As the title suggests, this post is about "pardoning" one's French, but specifically it is about me asking for pardons for my French pronunciation. I have entered into a few mishaps on my path to French fluency and I thought you all might find them amusing. If you would like to fully participate, I suggest copying the words into Google translate and listening to the proper pronunciation :)
Example #1. Ordering lunch at the cafeteria
What I asked for: In French I tried to properly request "some rice" by asking for "du riz"
What I got: A lot of rice...I noticed that the server was giving me two huge helpings of rice, but was only giving one to everyone else...hmm
What's the reason? After the ~3rd time this happened I finally made the connection. With my amazing French pronunciation, "du riz" must sound like "deux riz"...the latter of which means "two rice".
Example #2. Learning French names for body parts
What I was practicing how to say: I have a pain in my neck (I have a pain in my cou).
What people heard: I have a pain in my cul...an impolite term for one's butt.
I'm sure you are still chuckling at this, but it seems like I am not the only one having some problems with proper word choice. Consider the following...
Indiana Pizza: I was excited, I thought oh, a pizza place run by some Americans from Indiana. Although, their choice of cactus in the paint scheme had me a little confused.
However, upon closer inspection I realized that "IndianA pizza" would have been more appropriately named "Indian pizza". I guess being politically correct isn't really a problem here?
Another restaurant to consider is McDonald's. Yes, they have them here, but the menu choices are a bit different than in the US.
The translation for the slogan at the bottom: "Even Americans want to taste". So what's the verdict Americans? Grand Bagel Cheese?
And to close this post, since I'm on the topic of food, I learned a fun phrase today. "C'est pas vous oignons!" Which literally translates to "It's not your onions!" However, saying this in French is the equivalent of "None of your business" or "None of your beeswax". I'm not sure how business and onions are related, but I find this phrase quite amusing.
Until the next language blunder!
A+
Danielle
Update: I walked past the McDonald's ad again tonight and noticed that I didn't capture something in the picture. Below the picture of the monstrous sandwich is a phrase that roughly translates to: " For your health, don't forget to stay physically active"...At least they're trying to promote healthier habits???
ReplyDelete