimate dinner to a grand ball, <i>une soirée dansante</i>.
you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-14216772659162879292012-12-25T05:28:00.000-08:002012-12-25T05:29:51.130-08:00Joyeux Noël<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Joyeux Noël - Merry Christmas, of course.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pulyHBz_9LY/UNmkEGyQeQI/AAAAAAAADAI/jZRgI_OXByQ/s1600/santaEarth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pulyHBz_9LY/UNmkEGyQeQI/AAAAAAAADAI/jZRgI_OXByQ/s320/santaEarth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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La nuit avant Noël s'appelé La Veillée de Noel. La veillée est avant la messe de minuit. La famille se réunit autour de la bûche de Noël que brûle dans la cheminée. C'est l’occasion pour la familie ensemble de chanter, rire, et partager un petit repas de fête.<br />
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The image of earth is from <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" target="_blank">NASA images</a> and is copyright free.you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-29056653111292855902012-11-18T05:56:00.003-08:002012-11-18T06:22:03.487-08:00Bien entendu<i><br /></i>
<i>Les Américains ne comprennent pas toujours les Français, et vice-versa, n'est-ce pas? Mais, bien sûr, nous devons rester amis. </i><i>C'est bien entendu.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Bien entendu</i> a polite way to say "of course," when that is the obvious response to a question. Literally, it translates as "well understood" or, in context, "I heard you well".<br />
<br />
A less formal phrase, and more used, is, <i>bien sûr</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Vous comprendez,</i> <i>bien sûr. Ce n'est pas une question, mais une déclaration.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Bien entendu</i> can also mean "understood".<br />
<br />
<i>Voilà, c'est (bien) entendu?</i>
That's understood? Agreed? <i>D'accord! </i>Okay!<i><br /></i><br />
<br />
<i>Un pas de plus</i>, One step further, <i>très bien s'entendre</i>, "very well it's understood". <br />
<br />
Lastly, let's throw<i> <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">n'est-ce pas </span></span></i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">into the mix</span></span><i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">. </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">N'est-ce pas, </span></span></i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">literally translates as, "Isn't it so?" Here the speaker is looking for an affirmation. </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Similar, meanings but perhaps a little less self assured.</span></span><i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps"><br /></span></span></i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-5890097208282916682012-11-16T07:29:00.000-08:002012-11-16T07:29:26.576-08:00L'heure avait sonné<h3>
L'heure avait sonné</h3>
L'heure avait sonné - littéralement, l'heure a sonné. Mais, ce qu'on entend, c'est que "le moment est arrivé". Le sens vient de la méditation de John Donne 17, <i>Pour qui sonne le glas</i>.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>PERCHANCE he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill as that he knows not it tolls for him. And perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for me, and I know not that. </i></blockquote>
<a href="http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/meditation17.php" target="_blank">Read more</a>, ... you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-68156927742489528462012-11-14T05:25:00.002-08:002012-11-14T05:41:37.676-08:00laissez-moi réfléchir<b>Laissez-moi réfléchir, laisse-moi réfléchir</b><br />
<br />
Let me think about it<br />
<b><br /></b>
Getting through conversational French, or any language for that matter, requires a grab bag of phrases that allows the speaker to pause and collect his thoughts. <i><b>Laissez-moi réfléchir, </b>is a useful one. </i>The distinction between <i>laissez</i> and <i>laisse</i>, both imperative commands, depends on who is being addressed. <i>Laissez</i> is addressed to the formal vous, and <i>laisse</i> to the more informal tu.<br />
<br />
<i>Un exemple</i>,<br />
<br />
<i>"Laissez-moi réfléchir à la réponse à cette question." Qu'est-ce qu'un politicien dire, avant qu'il ne répond pas à la question.</i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-50604390216130126682012-11-10T08:32:00.001-08:002012-11-10T08:47:45.991-08:00Mise en place<i>Mise en place, </i>literally, "put in place", pronounced "miz en plaz". <i>Mise</i> comes from the French root verb <i>mettre</i>, to put or place. <i>Mise</i> is the <i>participe passé</i> or past participle of the verb. The phrase translates in English to mean, "everything in place". Ready to go.<br />
<br />
In the culinary world, the phrase is used to describe the setting up of the kitchen. An organized cook has all the pots and pans ready, the bowls all in a row, the spices pre-measured and the ingredients cut and chopped. This makes it so much simpler to cook.<br />
<br />
But cooks don't own the phrase. It is used often in other contexts to suggest that everything is in place and ready to go. The theatrical world uses a similar phrase <i>mise en scene</i> to mean that the stage is set and the show is ready to go. But, it seems every organizer of complex tasks adopts the phrase.<br />
<br />
Here, for example, is a message from Overblog, the French blogger, about their new features.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Comme indiqué dans la newsletter précédente, nous souhaitons que votre arrivée soit parfaite, dans un vrai cocon, et attendons donc <b>la mise en place</b> des fonctionnalités que vous connaissez et appréciez sur OverBlog ..., ou encore la personnalisation/mise en forme de vos textes, le tout en conservant l’intégralité de votre contenu, jusqu’à votre design si vous le souhaitez.</i></blockquote>
Interestingly, Google Translator uses "implementation" as a synonym for <i>la mise en place</i>. Not bad, but it misses a point. <i>Gentil lecteur</i>, let this be a reminder that nuance is more than a mere word. <br />
<br />
<i><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Nuance est</span><span class="hps"> plus d'un</span> <span class="hps">simple mot.</span></span></i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-69290916019817568412012-11-09T09:25:00.002-08:002012-11-18T05:57:21.360-08:00On ne change pas «On ne change pas», littéralement «we don't change".<br />
<br />
Les Américains voudraient dire, "nothing changes". Ou, un peu différente est l'expression paradoxale, «plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose», "the more things change, the more they stay the same." L'implique de le <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">idée est</span></span> que <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">notre destin est</span> <span class="hps">hors de notre contrôle</span></span>. <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Je suis</span> <span class="hps">qui je suis. Je ne peux pas changer. </span></span><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">Le fatalisme.</span></span><br />
<br />
Céline Dion a fait une chanson en utilisant la phrase, <i>On ne change pas</i>, ce qui avait pour but de résumer 25 ans de sa carrière.<br />
<br />
Les mots en Francais:<br />
<br />
On ne change pas<br />
On met juste les costumes d'autres sur soi<br />
On ne change pas<br />
Une veste ne cache qu'un peu de ce qu'on voit<br />
On ne grandit pas<br />
On pousse un peu, tout juste le temps d'un rêve, d'un songe<br />
Et les toucher du doigt<br />
Mais on n'oublie pas<br />
L'enfant qui reste, presque nu les instants d'innocence<br />
Quand on ne savait pas<br />
On ne change pas<br />
On attrape des airs et des poses de combat<br />
On ne change pas<br />
On se donne le change, on croit que l'on fait des choix ...<br />
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En Anglais<br />
We do not change<br />
We simply put on the costumes of another self<br />
We do not change<br />
A jacket simply hides a little of what we see<br />
We do not grow<br />
But push a little, just enough time to dream, for a song <br />
A touch of the finger<br />
But one can't forget<br />
The child that remains, almost naked in their moments of innocence <br />
When one did not know <br />
We do not change<br />
We take on the airs and poses of combat<br />
We do not change<br />
One gives oneself to change, believing that we make choices...you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-30033854092494363942012-11-08T15:04:00.001-08:002012-11-08T15:42:49.121-08:00l'esprit de l'escalier<b><i><span id="dtx-highlighting-item">l'esprit </span><span id="dtx-highlighting-item">de </span><span id="dtx-highlighting-item">l'escalier</span></i></b><br />
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<i><span id="dtx-highlighting-item">L</span></i><span id="dtx-highlighting-item">iterally “the spirit of the staircase,” which</span><span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> de</span>scribes the experience of thinking too late of the perfect thing to have said. Hindsight.<br />
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French writer<span id="dtx-highlighting-item"> De</span>nis Di<span id="dtx-highlighting-item">de</span>rot coined it in the 18th Century. He was editor and contributor to the <i>Encyclopédie, </i>so we know that he like to think a lot in hindsight<i>. </i>Diderot explained that the perfect rejoinder (<i>repartee</i>) always occurred on the stairway out, a reference to the fact that political discussions in France took place on the second floor. And to confuse you even more, in France the second floor is referred to as the first floor. Go figure.<br />
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I like to say in English, "A day late and a dollar short."Friends often say, 20/20 hindsight, the idea that one can see clearly from afar.<br />
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<span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">La </span></span><span class="" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps"><span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps">philosophe</span></span></span> <span class="hps">Denis</span> <span class="hps atn">Diderot l'</span>a inventé <span class="hps">au 18ème siècle</span>. <span class="hps">Il étais rédacteur</span> <span class="hps">et collaborateur de</span> <span class="hps">l'Encyclopédie</span>, nous savons donc <span class="hps">qu'il</span> <span class="hps">plais à penser</span> <span class="hps">beaucoup</span> <span class="hps">de</span> <span class="hps">recul</span>. <span class="hps">Diderot</span> <span class="hps">expliqué</span> <span class="hps">que la réplique</span> <span class="hps">parfaite</span> <span class="hps atn">(</span>répartie) <span class="hps">se produit toujours</span> <span class="hps">sur l'escalier</span> <span class="hps">sur</span>, <span class="hps">une référence</span> <span class="hps">au fait</span> <span class="hps">que les discussions</span> <span class="hps">politiques en France</span> <span class="hps">a eu lieu</span> <span class="hps">au deuxième étage</span>. <span class="hps">Et</span> <span class="hps">pour vous embrouiller</span> <span class="hps">encore plus</span>, <span class="hps">en France, le</span> <span class="hps">deuxième étage</span> <span class="hps">est considéré y comme</span> <span class="hps">le premier étage.</span> <span class="hps">Comprendrez</span>.<br /><br /><span class="hps">Je tiens à dire</span> <span class="hps">en anglais,</span> <span class="hps atn">"</span>Un <span class="hps">jour tard et</span> <span class="hps">un dollar court</span>." <span class="hps">Amis</span> <span class="hps">disent souvent</span>, 20/20 <span class="hps">Avec le recul,</span> <span class="hps">l'idée</span> <span class="hps">que l'on peut</span> <span class="hps">voir clairement</span> <span class="hps">de loin.</span></span><br />
<br />you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-83066022808521448482012-11-04T08:15:00.001-08:002012-11-04T08:24:04.770-08:00tête-à-tête<i><a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/t%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-t%C3%AAte">Tête-à-tête</a></i> - From Wikitionary: A face-to-face meeting, or private conversation between two people, usually in an intimate setting; a head-to-head. Suppose that you are not getting along with someone at the office. Then, you might ask for a <i>tête-à-tête</i> to work out your differences.<br />
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I like this one because it suggests a private get together between two people to confer, conspire, or just work out a private agreement. There is also the implication that the conversation is held in confidence. Literally, the words are head to head. In Germany they say <i>unter vier Augen</i>, or under four eyes. The meaning is the same. The Spanish phrase <i>mano a mano</i>, literally, hand-to-hand, has a completely different meaning, suggesting a hand-to-hand, one-on-one fight to the finish.<br />
<br />you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-41568256778870391022012-10-26T06:51:00.000-07:002012-10-26T08:58:42.738-07:00ça ne fait rienThe phrase <i>ça ne fait rien </i>literally translates as<i> </i>"that doesn't matter." Other French synonyms include, <i>ce n'est pas grave, </i><i>peu importe, qu'importe, tant pis, and </i><i><i>ça</i> m'est égal;</i> but none of these conveys the depth of despair and resignation intended by the original words. <i>Ne fait </i>meaning "doesn't make for", and<i> Rien</i> meaning "nothing". The words are an expression of a resigned, even cynical, acceptance of a sad state of affairs.<br />
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The phrase was adopted by the British Tommies in World War I and morphed into the British expression <i>san fairy ann</i>.<br />
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The British soldiers who went off to fight in France during the Great War (World War I) popularized the phrase. They soon discovered that despite the popular frenzy, there was nothing <i>great</i> about war. Britain lost almost a million men, and the term <i>Lost Generation</i> refers to the generation of young men who along with their ideals were consumed in the mechanized slaughter. The contrast between idealism and the cold brutal reality of war undoubtedly inspired the phrase <i>san fairy ann</i> among the young soldiers. Many of Britain's best and brightest died, as a civilian population at home eventually learned of brutal trench warfare, gas attacks, senseless mass attacks, and poor generalship.<br />
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In 1976, Paul McCartney reprised the phrase, altering the spelling and the meaning, in his song <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usw-QAAR3Xo" target="_blank">San Ferry Anne</a></i>. You can also listen to a romantic interpretation of the phrase in French by Alain Chamfort in his song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFfXKNf5Y64" target="_blank"><i>Ca Ne Fait Rien</i></a>.
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Matthew Stewart in his blog <a href="http://roguestrands.blogspot.com/2011/06/san-fairy-ann.html" target="_blank"><i>Rogue Strands</i></a> gives a good modern day explanation of the phrase and a poem to boot.you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5365578219572535219.post-20373377554066089342012-10-20T09:11:00.000-07:002012-10-20T09:35:29.975-07:00 Ça m'est égal <h1>
Ça m'est égal </h1>
<i>Ça m'est égal</i> -
I love this one. If you are new to French like me say, <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps"><i>Je l'aime</i>.</span></span><br />
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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.<br />
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I love this one both for its attitude of <i>sans souci</i>, 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 <i>cherchez la femme.</i>you are what you readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397887493073863245noreply@blogger.com0