Useful French phrases for 2014

[skip916]

useful phrases with (very) approximate pronunciations listed underneath:

comment dit-on (how do you say?)
come on deet uhn

ou est la toilette? (where is the restroom?)
eww ay la twalette

un peu plus lentement s’il vous plait? (a little slower please?)
un puh plew lant-e-mont s’eel vu play
very useful when they answer your questions!

est le cheval a vendre? (is the horse for sale?)
ay luh shuval a von-druh?
wishful thinking that i would get to use this phrase

combien? (how much? or how many?)
combee-in?

and the #1 most useful french phrase to know as an American… Merci beaucoup monsieur/madame/madamoiselle!
mare-see bow-coup muhsure/madamm/madamm-wa-zell

i lived in paris for a summer and took a “holiday” in normandy with the family i was staying with. it is incredibly beautiful and the people there are quite american friendly- i think that whole d-day thing really got us some points. (wink) praying my lotto ticket will get me back over there for WEG!

[sophie]

For “is this horse for sale” - no literal translation here.
You’d say one of the following options:

Est-ce que ce cheval est à vendre?
Il est à vendre, ce cheval?
Ce cheval, il est à vendre?

(Ce cheval est-il à vendre? is also a possibility but very formal and used in written rather than spoken French)

Also, you’d say:

Où sont les toilettes? (plural)

And those “open Sesame” phrases:

Excusez-moi,… (Pardon me / Excuse me)
Pourriez-vous… (= could you)
S’il vous plaît… (please…)

As for pronunciation…you really need to go online to one of the links posted in this thread, and listen to each individual word (or phrase). If you speak as indicated above, no one will understand you!

It’s always good to show that you are willing to try to speak French. People do appreciate it, even if they will likely 1) correct your grammar / pronunciation and 2) continue in English if they speak it - they just want to practice it, too!)

[JER]

Je m’en fous is also quite useful.

[sophie]

[QUOTE=JER;5178646]
Je m’en fous is also quite useful.[/QUOTE]

Hehe. Depending on the situation, one might prefer to say Ça m’est égal.

Let THEM teach you the slang you’ll hear while over there…

[FalseImpression]

Ça m’est égal/Je m’en moque

or like a good French(wo)man, shrug your shoulders and turn up your nose!!

I totally agree with Sophie’s suggestions

and it is “mademoiselle” not “madamoiselle”

[ksbadger]

[QUOTE=FalseImpression;5175463]
I sure have not heard much “Parisian French” spoken in Quebec unless the speakers were really French natives. My son lives and works in Montreal and actually speaks several “French”… His (more like Parisian French which I taught him and he perfected in his trips to France) and the local French (mostly Montreal). Then he can also speak … Beauceron… argh! My ears hurt!

In France also there are many local expressions and accents, but English is taking over. I will never forget the day my 80 yo aunt complained that her radio station was “fading”…on the other hand, she could also use old expressions, still in use in Qc, such as “je l’ai échappé” instead of “je l’ai laissé tomber” (I dropped it).[/QUOTE]

FI,
I took French in the UK & have actually survived at Aviation Sud in Toulouse for several weeks. More to the point, I lived in Quebec for a total of 10 years & still work for a bilingual Quebecoise aircraft company (Ah! Canadair, what happened) which is kind of funny as the lingua franca of the air is ENGLISH.

My point is that there are two distinct versions (at least) of French in la belle province. The very upper level francophones ensure their kids are perfectly bilingual by either packing them off to Ottawa or la Sorbonne. As I said, the OLF brings in lecturers to teach immigrants the language and they’re NOT from North America. Now go either down market or the other side of the Main, and you’re back in le vrai milieu - patates replace pommes de terre, le facteur, l’addition and, perversely, le fin de semaine, le weekend.

Kind of funny as, when I was a kid in the Midi, they warned me that <<les dodos>> en Paris didn’t speak the same language - probably about the same amount of communication as a London Cockney and someone from the West Country (which was what my parents were).

My wife used to manage a barn in St. Lazare near where we lived. It was fun to watch the kids - they would look to see who was around and switch - sometimes in mid-sentence - between English & French. They never caught on that I was (marginally) bilingual.

[vineyridge]

Is this right?

Ca va?

Response: Ca va.

(My keyboard isn’t set up for those squiggles underneath the C.

[ksbadger]

[QUOTE=vineyridge;5179213]
Is this right?

Ca va?

Response: Ca va.

(My keyboard isn’t set up for those squiggles underneath the C.[/QUOTE]

Viney,
Yes, you can say that but in French, like any language, some people might answer “Bien” (Well). If you think in idiomatic English;

Ca va? How goes it? ( It goes? is the literal translation)
Ca va It goes

But may be better
Bien or Ca va bien (BN or Sa va BN slightly nasal on the N) Well or It goes well

Even better and used a lot in Quebec, the slightly cynical;

Pas mal (Pa mal) not bad.

Picture a typical Quebec January (-30C, Chill factor “Arctic” 10-20 cm of snow) at the bus stop. From a fur & scarf-wrapped being (so many clothes you’re not sure of the gender):

‘C’est pas chaud’ Say pa sho ‘It’s not hot’ often shortened to just "Pas chaud’ (Pa sho).

The straight phrase would be
“Il fait froid aujourd’hui” il fay frow ojourdwe It’s cold today (in French the weather makes (faire) not (etre) is).

The squiggle is called the sedilla BTW.

[Beverley]

@ksbadger;5179031

It was fun to watch the kids - they would look to see who was around and switch - sometimes in mid-sentence - between English & French. They never caught on that I was (marginally) bilingual.

When I lived and rode in France, one riding pal’s parents were English father and French mother. Anyone might initiate a conversation in one language and get response in the other. Kind of made me dizzy.

One day our riding lesson was in full bridles, and for some reason Dad was putting the bridle on the horse for daughter (Prince was his name) and for some reason Prince had Dad’s number and the head was high. He was cussing at Prince in his native English. I politely suggested he try it in French. He did. Worked like a charm, horse lowered head and opened mouth.

[ksbadger]

[QUOTE=Beverley;5179305]
He was cussing at Prince in his native English. I politely suggested he try it in French. He did. Worked like a charm, horse lowered head and opened mouth.[/QUOTE]

Bev,
Obviously not sufficiently Anglo-Saxon in word choice <g>. May explain why a SWB my wife used to ride was trained to noises - tongue click - speed up, BRRP slow down (drop to lower gait).

We have a horse from the French part of Switzerland (Geneva) in our barn, often wondered what language he reacts to - probably French like his show name but could be German, Italian or some other language like Hungarian (which is, for example, Tina Konyots’ family’s original one).
Bon nuit!

[sophie]

@Beverley;5179305

When I lived and rode in France, one riding pal’s parents were English father and French mother. Anyone might initiate a conversation in one language and get response in the other. Kind of made me dizzy.

This is pretty much our every day life. Kids were born in the US and are bilingual (as least with spoken french - written is not up to par sigh). Hubby was born in the US from Belgian (Wallons) parents but raised in France. So we speak an interesting mixture…Even the dog is bilingual.
Since my horse was born in the US I only speak English to her

I am pushing to send my daughter to Montreal for college (McGill, Concordia…). I love that city. And I love Quebec French! To hell with the “purists”! lol

I have friends from Quebec and everyday we learn of new differences between our languages…the latest being “galère”, which in slang French from France means that you’re having a hard time or that something is a pain in the neck (quelle galère! C’est vraiment la galère!) But in Quebec, it means a good party! (Il y a une galère ce soir?)

To answer Ça va ? you can say:

• Très bien, merci. Et toi? (to a friend) / Et vous? (to someone you don’t know well)
• Pas mal. (VERY common!)

If you’re in the Jura mountains in France and it is freezing (and it often is, coldest village in France - Mouthe - is there…although it can’t compare to some temperatures in Quebec or even NH and Maine, lol) you can say:

Ça caille aujourd’hui!

[BEARCAT]

Merci Sophie!

I am surprised at how many posts on this thread are providing misinformation!

Mon frere viens de demenager et habite maintenant en Normandie. Une petite visite en 2014 semble de rigueur, non?

[FalseImpression]

Veinarde, Bearcat…

The closest I can get for lodging is west of Angers, east of Nantes!!
or Paris! There are some really neat B & Bs in Normandy. One I stayed at was a XVIth century manor and they bred Selle Français!!! It was really nice!

Maybe it is not PC, but I know I could live in Qc and NEVER pick up the accent, but let me stay 2 weeks in the South of France, and I start speaking with the accent!! lol

There are so many expressions in Qc… I remember a lady from l’Ile d’Orléans near Quebec City telling me “j’ai la patience à terre!” (meaning she “could not take it anymore!!”)
I don’t like the restrictions imposed on schooling. My son appreciates the fact he is bilingual and really does not like the fact that his daughter will probably have to go to French school instead of English school. She will speak French because she lives in French, but a good English basis would be great. People need English in this day and age!!

[ksbadger]

[QUOTE=FalseImpression;5180607]

I don’t like the restrictions imposed on schooling. My son appreciates the fact he is bilingual and really does not like the fact that his daughter will probably have to go to French school instead of English school. She will speak French because she lives in French, but a good English basis would be great. People need English in this day and age!![/QUOTE]

FI,
Sadly another aspect of the PQ political scene. The only thing it does is ensure that none of the talent in the medicinal drug research labs along the T-Can can go anywhere as they can only speak French.

An old colleague of mine (ex-Ecole de Polytechnology & PQist) finally got a visit to Airbus in Toulouse. He spent weeks polishing his presentation in French confidant he was going to meet les ingenieurs. He gets to Blagnac and sets up only to be told “We’re trying to be more international - can you do your presentation in English?”
Quelle domage!

[FalseImpression]

As much as I can (most of the time) appreciate the fact that Quebec stood up for French and helped preserve it in a sea of English, I shake my head at some of the restrictions. My son is basically English speaking, grew up in Ontario, went to school in French immersion but in an English system. Now his daughter may not be allowed to go to English school because he did not go to English school in Quebec.

They don’t realize that the world is bigger than Quebec!! On the other hand, when I hear/read the French spoken in France sometimes, I am still grateful to Quebec!!

So, English speaking visitors to the 2014 WEG should not worry too much. There will be a lot of English written/spoken… it may not always mean what you think it does though!!! and with the French pronunciation of said words… you may not even recognize them!!

Believe me, I do not like the political scene of Qc!

[gully_s_pilot]

Here’s my favorite French phrase–say it with an apologetic shrug and nearly all French people will forgive your English-related sins:

“Je parle francaise comme une vache Espanole.” (I speak French like a Spanish cow.)

I loved Normandie. Loved, loved, loved it. I love other parts of France, too, but Normandie really stood out for me–the combination of history and horses was hard to beat. I do hate Camembert cheese though–and they put it on everything. I learned to say very firmly, “Je deteste le Camembert.”

One important note about shopkeepers: in France, it is very important that you look the salesperson or shopowner in the eye and say something polite (“Bonjour” works fine) before you start shopping. It’s basic manners over there, and when we Americans violate it we get their backs up before we’ve even opened our mouths–often before we’re aware of it. Say good-bye when you leave, too.

[Tiki]

est le cheval a vendre? (is the horse for sale?)
ay luh shuval a von-druh?
wishful thinking that i would get to use this phrase

combien? (how much? or how many?)
combee-in?

And the answer (pardon if my spelling is incorrect) Trois cher!

[BEARCAT]

@gully's pilot;5181897

“Je parle francaise comme une vache Espanole.” (I speak French like a Spanish cow.)

Je parle francais comme une vache espagnole.

[BEARCAT]

[QUOTE=Tiki;5182086]
And the answer (pardon if my spelling is incorrect) Trois cher!;)[/QUOTE]

Trop cher? (Too expensive?)

[FalseImpression]

@gully's pilot;5181897

One important note about shopkeepers: in France, it is very important that you look the salesperson or shopowner in the eye and say something polite (“Bonjour” works fine) before you start shopping. It’s basic manners over there, and when we Americans violate it we get their backs up before we’ve even opened our mouths–often before we’re aware of it. Say good-bye when you leave, too.

So true! Even I, born and bred in France, forget about this rule!! I have been living in Canada for 30+ years, and every year, when I go back to France, I forget!! Then I hear the next person in the store (bakery, butcher, any store) come in and say “Messieurs Dames” and feel stupid and rude. Darn, I forgot again!! It has never caused me trouble though!!

On a good, ripe and runny camembert… yummy! But I am partial to cider myself… and I don’t like calvados.

But Normandy to me is always an apple orchard and cows, with a thatched roof farm house in the background!
http://tinyurl.com/2abcwbn

typical “haras” http://tinyurl.com/26z6p48
and another one: http://tinyurl.com/2duxqvv

our b & b
http://tinyurl.com/26ku3v9 house
http://tinyurl.com/24yy68f barn and fields