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Clair, are you paying attention? Useful expressions!


mint
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I did (well I skipped around a bit) and it is marrant.

My favourite expression at the moment is the -oche ending everything seems to get. Like facile is fastoche. In music instead of reading the 'partition', we read the 'partoche'
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[quote user="sweet 17"]

Strange how you learn something one day and the something then crops up the vey next day.  In this case, the something is ne t'en fais pas, thanks Norman.

Tonight, on a programme about cinema, I watched a film called "Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas".  Very atmospheric and very French.

Anyone else watched it?

And did you find the dialogue easy to understand?

[/quote]

What, no one else saw the film, je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas last week?[:(]

Great for people struggling with spoken French; only 5 main characters in the film and there weren't really any scenes when everybody talked at one and the same time![:)]

I am sure you can still watch it on line.  Give it a go as I must admit that I found it difficult to follow all of the dialogue, especially when the characters were speaking quietly.

And here's a phrase from my neighbour which sounded rude to my ears but must have been OK as my neighbour is very soft-spoken and is not given to vulgarities.  So, what did she say?

She said the boulangerie in our village is "foutu"!  So, is that vulgaire or merely familiere?  Someone tell me or I shall forever be wondering.....

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Sweets, do you ever put the French subtitles on when you are watching a French TV series? It's often a great help if the actors are doing naturalistic dialogue, with lavish amounts of slang, or mumbling with their backs to the camera.

I confess that while watching DVDs of "Mad Men" recently, I had the English subtitles up to help me with American mumblings!

Angela

PS. I think "foutu" is still quite dodgy for us ladies to say, but perhaps Clair will give us direction on this.

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Well Sweets you definitely would not use its literal translation in English which is the past participle of the Gordon Ramseys favorite word, OK the register is different in France but its not something a lady should say IMHO, however I have forgotten the polite word to use in its place, fiché maybe?

I was trying to find a French equivalent to FUBAR but foutu au dela de tout réconnaissance FADDTR just doesnt have the same ring to it!

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 I think foutu is slightly vulgar, but not a 'bad' word really. I find the use of pu tain all the time by just about  every adult and many children more offensive and I don't use it.

You haven't mentioned 'j'en ai marre' sweet17[Www]. Now that is an expression that was always used a lot where I lived.

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[quote user="Loiseau"]Sweets, do you ever put the French subtitles on when you are watching a French TV series? It's often a great help if the actors are doing naturalistic dialogue, with lavish amounts of slang, or mumbling with their backs to the camera. I confess that while watching DVDs of "Mad Men" recently, I had the English subtitles up to help me with American mumblings! Angela PS. I think "foutu" is still quite dodgy for us ladies to say, but perhaps Clair will give us direction on this.[/quote]

Angela, please don't go all techno on me; how do you put on "the French subtitles"[:P][8-)]

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[quote user="Loiseau"]Wooly, with respect, you are no lady! So I am not using the F word unless Clair gives it the nod. D'accord? Angela[/quote]

Nevermind that he's no lady, Loiseau, what I want to know is this:  is he a gentleman?

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I looked up 'foutu' on line and it came up with a variety of translations; rotten, lousy, damned, but also (confusingly!) hunky (for a man) or shapely for a woman. Sounds like a difficult word to use!

I also found this use of it in a newspaper today: http://www.macommune.info/article/hollande-tes-foutu-les-poneys-sont-dans-la-rue-91712
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[quote user="idun"] I think foutu is slightly vulgar, but not a 'bad' word really. I find the use of pu tain all the time by just about  every adult and many children more offensive and I don't use it.

You haven't mentioned 'j'en ai marre' sweet17[Www]. Now that is an expression that was always used a lot where I lived.

[/quote]

I think 'fichu' is a preferable alternative. Foutu has a definitely more sexual slang feeling (Compare 'foutre')

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I found our local newspaper in France useful for its expressions. In fact I found many that were faithful translations of ones used in English.

Some examples, (sorry no accents)

la cerise sur le gateau

les hommes en bleu

au mauvais endroit au mauvais temps

trouve sain et sauf

avoir plus d'une corde a son arc

s'arracher les cheveux

pour couronner le tout

arme jusqu'aux dents

l'amour rend aveugle

and D-Day is le jour J I do think.

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SWEET17 wrote:

Angela, please don't go all techno on me; how do you put on "the French subtitles"

Er, well, Sweets, you just press the button on the remote that says "surtitres" or "subtitles", and it just may work. They're intended for the "malentendants", or hard-of-hearing.

If all else fails, I have to ask the banana at the other end of the sofa... ?

Angela
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Angela, many thanks.  I have looked at both our remote controls, one for French and one for British.  I can see the "subt" button on the Br control but can't as yet locate the one on the French.

No French TV in any case at the moment as the ariel connection is en panne but I am waiting for someone to come and fix it and I shall remember to ask him then how to get the subtitles.

It would be no end useful as the hearing part is the most difficult for me.  Come to that, that seems to apply to English as well.  I was listening to some chap talking about his dad killed in that pub in Glasgow and I could understand less than half of what was said![:-))]

PS, I am so happy you are there for poor old banane. 

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Doh, I meant "SOUStitres" for the Fench one of course...

It's no good for "live" or news items though, Sweet. And probably not quizzes or panel games either. Either there are no titles at all, or else somebody is having to type them in as the person is speaking, so there is an awful delay.

But for anything scripted, it can be v useful.

Angela
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[quote user="Loiseau"]Doh, I meant "SOUStitres" for the Fench one of course...

It's no good for "live" or news items though, Sweet. And probably not quizzes or panel games either. Either there are no titles at all, or else somebody is having to type them in as the person is speaking, so there is an awful delay.

But for anything scripted, it can be v useful.

Angela[/quote]

Works on "Questions pour un champion"!

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Thank you.

I'm more or less OK with documentaries and the news.  Films have always been difficult as are any discussion type programme when everybody speaks simultaneously!

And yes, Angela, I am sure you did say "soutritres" so no problems there![:D]

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