h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First of all Mel, I'm certain your e-mail is perfectly understandable. Know also that the French are more than understanding concerning mistakes like yours; encouraging people to speak French is almost a crusade. They see their language, and perhaps rightly so, as a last bastion against an all-English, all-Macdonald's, all-Starbucks future for everyone.

I take German lessons at work. Some Germans I deal with speak French and feel that by doing so, they are protecting German: if English is the only language used by French and Germans to speak together, then both languages are doomed.

This is not necessarily an anti-American (even less an anti-British) sentiment. If other languages and cultures are all steamrolled by an American-dominated "world culture" we will all be much the poorer.


Now for two lessons about your French bank (MA banque française):

1) errors in gender are common for English speakers; I still make them constantly. They are only a hindrance to understanding when the hearer can mistake what you mean with a similar word of the other gender: then the article becomes very important. Still, these mistakes are worth the effort to avoid.

2) in French only nouns for a country or person are capitalized, adjectives are lower case, as is the language: Allemagne, une Allemande, BUT un banquier allemand, la bière allemande, parler allemand, etc.

Il y a des rumours qu'il exist une groupe de regles pour trouver la bonne sexe pour les noms francais, mais je ne les ai jamais trouve Je pense que Loup d'Argent a parle de les mettre dans un article, je ne sais pas si cet a arrive.

Comme tu peux imaginer ma francais orale est meiux que mon ecriture, si seulment parce que les Francais ne sonne pas un demi des lettres dans les mots!

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Apparently there is a 'fool proof' set of rules for getting the gender right with French nouns however I have never been able to find them all. I think Loup d'Argent spoke of putting them into an entry, don't know if it ever happened.

As you can imagine my spoken French is better than my written, if only because the French don't sound half the letters in their words!

there are unfortunately no "foolproof" rules, but there are some guidelines that can help.

nouns ending in:
-age
-ment
are masculine. "image" is the only exception i can think of.

nouns ending in:
-tion
-ure
are feminine.

there is a word that baffles me: i simply cannot get it into my head that "squelette" (skeleton) is masculine.

a very good suggestion for those wishing to learn french (or any foreign language): comic books!

they help at the same time with written and spoken french. written obviously; the key to good writing in any language (including your own) is reading, reading, and more reading. oral as well, because what you are reading is dialogue, characters speaking to each other.

the pictures are a big help, extra context that lets you learn meanings of words without dragging out the dictionary every 15 seconds.

be careful as to what "bandes dessinées" you choose. many are too vernacular; even vulgar. my personal suggestion would be tintin. the french in tintin is very "pure", neither vulgar nor overposh, with wide and varied vocabulary and expressions.

moreover, you cannot consider yourself as initiated to french culture (even if tintin is belgian) without a thorough dose of tintin.

Thank you for the masculine-feminine rules – they’re very helpful!
I also like the idea of reading Tintin. Need to have a look where French comics are available around here. They probably cost a fortune… Do you know what they cost in Belgium or France, so that I have a orientation price?

katkodl

amazon has french titles available used between $10 and $15. list price in france is 9€.

Hey miss mississippi mudpie face I can get you Tintin books very cheaply and send/give them to you. How about that?

In French? I don't want your English stuff!

yes in french you austrian leiderhosen wearing oddball!



everyone we're just fooling. I love her really

katkat

I need to have a look in the shop where I buy my mangas . (I know Kat, they are quote<<>>quote) Maybe they’ve got French comics as well.

katkodl

p.s.: It's Lederhosen, not Leiderhosen. And I don't wear them out of ethical reasons!

You secretly wish and dream of wearing them though.

Sorry I'll get out of the learning thread instead of clogging it up

now class! no whispering in the back!

today's lesson: agir / s'agir de: both very useful, but easily confused.

agir - to act
j'agis - tu agis - il agit - nous agissons - vous agissez - ils agissent

pardon, j'ai agi comme un enfant (excuse me, i acted like a child)
il a agi honnêtement (he acted honestly)
cette lessive agit directement sur la tâche (this detergent works directly in the stain)
il faut agir! (we must act!)


s'agir de - to concern
ONLY used in the 3rd person singular (impersonal)

de quoi s'agit-il? (what's it about?)
il ne s'agit pas de ça! (that has nothing to do with it!)

note these two nouns:

une action - an act, a deed (une bonne action - a good deed)
des agissements (always plural) - doings; this has the same negative connotation as in english.

and some advice: vulgarity always sounds worse in the mouth of someone learning a language. even if you hear french people around you using bad words, avoid them scrupulously. they will not make you sound clever; "au contraire"!

Pardon, Katkat a agi comme un causeur. – Sorry, Katkat acted like a chatterbox.

Katkodl a agi comme un enfant!

Nous devons agir de l'arrêter !



Katkodl acted like a child!
WE must act to stop her!

katkat

Je n’ai agi pas comme un enfant!!! Je crois Katkat est folle!

I didn’t act like a child !!! I think Katkat is crazy!

katkodl

Je ne suis pas folle! Je suis spécial ! Nous devons agir avec prudence parce que nous parlons dans la classe.


I am not crazy! I am special! We must act with caution because we are talking in class

Tu est spécial? Est-ce que tu est mâle? Moi, je suis spéciale! Et oui, tu est très folle!!!
Le professeur n’est pas en classe. Donc nous pouvons parler.

You are special ? Are you male? I’m special! And yes, you are very crazy!!!
The teacher isn’t in class. That’s why we can talk.

katkodl

Je peux être mâle! Vous ne savez jamais!

De quelle manière est-ce que je suis folle?
(I think that sentence is completely wrong)


I could be male! You never know!
In what way am I crazy?

katkat

Tu est folle parce que tu a dit que tu est mâle, est toi, tu a dit que je suis un enfant quel n’est pas vrai ! Et tu est folle, parce que tu est un causeur. Et tu a dit que je rêve de pantalon en cuir. Et tu dis Leiderhosen au lieu de Lederhosen.

You are crazy because you said that you’re male, and you, you said that I’m a child and that’s not true! And you’re crazy, because you are a chatterbox. And you claimed that I was dreaming of leather trousers. And you say Leiderhosen instead of Lederhosen.


katkodl

Je suis un caseur (also) je suis folle?

I'm a chatterbox (therefore) i am crazy?