bizzyliz Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 A nine-year-old British girl has challenged me to find the French word with the greatest number of accents. I can find several with three - éphémère, évêché and épiphénomène. Can anyone go one better? or two..... or more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 [quote]A nine-year-old British girl has challenged me to find the French word with the greatest number of accents. I can find several with three - éphémère, évêché and épiphénomène. Can anyone go one better?...[/quote]Sorry can't find one with more accents but I can tell you the longest word in the French dictionary :anticonstitutionnellement ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Forum Admin Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Urm, one with 5:hétérogénéité Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzyliz Posted June 30, 2005 Author Share Posted June 30, 2005 Thanks for those..... I can't imagine there are words with more than five accents! Interesting to see that the longest French word is shorter than the longest English word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Wait till notre Vraititi sees this one ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzyliz Posted June 30, 2005 Author Share Posted June 30, 2005 Yes, of course, I'm waiting and wondering what Vraititi will come up with! Can there possibly be a word with six accents? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Wait till notre Vraititi sees this one !My thoughts precisely. He's late today.... M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Well, le travail la journée, ça occupe, cette saloperie... I must admit, hats off to the Forum Admin, can't beat them, Top Man/Woman for getting that. Where the hell did you get that from BTW ? That was a Master coup Admin People, but my revenge will be sweet and ferocious, here it comes:Since you're all in such fine fettle tonight after a harrassing day weeding or playing with yr ice cubes in yr Pastis, can anybody amongst you, knowledgeable mammals, give me the ONLY French verb that can ONLY be used at the INFINITIVE. A verb that ALL of you know, I'm pretty sure of that. You've got 24 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Quel c-- ce mec ! 24 hours you say... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essancee Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Not very confident, but worth a guess - Is it Falloir? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Nope. Clock's ticking fast. 20 hrs 45 minutes to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 I have been told that only to be used at the infinitive, it must be a commandement. Are we on the right piste? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Well, you've been told wrong ! (who the hell is coaching you ?!!!). (BTW: Quel c_ _ ce mec ! that was 'Quel cas ce mec !', right ?) Just under 19h45 minutes left. I feel some serious panic creeping in. Soon, it'll be pitch black in your campagnes, no dashing around frantically asking all and sundry about this little pest of a conumdrum. I'm starting to gloat in the dark already.If you grovel 'grave' (modern colloquial 'French des cités'), you might get a clue at dawn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Assavoir Is that it? And its not a commandement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Assavoir ? Mais vous perdez la raison ma chère ! I love your sheer doggedness and determination. Such laudable attributes. However, your obvious desperation is starting to get the better of you. I am very liberal, you are allowed many things in this game (ask as many French grosses têtes as you want, trawl the Web to yr heart's content, phone the Académie Française, etc.) but making up any odd verb that sounds groovy hoping that I might not notice is NOT one of them.But, tell me, is it 'assavoir' as in 'je voudrais assavoir le prix du kilo de poireaux, Madame Trucmuche' (on a very hot morning, after your 8th Pastis)or 'assavoir' as in 'dans la vie, il faut assavoir ce qu'on veut mes enfants' (Late night lecture, after double dose of Nytol). So, which one is it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Well, folks and folksettes, gonna hit the sack now, enough entendu pour today. 'assavoir', ah, ah, ah ! what a laugh ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Assavoir as in "faire assavoir". Quel --- ce mec ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Quel top ce mec ? right, hein ?No, gosh, you are getting more desperate than I thought, resorting to obscure Old French verbs now ! I mean, what books/newspapers are you reading at the minute, the 'Oyez, Ozez Gazette' or 'Le Messager du Roy' or could it be 'L'Annonce pour Gueux et Serfs' ? by any chance ?No, no, no, this one's perfectly modern, known to all and what's more, in the dictionary !O would it be 'quel fab ce mec ?' ? I'm hesitating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzyliz Posted July 1, 2005 Author Share Posted July 1, 2005 Okay Vraititi, I feel some clarification is needed here. When you say the only verb used AT the infinitive, do you mean the only verb used IN the infinitive? Or is that all part of the conundrum? You can't be allowed to get away with this so easily.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [quote]Not very confident, but worth a guess - Is it Falloir?[/quote]Falloir ?...but : 'il va falloir faire ça ou ça' is of the same gist as 'j'ai failli faire ça et ça'Peut-être... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 I was wondering who and when into this game s.o was going to quibble some supposedly unclear point in this conundrum.Right. This perfectly acceptable, modern, as-common-as-you-like and in-the-dictionary verb has only one form of use, and it is the Infinitive.10 hours to go.You better start using les grands moyens now, I can feel some clever cloggy erudites amongst you might never be able to live that one down should they fail, which is, let's face it, in the realms of possibilities.By the way, I am reneging on the promise I made last night. 'Twas late, dark and cold. So no clues. Not even the beginning of a hint. You KNOW the verb, remember, you migth USE IT EVERDAY, hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah,Be seeing you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [quote]Not very confident, but worth a guess - Is it Falloir?[/quote]Non pas falloir !because falloir is in the present : il fautthe future : il faudrathe past : il falluthe conditional : il faudraitthe imperfect : il fallait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P> Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 Stop with the commandable but SO amateurish Falloir, stop with your Old French pistes (assavoir, honestly !), stop finding fault with the way the Q's asked, go back to the drawing board, get yrselves out there, ask the maire, or even the village idiot, (s)he might know !Be seeing you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 [quote]Stop with the commandable but SO amateurish Falloir, stop with your Old French pistes (assavoir, honestly !), stop finding fault with the way the Q's asked, go back to the drawing board, get yrselves ...[/quote]ALLER!!Non! Cucupraline!because in the present : je vaisin the imperatif : Allez!Mille excuses Vraititi, Je suis restée en Blighty FAR TOO long et j'ai oublié my French!!........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bizzyliz Posted July 1, 2005 Author Share Posted July 1, 2005 I am afraid I am merely intrigued, and too far away from my youthful days when I might have worried about living down failure! I too live in Blighty, so I cannot turn to the mayor or the village idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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