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living together


londoneye
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my french is not too good, but i get by.   armed with my dictionary (which i dont have to hand right now, so cant check exactly what it says), in order to explain i lived with someone i checked and used an expression along lines of 'j'habite en concubinage'.    the lady smirked.   i checked with my french neighbour who assured me it was ok.    yesterday i had to explain my marital status to another person in officialdom; i used the same expression; this one positively sniggered !! Is there something wrong with my dictionary, or is this phrase just not used anymore please?
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How's your accent Albert?  It's just that I know that when I first came to France some words would come out shall we say a bit "differently" to how I'd intended.  There are some dangerously naughty french words in the sentence that you used if you're not careful.

"J'haBITE en CON-CUL binage".  Excuse my language but do you see what I mean?  It could have just been the way you pronounced the words that made them giggle!

Edit:  Sorry londoneye I thought it was Albert who was inquiring.

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yes i did wonder if it was my pronounciation, but i said same thing to french neighbour (who is thankfully (and rarely i suspect in rural france!) fluent in english), and he didnt query it.    what does it mean (above) - err if you could explain without censors jumping on your head !

thanks for all responses.   i think i will try for a different phrase next time because i am starting to get paranoid about answering this question in french now !    Not that i object to making people happy, but it's the only time people have postively sniggered at my french, so clearly something is, as you say, either iffy with pronounciation, or they really are seeing benny hill !

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[quote user="TWINKLE"]

How's your accent Albert?  It's just that I know that when I first came to France some words would come out shall we say a bit "differently" to how I'd intended.  There are some dangerously naughty french words in the sentence that you used if you're not careful.

"J'haBITE en CON-CUL binage".  Excuse my language but do you see what I mean?  It could have just been the way you pronounced the words that made them giggle!

[/quote]

Twinkle, sweetums, I think you've got your posters muddled up. Red water?

I must bow to your ability to spot mots grossiers, though. Finding three in a four word sentence is masterly. Would it work even better with "J'ai BITE...." ?

 

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nah !

these were pleasant middle-aged women, they would NEVER believe i was saying that to them ! (even inadvertently!)

by the way i am female, christine !   I shall go with your suggestion ......... or i might, after a few drinks, just go with Twinkle's pronounciation, to see what happens !

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