Normann Posted November 20, 2004 Share Posted November 20, 2004 Hello everyone,a 1st post newbie here....... uuummmm.... I`ve come up with hallo, stop, corner (as in footie game), bonus, boss, tee-shirt and jean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 Welcome Normann. Yes, how could we forget "stop" and "boss"? And talking of jeans, tee shirt and Pucette's "look" reminds me of French radio programme I listened to discussing English words creeping in to the French language. Various people interviewed but shop owners strongly defended use of English (though they used the term "American") words, "look" and "tee shirt" were two in particular. And media people were the same.Incidentally, what words do you all use for e mail? I've picked up "mel" from somewhere but am told I should strictly speaking refer to "courier". M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted November 21, 2004 Author Share Posted November 21, 2004 I think traditionalists prefer "courriel", because it's based on a real French word. For example, the letters page in newspapers will say that a letter has been received by courriel, but out on the streets, normal people use mél.How about discount? Pronounced dees-koont, of course. And sweatshirt, pronounced sweet-shirt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistral Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 Incidentally, what words do you all use for e mail? I've picked up "mel" from somewhere but am told I should strictly speaking refer to "courierI tried using couriel years ago but nobody understood me so I went back to saying e-mail. I think that couriel comes from canada (from courier électronique) and that the academie française wanted us to use mél. The webmail system in my academie is "à mél ouvert" One of the chapters in my 3eme book is about internet and there's a question on what e-mail stands for, they always get it right. Then I ask them for the French term. No-one knows. Most older french people talk, about "mail" written mail but pronounced mél. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 [quote]Cake. Job. Interview (what's wrong with entretien?). Words to do with computers like mail are more popular than French equivalents like courriel. Start-ups .[/quote]Emails -I like the French 'mél" ( short for message électronique) as in 'J'ai reçu un mél".Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opas Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 Play-boy, this one stood out like a sore thumb in a fashion mag I was looking through whilst Mr O was having his medical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexis Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 If you want to get your own back on snotty French who shake their heads in bewilderment after you have said "Bonjour!" just ask them to say purple......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted November 21, 2004 Share Posted November 21, 2004 "hiving" is new to mehttp://www.lefigaro.fr/madame/20041118.FIG0340.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 "hiving" is new to meMe too, as are the magic properties of dark chocolate. Must buy some. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Now there's something I always took back to England... and my long-suffering parents always swore they had looked for a dark chocolate Easter egg... I always liked plain or preferably bitter chocolate, and find it satisfying too, just a couple of squares with black coffee... haven't got any in the house though, just cooking chocolate which mostly goes into drinking chocolate - which is of course better with bitter chocolate too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted November 22, 2004 Author Share Posted November 22, 2004 [quote]"hiving" is new to me http://www.lefigaro.fr/madame/20041118.FIG0340.html[/quote]It looks like hiving is the new black, Pucette.My son offered the verb "flirter" today, along with a graphic display of what he THINKS it means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normann Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Zoom...... as in allez zoom!Think it`s just something you`d say to kids, but it`s rather embarrassingly stuck in my head and comes out at the most inappropriate times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted November 22, 2004 Share Posted November 22, 2004 Just been looking at TF1's web site, well The News is Les News........ They have a section called Goodies, but wasn't on line when I looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 I love allez-zoom, very catchy.Snap poll amongst my French speaking friends/colleagues and it's definitely courriel for e mail, only one mentioned i-mel, ecriture phonetique as she pointed out. Someone else mentioned un autre detail interessant, the at sign @ = "arrobaze" in French. She asked me if I knew why this was as she didn't! Haven't a clue. Anyone?Oh and here's another: "le score" for total.M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted November 23, 2004 Author Share Posted November 23, 2004 Margaret, here's an article called "French staff sue US multinational for making them use English":http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1357209,00.htmlIt's a strange one, because it sounds like many people are quite happy with speaking English.Anyway, it does mention that last year the Académie Française officially banned the word "e-mail", and replaced it with the neologism "courriel". Ministry of Thought by any other name. I guess it depends who you ask, but it seems to me that all the youngsters round here definitely use "e-mail/imél".Wouldn't it be nice if someone from the Academie was reading this thread, they'd probably explode on the spot with outrage. Not that they'd ever lower themselves to look at anything like this, of course - it's a long way down from their ivory tower! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Thanks for the link, SB. Although in a different industry, I work for a similar set up and often encounter the same scenarios. Fortunately for me though, fluent French is a pre-requisite in many positions. I liked the woman who said, "a lot of the time I don't understand business American". I've just escaped from a meeting where I was having very similar thoughts myself... M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 Wish you hadn't started this, SB, I seem to have embraced it with almost missionary zeal! Two more I came across this evening in course of short conversation:non-stop: gossiping about an acquaintance, "si, Margarette, XXX parle non-stop"allez-bye: personally prefer allez-zoom but this isn't bad either.M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diana Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 In my OU French course there is an exercise on buying things and one item is un appareil-photo. Do the French actually use that, I thought camera had become an international word.Diaan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted November 25, 2004 Author Share Posted November 25, 2004 They sure do. I would use appareil for my own camera (numérique if it's digital), and "caméra" for a big TV/film job.But maybe that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 Not just you, me too... a bit like the difference between pile and batterie... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Yeah, caméra is for taking moving pictures - film or video; appareil-photo is a still camera (digital or otherwise)Very confusing that with telephones mobile in French means cordless, and portable is French for mobile phone.Would also offer groggy and K.O.And who gave them leave to make nouns out of so many of our present participles?Parking, footing (already mentioned), camping, jogging (=tracksuit), brushing (=blow-dry, at hairdresser's), shampooing (pronounced shom-pwung) ? Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Continuing on from Angela's list let's add "pressing". Loved the tip on how to pronounce "shampooing" as I never can.Talking of "portables", confusing in an office environment as it's used for both mobile phones and laptops.M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaligoBay Posted November 26, 2004 Author Share Posted November 26, 2004 Another -ing."relooking" - I know this because I was told I needed one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistral Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Very confusing that with telephones mobile in French means cordless, and portable is French for mobile phonePortable is also used for a laptop computer which is why I a bit confused when a fellow prof told me all pupils and staff were being lent free portables, I couldn't see the educational use of a mobile phone. Not sure of the educational use of a laptop either but it does mean I can read the forums in class (not that I would of course....)Just spent a frustrating lesson trying to explain (again) that you cant just say foot, basket, volley for the sports you have to add "ball" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letrangere Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I couldn't see the educational use of a mobile phonePerfectly understandable as there isn't one. Dreadful things. it does mean I can read the forums in classI sometimes think it's one of the few naughty things I can indulge in, it makes me feel soooooo guilty. I don't do it as often as I'd like, it's frightening how often people look over your shoulder, but I do remember once following a thread on buying firewood in France whilst I was sitting in a meeting listening to some bore drone on. I felt really wicked but it was a great mental escape.M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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