Monthly Archives: September 2011

L’esprit (nm) can mean ‘spirit’ but often means ‘mind’: ‘avoir l’esprit lent/vif’ : ‘to be slow/quick witted’. ‘Avoir l’esprit d’escalier’ is to think of a quick reply too late; ‘avoir l’esprit de contradiction’ is to be argumentative, to contradict for its … Continue reading →

Cinq mots : five words. Once you have passed ‘O’-level French (or whatever it’s called these days!)  there is nothing between you and speaking perfect french but a wider vocabulary and a basic grasp of the subjunctive (see previous entry). … Continue reading →

No, I am not being sarcastic, and I’ll soon show you the reason I call it that. A big tip: do not study dry verb tables but try to get a grasp of the subjunctive from reading, as the same … Continue reading →

Yes, I’ve been in London, thank you for asking. A 70(ish)th birthday party in Covent Garden, in fact. You didn’t realize I was that trendy, did you? To his treat my friend invited me and nine other women, and a great … Continue reading →

‘Au fur et à mesure’. There is no point in trying to make a literal translation of this because there isn’t one. But the whole phrase can translate as: ‘as (one goes along), gradually).

‘Les carottes râpées’ are, in fact, ‘grated carrots’. My entries on this blog are not always flippant. And for those of you who have not been paying attention, ‘flippant’ is a perfect example of a ‘false friend’. The French ‘flippant(es)’ … Continue reading →

Thank you to Malcolm Rigg for pointing out that ‘my mother-in-law is formidable’  becomes a compliment in French. Put the stress on the third syllable, and the French ‘formidable’ instantly transforms your mother-in-law to: amazing, fantastic, tremendous. If Malcom Rigg sends me … Continue reading →