Here's a french word most English speakers know: maisonette. The meaning is literally house, (small). Maison is house or building. A maisonette is a house divided horizontally, usually a two storey house, with one person on the ground floor, another above, usually with separate entrances and front doors, sometimes a semi-detached house with a central hall, a front door to one of the flats on the ground floor, an indoor stair to the one upstairs.
A joint indoor entrance is more sociable, as you might meet in the hallway, take in parcels for each other, challenge outsiders, and stop to chat in the warm on a cold day, or pass each other and nod and smile.
An outdoor staircase to the upper flat's front door is more private, some would think more secure as the other flat's occupant's don't pass you. On the other hand, with a separate concealed entrance nobody sees somebody trying to get into your front door. Maisonettes sometimes share a garden at the back, sides or front, or parking areas. This might be sociable, or cause conflict.
So much for the practicalities of living in a maisonette. What about the word? You now know two words, maisonette, and maison. A restaurant or shop called Maison Michel would be the building, shop or restaurant of Michel, or somebody associated with Michel (French for Michael), or somebody who chooses an alliterative name. Maison Michelle would be a building, shop or restaurant, house of Michelle, a lady.
Glossary
maison - house
maisonette - small or half house, divided horizontally
propriétaire - landlord, or as we would say, proprietor, same word for landlady
For my landlord put mon before the word, for my landlady put ma before the word.
Angela Lansbury, B A Hons, (degree from University College, London), CL, ACG (speaker), author of 20+ books, travel writer and teacher of English and French.
(See other blogs and posts including English grammar, English spelling, Landlord and tenant. More on Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube.)
A joint indoor entrance is more sociable, as you might meet in the hallway, take in parcels for each other, challenge outsiders, and stop to chat in the warm on a cold day, or pass each other and nod and smile.
An outdoor staircase to the upper flat's front door is more private, some would think more secure as the other flat's occupant's don't pass you. On the other hand, with a separate concealed entrance nobody sees somebody trying to get into your front door. Maisonettes sometimes share a garden at the back, sides or front, or parking areas. This might be sociable, or cause conflict.
So much for the practicalities of living in a maisonette. What about the word? You now know two words, maisonette, and maison. A restaurant or shop called Maison Michel would be the building, shop or restaurant of Michel, or somebody associated with Michel (French for Michael), or somebody who chooses an alliterative name. Maison Michelle would be a building, shop or restaurant, house of Michelle, a lady.
Glossary
maison - house
maisonette - small or half house, divided horizontally
propriétaire - landlord, or as we would say, proprietor, same word for landlady
For my landlord put mon before the word, for my landlady put ma before the word.
Angela Lansbury, B A Hons, (degree from University College, London), CL, ACG (speaker), author of 20+ books, travel writer and teacher of English and French.
(See other blogs and posts including English grammar, English spelling, Landlord and tenant. More on Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube.)
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