French Word of the Day August 2004
Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 11:14 AM
dawa (not even sure of the spelling, as it's more of a spoken word) = mess
C'est le dawa! = It's a mess!
On va foutre le dawa! = We're gonna mess things up!
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 12:12 PM
(la) FNAC = Fédération Nationale des Achats des Cadres = National Federation of Purchases for Middle Management
A large chain of stores selling books, music, DVDs that competes with the Virgin Megastores of the world. I am still a little puzzled by the meaning of the acronym, but FNAC is so popular it's almost a common noun.
Il faut que je passe à la FNAC = I have to drop by the FNAC
Sent: Friday, August 27, 2004 12:42 AM
Ways to say "bye"
au revoir = bye
salut = bye - in a friendly manner. Also works as a way to say hi
à demain = see you tomorrow
à la semaine prochaine = see you next week
à la prochaine = see you next time - "fois" (=time) is implied
à plus tard = see you later, often shortened into à plus
adieu = farewell
Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2004 9:52 AM
ailleurs = elsewhere (the 's' is silent)
d'ailleurs = besides
E.g.
d'ailleurs, je n'étais même pas là = besides, I wasn't even there
va voir ailleurs si j'y suis = get lost (literally: go see elsewhere if I'm there)
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 10:37 AM
(un) air = air / expression, manner
il a l'air bête = he looks stupid
tu as l'air fatigué = you look tired
l'air de rien = casually ("looking like nothing")
"Alors soyons désinvoltes, n'ayons l'air de rien"
Noir Désir - Tostaky
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 7:45 AM
l'aube = dawn (feminine)
à l'aube = at dawn
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 10:07 AM
Today's swearword
emmerder = to annoy, to hassle someone
s'emmerder = to be bored
Tu m'emmerdes! = You're pissing me off!
Je m'emmerde = I'm bored
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 8:35 AM
(la) paresse = laziness
être paresseux (the 'x' is silent) = to be lazy
and in related news in
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 8:35 AM
Ne pas confondre (not to be confused):
(une) brassière = a bra
(une) brasserie = a type of restaurant, that typically serves alcoholic beverages (brasserie also means brewery) as well as food
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 8:57 AM
Today, a little more on a very useful word: oui ('yes', hope everyone knew that)
It is often changed to ouais ("oo - eh") to indicate boredom or impatience (e.g. if someone keeps asking questions), anger ('YES!'), skepticism ('yeeaaah right') or lack of enthusiasm. Or a ton of other things I forget. My theory is, after spending too much time around French people, you inevitably end up with one of the aforementioned feelings.
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 8:46 AM
(une) blague = a joke
C'est une blague! = It was a joke!
Blague à part... = seriously though..
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2004 9:52 AM
(le) pressing = dry cleaner
Also, faire le pressing is a term widely used in sports journalism to indicate that a team is putting pressure on their opponent.
J'ai apporté ton costume au pressing = I took your suit to the dry-cleaner's
Sent: Friday, August 13, 2004 8:45 AM
hello = bonjour (during the day) bonsoir (in the evening) salut (to close friends - any time of the day)
Sent: Thursday, August 12, 2004 3:21 PM
late = tardif or, preferably, en retard (the 'd' is silent)
E.g. il est en retard = he is late
Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 8:03 AM
(une) flûte = a flute. Also an exclamation:
flûte! = damn!
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 9:49 AM
patatras = exclamation associated with a crash/fall.
Et là, PATATRAS! je suis tombé = And then BANG! I fell
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 10:38 AM
(un) coucou = a cuckoo / slang for an old plane
coucou! = peek-a-boo!
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 1:40 PM
des montagnes russes = roller coasters (literally: Russian mountains)
Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 9:59 AM
un bob = a sailor's hat. Can be either old school and ridiculous, or cool and hip, depending on how you look at it.
For example: when teenage singer Alizée wears a bob, it's cool and hip:
http://optimistique694.free.fr/alizeebob.jpg
promotional bobs by Pastis liquor maker Pastis 51: old-school and ridiculous
http://www.uzeb.com/collec/chapo/pbob1.jpg
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 9:39 PM
ouf = 1/ a sigh of relief, "phew!" 2/ "verlan", i.e. a reversed form of "fou" (crazy). Used by the younger generation to indicate that something is cool/wild/crazy...
E.g.
ouf! ça n'était qu'un rêve! = Phew! It was just a dream!
C'est un truc de ouf! = That's some crazy stuff!
Sent: Monday, August 02, 2004 9:07 AM
(une) rotule = a kneecap
Je suis sur les rotules = I am exhausted (literally I am on my kneecaps)
posted by Mandor at 5:33 PM
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