Gatagordinha Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 "Let me put something inside my band" We don't know what and where but we don't want to know "Laissez moi vous introduire Saranayde" introduire.. so what should it be, laissez-moi vous présenter..? or Je vous présente..?? I can see how he tries to literally translate words but I agree that if he just spent more time in France again it'd come back to him. You use it or lose it to some extent. (I need to join the French thread now it is all inclusive for some practice!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Funny how that works - your ears hear things and completely subconsciously, your brain and tongue process what you hear and spit out an altered pronunciation. It all happens without any thought - to think about the subtle differences in tongue height and whatnot is overwhelming. You know what! When I speak about what Mica said in French, i'm thinking what what he said exactly and when I say it, i have the feeling that I speak a bit like him. Strange and ridiculous! But I don't do it only with Mica! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 introduire.. so what should it be, laissez-moi vous présenter..? or Je vous présente..?? I can see how he tries to literally translate words but I agree that if he just spent more time in France again it'd come back to him. You use it or lose it to some extent. (I need to join the French thread now it is all inclusive for some practice!) Yeah "Laissez-moi vous présenter mon groupe" is the most polite sentence. Don't hesitate at all! Come to the French-speaking thread! We're nice and we can help you if you're afraid of doing some mistakes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I adore his "Ouais!" Oh is that what that is? I just thought he had a very bizarre way of saying oui! I love it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 He has a very polished english speaking voice which will be partly due to his private education and partly to do with not being born and bred in a particular region of the Country. There's such a diversity in London that there isn't really a specific accent. It's when you get to the suburbs that the London or Cockney accent really appears. I sometimes hear him say americanised words like tomato as in tom-Aa-ro which is obviously from his fathers side of the family. I've never heard him say he speaks arabic and have always wondered what language he speaks to his mum in. He and Paloma & Yasmine will have grown up speaking French as their first language as they were all pre-school age when they moved there and Zuleika and Fortune were born in France so are french through and through. Raising five children in France who are all learning french as their first language and having an American, english speaking husband who works abroad......makes me wonder if she speaks to them in French? I've heard him say that his mum sounds exactly like Jane Berkin who has a famously english sounding french speaking voice and have also heard him say his mum shouts at him if he gets things wrong when speaking french in interviews etc. It's a point that's always intrigued me! Vix x Very interesting what you wrote! That's always intrigued me! And that's true! Zuleika and Fortune are French!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Oh is that what that is? I just thought he had a very bizarre way of saying oui! I love it too. That's what I thought at first, but my college roommate is taking French (I will start taking it next semester, yay), and I asked her about it. She said that it means "Yeah." It makes him sound Australian or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Very interesting what you wrote! That's always intrigued me! And that's true! Zuleika and Fortune are French!!!!!!!!! Fortune was possibly born in London. I believe he's fifteen, so that would make him nine years younger than Mika, and the Pennimans would have been either in England, or just about to move when he was born. The whole Penniman primary language thing is a mystery to me. I'd like for someone to ask if they could. They speak English at home, I think, because if they didn't, Mika's French vocabulary would probably be better than it is, but I'd like to know. Gosh, there are so many things I want to ask him but it will probably be a while until he comes back across the pond for me to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 He has the perfect French accent but the main problem is his lack of vocabulary and that sometimes he build French sentences like they were English sentences: "Laissez-moi introduire mon groupe" for "Let me introduce my band"! French people has thoughts everytime he says that! Hehe, so Mika speaks French the way I speak English... My English sentences are sooooo Dutch sometimes. To me his French sounds very natural and correct, except for the lack of vocabulary. But well, I'm not a native speaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I've never heard her speak and don't know anything about the French speaking Lebanese community but maybe their accent is very distinct from the French. French Canadians don't have Parisian French accents either. Just like Canadian anglophones don't sound British. Many people in Lebanon speak French. Mica has the "Parisian accent" like me. In the North west of France, we have the "Parisian accent". In the North east, they have a little thing in the accent. But in the South, it doesn't sound at all like "the Parisian accent". And it's not the same accent between South east and South west. "the Parisian accent" is the French accent. French canadians don't have the same accent and sometimes (often?) don't use the same words. I simplified the things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 "Let me put something inside my band" We don't know what and where but we don't want to know "Laissez moi vous introduire Saranayde" Which reminds me of the Picknick smiley. Ow man. And I really thought 'Laissez-moi introduire...' etc. is correct French. I learn a lot of useful things on this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Which reminds me of the Picknick smiley. Ow man. And I really thought 'Laissez-moi introduire...' etc. is correct French. I learn a lot of useful things on this forum. It looks correct. It literally translates to "Let me introduce my group," doesn't it? Maybe it's like the Spanish thing, where 'fresco' means 'cool,' but you can't call someone 'fresco' because if you do, you're calling them 'gay.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Yeah!!!! I learned 'ouais' in school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Fortune was possibly born in London. I believe he's fifteen, so that would make him nine years younger than Mika, and the Pennimans would have been either in England, or just about to move when he was born. The whole Penniman primary language thing is a mystery to me. I'd like for someone to ask if they could. They speak English at home, I think, because if they didn't, Mika's French vocabulary would probably be better than it is, but I'd like to know. Gosh, there are so many things I want to ask him but it will probably be a while until he comes back across the pond for me to ask. Allegra, you're my last hope! How old are you now? 18? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 It looks correct. It literally translates to "Let me introduce my group," doesn't it? Maybe it's like the Spanish thing, where 'fresco' means 'cool,' but you can't call someone 'fresco' because if you do, you're calling them 'gay.' I think it looks correct because it looks so logical. I mean, we use a similar verb in Dutch (introduceren) and in German (introduzieren). And it all means 'to introduce'. So it's easy to believe that in French it's used in the same way. But obviously it has a 'particular' meaning in the language of love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Allegra, you're my last hope! How old are you? Who? Zuleika or me? We're both 18, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I learned 'ouais' in school. I swear I've never heard it before Mika. Guess I need more exposure. Although I don't notice anyone using it when they're speaking to him either so maybe it's just the way he says it. French canadians don't have the same accent and sometimes (often?) don't use the same words. They teach Canadian anglophones Parisian French in school just to make sure it's as difficult as possible to understand French Canadians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Allegra, you're my last hope! How old are you now? 18? Ouais she must have been born in Paris. (I'm going to use ouais in every sentence from now on.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I swear I've never heard it before Mika. Guess I need more exposure. Although I don't notice anyone using it when they're speaking to him either so maybe it's just the way he says it. They teach Canadian anglophones Parisian French in school just to make sure it's as difficult as possible to understand French Canadians. For Dutch people France is a very popular holiday destination. Especially for Dutch people with kids. When I was younger I spent quite a few summer holidays in France and so did my classmates and friends. 'Ouais' was used quite a lot so I think I first heard it during one of my holidays in France and I remember we brought it up during the French lessons in school, and our teacher explained the difference between oui and ouais. Isn't it a word that is being used especially in the southwest part of the country (the most popular holiday destination for Dutchies )? Or is it a general thing? Pamette? About Canadian French: I remember I met a Canadian girl in Australia. We were with a group of people in which there was a Scottish guy who always wanted to learn French. So this girl started to teach hima bit of French and it sounded SO different from the French I learned at school. But it sounded quite ehm... cute anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 It looks correct. It literally translates to "Let me introduce my group," doesn't it? Maybe it's like the Spanish thing, where 'fresco' means 'cool,' but you can't call someone 'fresco' because if you do, you're calling them 'gay.' "s'introduire" = "introduce" but it has a second sense "to put something inside something". And we prefer using "présenter". Not easy to explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Oh, I see I wrote southwest. I meant southeast. French Alps and further down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 "s'introduire" = "introduce" but it has a second sense "to put something inside something". And we prefer using "présenter". Not easy to explain. I think I understand. 'May I present to you...'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I think it looks correct because it looks so logical. I mean, we use a similar verb in Dutch (introduceren) and in German (introduzieren). And it all means 'to introduce'. So it's easy to believe that in French it's used in the same way. But obviously it has a 'particular' meaning in the language of love. Not in the language of love: to put a coin in a machine,... We have bad thoughts! That's all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Not in the language of love: to put a coin in a machine,... We have bad thoughts! That's all! ...Ahh, Francais: La langue de la perversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahfromParis Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I remember we brought it up during the French lessons in school, and our teacher explained the difference between oui and ouais. Isn't it a word that is being used especially in the southwest part of the country (the most popular holiday destination for Dutchies )? Or is it a general thing? The "Ouais" is really used all over the country. I would say it's just the "relaxed" form of "Oui"... So maybe the young people use it more than the previous generations, but it's not a matter of regional language... In fact, I think people in their teens, twenties or thirties almost use "ouais" more than "oui", except maybe at work or with your teachers... But, thinking about it, we have so many ways to say "Oui"... We also use "Vi" or "Voui" who both have a kind of childish and affectionate nuance, I guess... Pamette, what do you think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamette Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 For Dutch people France is a very popular holiday destination. Especially for Dutch people with kids. Yeah! You're everywhere in France! I always wonder how it's possible for you to be everywhere in France in summer. A lot of German people comes too but nothing comparing with the Dutch people! It's amazing! I hope we're nice with you because everybody says we're arrogant. When I was younger I spent quite a few summer holidays in France and so did my classmates and friends. 'Ouais' was used quite a lot so I think I first heard it during one of my holidays in France and I remember we brought it up during the French lessons in school, and our teacher explained the difference between oui and ouais. Isn't it a word that is being used especially in the southwest part of the country (the most popular holiday destination for Dutchies )? Or is it a general thing? Pamette? General thing! But for French people is less polite to say "Ouais" than to say "Oui". They teach Canadian anglophones Parisian French in school just to make sure it's as difficult as possible to understand French Canadians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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