Comments on: Lost In Franglais

By: 8 North American Social Events and Traditions | Correr Es Mi Destino

8 North American Social Events and Traditions | Correr Es Mi Destino — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:31:42 +0000

[…] not that I’m losing my French: it’s just that language is highly cultural. That’s my excuse (a valid one, mind you) for not knowing the French equivalent to a lot of […]

By: Froggywoogie

Froggywoogie — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:13:57 +0000

Hey Zhu!

How iz your accent now after living this long over there?
Are you told you still sound French?

By: Zhu

Zhu — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:53:40 +0000

@fly in the web — I wouldn’t have guessed! I like your version best.

By: fly in the web

fly in the web — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:25:20 +0000

Ball trap turned out to be clay pigeon shooting and there was I thinking feminism had hit the boonies! .-= fly in the web´s last blog ..Three old ladies...well, one young one... =-.

By: Zhu

Zhu — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:36:23 +0000

@Agnes — Well, it did sound like a cool job, didn’t it!

@Kirsten — The trash cans are sealed because of the “plan Vigipirate”, the anti-terrorism plan. France had quite a lot of terrorism in the 90s, with several bombs in the subways and I guess some in trashcans.

Now, the sealing is kind of stupid because people pile up garbage around the trashcans but…

@Seraphine — Damn! See, I’m never getting it right! In French, maths is always plural. Why, I don’t know.

@fly in the web — Ball trap? Now, I’ve never seen that!

@Seb — The entrée thing is silly, I wish someone would tell the restaurants

By: Seb

Seb — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:00:13 +0000

"You hate maths" Classic!!! hahaha, love it. I'm still confused by the entree thing, glad you cleared that up for me. .-= Seb´s last blog ..More Alphabetic Misadventures: P is for Persuasive =-.

By: fly in the web

fly in the web — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:48:36 +0000

I remember my confusion on moving to rural France and seeing signs advertising 'ball trap'! .-= fly in the web´s last blog ..Window shopping =-.

By: Seraphine

Seraphine — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:39:37 +0000

native english speakers don't say maths skills. they say math skills; singular instead of plural. but it's ok zhu. don't change. it's charming. .-= Seraphine´s last blog ..“To who ever is taking my money, please stop.” =-.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:42:57 +0000

I studied French in high school, but I never thought about the French words we use here - probably because it would irk me to no end. Though I have to admit, when I was in Paris years ago, I could read what the trash cans said, but could not for the life of me understand WHY they would be hermetically sealed for protection. All over the city, trash cans had lids bolted on, and I wasn't able to throw anything away. Whose protection is this for? There will always be language barriers, no matter how well we think we know a language. Regional differences are big here. I always trip people up when I ask for an elastic or tonic, then I have to clarify myself and ask for a rubber band or soda. I get into discussions with my husband all the time about my Massachusetts English vs. his California English. .-= Kirsten´s last blog ..Cuts Like a Knife =-.

By: Agnes

Agnes — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:12:18 +0000

“bookkeeper” — LOL Zhu, LOL!!!!
.-= Agnes´s last blog ..“And ’cause I was a gazillionaire, and I liked doin’ it so much, I cut that grass for free.” =-.