Thursday, February 25, 2016

Today's French words: chanteuse, t e n d r e s s e, retourner

Let's look at French words which are in use. I have found them in books or newspapers. Every time I see a French word used I underline it and write (in pencil) the word French, sometimes just FR if I have two or more French words on one page.

The way to record French words or book review which I was taught at grammar school was simply to take a small A6 size book and keep it in your pocket (or purse or bag). Then you need a pen. I would attach, attached to or in a bag with a small pen, one which has a cap or easier with a click on-off retreating nib pen to protect the pocket, purse or clothes from escaping ink.

Then I type it up in my blog post for my records. (Companies offer to turn blogs into one-off books. A one off expensive book is good for your own records. However, the cost makes it far too expensive to sell, as each seller or intermediary or website wants between 10% and 90%.)

Bon - good

Jour - day, as in journal, a daily record

Bonjour - good day

Bonjour Tristesse - name of a book title - translated you could say Hello Unhappiness, Hi Misery, or Good Day Sadness, or Hello Sorrow, or Welcome Sorrow, or Welcome Sadness, which is lyrical, and flowing as Bonjour Tristesse, avoiding everyday words, and slang, yet not conveying exactly the same meaning, nor the evocation of a French setting. So you can see that the author or publisher might have kept the French word, as we do so often in conversation in English.

Chanteuse - singer, you can see that chanter is to sing and chant and sing have the same word origin or root word (Chanteuse is similar in spelling and pronunciation to the place name and drink, Chartreuse)

Juste - just or exact

Mot - word

Mot juste - exact word, or right word or precise word

Reverie - memory or daydream, possibly from re meaning again (as in return, meaning to turn back or go back, in English, r e t o u r n e r in French, and revise in English - meaning look at again, and rediffusion meaning send out again) and the root word ver meaning to see.

Tendresse - tenderness - just imagine that the French have dropped an e and an n, which is probably the case

Tristesse - sadness, je suis triste means I am sad

If you found this interesting or amusing, please share and follow and look at my other posts. You can follow me here, comment, follow me on Facebook, like my posts on Facebook, link to me on LinkedIn, look at my books on Lulu.com which is print on demand, to get a new copy which I will sign if you manage to meet me at a Writers' meeting or a Toastmasters Club or Contes. (Some second hand copies of my earlier books are sold second hand at silly prices on Amazon. I am happy to sign those as well.)
Angela Lansbury, teacher of English and French, author, article writer, blogger, researcher, speaker.

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