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5 Romance Grammar
Ok, in your opinion, which grammar out of the romance languages is way & more easy...?
1. French 2. Spanish 3. Portuguese 4. Italian 5. Rumanian And out of this 5 which grammer resembles one another...? Thanks
French grammar is almost identical to the English one:
Je vais a la hutte dans le jardin. I go to the hut in the garden. Sofor English it should be easier to learn French than other Romance grammars.
I know the French and Spanish grammar, and I believe that they are very similar:
1 example: The Future: Etre/Ser Je serai Yo seré Tu seras Tu Serás Il, Elle, On sera Él, Ella, Usted será Nous serons Nosotros seremos Vous serez Vosotros sereìs Ils, Elles seront Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes serán Venir/Venir Spa/Fr Viendré/Vendrai Viendras/Vendrás Viendra/Vendra Vendremos/Viendrons Vendreis/Viendrez Vendran/Viendront Dormir/Dormir Spa/Fr Dormiré/Dormirai Dormirás/Dormiras Dormirá/Dormira Dormiremos/Dormirons Dormireis/Dormirez Dormirán/Dormiront
Well guess, I believe your right...! But what I mean is to writi letters lyrcis and stuff like that... like past present and future and stuff like that past tens... and so on
Yes, French looks like English:
le smoking le footing le jogging le business le boss le job le finger in the nose le chat le dancing les chips le parking le best of le basket le clapman le lifting le living room le shampooing le shopping le snack le rugbyman le happy end le slip cool
Yes, see the French phrases used by english speakers
[edit] Words and phrase: [edit] A à gogo in abundance à la [...] in the manner of [...] à la carte on the card; (in restaurants refers to ordering individual dishes rather than a fixed-price meal) à la mode fashionable; also, with ice cream (in the U.S.) accouchement confinement during childbirth; the process of having a baby; only this last meaning remains in French adieu farewell; as it literally means "to God," it carries more weight than "au revoir" (it is definitive, you won't see the other person alive). Depending of the context, misuse of this term can be considered as an insult, as you'll wish for the other person's death or will say that you don't wish to see the other person ever again while alive adroit skillful, clever, in French: habile, as a "right handed" person would be using his "right" hand, as opposed to his left one with which he would be "gauche" meaning "left". agent provocateur a police spy who infiltrates a group to disrupt or discredit it. aide-de-camp a military assistant aide-mémoire a position paper; a diplomatic agenda amuse bouche an appetizer; lit. mouth pleaser, amuse gueule in modern French. ancien régime a sociopolitical or other system that no longer exists, an allusion to pre-revolutionary France (used with capital letter in French with this meaning : Ancien Régime) aperçu a first impression; initial insight apéritif a before-meal drink appliqué an inlaid or attached decorative feature après moi, le déluge the remark attributed to Louis XV of France; used in reference to the impending end of a functioning French monarchy and predicting the French Revolution. (After me, the deluge.) après-ski after skiing socializing after a ski session; in modern French, this word refers to boots used to walk in snow typically (MoonBootsTM)usually worn after a ski session arête a narrow ridge armoire a type of cabinet; wardrobe artiste a skilled performer, a person with artistic pretensions art nouveau a style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (usually bears capitals in French : Art Nouveau) attaché a person attached to an embassy; in French is also the past participle of the verb attacher (=to fasten) au contraire to the contrary au courant up-to-date; abreast of current affairs au jus literally, with juice, referring to a food course served with sauce. Often redundantly formulated, as in 'Open-faced steak sandwich, served with au jus.' In modern French, although 'jus' can refer to juice produced by meat during cooking, se mettre au jus (to put oneself au jus) is also a colloquial expression used to call someone to try something (jump into water at a pool, try a new recipe. ..) au naturel nude; literally, it is the contraction of à le (same as à la) naturel (in a natural manner) au pair a young foreigner who does domestic chores in exchange for room and board au revoir! "See you soon!"; lit. Until the next sight. In French contraction of Au plaisir de vous revoir (=to the pleasure of seeing you again). avant-garde applied to cutting-edge or radically innovative movements in art, music and literature; figuratively "on the edge", literally, a military term, meaning "vanguard" (which is the deformation of avant-garde) or "advance guard", in other words, "first to attack" (plural avant-gardes; antonym of arrière-garde). avant la lettre used to describe something or someone seen as a precursor or forerunner of something (such as an artistic or political movement) before that something was recognized and named, e.g. "a post-modernist avant la lettre", "a feminist avant la lettre"; the expression literally means before the letter, i.e. "before it had a name". [edit] B ballet a type of dance beaucoup a lot of (slang, such as, "beaucoup bucks") belle a beautiful woman or girl. Common uses of this word are in the phrases the belle of the ball (the most beautiful woman or girl present at a function) and southern belle (a beautiful woman from the southern states of the US) bête noire a scary or unpopular person, idea, or thing, or the archetypical scary monster in a story; literally "black beast". billet doux a love letter, literally "sweet letter" (plural billets doux). blasé/e a nonchalant or uninterested man/woman; literally cloyed or chronically hung over blond/e this is not the only foreign word in everyday use in the English language that also differs in gender — 'blond' is masculine, 'blonde' is feminine. bon appétit! enjoy your meal; literally "good appetite". There is no native equivalent English phrase. bon voyage! have a good trip! brunette a brown-haired girl. For brown-haired boy or man, French uses brun and for a woman brune bureau office (plural bureaux) [edit] C cachet a distinctive quality café a snack, a coffee shop; café au lait coffee with milk; or a light-brown color cap-à-pied from head to foot; modern French uses de pied en cap carte blanche unlimited authority; literally "white card" (i.e. a card where you can write down whatever you like) carte d'identité identity card cause célèbre a controversial issue, such as a legal case, which divides public opinion c'est la mode. "Such is fashion" c'est la vie! "That's life!"; or "Such is life!" c'est magnifique! "That's great!"; literally it's magnificent chaise longue a long chair for reclining; (also rendered chaise lounge via folk etymology) chanson a song chanteuse a female singer chapeau a hat chargé d'affaires a diplomat left in charge of day to day business at a diplomatic mission. Within the United States Department of State a chargé is any officer left in charge of the mission in the absence of the titular chief of mission.--Tommy2D 16:34, 4 May 2007 (UTC) The French business world also uses this term to refer to someone in charge of some business châteaux en Espagne literally "castles in Spain"; something that exists only in the imagination (as, "castles in the air" or "pie in the sky") chef d'œuvre a masterpiece cherchez la femme. literally "Look for the woman." (expressing the notion that behind a man’s unusual behavior may be his trying to impress a woman or to cover up an affair) chevalier d'industrie one who lives by his wits, specially by swindling, literally "knight of industry"; chez the home of chic stylish chignon a hairstyle worn in a roll at the nape of the neck cinéma vérité realism in documentary filmmaking claque a group of admirers; in French = a slap cliché trite through overuse; a stereotype clique a small exclusive group of friends; often used in a pejorative way in French coquette a flirtatious girl; a tease commandant a commanding officer comme il faut as is proper; literally as it should be comme ci comme ça so-so; literally as this, as that communiqué an official communication concierge a hotel desk manager (in French also refers to the caretaker of a building usually living at the front floor ; concierges have a reputation for gossiping) concordat an agreement; a treaty; when used with capital letters in French refers to a treaty between the French State and Judaeo-Christian religions during the French Empire (Napoleon) : priests, ministers and rabbis became civil servants. This treaty was abolished in 1905 (Church-State separation) but is still in use in Alsace-Lorraine (those territories were under German administration during 1871–1918) confrère a colleague congé a departure; in French when used in the plural form refers to vacations connoisseur an expert in wines, fine arts, or other matters of culture; a person of refined taste; (spelt connaisseur in modern French) conte a short story; in French a conte has usually a fantasy context (such as in fairytales) contretemps an awkward clash; a delay cordon sanitaire a policy of containment directed against a hostile entity or ideology; a chain of buffer states; lit. "quarantine line" corduroy a material used in clothing, derives from French "corde du roi"; lit. "cloth of kings" cortège a funeral procession; in French has a broader meaning and refers to all kinds of procession corvée forced labor for minimal or no pay cotte d'armes coat of arms coup de foudre a sudden unforeseen event (in French, "thunderbolt": love at first sight) coup de grâce the final blow that results in victory (literally "blow of mercy"), historically used in the context of the battlefield, now more often used in other contexts (e.g. the defense's production of a particular piece of evidence in court that destroys the prosecution's case). coup de main a surprise attack (usually means to give assistance in French: donner un coup de main is "to give a hand", even if the English meaning exists as well but is old-fashioned) coup d'État a sudden change in government by force; literally "hit (blow) of state" (note the capital E in French, not used in English) coup d'œil a glance, literally "a blow (or touch) of the eye" couture fashion couturier a fashion designer crèche a nativity display; more commonly (in UK), a place where children are left by their parents for short periods in the supervision of childminders; both meanings still exist in French crème brûlée a dessert consisting primarily of custard and toasted sugar, that is, caramel; literally "burnt cream" crème de la crème best of the best; literally "cream of the cream", used to describe highly skilled people crème fraîche literally "fresh cream", a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream crêpe a thin sweet or savoury pancake eaten as a light meal or dessert cri du cœur a passionate plea, literally "cry of the heart" cul-de-sac a dead-end (residential) street; literally "bottom (buttocks) of the bag" [edit] D déclassé of inferior social status décor the layout and furnishing of a room découpage decoration with cut paper dépanneur a neighborhood general/convenience store, term used in eastern Canada déjà vu an impression or illusion of having seen or experienced something before. Literally "already seen". démarche a decisive step dénouement the end result de nouveau again; anew dérailleur a bicycle gear-shift mechanism de règle according to custom; de rigueur required or expected, especially with reference to fashion dernier cri the latest fashion; literally "last scream" derrière rear; buttocks; literally "behind" déshabillé partially clad détente easing of diplomatic tension de trop excessive diablerie witchcraft, deviltry divertissement an amusing diversion; entertainment dossier a file containing detailed information about a person; it has a much wider meaning in modern French, as any type of file, or even a computer directory douceur de vivre "sweetness of life" doyen the senior member of a group; the feminine is doyenne dressage a form of competitive horse training droit du seigneur the purported right of a lord of an estate to deflower a woman on her wedding night in precedence to her new husband; literally the "right of the lord" (also called "droit de cuissage" in modern French) du jour said of something fashionable or hip for a day and quickly forgotten; today's choice on the menu, as soup du jour, literally "of the day" [edit] E eau de toilette perfume; can be shortened as eau (water) élan a distinctive flair émigré one who has emigrated for political reasons; the political reason is not implied in the French use of the word éminence grise a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or otherwise unofficially; literally "gray eminence" enfant terrible a disruptively unconventional person, a "terrible child" en bloc as a group en masse all together ennui boredom en passant in passing en route on the way en suite as a set (do not confuse with "ensuite", meaning "then") entente diplomatic agreement or cooperation entre nous confidentially; literally "between us" entrée literally "entrance"; the first course of a meal (UK English); used to denote the main dish or course of a meal (US English) entremets desserts/sweet dishes. More literally, a side dish that can be served between the courses of a meal entrepreneur a person who undertakes and operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks escargots snails (as food) escritoire a writing table (spelt écritoire in French) esprit de corps a feeling of solidarity among members of a group; morale; literally "spirit of the body (of troops)" étude a musical composition designed to provide practice in a particular technical skill in the performance of an instrument. French for "study". exposé a published exposure of a fraud or scandal; in French refers to a talk or a report on all kinds of subject extraordinaire extraordinary, usually as a following adjective, as "musician extraordinaire" [edit] F façade the front view of an edifice (the ç is pronounced like an s) fait accompli something that has happened and is unlikely to be reversed faute de mieux for want of better faux fake faux amis literally "false friends"; used to refer to words in two different languages that have the same or similar spelling, and often the same etymology but different meanings, such as the French verb rester which means "to stay" rather than "to rest" faux pas a social blunder, literally false step (to slip). Francophones can use more commonly "gaffe", which is less polite. femme fatale an alluring, mysterious woman; the term implies a fatal ending to meeting and frequenting such a woman fiancé/e a man engaged to be married/a woman engaged to be married; literally betrothed film noir a genre of dark-themed movies fils used after a man's surname to distinguish a son from a father, as George Bush fils (in, French "fils" = son) fin de siècle comparable to (but not exactly the same as) turn-of-the-century but with a connotation of decadence, usually applied to the period from 1890 through 1910. flambeau a lighted torch flâneur a gentleman stroller of city streets fleur-de-lis a stylized-flower heraldic device; the golden fleur-de-lis on an azure background were the arms of the French Kingdom folie à deux a simultaneous occurrence of delusions in two closely related people, often said of an unsuitable romance force majeure an overpowering event, an act of God forte a strength, a strong point, typically of a person, from the French fort or strong. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary,"In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \'for-"tA\ and \'for-tE\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived forte. Their recommended pronunciation \'fort\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would rhyme it with English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \'fo-"tA\ and \'fot\ predominate; \'for-"tA\ and \for-'tA\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English." [edit] G gaffe blunder garçon literally "boy" or "male servant"; sometimes used by English speakers to summon the attention of a male waiter; (has a playful connotation in English but can be rather insulting in French) gauche tactless, literally "left handed" gaucherie boorishness genre a type or class, such as "the thriller genre" glissade slide down a slope Grand Prix a type of motor racing, literally "Grand Prize" Grand Guignol a horror show, named after a French theater famous for its frightening plays and bloody special effects. (Guignol can be used in French to describe a ridiculous person, in the same way that clown might be used in English.) [edit] H habitué one who regularly frequents a place haute couture trend-setting fashion haute cuisine a manner of preparing food; literally "upper kitchen". haute école advanced horsemanship; literally "upper school" hauteur arrogance; lit. height haut monde fashionable society, the "upper world" Honi soit qui mal y pense. "Shame on him who thinks ill of it"; or sometimes translated as Evil be to him who evil thinks; the motto of the most noble Order of the Garter (modern French writes honni instead of Old French honi) hors de combat out of the fight hors-concours "out of the running"; used to describe someone who is a non-competitor, especially in love (not restricted to love in modern French) hors d'œuvre appetizer huis-clos the huis clos is a term which indicates an enclosed space such as a room or cell. [edit] I idée fixe a leitmotiv; an obsession insouciant/e a nonchalant man/woman ingénu/e an innocent young man/woman, used particularly in reference to a theatrical stock character [edit] J J’accuse I accuse.; used generally in reference to a political or social indictment (alluding to the title of Émile Zola’s exposé of the Dreyfus affair) J'adore literally, I adore. Implies "Je t'adore", translated as "I love you", or possibly I adore you. J'adoube In chess, an expression said discreetly signaling an intention to straighten out the pieces, without being committed to moving or capturing the first one touched as per the game's rules. lit. "I adjust". From the French verb adouber, to dub (the action of knighting someone) Je ne sais pas I don't know Je-ne-sais-quoi an indefinable, usually compelling quality (charisma); lit. I don't know what joie de vivre joy of living [edit] K [edit] L l'affaire [proper name] a cause célèbre, such as "l’affaire Enron", an allusion to L’Affaire Dreyfus laissez-faire a policy of minimal interference, usu. in reference to government regulation of commerce Laissez les bons temps rouler. "Let the good times roll." (strongly associated with Cajun and New Orleans culture and not commonly used by Francophones outside of Louisiana) Lamé is a type of fabric woven or knit with metallic yarns. layette a set of clothing and accessories for a new baby la petite mort an orgasm; literally "the little death" l'esprit de l'escalier thinking of the right comeback too late; literally "staircase wit"; (originally a witticism of Diderot, the French encyclopedist, in his Paradoxe sur le Comédien) L'État, c'est moi. the remark attributed to Louis XIV ("I am the state"); also used generally in reference to the overweening ego of an absolute ruler liaison a close relationship or connection; an affair. The French meaning is broader; "liaison" also means bond such as in une liaison chimique = " a chemical bond" Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood"; (motto of the French Republic) littérateur an intellectual; (pejorative in French) louche of questionable taste; shady [edit] M macramé coarse lace work made with knotted cords maison house maître d' short for maître d'hotel, headwaiter. (French never uses "d'" alone, as "d'" only means "of" (litt :master of hotel)). malaise a general sense of depression or unease mal de mer motion sickness, literally "seasickness" Mardi gras Fat Tuesday, the last day of eating meat before Lent. Note that there isn't a capital to gras marque a model or brand matériel supplies and equipment, particularly in a military context (French meaning is broader and corresponds more to "hardware") mélange a mixture mêlée a confused fight; a struggling crowd ménage à trois a sexual arrangement between three people; literally "household for three"; (not typically used if all three are of the same sex) Merci beaucoup! "Thank you very much!" Merde "crap" (literally means "shit") métier a field of work or other activity; usually one in which one has special ability or training milieu social environment; setting mirepoix a cooking mixture of two parts onions and one part each of celery and carrots mise en place a food assembly station in a commercial kitchen mise en scène staging of sets, props, actors, etc. in theater and film moi "me"; often used in English as an ironic reply to an accusation; for example, "Pretentious? Moi?" moi aussi "me too", used to show agreeing with someone montage a blending of pictures, scenes, or sounds mot juste right word. French uses it often in the expression chercher le mot juste (to search for the right word) motif a recurrent thematic element mousse a whipped dessert or a hairstyling foam; in modern French, any kind of foam [edit] N naïf/naïve a man/woman lacking experience, understanding or sophistication naïveté fact of being naïf né/e used to indicate a man/woman’s birth name (maiden name for a woman), such as, "Martha Washington, née Martha Custis"; "born" n'est-ce pas? Isn't it?; asked rhetorically after a statement, as in "Right?" noblesse oblige honorable behavior expected of high rank nom de guerre pseudonym to disguise the identity of a leader of a militant group, literally "war name", used in France for "pseudonym" nom de plume author's pseudonym, literally "pen name". Originally an English phrase, now also used in France nouveau newfangled nouveau riche newly rich nouvelle cuisine new cuisine [edit] O objet d'art a work of art, commonly a painting or sculpture œuvre "work", in the sense of an artist's work; by extension, an artist's entire body of work [edit] P panache verve; flamboyance papier-mâché a craft medium using paper and paste; literally "chewed paper" par excellence quintessential; literally "by excellence" pas de deux a close relationship between two people; a duet in ballet pas de trois a dance for three, usually in ballet. passé out of fashion pastiche a derivative work; an imitation patois a dialect; jargon peignoir a woman’s dressing gown; a negligee (in French, also a bathrobe) père used after a man's surname to distinguish a father from a son, as in "George Bush père." petite small; waiflike; skinny; lit. small pièce d'occasion occasional piece; item written or composed for a special occasion pied-à-terre a second home, usually an apartment in the city plat du jour a dish served in a restaurant on a particular day but which is not part of the regular menu; literally "dish of the day" plus ça change The more things change, the more they stay the same. (from Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, or Plus ça change, plus c’est pareil.) pot-pourri medley, mélange, mixture; literally rotten pot pour encourager les autres to encourage the others, from Voltaire (Candide) [1] précis a concise summary portmanteau a blend; a word which fuses two or more words or parts of words to give a combined meaning; literally carry coat, a large suitcase. poseur a person who pretends to be something he is not; a phony; a poser prêt-à-porter ready-to-wear clothing prix fixe a fixed price meal, sometimes with choices protégé one who receives support from an influential patron provocateur a polemicist [edit] Q Quel dommage! "What a pity!" Quelle horreur! What a horrible thing! (often used sarcastically) Qu'est-ce que c'est? "What is this/that?" [edit] R raconteur a conversationalist raison d'être justification for existence; "reason for being" rapport to be in someone's "good graces"; to be in synch with someone; "I've developed a rapport with my co-workers"; French for: relationship rapprochement the establishment of cordial relations, often used in diplomacy recherché obscure; pretentious. (usually used in French for sophisticated or delicate) résumé in North American English, a document listing one's qualifications for employment (in French, any kind of summary) rendez-vous a meeting, appointment, or date; répertoire the range of skills of a particular person or group reportage reporting; journalism répondez s'il vous plaît. (RSVP) Please reply. Though francophones may use more usually "prière de répondre", it is common enough. (Note: RSLP ["Réponde s'il lui plaît"] is used on old-fashioned invitations written in the 3rd person, usually in "Script" typography — at least in Belgium.) ressentiment a deep-seated sense of aggrievement and powerlessness restaurateur a restaurant owner roman à clef a fictional account of a true story; literally "novel with a key" roué a hedonist, "cunning devil" roux a cooked mixture of flour and fat used as a base in soups and gravies [edit] S sabotage subversive destruction, from the practice of workers fearful of industrialization destroying machines by tossing their sabots ("wooden shoes") into machinery saboteur one who commits sabotage Sacré bleu]]! general exclamation of horror and shock; literally "holy blue", blue being the deformation of Dieu (God). Always contracted and unaccented. sang-froid great coolness and composure under strain; literally "cold blood" sans without sans-culottes an extremist, literally "without pants", name the insurgent crowd in the streets of Paris gave to itself during the French Revolution. It is a way to shake off the monarchy because they usually wore pantaloons (full-length pants or trousers) instead of the chic knee-length culotte of the nobles. savant a wise or learned person; in English referring to an exceptionally gifted individual savoir-faire social grace; means know-how in French. savoir-vivre etiquette s'il vous plaît please; literally "if it pleases you", "if you please" si vous préférez "if you prefer" sobriquet an assumed name, a nickname soi-disant so-called; self-described; literally "oneself saying" soigné fashionable; polished soirée an evening party soupçon a very small amount (In French, can also mean suspicion) soupe du jour "soup of the day", meaning the particular kind of soup offered that day succès d’estime a "success in the estimation of others", sometimes used pejoratively [edit] T table d'hôte a full-course meal offered at a fixed price tableau vivant in drama, a scene in which actors remain still as if in a picture tant mieux so much the better tête-à-tête a private meeting; literally "head-to-head" toilette the process of dressing or grooming touché acknowledgment of an effective counterpoint; literally "touched" or "hit!" tour de force a masterly or brilliant stroke, creation, effect, or accomplishment; literally "feat of strength" très very (often ironically) trompe l'œil photograph-like realism in painting; literally "trick the eye" [edit] U [edit] V venu/e invited man/woman for a show, once ("come"); unused in modern French, though it can still be used in a few expressions like bienvenu/e (literally well come : welcome) or le premier venu (anyone; literally, the first who came) vignette a brief description; a short scene (in French, a small picture) vinaigrette salad dressing of oil and vinegar; diminutive of vinaigre (vinegar) vis-à-vis in comparison with or in relation to; also "opposite number", literally "face-to-face" Vive! "Long live ...!"; literally "Live"; as in "Vive la France!", “Vive la Résistance!”, "Vive le Canada!", or "Vive le Québec libre!" Vive la différence. Long live the difference. (generally referring to difference between male and female) Voilà! or Et voilà! "There you go!" or "And there you have it!" volte-face a complete reversal of opinion or position, about face Voulez-vous coucher avec moi (ce soir)? "Do you want to sleep with me (tonight)? " (quite rude in modern French as it has no cultural background and is just a rude move) voyeur a peeping tom [edit] W - X - Y - Z Zut alors! "Darn it!", a general exclamation. Like Sacre bleu, this is considered old-fashioned by modern French speakers. Just plain zut is still in use, however — often repeated for effect, for example, zut, zut et zut!) (Whether zut is dated or not might depend on context: where merde is not polite enough, zut, zut alors, zut et rezut etc. are still in current use.) There is an album by Frank Zappa titled Zoot Allures. [edit] Only found in English bureau de change a currency exchange (plural bureaux de change). In French, it means the office where you can change your currency après-garde Avant-garde's antonym. French uses arrière-garde (either in a military or artistic context) auteur A film director, specifically one who controls most aspects of a film, or other controller of an artistic situation. The English connotation derives from French film theory. It was popularized in the journal Cahiers du cinéma: auteur theory maintains that directors like Hitchcock exert a level of creative control equivalent to the author of a literary work. In French, the word originally means author, but some expressions like "cinéma d'auteur" are also in use. cause célèbre An issue arousing widespread controversy or heated public debate, lit. famous cause décolletage a low-cut neckline, cleavage (This is actually a case of "false friends": Engl. décolletage = Fr. décolleté; Fr. décolletage means: 1. action of lowering a female garment's neckline; 2. Agric.: cutting leaves from some cultivated roots such as beets, carrots, etc.; 3. Tech. Operation consisting of making screws, bolts, etc. one after another out of a single bar of metal on a parallel lathe. déjà entendu/lu already heard/read. They do not exist as an expression in French : the Académie française[1] says that un déjà vu (a feeling of something already seen) can be used but not un déjà entendu or un déjà lu demimonde a class of women of ill repute; a fringe group or subculture; French used demi-mondaine in the XIX century, even then it is not in use anymore double entendre double meaning, for which Francophones would use « double sens ». The verb entendre, to hear (modern), originally meant to understand. (Note: French usage: "un mot à double sens": a word with more than one meaning; "une phrase à double entente": a sentence with a hidden meaning. "À double entente" is listed in the Petit Larousse 1994 with no mention of its being obsolete or regional.) encore A request to repeat a performance, as in “Encore !”, lit. again; also used to describe additional songs played at the end of a gig. Francophones would say « Bis ! » (a second time !); or « Une autre ! » (Another one !) to request « un rappel » (an encore). To say « Encore ! » implies a request to reprieve the entire repertoire. femme a stereotypically effeminate gay man or lesbian (slang, pronounced as written). In French, femme means "woman". maître d’ translates as master o'. Francophones would say maître d’hôtel instead (French never uses "d'" alone). negligee A robe or a dressing gown, usually of sheer or soft fabric for women. French uses négligé (masculine form, with accents). Négligée qualifies a woman who neglects her appearance. pièce de résistance the best; the main meal, literally "a piece that resists". Francophones use plat de résistance (main dish) repartee clever banter. Is written répartie in French (répartée means nothing; repartie means a woman who is gone again) risqué sexually suggestive; in French, the meaning of risqué is "risky", with no sexual connotation succès de scandale Success through scandal; Francophones might use « succès par médisance ». voir dire jury selection (Law French)
French phrases in international air-sea rescue
International authorities have adopted a number of words and phrases from French for use by speakers of all languages in voice communications during air-sea rescues. Note that the "phonetic" versions are presented as shown and not in IPA. SECURITAY (securité, “safety”) the following is a safety message or warning, the lowest level of danger. PAN PAN (panne, “breakdown”) the following is a message concerning a danger to a person or ship, the next level of danger. MAYDAY ([venez] m'aider, come help me"; note that aidez-moi means "help me") the following is a message of extreme urgency, the highest level of danger. (MAYDAY is used on voice channels for the same uses as SOS on Morse channels.) SEELONCE (silence, “silence”) keep this channel clear for air-sea rescue communications. SEELONCE FEE NEE (silence fini, “silence is over”) this channel is now available again. PRU DONCE (prudence, “prudence”) silence partially lifted, channel may be used again for urgent non-distress communication. MAY DEE CAL (médical, “medical”) medical assistance needed. It is a serious breach in most countries, and in international zones, to use any of these phrases without justification. See Mayday (distress signal) for a more detailed explanation.
Guest, where are you getting this list from? I'm interested to read more.
It's from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_phrases_used_by_English_speakers#French_phrases_in_international_air-sea_rescue
I saw this list on Wikipedia before, and apparently it was moved there. - Kef
No, sorry, I didn't see that the whole page had been posted... the link above takes you to the distress signal section. Here's a link to the top of the page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_French_phrases_used_by_English_speakers
Oh, and in the future, it would be appreciated to just use a link like that instead of pasting the whole thing in the thread...
Wasteful of bandwidth and skimming time for the reader because it's an inefficient arrangement. A link to the proper presentation would be much better.
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