How would you pronounce my name in French? Lynda

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

What an egotist I am!!!!  I hear all these beautiful sounding French names and I think that my name is going to sound awful pronounced in French.  My husbands name is Richard and I know it comes out like a sexy "reeshaard".... What will mine be?

Again, please forgive the ego! 

Lynda

[Opalienne]

Leenda.   My name is Mary and I am always called Merry, followed by jokes about Christmas.........  I have also been called Marie and Mireille, which I prefer.

[Tresco]

Yes I think Leeenda too..

We've both given up introducing ourselves with the English version and now just use the Frenchified versions of our names.

It's much easier for them, and there's a bonus for me. I get called my proper double barrelled name for the first time in my life outside the family.

[Meo]

My name is Megan, which regularly gets spelled with a superfluous "e" on the end, along with jokes about Renaults.....

They also like to call me Morgan, which I am sure is a boy's name?

[SaligoBay]

My son has 2 Morganes in his 6ième, both girls.

[letrangere]

Yes, you're definitely Leenda and I'm Mar-gar-rette and I'm married to a Reechar', which is so much nicer en francais.  Actually most names are more attractive in French, think:  Agnes, Patricia, Henri, Marthe, Mathilde, Georges, the list is endless...  M

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

[quote]Yes, you're definitely Leenda and I'm Mar-gar-rette and I'm married to a Reechar', which is so much nicer en francais. Actually most names are more attractive in French, think: Agnes, Patricia, Henr...[/quote]

Oh no!  My husband has started teasing me already.  He's saying "Leeeeeeeenda".  I can't bear it.  He's saying how ashamed he is going to be introducing me to people!  What am I going to do????

I hope that when the french accent is applied it sounds better.  Wonder how it would sound in German...?  Haven't committed definitely to France.

He's still laughing at me.  He says that at least he has one thing about him that sexier than me... his name!  Perhaps I can change mine before leaving Australia.

Oh... I'm so ashamed of my ego!

Thanks for your help..... 

Leenda

 

 

 

[Pierre ZFP]

Well, you're ok really.  My name (Peter) is regarded as rather old fashioned and also too close to a rude word for my liking!  Where I work, the French guys and gals either call me 'Peter-the-Rock' (not sure if that's due to my size, a biblical reference or just 'coz I'm thick) or Pierre (as in the joke which results in my forum nickname) which is OK with me.

PierreZFP

[Deby]

Hubby is Fairgoose (Fergus) and Deb o rah gets used quite alot.

Our little boy gets the strangeist of looks and pronounciations - Finn becomes Fin (end/final), but the French really do not like it as it sounds silly to them.  I do correct the French with the pronounciation of his name as it needs to be distinguished between Finn and Fin!

Roma becomes Romain, hardly much difference really. 

Deby

[GRT17]

My name is a bit of a non starter with the French, they usually write it as Gil (just the one L) and pronounce it as Gilles (!)

Now where does that leave me?

It is actually easier if I use my full name Gillian, but usually I don't.

gill

(99 / 17)

[Will]

You could really massage your ego by insisting on your name being pronounced in the English, or better still Australian, way. After all, French names in England - even for English people - are normally said in French. And English names are currently very trendy here. If you look at the 'naissances' in the local paper you'll see a pretty high proportion.

Despite the carryings-on of some of our compatriots, I still find being English in France (as long as you show a generally sympathetic attitude) is generally something to be proud of, rather than disguised.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

[quote]You could really massage your ego by insisting on your name being pronounced in the English, or better still Australian, way. After all, French names in England - even for English people - are normall...[/quote]

hahahahahahahah.... I don't feel so bad after seeing some other translations!  hahahahahahhaha

I like Wills idea of insisting it said the Australian way. "lin-der"....

But first.... more ego......  does that mean anything in french? I'd hate to think I was massaging my ego while I was insisting people call me 'toilet-breath' or something.

Lynda

[letrangere]

as Gilles

Ah, another excellent example of a name that is so much sexier in French than English.  Come on girls, who would you go out with Gilles or Giles?  M  (with apologies for all Giles...)

[Woollybacks<br>J & G ...<font color = blue><a target=_blank href=http:www.woollywraps.comstoreDefault.asp><br>www.woollywraps.com<A> <br><br>]

I'm okay 'cos my full name is Jennifer and it hardly sounds any different when pronounced by a French speaker but Gethyn has a hard enough time with anyone outside Wales remembering his name never mind French speakers, well it has a 'th' sound in it! The nearest pronunciation we get is 'Gefeen' and that doesn't happen often!

Having 'Hughes' as a surname is also amusing, pronounciations vary from 'Oooooooze to Uwwwgees'.

[chicfille]

Susan is a tough one for the French. They cannot put more emphasis on the first syllable than the second, so it comes out Suzanne, which is NOT my name (no offence to any Suzannes, it's just not me!). Those that attempt to pronounce it properly end up saying what sounds like Suzon, which is infinitely worse. Even those that have been subjected to the "how to pronounce my name" lecture still can't spell it - it's nearly always Suzan.

End result is that many French friends call me Susie, it's less hassle.

We can all feel sorry for the unfortunate Reeesharr Zheeeer (Richard Gere)! Took me a while to work out who they meant when I heard that one.

[Fay]

I'm thinking of changing my name! Beyond the age of about 5, telling people you're called 'fairy' is rather humiliating!

[Val_2]

My brother in law Keith has a hard time here. Everyone calls him Cleef so we keep calling him Cliff now. Luckily for the rest of us,we have very easy names to pronounce in French.

[Hoddy]

I've abandoned hope on getting my name, Jean, pronounced the English way.

Once when I finally got through to someone they exclaimed, "Ah, comme les pantalons !"

Hoddy

[Coco]

All the French I have come across have no problem at all with Sally.  And thankfully, rather than giving my husband the French Michel, which is much too poncey-sounding for him (sorry to any Michels out there) they have taken his name by the spelling and thus pronounce it Mik-ay-el - which I think he secretly prefers to Michael, as he always introduces himself as Mik-ay-el now.

[Dunton4]

I decided to stop using the diminutive of my name in France as when written down it looks rather too close to the french for sweat for my liking! (suee....)   I don't want to get an unfortunate nickname at the Mairie, so have opted for Susan, which, as the earlier Susan points out is always pronounced Suzan.  However, at heart I will always be Sue...

My OH becomes a rather exotic Adrien and my daughter is Emi-lee, both quite nice really.

[Fantine<br><br><br><br>Susie]

This is a great topic - we get to know everyones REAL names!!

My OH Ian becomes Yann here and my daughter becomes 'olly as an aspirated H is a bit difficult for most french. My son is Ross and has no pronounciation problems 'though I noticed in the dictionary it is (with an 'e' at the end) the adj for vicious/nasty (or a nag ie old horse) - as far as I know he has had no problems with this!!

I have no mis-pronounications with Susie, but do get various spellings.

[Missy]

Pronounce it Leendaa (a as in apple)

and Richard goes Reechaar

My husband's name is Ralph... Never mind about our surname, that's another story.

As to Ralph : yes! even here in UK it causes him no end of arguments as to its pronounciation. Most people will say Rraalf. They invariably get a stealy look from him for it should be pronouced Rafe as in safe so he keeps on telling us : 'it's the old and PROPER English way of saying it!!'

You should see our children's faces when the argument crops up!!

So much so that my parents, who don't speak english and couldn't give a whatsit about 'the proper way', have named him Raoul!! and make sure that it goes rrr-aa-ool with emphasis on the r ... At least they can say our surname as it is French!

Married a Brit to collect a French surname! It got my grand-parents tickle pink!!

[Teamedup]

So here's a question, why wouldn't Lynda, be Lynn da in french. Wouldn't Linda be Leen da.

I ask because Martyn, is Mar tin, where as Martin is Mar tan.

[Missy]

[quote]So here's a question, why wouldn't Lynda, be Lynn da in french. Wouldn't Linda be Leen da. I ask because Martyn, is Mar tin, where as Martin is Mar tan.[/quote]

Martin - the boy's name - is Maar-tein.

With this French 'ein/un' sound (as in numéro un) which gives trouble to any Anglophone person.

Martine - the girl's name - is Maar-teen.

Most probably why boys called Martin (said the English way) are laughed at by their French peers at the school gate!

[Teamedup]

I know someone called Martyn, with a 'y'. He most certainly gets called Mar tin (english pronunciation of the 'tin' bit) and it doesn't sound like Martine at all. I called him Mar tan to one of his neighbours, and they corrected me and said that as there was a 'y' that it was Mar tin.

And that is why I was wondering about Lynda with a 'y'.