lost in translation ... sorta

okay I've been living in France for almost three years now (omg, has it really been that long and yes that's right world, looky me LIVING in France ... but I digress) and I am still learning the most basic of vocabulary. or sometimes finding out that I had a word completely wrong in my head based on how it sounds.

an example.

I'm always asking my dogs nicely (okay yelling)to go outside. since here I have heard JY tell the dogs to go out, in French. It sounds like vah door. now of course it isn't that ... and many times I am loathe to ask since it seems continuous and so many times I will just think it over in my head, imagining finally that I know what the words are. doesn't matter anyway, really ... I just tell them 'vah door' knowing it means go outside. but I am always in search of the written as well as spoken word. it helps me to retain the words when I can picture them written in my imagination.

so of course I know that the first word is vas. derrrr. I turned over the second, door, in my head. no it isn't d'or because I know that or is gold and it isn't 'go of gold' we are shooting for.

so then, still talking to myself in my pea brain, I think about dor or some version. well hell, dor would be some version of dormir which is sleep and we aren't telling them to 'go sleep' (not usually anyway). hmmm. being the femme au contraire that I am, there is no way I am heading for the dictionary. I resolve to reflect more but since I know how to pronounce the phrase and its meaning I can use it and worry about spelling later.

meanwhile I am confronted with the word 'hors' more and more, always ignoring it until I reach an ATM that is hors services and I am all like what the ??? I don't see any hours written, oh wait that would be horaires or heures ... hmmm. and how did hors get wrapped up with ATMs AND appetizers?????????????

okay so I cave in look up hors and it means out. you mean to tell me I have been here almost three years and never learned (or needed to learn) the simple word OUT???? good god woman.

take it a step further and look up the word outside. dehors. pronounced duhor. when spoken quickly, door.

so yes folks it is ' vas dehors ' ... go outside. but more like GET OUT!!! when said by JY! lol

I could give more examples exactly like this where words you know to speak, when written are entirely off base. then begins the scavenger hunt, piecing bits together to get to the whole picture. fortunately, the main form of communication is spoken and one can slip by a bit ...

zee franche she ees a funny ting, no??

compendium of (dubiously) useful French words and phrases.

why dubiously? because they are considered so in my estimation and maybe not yours.  Of course, I learned loads more like a bigger start on verbs, passé composée, etc.  But these are just little bits applicable to my life and also more regularly used by the French.

I just completed 4 weeks of 1:1 French classes, twice a week for 90 minutes each session.  I only missed one class (my last one, yesterday) due to sudden change of itinerary related to my doctor's appointment.

so ... here they are, in no particular order.

c'est nul.   (It's crap.)

faire les courses.  (shop for food, go grocery shopping).

un garagiste/mécanicien (mechanic).

sans le voir. (sight unseen).

il le faut, il a fallee (necessary, was necessary)  (( ban c'est necessaire from your lexicon!))

bouger (move - as with a piece of furniture about the room).

demanager (move from a country)

à tout de suite (a few minutes)

à tout a l'heure (later today)

je t'ai dit (I told you)

je me doute (I guess)

insupportable (unbearable)

je suis énervée (I'm irritated)

ça m'énerve! (on my nerves)

avoir peur de quelque chose (to fear something - like huge nasty spiders!)

avoir besoin de (a need for, I need .. with je)

un mure en pierres apparentes (exposed stone)

il y à dix ans (it's been 10 years or 10 years ago)

je te plainds (poor you, as in poor you for having to try and speak French with me ...)

comment ça s'est passé (so, how did it go?)

décontracté (casual)

qu'est-ce-que ça veut dire? (what does it mean?)

ça suffit (it's enough)

la semaine derniere (last week)

la semaine prochaine (next week)

des rideaux (curtains)

dénicher (found a special thing)

la belle famille (in-laws)

dépeche-toi! (hurry up)

je me suis excusé (I apologize)

le sable (sand)

la poussiére (dust)

allumer (switch on)

éteindre (turn off)

donner à manger (to feed...like the dogs)

des placards de cuisine (kitchen cupboards)

de temps en temps (time to time)

perdre les clés (lose the keys)

j'ai envie (I've been craving)

ni vu, ni connu (nobody could tell)

sauter de joie (jump with joy)

hier, avant-hier (yesterday, day before yesterday)

demain, aprés demain (tomorrow, day after tomorrow)

il y à des jours 'avec' et des jours 'sans' (some days are better than others)

se sentir bien/mal (feel good/bad)

ça t'a plu? (did you like it, common phrase of the French)

le décalage horaire (time difference)

c'etait pas terrible (it isn't great)

je dois (I must)

Our process during the lesson is Laurence (mon professeur) takes a colored sheet of paper and jots down all the words and phrases I haven't understood throughout the lesson. The lesson ends with me reviewing this paper and identifying the meaning in English. I have all of these various papers for reference, in addition to many exercise sheets from homework.

I do think I've made progress in the last month. Next week I begin a fall group session with 7 other people. Should be fun!

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