En Francais s'il vous plait...

[Aperitif]

https://www.cyclechat.net/

Funny that should feature 'so much' in CycleChat parlance...

 

[Crankarm]

https://www.cyclechat.net/

Funny that should feature 'so much' in CycleChat parlance...

Chose curieuse, je pensait le meme.

Can I recommend Stephen Clarke's two books on France which I have both read twice? Hilarious and spot on. He has a new book out which I've not perused yet which is undoubtedly very funny like his previous.

A Year in the Merde
Merde Actually

 

[Tony]

It is . . but with a small 'e'.

Originally "Basque espagnol"

And, as a French translator with (I am told) a strong Midi accent...it's the subjunctive, doncher know

 

[yello]

it's the subjunctive, doncher know

Sorry, what is?

 

[jay clock]

<switch on pedantry alert>
Je parle Francais comme une vache d'Espagne should be "je parle français comme une vache espagnole". Both the français and the espagnole need lower case. Plus of course the missing cedilla needed attention!
<switch off pedantry alert>

 

[battered]

Furthern pedantry concernant les vaches, espagnoles ou pas

The phrase currently in use is actually written (no accents, can't get them on this UK keyboard) "Je parle francais comme une vache l'espagnol" meaning "I speak French like a cow speaks Spanish".

Interesting point re "le Basque espagnol"

 

[battered]

Originally "Basque espagnol"

And, as a French translator with (I am told) a strong Midi accent...it's the subjunctive, doncher know

Further linguistic pedantry:

Comment ca, c'est le subjonctif?

It's not the subjunctive, it's the present. There is no subjunctive clause, it's a simple statement in the present tense.

 

[Tony]

Further linguistic pedantry:

Comment ca, c'est le subjonctif?

It's not the subjunctive, it's the present. There is no subjunctive clause, it's a simple statement in the present tense.

Nope, it's a phrase with an element of doubt, so it should use the subjunctive, especially when you are using the impersonal pronoun. Think of it as being "Could I please..." instead of "Can I...."
If you want to ask in present tense, better to say "puis-je"

And the subjunctive IS the present. It's just not the present indicative....

 

[Fnaar]

Originally "Basque espagnol"

... and why exactly would Spanish ladies' nether garments be attempting to speak French?

 

[yello]

Nope, it's a phrase with an element of doubt

Interesting. I don't read it that way.

I'm not a translator but I am aware, even with my limited French, that it is a fiendishly difficult job so I bow to your knowledge and experience here. What do you find conditional in the statement?

Just to be sure I'm talking of the same thing;

I speak French like a Spanish cow.
Je parle français comme un vache espagnole.

 

[battered]

Nope, it's a phrase with an element of doubt, so it should use the subjunctive, especially when you are using the impersonal pronoun. Think of it as being "Could I please..." instead of "Can I...."
If you want to ask in present tense, better to say "puis-je"

I don't think we are talking about the same sentence.
The sentence we're now debating is "je parle francais comme une vache espagnole" ( or vache l'espagnol) which is a straightforward statement with no doubt whatsoever.

And the subjunctive IS the present. It's just not the present indicative....

Correct, but now we really *are* splitting hairs. Most people use "present" as shorthand for pres. indic. and "subjunctive" for "present subjunctive".

This is the pres. sub. as opposed to the "subjonctif du passe" which no bugger understands, I've never seen or heard outside a grammar book, and seems only to be used to torture secondary school pupils in France. Nobody uses it in conversation after all, eg "T'as pas pu venir hier?" "Non, il fallait que je...euh...aille voir ma mere" etc.

 

[battered]

Just to be sure I'm talking of the same thing;

I speak French like a Spanish cow.
Je parle français comme un vache espagnole.

*Une* vache espagnole.

Un homme espagnol
Une femme espagnole

Voila.

 

[dodgy]

This thread was quite good when it started.

 

[Tony]

The phrase I am thinking of was the one where you were asking "is it possible that one could [subjunctive] ...etc" so the verb would be "puisse". The French use the pres. subj. a LOT, but as in English the verb forms are often identical to the imperfect, especially in the plural, so you don't notice. Often, they use constructions designed to avoid the subj., such as "il faut faire" as opposed to "il faut qu'on fasse"
The Basque bit is a direct reference to the uniquely odd Basque language, and is a drift from "vasque espagnol" to "vache espagnole" It is similar to another politically incorrect French phrase, now unfashionable, "saoul comme un polonais"

 

[Crankarm]

Look what I started !