JE CONTINUE D'APPRENDRE

As my French course at York University winds down, I continue to learn interesting features and expressions in the French language.

For example, there is no word for shallow in French. One can only say less deep.

Un navet, a turnip, is a word used to describe a bad movie. Really!

And while I'm on vegetables, 'Ce n'est pas de vos oignons' means 'it's none of your business.'

The expression, 'break a leg'  which is used to wish someone luck before a performance morphs into wishing someone 'merde.'  In the old days, horse drawn carriages would bring patrons to the theatre. The more carriages in front of the theatre, the more successful the play hence, the more 'merde.'

The word that most surprised me was 'ma blonde' used to describe a man's significant other. Our teacher explained that this is common practice in Quebec where one's marital status is a taboo topic. Sounds sexist to me. After all, what if your partner is a brunette or a redhead. But then again, I get the feeling that Terry would much prefer I call her 'ma blonde' instead of 'ma blanche.'

I'm realizing that my problem with my fluency or lack thereof in French stems from the fact that I'm usually translating what I want to say from English into French instead of just letting the French flow freely. Only practice can cure that.

As well as learning about the language, the course is teaching me about French culture. Weekly visits to YouTube to hear  famous singers like Edith Piaf and Charles Aznovour have taught me that French music is all about the lyrics, not the music. Poems like Je viens du sud by Chimene Badi also remind me that the French seem entranced by the notion of l'amour impossible.

And what about of my feelings on l'amour impossible?

Hey! Ce n'est pas de vos oignons.