1. Tien / Donne (Tenez / Donnez): Here
In English, putting your hand out and saying “here” works both ways:
when you’re handing someone something and when you’re offering to take
something from them. In French, you’d use donne / donnez (give) and tiens / tenez (take), respectively.
2.Bien fait pour toi: Told you so / Good job
Translating more or less to “well done (by) you” it’s not hard to
complete the end of this snarky thought: “I told you what would happen
and you did it well. Way to go.”
3. Minute papillon: Hold your horses / Not so fast / Just a minute
Literally “(one) minute, butterfly,” the sarcastic implication here is
to quit impatiently fluttering around and wait. Though you might assume papillon to be a sweet nickname, the idiom can range in tone from neutral to sticky with sarcasm and irritation.
Variations: Like pouêt-pouêt Camembert, the phrase can be shortened, where either of the two words is used independently to mean the same thing.
4. Avoir envie d’aller aux toilettes: To need to go to the bathroom
As far as literal translations go, in French you don’t “need” (devoir) to use a restroom. You “want” (avoir envie) to.
5. Un bout: A piece
“Piece” is one of those words that has a number of translations in French (un bout, un morceau, une tranche, une part) depending on the specific meaning you’re trying to get across. Un bout has it’s own more specific translations back to English, but in this case it refers to bits of something: accepting just un bout of the apple or the croissant someone offered to share with you, for example.
Or for a teeny tiny piece of that boudin noir (blood sausage) on your French friend’s plate that you’re hesitant to try,* tell them you’ll take un tout petit mini bout.
6. Dodo: Bedtime
Of course you can say je vais au lit or je vais me coucher, much
the same way you can say “I’m going to bed” or “I’m going to go to
sleep” in English, but when you’re good and tired, yawning out the
child’s derivative of dormir as you heave yourself out of the couch cushions to go turn in is a handy thing to know how to do.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Acronymes et sigles français
AB | agriculture biologique | organic farming |
ADN | acide désoxyribonucléique | DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) |
AEF | Afrique équatoriale française | French Equatorial Africa |
AF | allocations familiales | ~ welfare, family allowance |
ALENA | Accord de libre-échange nord-américain | NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) |
ANAEM | Agence Nationale d'Accueil des Étrangers et des Migrations | "National Agency for the Reception of Foreigners and Migration" |
ANPE | Agence nationale pour l'emploi | unemployment and job search agency |
AOC | Appelation d'origine contrôlée | guarantee of origin |
AOF | Afrique occidentale française | French West Africa |
BD | bande dessinée | comic strip |
BN | Bibliothèque nationale | national library |
BNP | Banque nationale de Paris | large French bank |
BP | boîte postale | post office box |
BTP | bâtiments et travaux publics | public buildings and works sector |
BTS | brevet de technicien supérieur | vocational training certificate |
CAI | Contrat d'Accueil et d'Intégration | agreement required of long-term visitors and residents of France |
CAP | Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle | required for employees who do not have a college degree |
CB | carte bleue, carte bancaire | debit card |
CCI | Chambre de commerce et d'industrie | Chamber of Commerce |
CCP | compte chèque postal | postal checking account |
CDD | contrat à durée déterminée | job contract for a set duration |
CDI | contrat à durée indéterminée | job contract for an indefinite duration |
CEDEX | courrier d'entreprise à distribution exceptionnelle | ~ FedEx (early morning delivery service) |
CFA | Communauté financière africaine | Community of French colonies in Africa which use a single monetary unit called the CFA franc |
CFP | centre de formation professionnelle | professional training center |
CGT | Confédération Générale de Travail | ~ AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) |
Cie | compagnie | Co. (company) |
CIO | Centre d'information et d'orientation | career advisory center |
CNED | Centre national d'enseignement à distance | Number one distance learning organization in Europe |
CNR | Centre national de recherche | National research institute |
COB | Commission des opérations de Bourse | stock exchange regulatory commission: ~ SEC (US), ~SIB (UK) |
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Vital & Essential Marketing Terms
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