Patf Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 I put my foot in it the other day when I called the male friend of our widowed neighbour her "compagnon." She corrected me - "mon ami" - he doesn't live with her.Then I thought , there are so many words for this in french, eg copain, ami, petit ami, conjoint, compagnon, gendre, partenaire, amant/e, concubine, femme/mari etc. It's difficult to find the correct one, so what's the difference?I once introduced my female friend to someone saying she was my copine - got some funny looks [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Well I hope ericd can put us right on all this, cos it certainly is a minefield!Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Officially in Belgium it is concubin/concubine which does sound odd to English speaking ears! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YCCMB Posted April 27, 2016 Share Posted April 27, 2016 Helping someone give a statement at the Gendarmerie, I had to explain to the Gendarme that the couple making statements weren't married. So he said "I'll put 'en concubinage' "I explained to the bloke I was interpreting for (his partner was giving her statement in another room) and he replied: " Ooh, just wait till I tell her...she's always wanted to be one of those" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 there are so many words for this in french, eg copain, ami, petit ami, conjoint, compagnon, gendre, partenaire, amant/e, concubine, femme/mari etc. It's difficult to find the correct one, so what's the difference?Of course one major problem in fixing this is context.In English for example ' a bloke' hasn't got the same significance as "her bloke" and it is a bit similar in French."Conjoint", "compagnon" are both words I have heard for the person someone lives with bit isn't married to.Concubin(e) might be used by someone else to describe the situation or on an official form, but I think it has a rather snide feeling and can't imagine someone using it about a partner."Femme" et "mari" for me describe wife and husband but can be used ironically of others known not to be really married or euphemistically for one's own partnerIn more 'popular' French you hear 'son mec' (her bloke) or 'sa meuf' (verlan for femme) his 'bird' in old-fashioned English slangAmant(e) is 'lover' as opposed to friend and might be said between close friends about one of their affairs, or by a gossip about a relationshipAs for friends....'pote' for me is a 'mate' and I reckon it is always used of malesAmi(e) is a friend but petit(e( ami(e) implies boy/girlfriendCopain/Copine is a close friend but it can shade into casual loverIf one speaks in the plural there is less chance of confusion."Mes copines" is a bit like 'the gang' "Sa copine" implies something closer.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 I am not unshakeably sure but I think you can use "pote" for both male and female good friend much as we use "guys" to address both sexes.There again, I am only very gradually getting into the vocabulary of the informal and "familier" and I often do not "get it"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 These days I often hear people refer to their husband/wife as mon époux/mon épouse rather than mon mari/ma femme. Is is just a modern fad, is it a class thing, or is one version more correct than the other?Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 I reckon it is a bit more snobby... a bit like the word "spouse" which is obviously cognate.I have heard it formal introductions and used to refer to the husband/wife by middle-class people but not so often by the plebs I frequent [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Looks as if mint is right by the way about 'pote' being for either sex:"Bon, je descends voir ma pote Émilie au magasin" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Yikes, I use époux to refer to OH and I am not in the least posh and would absolutely HATE to be thought of as un peu snob!Got enough of a problem as it is, trying not to forget to say hein every now and again and not to talk about Belioz as though he were a personal friend.....[:-))] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 QUOTE Norman...I reckon it is a bit more snobby... a bit like the word "spouse" which is obviously cognate.I have heard it formal introductions and used to refer to the husband/wife by middle-class people but not so often by the plebs I frequent.I wondered if it was sort of "faux posh". I am not sure I have ever heard the "époux" version used by my (few) slightly more upper-middle friends. Next time I catch up with one of those, I shall have to ask.Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Remember that I am an immigrant, and never meet anyone above lower-middle class....On the other hand if you need guidance on how to refer to one's other half in not so complimentary street French I might just know the person [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 I remember when I could only speak about 20 words of french and looked up 'husband', just another word. And I used 'epoux'. For someone who did not speak french, I do not think I would have quite believed that 'mari' was the right word... would have sounded like I was going to marry him and not 'be' married to him.Ofcouse one lives and learns and I don't think about which I use, hopefully it is appropriate for the occasion these days, but it could easily be 'mari' or 'epoux'. And I know people from french nobility, one family still with the family chateau. I ended up with an eclectic entourage really, never thought about it, I do wonder if it is because I am interested in people and don't suffer from a nature that envies others. I don't really care what people have got, just what 'they' are like. Anyway we have had two posters with chateaux ........ one being mint...... or so rumour had it[;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 Has frangin/frangine been mentioned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted April 30, 2016 Author Share Posted April 30, 2016 Never heard of that one Idun, but come to think of it I hear epoux/se more often than mari/femme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 [quote user="idun"]Has frangin/frangine been mentioned?[/quote]Surely that is brother/sister rather than husband/wife?To go back to époux/épouse I have a sneaking suspicion that they are as Loiseau said 'false posh.'They are the terms found in a document for example, and so when they are used in spoken French they have an element of the Mollie Sugden to them (to my ears), but they are also more at home in the mouth of older people than the modern generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 In the country where I used to live, frangine and epoux often 'overlapped'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted April 30, 2016 Share Posted April 30, 2016 NH...... I thought that this was just about words concerning relationships/friendships.......... so brother and sister is one of those, isn't it?[:D]Patf, do people only say ma soeur or mon frere, and not frangin/frangine where you live? And WB........... did you used to live in Norfolk....... heard some such thing along those lines on BBC Radio 4 this week...... granted it was on a comedy[Www] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 Idun - as far as I remember they say soeur and frère, cousin and cousine.My widowed neighbour again - she cancelled a holiday in Mexico recently because her cousin (? or copain) had a cardiaque arreste. Or is her cousin her copain?Anyway I cleared that one up without causing more offence.She's very helpful with my french, she used to be a teacher of languages. Absolutely refuses to speak english though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Patf, that is interesting, I cannot remember anyone 'helping' me with my french. If in doubt though, I would ask...... ie at a meeting they kept saying something and in the middle of the meeting stuck up my hand and I asked, in front of everyone. Only one person, a teacher, later a headmaster and the Maire thought I was stupid for doing so! And what they kept saying was 'la galere'...and I had sort of worked out that they meant that, but as sometimes, I have got things radically wrong thought I had better ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 [URL=http://s253.photobucket.com/user/bfb_album/media/fiston_zpsth5pfml7.jpg.html][IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/bfb_album/fiston_zpsth5pfml7.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://s253.photobucket.com/user/bfb_album/media/frangin_zpsknk1ansd.jpg.html][IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh80/bfb_album/frangin_zpsknk1ansd.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 And to add to that Papy/Papie and Mamie....... grandparents..... however, often used for 'old' people too.NH Love the cartoon...... [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted May 1, 2016 Share Posted May 1, 2016 Ah, "fiston" - I had forgotten that.I have heard "fifille" (not sure of spelling) used for a daughter, too.Thinking of parrain and marraine for godparents makes me ponder, I don't think I know the words for godchildren... Oh yes, it's just come to me: filleul/e n'est-ce pas?Angela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patf Posted May 1, 2016 Author Share Posted May 1, 2016 So many more words in french than in english! Even the word paramour comes from the french.Maybe reflects the relative importance of family etc in both cultures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted May 2, 2016 Share Posted May 2, 2016 I found my self automatically using another one a few minutes ago"votre Dame" which is a bit politer with the older generation than saying "votre femme". That can feel a bit like 'your woman ' whereas what I said is a bit like 'your good lady wife' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.