Swiss Miss » French

French words I’ll never be able to say…

Amanda — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:34:05 +0000

Anything with a “R”
Any time someone says “oh, just use the back of your throat.” really?
au revoir – I swear it’s not as easy as it sounds….

French foibles #12: How much does that cost?

Amanda — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:03:00 +0000

While I mostly mime things and point and say “s’il vous plait,” I am trying to leap over the hurdle of one-word phrases. Thus instead of saying “combien” (or “how much”) and pointing, I’ll say “How much does that cost, please?”

FRENCH: Combien ca coute, s’il vous plait?

French foibles #10: Do you have other sizes?

Amanda — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:19:26 +0000

photo credit: clemmac

To date, I’ve never dared ask a sales person for help. I tend to ruffle around the racks until I find something and say “I’m OK” if they offer to help. Thus, a new phrase: Do you have other sizes?

FRENCH: Est-ce que vous avez une autre taille?

French foibles #9: This is not correct

Amanda — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:36:41 +0000

I’ve had this string of bad luck where the cashier rings an item up twice or charges me $22 for one pear, etc. My midwestern roots tug at me and I, of course, go back to fix the error, which is discovered after I’ve paid.

Normally, I point at the receipt and point at my items in the bag, but today, I’ll try something new. “This is not correct.”

FRENCH: Ce n’est pas exact.

French Foibles #6: work plug (warning)

Amanda — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:01:45 +0000

So let’s pretend you work on a global campaign urging people to protect themselves from H1N1. Let’s say it’s called “Your best defence is you.” How do you say it in French?

FRENCH: Votre meilleure défense, c’est vous

French Foibles #4: Let’s see…

Amanda — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:46:17 +0000

As I was away on holidays for a few days, I’m a little bit lax on deadlines and due dates. So appropriately, “Let’s see.”

FRENCH: voyons voir

French Foibles #3: See you later

Amanda — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:08:09 +0000

Ok, this isn’t horribly inspired, but I mean, we had two days of thoughtful lessons. Today’s phrase is a useful bit of social conversation. How to say “See you later.”

FRENCH: A tout.