Omelette du Fromage

If you're reading this I really hope you caught the Dexter's Lab reference in the title.  That show was definitely in my top 5 growing up.

France's number 1 industry is tourism, so naturally, walking around Paris I hear a lot of different languages.  I hear people speaking rapidly in French, English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and more.  Most communicate with sales associates, waiters, etc. in English if they don't speak French.  If you're in Paris and you don't speak one of those two languages you're pretty much out of luck (note: the irony that if you didn't speak English you wouldn't be reading my blog in the first place).  Most of the time, if your accent while speaking French sounds foreign they'll switch to English talking to you. 

While out and about in Paris (no, I will never get tired of saying that) I hear lots of really bad attempts at French.  There are a lot of "French expressions" we learn and hear about in America that the French haven't used since the 1950's.  Since this is a blog about my study abroad experience, I figured I'd dedicate a post to clarifying some of these.

Omelette du Fromage

If you ever watched Dexter's Lab on Cartoon Network you know this is supposed to mean cheese omelet.  However, when it comes to food the preposition "à" which means "at" or "to" is used when describing the flavor or preparation.  "Du" is a contraction of "de" meaning "of" and "le" meaning "the."  The proper translation of "cheese omelet" would be "omelette au fromage."  The same goes for "pain au chocolat" or "tarte aux fraises" (strawberry tart).  "Au" is a contraction of "à" and "le."  The "x" at the end is used when the noun it's modifying is plural.  Unlike in English, contractions are not colloquial speech devices.  It's grammatically incorrect not to use them in formal writing.  The French language LOVES its prepositions.

Pardon vs. Excusez-moi

Both these expressions are used by native French speakers, but in different contexts as I've learned from my experience.  "Excusez-moi" literally translates to "excuse me" and is used in the context of, "Excuse me.  I need to ask or tell you something or get your attention in some vaguely significant way."  "Pardon" on the other hand means "pardon me."  But in context it's typically used as, "I'm coming through.  Let me off this train now," or "Oh my gosh you are walking so slow move over and let me by before I eat you."  My favorite use of "pardon" is, "If you almost hit me with your selfie stick one more time I swear I will snap it over my knee and throw it into the Seine."  But of course, both phrases are considered to be relatively polite.

Sacré Bleu!

This phrase, literally meaning "sacred blue," is supposed to mean "oh my gosh!" but no one says it...ever.  It'd be like exclaiming "Well I declare!" in the middle of New York City.  The antebellum southern belle has been dead for quite some time now.  No one says either of these expressions anymore.

Oh là là!

I first heard this expression said by Pepé le Pew, the lovesick harassing skunk.  He used it as an expression of, "Oh my isn't that nice!"  Consequently, many Americans, myself included, came to think of it in that context.  French people still say this, but it literally means "oh there there."  In conversation people use it to say, "Wow that's too bad.  I'm glad I'm not you," but in a sympathetic way.

"Voulez-vous choucher avec moi, ce soir."

We get it.  You've heard the song "Lady Marmalade" or seen the movie "Moulin Rouge."  You're not funny. 

I hope this cleared something up for you.  If not, I at least hope it entertained you for however long it took you to read this.  

I'm still hanging out in Paris and Cergy.  A week from today I leave for a weekend in Madrid.  The American guy who Shannon, Katie, James, and I met in Venice is doing a summer term there so he's going to show me around when he's not in class.  36 hours after getting back to France my aunt (my dad's youngest sister) is coming with her best friend for 6 days and I get to show them around my favorite city in the world.  Two weeks after they leave I hop on the Eurostar to London to meet my my mom and her side of the family and I'm traveling with them for a couple weeks.  We're doing a week in London, a couple days back in France in the Loire Valley, and then a week in Paris.  After they leave I have just 4 short days to pack up, move out, and board my flight back to Charlotte.

My last final at ESSEC was this past Tuesday.  I feel really good about how my classes here went.  I won't find out my grades until next month, but as long as I got a 12/20 (what would be a C) I get credit for the course.  Thankfully, my grades don't affect my GPA so it's just a matter of getting credit.  I'm really excited for my summer to begin.  Even though classes are over, I'll keep updating this blog until I get back to the states.