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Useful French Phrases

Useful French Phrases

Old Mar 29th 2016, 7:23 am
  #271  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by TengueFengue
il était comme ça quand je suis arrivé ici

"It was like that when I got here" ...maybe?
If "il" is a person, it should read: "He".
I would have thought that the neutral "It" in English would read "C'était", unless the subject was specified earlier, in which case it would be "il" or "elle" depending on the gender.
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Old Mar 31st 2016, 10:41 pm
  #272  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by dmu
If "il" is a person, it should read: "He".
I would have thought that the neutral "It" in English would read "C'était", unless the subject was specified earlier, in which case it would be "il" or "elle" depending on the gender.
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Old Mar 31st 2016, 11:57 pm
  #273  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by TengueFengue
il était comme ça quand je suis arrivé ici

"It was like that when I got here" ...maybe?
Originally Posted by dmu
If "il" is a person, it should read: "He".
I would have thought that the neutral "It" in English would read "C'était", unless the subject was specified earlier, in which case it would be "il" or "elle" depending on the gender.
Both (Il ... or c'...) are correct. C'était is probably more common usage nowadays. 'Il' is not necessarily 'he'. It can also be 'It' , .

Il était une fois ... Once upon a time
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Old Apr 1st 2016, 7:19 am
  #274  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Shirtback
Both (Il ... or c'...) are correct. C'était is probably more common usage nowadays. 'Il' is not necessarily 'he'. It can also be 'It' , .

Il était une fois ... Once upon a time
This is what I thought I said!
"Il était comme ça...." can be "he" or "it", depending on who or what "Il" is (a person or a masculine thing).
"He (e.g. the sick boy) was like that..."
"It (e.g. the dirty sink) was like that...."
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Old Apr 1st 2016, 11:49 am
  #275  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by dmu
This is what I thought I said!
"Il était comme ça...." can be "he" or "it", depending on who or what "Il" is (a person or a masculine thing).
"He (e.g. the sick boy) was like that..."
"It (e.g. the dirty sink) was like that...."
I think I misread you, sorry!
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Old Apr 1st 2016, 1:09 pm
  #276  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Shirtback
I think I misread you, sorry!
That's OK! I had to reread it a few times, and the OP hasn't come back to comment...
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Old Feb 5th 2017, 2:29 pm
  #277  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Just watching the 6-Nations Rugby on French TV.
All you rugby fans out there, bearing in mind that "touche" is "line-out", what's a "penaltouche" in English? It's only this weekend that I've heard the expression....
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Old Feb 5th 2017, 4:54 pm
  #278  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by PlanetFrance
following this thread! teehee
It's been very quiet over the last year....
(I was hoping you were replying to my rugby question....)
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Old Feb 5th 2017, 5:13 pm
  #279  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by dmu
It's been very quiet over the last year....
(I was hoping you were replying to my rugby question....)
Well, it's obvious really.

World Rugby Laws - World Rugby's Law Education Web Site: Law 19: Touch and Lineout
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Old Feb 5th 2017, 5:58 pm
  #280  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Novocastrian
Fair enough, but according to the commentator, this "penaltouche" is the choice of a striker not to kick a normal penalty, but to kick the ball into touch, to give his side a chance of scoring a try+conversion after a line-out close to the goal-line. It happened more than once in today's match.
Maybe it's penaltouch in English, after all?
And, after all, it's not all that important!
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Old Feb 8th 2017, 4:41 pm
  #281  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by dmu
Fair enough, but according to the commentator, this "penaltouche" is the choice of a striker not to kick a normal penalty, but to kick the ball into touch, to give his side a chance of scoring a try+conversion after a line-out close to the goal-line. It happened more than once in today's match.
Maybe it's penaltouch in English, after all?
And, after all, it's not all that important!
You missed the sense of my post. The rules of rugby today are largely impenetrable.
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Old Feb 8th 2017, 5:12 pm
  #282  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Novocastrian
You missed the sense of my post. The rules of rugby today are largely impenetrable.
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Old Jun 20th 2017, 12:58 pm
  #283  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

I overuse recently a phrase: "C'est chouette!" meaning "It's cool"
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Old Jun 21st 2017, 7:54 am
  #284  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by joannfr
I overuse recently a phrase: "C'est chouette!" meaning "It's cool"
Hi, and welcome to the forum! Join in the various threads below or start a New Thread with info about yourself!
I, too, like using the expression "c'est chouette", but I seem to be the only one. The rest of the family (adult daughters and French in-laws) always say "c'est cool"!
I also like using their "J'y go", but I've never heard this outside the family circle and never say it to others...
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Old Jun 23rd 2017, 8:55 am
  #285  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Honestly how hard can it be to dial the right number


Désolée vous êtes trompé de numéro
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