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Helping out the French language


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Scrapbooking has been around for a number of years - I have French friends who are heavily into it, and seem to my un-creative eye to have raised the pastime to an art-form with cutouts and overlays and captions and ribbons. I think it's what they do in the long winter evenings once the shutters are closed.

It's very odd the way they take our present participles and turn them into nouns; "le relooking" is my present favourite.

Angela
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In trying to help I've had a go at helping the language - bearing in mind my favourite old German word goes something like 'hosentraegerzeigurheitzgerful' - meaning do you have confidence in your braces? So how about:

'Uncouperdesmorceauxdepapieretlescollerdansunlivreparcequej'enaienvie'. Translates as:

'Cuttingupiecesofpaperandstickingtheminabookbecauseifeelikeit'.
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Oh, yes, Sweets.

That reminds me.

I have a room earmarked as a dressing room for when we move back to England.

It is about the same size as yours.

2.something x 2.something.

There is a window in the wall facing you as you walk into the room (it is presently the kitchen but that is about to change)

Would love to hear your plans so that I can perhaps copy them!!!
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[quote user="bubbles"]Oh, yes, Sweets. That reminds me. I have a room earmarked as a dressing room for when we move back to England. It is about the same size as yours. 2.something x 2.something. There is a window in the wall facing you as you walk into the room (it is presently the kitchen but that is about to change) Would love to hear your plans so that I can perhaps copy them!!![/quote]Maybe the two of you need to conduct "le debriefing" on the subject of "le dressing"?[:-))]
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[quote user="bubbles"]Oh, yes, Sweets. That reminds me. I have a room earmarked as a dressing room for when we move back to England. It is about the same size as yours. 2.something x 2.something. There is a window in the wall facing you as you walk into the room (it is presently the kitchen but that is about to change) Would love to hear your plans so that I can perhaps copy them!!![/quote] 

Well, Bubbles, I had another look at the room earlier this week and it looks tiny so I have now changed my mind about having proper cupboards with backs and sides and doors.  It would look ridiculous in such a small space.

Other thing is, bearing in mind what Gluey said about dust, it's not going to be dusty.  It's within the bedroom and the bedroom itself has double-glazed full length doors which open on to, wait for it, a double-glazed verandah!  Also, NO woodburners or anything else that can produce dust! (where is the icon for a Look of Triumph?)

Good thing is, it won't now cost an arm and a leg to fit it out and other thing is, it might just be within the combined DIY skills of OH and me!

Oops, sorry, off topic and it's Bubbles' fault, don't you know, talking about le dressing so that I got carried away.

Anyway, I've also got lots of le parking and I'm looking to doing something clever to make that look smaller and prettier.

And BTW, I'm looking forward to le weekend as I will have time then to pack some more stuff as le removing will be with us on Tuesday![;-)]  

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A French speaking English friend of mine always says "on y go!", much to my disgust I started saying it as well (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that) I have now heard others ta know me using it.

Have I corrupted them or was it already in use?

My French ex had a failing (amongts others!) which was that she would rarely correct my speech, instead preferring to just decode what I was saying, I had happily been incorrectly saying "avec retrovision" for "with hindsight" instead of "retrospectivement" and then one day she went into one when I said it again, it turned out that she said it in an important reunion at L'education Nationale and made a fool of herself [:D]

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How about to domir sur le job and allez up (as Frenchie says "up" pronounced in that special French way)!

We have le camping in two towns near us and les camping-cars can be a bit of a nuisance on our route.  Mais, c'est OK because they are really only about in the winter.

En éte, c'est très different, alors....

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Isnt it Allez - hop! ? (with the H dropped of course)

I got the shock of my life when I first heard it spoken as it was what my father used to say to me as a child, he left school at 14 to work in a coal mine but he may have learnt some French before then but this was 40+ years later and he had never ventured beyond the shores of England.

Even if it is Allez - up! (I frequently misinterprete words I hear) then my father was guilty of the same offence over 40 years ago!!

Has anyone else heard Allez- Hop/oop/up! used in English speech?

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