– fossile = fossil = ffosil = karrekaenn
– contractuel = traffic warden = warden traffig
– Viking = Viking = Llychlynnwr / Ficing = Idem
– le drakkar / bateau viking = viking ship = llong/cwch llychlynnwr = drakkar
– la lacune = loophole (in law) = bwlch = toull
– la niche fiscale = tax loophole = bwlch treth
– combler une lacune = to close a loophole = cau bwlch
– l’échappatoire (f) = way out, excuse, loophole = allanfa, esgus, bwlch
– le feu (de jardin) = bonfire = coelcerth = tan
– le passage pour piétons = pedestrian crossing = croesfan gerddwyr = treuzenn kerzhourien
– le passage à niveau = level crossing = croesfan wastad = treuzenn hent-houarn
– le rayon de soleil = sunbeam = pelydryn haul = barr-heol
Category: French (français)
Brezhoneg
My Breton studies are progressing and so far I’ve learnt a bit more everyday. Last week I worked through the first five lessons of my textbook (Le Breton, par Assimil) and today I got to the seventh lesson, which summerises what you’re learnt in the previous six lessons. The lessons are all short and don’t overload you with new information, as is often the case with other courses I’ve used. In courses with longer lessons you can go through each lesson over several days, but I prefer the shorter Assimil lessons.
The more Breton I learn, the more similarities I find with Welsh. For example, there are only five irregular verbs in Breton, as there are in Welsh, and Breton word order is similar to Welsh – you put the most important piece of information at the beginning of the sentence.
These sentences all mean the same thing, “The weather is fine in Ploulann today”, but with different emphasis in each:
– Brav eo an amzer e Ploulann hiziv = Braf ydy’r tywydd yn Ploulann heddiw = The weather is fine …
– An amzer a zo brav e Ploulann hiziv = Mae’r tywydd yn braf yn Ploulann heddiw = The weather is fine …
– E Ploulann eo brav an amzer hiziv = Yn Ploulann mae’r tywydd yn braf heddiw = The weather is fine in Ploulann …
– Hiziv eo brav an amzer e Ploulann = Heddiw mae’r tywydd yn braf yn Ploulann = The weather is fine in Ploulann today.
As the textbook is in French I’m also learning some new French words like:
– la tournure = turn of phrase, form, e.g. la tournure de qch = the way sth is developing; la tournure des événements = the turn of events; la tournure d’esprit = frame of mind
I’ve started working on the script for a Breton animation entitled “Pelec’h emañ Erwan?” (Where is Erwan?) – a thrilling adventure in search of the ever elusive Erwan.
Handles, sleeves, tails and legs
Yesterday I discovered that there are quite a few different words for handle in French, depending on what kind of handle you’re referring to:
– poignée /pwa.ɲe/ is a door handle or the handle on the lid of something. It also means handful, as in une poignée de sel (a handful of salt) or Ils n’étaient qu’une poignée (There were only a handful of them). In can also refer to love handles (poignée d’amour) and a break handle (poignée de frein). [source]. It comes from poing /pwɛ̃/ (fist), from the Latin pugnus (fist) [source].
– anse /ɑ̃s/ is the handle of a cup, or a cove, and comes from the Latin ansa (handle, tiller).
The Welsh equivalents are dolen (bow, handle, link, loop, ear, noose) and trontol (handle).
– manche /mɑ̃ʃ/ is the handle of a tool or a saucepan, and also a sleeve, or neck (of a violin or guitar).
The Welsh equivalents are coes (leg, stalk, handle) and carn (hoof, hilt, handle).
– queue /kø/ = is the handle of a frying pan, and also a tail, stalk and queue (line of people). It comes from the Latin word coda, a variant of cauda (tail) [source].
Are handles metaphorically linked to the same words in other languages?
Les mot de la semaine
– la voie = lane (on road) = lôn = hent
– le chemin = (country) lane = lôn = hent
– la ruelle = lane (in town) = lôn = hent
– le couloir = lane (in race) = lôn = hent
– aléatoire = random (selection) = hap = ankivil, chañs
– au hasard = at random = ar antur, ar siawns, ar hap = en avantur
– le cantique = hymn = emyn, hymn = kantik
– le bocal = (glass) jar = jar = pod-gwer
– le pot = (jam/honey) jar = jar = pod
– le verre = tumbler, glass = gwydr = gwer
– la chope = tankard = mwg cwrw, tancard = chop bier
– le couvercle = lid = clawr, caead = golo, goulc’her
– la poignée = (door) handle = handlen = brec’h
– l’anse (f) = (cup) handle = dolen, trontol = dourgenn
– le manche (knife, spade, broom) handle = coes, carn = troad
– la queue = (saucepan) handle = coes
Tchatter
Recently I came across a couple of French words I hadn’t seen before – tchatter /tʃa.te/ (to chat) and tchat /tʃat/ (chat). As far as I can tell, they seem to refer particularly to online chat. The definition of tchatter on Reverso is “discuter avec d’autres personnes en temps réel depuis un ordinateur.” (to talk with other people in real time via a computer).
Similar words include:
– tchatche /tʃatʃ/, which Reverso defines as ‘jabberism’ (have you heard that one before?), patter, loquacity, verbosity, blather, etc. and which appears in the phrase avoir (de) la tchatche or ‘to have the gift of the gab’.
– tchatcher /tʃa.tʃe/ – to talk a lot and charmingly
– tchatcheur /tʃa.tʃœʁ/ – a great boaster; a voluable or talkative person.
Another French word for to chat is bavarder, and alternatives to tchatter include bavarder en ligne, cyberbavarder and clavarder – the latter is apparently used in Quebec and is a portmanteau of clavier (keyboard) and bavarder.
According to Wikitionaire tchatter, which is also written chatter and chater, comes from the English word chat, which comes from the Middle English word chateren (to chatter), which is thought to be of imitative origin.
Tchatcher and related words apparently come via Pied-Noir slang from the Spanish word chachara (an animated but futile conversation).
To be in the perfume
Yesterday I discovered that one way to say that you’re familiar with something in French is être au parfum, or literally “to be in the perfume of”. Anyone know why perfume is involved in this expression?
English equivalents include ‘to be in the know’, ‘to be clued up’, ‘to be on the ball’, ‘to be in the loop’ – can you think of any others?
Another way to say this in French is être au courant (‘to be in the current’).
Some related expressions in other languages.
A related expression in French is mettre au parfum (‘to put in the perfume’), which means to provide all the necessary information, to put sb in the know.
Les mots de la semaine
– l’indication (f) = clue = arwydd, cliw = arouez
– l’indice (m) = clue (in investigation) = arwydd, cliw = merk rumm
– la définition = clue (in crosswords) = arwydd, cliw
– être au parfum = to be clued up = bod yn gyfarwydd â
– la nageoire = fin (of fish) = asgell = angell
– l’aileron = fin (of shark, dophin) = asgell = angell
– maître nageur (euse) / surveillant de plage = lifeguard = achubwr bywydau = mestr neuñver saveteer
– la marionnette (à gaine) = (hand/glove) puppet = pyped (llaw/maneg) = margodenn
– le pôle Nord = the North Pole = Pegwn/Pôl y Gogledd = penn-ahel an Norzh
– la rougeur / l’éruption (f) = rash = brech = ruzded / brec’h
– la boussole = compass (for navigation) = cwmpawd = nadoz-vor
– le compas = compass (for drawing circles) = cwmpas = kelc’hier, kompaz
Les mots de la semaine
– la côte = rib = asen = kostenn
– la cage thoracique = rib cage = cawell asennau = kest ar brusk
– le couple = rib (of boat) = asen = koubl
– la coque = hull = corff llong = korf ar vag
– l’armature (f) = frame(work), bone, underwiring = ffrâm, fframwaith = frammadur
– prouver, avérer = prove = profi = prou(v)iñ, donet
– le sous-bock, le rond à bière = beermat = mat cwrw
– le bock = beer glass, glass of beer = gwydr cwrw = bok
– dénonciateur, corbeau = whistle-blower = chwythwr chwiban = disklêrier
– ringard, old school = cheesy, naff = sathredig, ystrydebol, ffuantus = kaoc’h kazh
– le pied = leg (table, chair) = coes
– le dossier = back (chair) = cefn – kein
– le siège = seat (chair) = sêt = sez
– le réduction, la rabais = discount = disgownt = rabat, diskar
De cette semaine le mots de la semaine seront en français, anglais, gallois et breton.
From this week the words of the week will be in French, English, Welsh and Breton.
O’r wythnos ‘ma byddan eiriau yr wythnos yn Ffrangeg, Saesneg, Cymraeg a Llydaweg.
Yezhoù, kanaouennoù ha sonerezh
The Breton couchsurfers arrived yesterday, with an Austrian friend, and we’re having a great time. They’ve taught me a bit of Breton, we’ve also talked in French, English, Welsh, Irish and German – I love having opportunities to use my languages like this. I’ve learnt more about Brittany and Breton and have shown them round Bangor – they particularly like the older parts of the university.
Last night we did some silly singing at the crazy choir – a small group of us who get together every other week to improvise songs and harmonies and generally be silly. After that we went to a folk music session at a nearby pub. Tonight we’re going to a cèilidh, which will the first time they’ve been to one, though they do have something similar in Brittany – fest-noz.
Les mots de la semaine
– le moine / le religieux = monk = mynach
– le monastère = monastery = mynachlog
– la (bonne) sœur / la religieuse = nun = lleian
– le couvent = nunnery / convent = lleiandy / cwfaint
– se vanter = to boast = brolio / ymffrostio
– la vantardise = (a) boast = brol / ymffrost
– épais = thick = trwchus / tew
– mince / fin / maigre = thin = tenau / main / cul
– une brebis galeuse = black sheep (“mangy ewe”) = dafad ddu
– à chaque troupeau sa brebis galeuse = there’s a black sheep in every flock = y mae dafad ddu ym mhob praidd
– le champ des courses = racecourse = cae rhedeg
– s’éndormir = to fall asleep = syrthio / cwympo i gysgu
– endormi = asleep = yn cysgu / ynghwsg
– à moitié endormi = half asleep = yn hanner cysgu
– la roche = rock (substance) = craig
– le roc = rock (hard, solid) = craig (galed)
– le rocher = boulder / rock = clogfaen / craig