French words. When learning to speak French the first words I learned were basic:
Hello – Bonjour.
Goodbye – Aurevoir.
How Much? Combien?
How to count to ten….
and "I would like to speak to Yann, please." (Since cell phones did not exist, and he was at the office.)
French Husband told me that all words ending in 'tion' were the same in English as they were in French…. That was mainly true but not one hundred percent true.
"Ancien" is a good word to know when going to the brocante. It means 'old'.
"Bibelots" means little decorative household things. "Verrerie" means glassware.
And Etc. means etc. Meaning my kind of store.
I heart brocante (another wonderful must have French word, that I am glad I know, and boy do I know it.)
The word "antique" is the same, convenient.
Though out of the many French words I needed to learn, the first French words I learned had to do with food. It wasn't unusual to find me in the grocery store with a dictionary in hand. I was someone who read labels. Not just the front label either.
I started taking the dictionary to the store when I bought sour milk instead of whole milk, and powder sugar instead of sugar.
Thankfully, numbers were written the same way, except for the seven. Which the French add a bar through it. I should have a picture of it instead of a three, but hey that is how it goes around here.
Some French words were self explanatory.
Fleurs – Flowers.
Toilette…
Restaurant…
Rose…
And some French words though spelled the same as they are in English, do not sound the same in French… For example:
Paris, and France.
Toilette…
Restaurant…
Rose…
etc.
The best French words are those that call you in by another sense.
Chocolat – Chocolate.
Cannelle – Cinnamon (though that is a rare scent around here.)
Vanille – Vanilla
Framboise – Raspberry
Creme – Cream
Sucre – Sugar
Beurre – Butter.
Rules of the game.
Some things are the same wherever you go.
French words… one way and an easy way at that, is communicating with facial expressions. And though French Husband told me when our daughter was born not to use as many as I was accustom to– I had to remind him that the French were notorious when it came to "facial and hand expressions"! And that if he wanted me to stop making expressions then he would have to put a bag over my head.
I once went to a major department store here in France, and without utter one French word, carried an entire conversation using only facial and hand expressions.
To this day it makes me laugh.
It doesn't matter that the shirt I bought was too big… it was the experience that made it worth it.
Leave a Reply