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Useful French Phrases

Useful French Phrases

Old Oct 3rd 2018, 10:53 am
  #316  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
Here's something that may result in a much needed smile from DMU, and hopefully others.

I came across this yesterday - an interesting phrase, even if not really 'useful' as per the thread title.
C'est la chaudiere qui reproche a la marmite d'avoir le cul noir.
Although never having heard it said in conversation, as soon as I read it I associated it with our own fairly common expression, 'The pot calling the kettle black.'
The french version is a little more blunt than our current one, a translation being, 'It's the kettle accusing the pot of having a black arse.'

For myself and maybe others interested in literature, I wanted to know a little more about the origins of the expression, and read that one of the first appearances was in a 17th c Spanish translation of Don Quixote. And shortly afterwards in the same century, an English version is recorded as, 'The pot calls the pan burnt-arse.'
And with apologies to Novo , one may be interested to know that there's a related reference in the bible which states, 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?'


I think I'll now go and put the kettle on.........
Indeed, I chuckled when as I read that, not heard nor read it before. I find that quite a few idioms are 'further up the scale' in French.
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Old Oct 3rd 2018, 3:46 pm
  #317  
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Smile Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
And with apologies to Novo , one may be interested to know that there's a related reference in the bible which states, 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?'


I think I'll now go and put the kettle on.........
The King James sentence is "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?".

No apology needed.. my vocabulary can be quite biblical at times.
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Old Sep 5th 2019, 6:31 am
  #318  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

"Et rebelote!", an announcement made during the card game belote, is often announced in general, meaning "here we go again!", or "yet again" when in context.
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Old Oct 19th 2019, 6:40 pm
  #319  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Have just been getting up to date with the latest news of the 'Westminster wallies', aka the Brexit fiasco. There were 2 phrases which caught my eye and especially raised a smile in the google translation.
The first was, 'ambiance etait bon enfant, and the 2nd plus pique-nique en famille que revolutionnaires couteau aux dents.
In my mind I translated these as, ' a friendly atmosphere/an air of good feeling, and more of a picnic rather than revolutionaries armed to the teeth.
Google came up with the amusing: the atmosphere was good kid, and more family picnic than revolutionary knife to your teeth.

Depending on how you read it, the reporting can be far more amusing than the sad, sad Brexit screw up!
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Old Oct 19th 2019, 7:29 pm
  #320  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
Have just been getting up to date with the latest news of the 'Westminster wallies', aka the Brexit fiasco. There were 2 phrases which caught my eye and especially raised a smile in the google translation.
The first was, 'ambiance etait bon enfant, and the 2nd plus pique-nique en famille que revolutionnaires couteau aux dents.
In my mind I translated these as, ' a friendly atmosphere/an air of good feeling, and more of a picnic rather than revolutionaries armed to the teeth.
Google came up with the amusing: the atmosphere was good kid, and more family picnic than revolutionary knife to your teeth.

Depending on how you read it, the reporting can be far more amusing than the sad, sad Brexit screw up!
Hi hi hi...

To me, Google invariably tends towards the literal, whereas sometimes DeepL handles stuff a tad better.

I use both regularly (especially when dealing with officialdom) but the difference between the two can sometimes provide some hints.

Having just used both of your examples, then reading between the lines I would (either correctly or not) arrive at "the atmosphere was childish".

But the second one has me: a pirate at a picnic? Not a term I've encountered before.
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 3:00 pm
  #321  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by BuckinghamshireBoy
Hi hi hi...

To me, Google invariably tends towards the literal, whereas sometimes DeepL handles stuff a tad better.

I use both regularly (especially when dealing with officialdom) but the difference between the two can sometimes provide some hints.

Having just used both of your examples, then reading between the lines I would (either correctly or not) arrive at "the atmosphere was childish".

But the second one has me: a pirate at a picnic? Not a term I've encountered before.
Sorry, incorrect! This would be "enfantin" or "puéril" in French.
All of tp's definitions are correct, and I'd add "good-natured" for "bon enfant".

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Old Oct 20th 2019, 3:15 pm
  #322  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by dmu
Sorry, incorrect! This would be "enfantin" or "puéril" in French.
All of tp's definitions are correct, and I'd add "good-natured" for "bon enfant".
Thank you for the correction, I am familiar with both terms you mention, but I tend go looking for idiomatic uses of language, which can be fun.

It is perfectly possible that I was somewhat swayed during my translation exercise as I was also watching a recording of the Westminster shenanigans of yesterday.
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 4:03 pm
  #323  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

BB, thanks for the DeepL link.
I wasn't familiar with it before, but could prove useful in future. Having said that DeepL and also a few other free on-line translators I've just tried (Reverso/World Lingo/Babylon/Collins) all come up with almost the same literal translation as Google, i.e. all a little off-target. In the first example, Reverso came up with the equally amusing, more family picnic than revolutionary tooth-knife.
In fact I use Google translation occasionally when seeing an unfamiliar word, but more frequently when reading AppleMac troubleshooting articles on a specialist forum written in German, the replies of which are way beyond me.
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 4:25 pm
  #324  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

BB as you tend to go looking for idiomatic uses of language, look no further. Try these:
So you’re in a French bar. It’s loud, but you can make out what people are saying.

i) You hear a fellow drinker talking about drinking like a hole…
ii)…another is talking about having a fat morning…
iii) …and someone broke sugar cubes on someone’s back.
iv) .....another is saying he had a white night.
v)......yet another was talking about sleeping in the pretty star.

What were they saying in French?
I'm familiar with and guessed all except #3 which I'm still struggling with, although I understand literally what they could be saying, but can't associate it with any popular expression I've ever heard. This may also tax DMU's use of French idiomatic expressions........
Any other takers?
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 5:02 pm
  #325  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
BB as you tend to go looking for idiomatic uses of language, look no further. Try these:
So you’re in a French bar. It’s loud, but you can make out what people are saying.

i) You hear a fellow drinker talking about drinking like a hole…
ii)…another is talking about having a fat morning…
iii) …and someone broke sugar cubes on someone’s back.
iv) .....another is saying he had a white night.
v)......yet another was talking about sleeping in the pretty star.

What were they saying in French?
I'm familiar with and guessed all except #3 which I'm still struggling with, although I understand literally what they could be saying, but can't associate it with any popular expression I've ever heard. This may also tax DMU's use of French idiomatic expressions........
Any other takers?
LOL, I, too, know Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, but No. 3 flummoxed me, never having been pronounced by OH, and I had to check, as per:
https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/casse..._sur_le_dos_de
From other results it seems to come from North Africa and might only be used nowadays by veterans from the Algerian War(of which OH wasn't....) On the other hand he taught me to say "Toubib" for Doctor, likewise of Arabic origin, which must have amused some, coming from une Anglaise.....
P.S. For those not familiar, "boire comme un trou" (drink a lot (on one occasion)), "faire grasse matinée" (have a lie-in), "une nuit blanche" (not sleep a wink), "à la belle étoile" (in the open air).

Last edited by dmu; Oct 20th 2019 at 5:06 pm.
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 5:15 pm
  #326  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
BB as you tend to go looking for idiomatic uses of language, look no further. Try these:
So you’re in a French bar. It’s loud, but you can make out what people are saying.

i) You hear a fellow drinker talking about drinking like a hole…
ii)…another is talking about having a fat morning…
iii) …and someone broke sugar cubes on someone’s back.
iv) .....another is saying he had a white night.
v)......yet another was talking about sleeping in the pretty star.

What were they saying in French?
I'm familiar with and guessed all except #3 which I'm still struggling with, although I understand literally what they could be saying, but can't associate it with any popular expression I've ever heard. This may also tax DMU's use of French idiomatic expressions........
Any other takers?
Originally Posted by dmu
LOL, I, too, know Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, but No. 3 flummoxed me, never having been pronounced by OH, and I had to check, as per:
https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/casse..._sur_le_dos_de
From other results it seems to come from North Africa and might only be used nowadays by veterans from the Algerian War.(of which OH wasn't....) On the other hand he taught me to say "Toubib" for Doctor, likewise of Arabic origin, which must have amused some, coming from une Anglaise.....
I'm fine with 1, 2 and 4, but as to 3 and 5, nope. Was there also some chat in that bar about a person smoking like a fireman?

Toubib, I'm very familiar with, I learnt my French in a sometimes rowdy office environment.

Time for the thinking hat, methinks. How long have I got?

Last edited by BuckinghamshireBoy; Oct 20th 2019 at 5:21 pm. Reason: A bar too many???
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 6:35 pm
  #327  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by BuckinghamshireBoy
I'm fine with 1, 2 and 4, but as to 3 and 5, nope. Was there also some chat in that bar about a person smoking like a fireman?

Toubib, I'm very familiar with, I learnt my French in a sometimes rowdy office environment.

Time for the thinking hat, methinks. How long have I got?
Jusqu'à la Saint Glinglin!!
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Old Oct 20th 2019, 6:54 pm
  #328  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

Originally Posted by dmu
Jusqu'à la Saint Glinglin!!
Bon, d'accord

I believe that I am currently urinating in a stringed instrument, and am therefore on the verge of giving my tongue to the cat.

Despite being tempted, I haven't yet followed the link that you posted above, still looking for mid-day at two o'clock.
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Old Oct 21st 2019, 10:01 am
  #329  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

I cracked and followed the link this morning... I guess I was looking too hard at "pretty" rather than just going with "star". Interestingly (or not) DeepL offers "dormir sous les étoiles" as an alternative, whereas Google does not.

As to breaking sugar cubes, I had absolutely no idea, have never encountered that one. The only term I know involving sugar is "to sugar the strawberries"

Thanks both, same time next week?
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Old Oct 21st 2019, 10:08 am
  #330  
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Default Re: Useful French Phrases

I sometimes use Reverso for translations and it came up with "talk behind someone's back".
I have it on my phone and can change languages depending which country I am in.
It doesn't do Scottish

I have posted a link in the "bad jokes" thread about voice recognition in a Scottish dialect.

Last edited by cyrian; Oct 21st 2019 at 10:11 am.
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