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Monthly Archives: September 2011
Je viens de…
Literally ‘I am coming from…’ this (‘Je viens de…’) translates more easily as ‘ I have just…’: Je viens de découvrir que mon ami(e) est parti(e) pour l’Espagne: I have just discovered that my friend has left for Spain. Add the … Continue reading
La langue de bois
Try not to confuse ‘la langue de bois’ with ‘une gueule de bois’. Literally these translate as ‘the language of wood/a wooden tongue’ and ‘a throat of wood/a wooden throat’. The former means formal, stilted language, and the latter is … Continue reading
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Par contre/en revanche
‘En revanche’ et ‘par contre’ both mean: ‘on the other hand’. I have heard discussions of whether one is better to use than the other but, as far as I’m concerned, the jury is out on the matter.
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Portsmouth
Yesterday I returned six French novels to Portsmouth Central library, next to Portsmouth and Southsea station. This library was flooded about six months ago by children who thought it hilarious to block up all the plugs on the top floor, … Continue reading
Accidenté(e)
Although ‘un accident’ translates as an accident, when somebody describes ‘une rue accidentée’ they mean a road that is full of twists and bends. So don’t be too alarmed if anyone directs you to one of these…
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Le foot (footie)
‘Football – it’s not a matter of life and death – it’s much much more important than that.’ Bill Shankly, ex manager of Liverpool (and Huddersfield) FCs.: ‘Le foot, ce n’est pas une question de la vie ou de la mort – … Continue reading