Sound like a Parisian

[slowpoke]

A recent post from "Stuff Parisians like" made me laugh and I though that you may enjoy it too.

www.o-chateau.com/blog/the-word-putain/

[geordy]

I found the topic "Foreign Girls" interesting.....

have to read a few more of those!

Went to one of his tastings a few years back...rather engaging guy..cute as a button....and knows it..as they usually do!

[PariS]

So....is this a swear word?! ;D

[slowpoke]

Yes, Annette, it is a swear word, fairly mild, like "nuts" unless you say "Putain de bordel, de merde, etc" so you don't want to learn those phrases or they could pop out at the wrong time, and that could be embarrassing

See what word reference has to say: www.wordreference.com/fren/putain

Geordy, I just went back and read "Foreign Girls", that is interesting. I have never met Olivier, but a friend of mine has, and she said the same thing about him that you did.

[PariS]

Guess I won't try to fit it in to polite conversation then! LOL I would surely mess it up!!!

[sistereurope]

Whew! I loved that link slowpoke, thanks.
Yes Annette, that was one of the first french curse words I learned...but I thought it meant something stronger than sh*t! I still haven't been able to say it in France...maybe I will next time, if I feel feisty. And if the situation is right! ;D

[denise]

More French words that I will remember! Thanks Nancy.

BTW..my new French CD's worked to improve MY French, but the trouble was French people understood me then, instead of switching to English like they usually do when they hear my attempts, rapidly talked back at me in French and totally baffled me LOL! ;D

Denise
love from England

[jo]

I love this site, I've bookmarked it for further reading.

Thanks for sharing it with us, here's an exalt for you on a cold, sunny Canadian Sunday morning!

JO

[cigalechanta]

One thing that amuses me. A few years ago I went on line looking for B&Bs in Provence.
Many sites said no farts allowed. I thought smeone had hijacked these places but it meant no pets allowed. Confirmed by my French friends.

[Anne]

Jan 23, 2010 15:34:18 GMT -5 sistereurope said:

I still haven't been able to say it in France...maybe I will next time, if I feel feisty.

Please don't Sister. It is really rude, especially from a woman. It kills me to write this because it is so unfair and sexist, but it's the truth .

[sistereurope]

Wow thanks Anne! I sure don't want to be rude. Although my friend Loic says it all the time. Could be a generational thing too...like the kids here think nothing of saying the F word a lot. I still have a hard time with that!

[Shoesy]

Boy, I think that's the most versatile word I've ever heard! But have no fear.......I have no intentions of using it. I'll stick to "bonjour", "s'il vous plait" and "merci". ;D

[Jody]

And shoesy, don't forget tom piss

[geordy]

Yeah...I don't see it showing up in my limited conversations either....though maybe if I spot another rodent !

Speaking of which....what would be an appropriate exclamation for such an event....if I'm not jet lagged/zoned out the next time(hopefully there isn't one!)

[Sandy M]

Ha, Ha - that's funny Geordy! I'm sure I'd need a "proper" word to use also if I happened to see a rodent like you did!! Ewwww, how awful! Guess I'll stay clear of that place until the construction is finished!

Jan 24, 2010 16:41:33 GMT -5 geordy said:

Yeah...I don't see it showing up in my limited conversations either....though maybe if I spot another rodent !

Speaking of which....what would be an appropriate exclamation for such an event....if I'm not jet lagged/zoned out the next time(hopefully there isn't one!)

[slowpoke]

Anne, I think that slang or swear words of any sort are interesting to know for those learning a foreign language, but I certainly agree that these are words that we, as foreigners, and especially women, should never use. One has to be part of the culture to know just how appropriate or inappropriate swear words are in any conversation, and it is always best for foreigners to err on the side of caution and avoid the temptation to swear in their new language.

Now, swearing in English in France is another story. If you feel the need to swear, just revert back to your own language as the words do not have any impact on foreign ears. I can't tell you how many times I have heard French people us the F word in polite conversation or on the radio, as it has no meaning to them, as witnessed by the very well known comedian Florence Foresti using the even more offensive M.....F...... as the title of her recent tour www.florenceforesti.com/.

Words are only words, and without the social impact of being told a million times by your own society that these are bad words, evidenced by the fact that I do not even write them out for fear of horribly offending an anglophone, someone from another culture doesn't feel the same impact from the simple letters put together to form a sound. I must add that my recent trips to Ireland have convinced me that some Irish use the F word to punctuate their sentences, so maybe not all anglophone cultures have the same word taboos.

Anyway, I think it is interesting and helpful to learn swear words and local idioms, not for the purpose of using them yourself, but as an aid to understanding people in everyday conversations.

Plus, I just love words , so good, bad or ugly, I try to learn them all. ;D

[Shoesy]

Jody - It's not "tom piss"; it's "tom pee" ! ;D (I'll think of dear Roniece whenever I use that expression.)

[Roniece]

oh yes!! I still think Michel Thomas pronounced that way on my ipod! :-) Tom Pee will do me, at least I can remember it better that way!

Bisous
RDB

[sunshine817]

Last week I was sitting in the staff room at the lycee where I teach, when an assistant brought something (obviously a problem) to the teacher sitting at the computer next to me.

After looking at the page, she looked up at the assistance with horror and disgust on her face, and let out a "eh, foooook"

After some snickering from everyone in the room, I turned to her and exclaimed "Ah, tu parles anglais tres bien!"

[Shoesy]

Sunshine - I bet the "f" word sounds very chic in French. ;D