tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post5409254123442943663..comments2024-01-19T11:05:43.355-05:00Comments on Polly-Vous Francais?: OverheardPolly-Vous Francaishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12667479743723002691noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-3094369409793020852008-02-19T07:59:00.000-05:002008-02-19T07:59:00.000-05:00Thanks for the fun conversation and the sexy wool ...Thanks for the fun conversation and the sexy wool socks with garters.~~DeeThe Divahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13640870056010190961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-39634976083527043442008-02-18T16:14:00.000-05:002008-02-18T16:14:00.000-05:00Dear Polly, yeah, as an eavesdropper myself, I kno...Dear Polly, yeah, as an eavesdropper myself, I know full well how easy it is to do, so I generally keep my voice very, very low in public. ;-)<BR/><BR/>Salut,<BR/>MarjorieMy Inner French Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17014872210301856004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-12359335296862578922008-02-17T05:37:00.000-05:002008-02-17T05:37:00.000-05:00Sexy socks. Guess she was not working at Vogue?Sexy socks. Guess she was not working at Vogue?lady jickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09013352537776588166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-79491117743760644872008-02-17T03:17:00.000-05:002008-02-17T03:17:00.000-05:00Ha, I guess that's the difference between living i...Ha, I guess that's the difference between living in the seventh arrondissement and <I>le banlieu</I>. I'm much more likely to overhear conversations about ski vacations or marketing campaigns than literature or the finer points of editing. But I love listening in anyway. And the relative sexiness of footwear is something that could easily crop up in conversation anywhere, and that's what I love about this country. Even if I'm definitely a socks-and-sensible-shoes kind of gal.Parisienne Mais Presquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11738349799871162562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-49696608288236484602008-02-17T02:32:00.000-05:002008-02-17T02:32:00.000-05:00Marjorie,It is fun to eavesdrop.I know I've been e...Marjorie,<BR/>It is fun to eavesdrop.I know I've been eavesdropped upon plenty, too. One time in Boston a woman at a nearby table cracked up over a comment I had just made in an otherwise private conversation!<BR/><BR/>Jay,<BR/>Thank you so much for mentioning this! The whole notion of gift-giving to me is different in French, because you don't use "donner" but "offrir." To my ears offering a gift sounds much more genteel, more graceful. I learned this a while ago when I admired a French friend's bracelet and she said "C'est Jacques qui me l'a offert." <BR/><BR/>So yes, the waiter was definitely offering the tarte tatin on the house. "On vous offrira cela: c'est faite maison," is what he said.Polly-Vous Francaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12667479743723002691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-32570628252935245422008-02-17T00:07:00.000-05:002008-02-17T00:07:00.000-05:00Waiter: When it's time for dessert, we'll offer bo...Waiter: When it's time for dessert, we'll offer both of you this. It's home-made.<BR/><BR/>I think "offer" in French means that he's going to give it to them free, as compensation for the greasy potatoes. In America, when a waiter says, "Can I offer you some dessert?" it ends up being on the bill.Jay Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652075579940313964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-68325309012830476912008-02-16T20:01:00.000-05:002008-02-16T20:01:00.000-05:00Dear Polly,Bonjour! I love listening to other peop...Dear Polly,<BR/><BR/>Bonjour! I <I>love</I> listening to other people's conversations, especially in cafes. When I hear a good one, I jot it down quickly and retype the best parts in my writing blog. They're even funnier on paper!<BR/><BR/>This was a great one!<BR/><BR/>Salut,<BR/>MarjorieMy Inner French Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17014872210301856004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-75188545695456580292008-02-16T11:31:00.000-05:002008-02-16T11:31:00.000-05:00CL - The conversations were kind of the same as Am...CL - The conversations were kind of the same as American -- but the sexy socks comment is what made my ears really perk up initially.<BR/><BR/>I was just glad to hear some inside scoop from the Paris publishing world. Same in the US? I'd love to know!<BR/><BR/>GLS - In terms of civilized behavior: yes yes.<BR/><BR/>Actually as Cecile kindly pointed out, the waiter asked 'ca a ete?" which means 'how was it?', not 'ca y etait?' which is a bad translation of what American wait staff says: "Ya done with that?"Polly-Vous Francaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12667479743723002691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-65730699187982654702008-02-16T11:04:00.001-05:002008-02-16T11:04:00.001-05:00Hell, looks like I don't English either.Hell, looks like I don't English either.Going Like Sixtyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17735447776871695507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-58125875250558567732008-02-16T11:04:00.000-05:002008-02-16T11:04:00.000-05:00Dare I say it? This is why Paris is just so much m...Dare I say it? This is why Paris is just so much more interesting. <BR/>A cafe in Paris just attracts a more eloquent crowd than Starbucks or Cheesecake Factory. <BR/><BR/>And it's quiet enough that you can so some serious eavesdropping! I don't French and just love that experience of visiting Paris.<BR/><BR/>@Chris Late: Metro riders are so much more civil. They may be saying the same thing, but you have to really work to eavesdrop!Going Like Sixtyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17735447776871695507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-23413936557643553342008-02-16T09:31:00.000-05:002008-02-16T09:31:00.000-05:00Reminds me of the book "Le Divorce," when the hero...Reminds me of the book "Le Divorce," when the heroine is finally able to understand what people on the Metro are saying, and discovers that they are having the same kinds of conversations she heard in English in the U.S.Chris Latehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03626604569711280403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-79881397080248036012008-02-16T08:01:00.000-05:002008-02-16T08:01:00.000-05:00Merci, Cecile! It was ca a ete, then. I need all t...Merci, Cecile! <BR/><BR/>It was ca a ete, then. I need all the assistance I can get with Parisian Life 101. The list of things I've mis-heard (or repeated incorrectly) is long and laughable...Polly-Vous Francaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12667479743723002691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28165993.post-90839040224579807812008-02-16T07:43:00.000-05:002008-02-16T07:43:00.000-05:00the waiter didn't ask "ça y était ?" but "ça allai...the waiter didn't ask "ça y était ?" but "ça allait" or "ça a été ?"Cécile Qd9https://www.blogger.com/profile/09611480301441422086noreply@blogger.com