The Cycle tourers 'useful phrases in Foreign' thread

[TheDoctor]

It's easy for me--I'm a qualified French interpreter. A lot of what you'd say would be pretty rough and ready anyway, with all the ususal "Waddaya think?" equivalents. Get a list of French nouns, like rayon, frein, vitesses and add "ne marche(nt) pas", "est casse(e)", "Pouvez-vous?", "Qu'est-ce que vous pensez?", "C'est possible que vous le pourriez faire?", "Mon aeroglisseur est plein d'anguilles" and so on.

And the Welsh is from the English-Hungarian dictionary of a Mr Python.

Isn't an aeroglisseur a hovercraft? What would you be doing in a bike shop trying to get one fixed?
Love to see the expression on the bike shop owners face though.

 

[Tony]

Yes, it is a hovercraft. And it's full of eels....

And in Welsh, my nipples explode with delight.

 

[TheDoctor]

Righty ho. I'm off to Paris on Friday afternoon, and I intend to try and use this expression. That should get a few funny looks in the Moulin Rouge (yes, I know. It wasn't my idea to go. If SWMBO wants to drag me along to look at semi-naked women dancing that's her lookout).
The MR is probably the best bet as I have little intention of going again.

'Your 'ovvercraft ees full of eels?'. Like it.

 

[Tony]

Oh Doc: it's "de velos" in your location note, not "des"....

 

[sloe]

"Achtung! Spitfire !!"

Bound to be useful somewhere.

 

[rich p]

Eric Newby in ' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush' in the '30's had the only phrase book then available which had such gems as

My dog is yellow, your dog is brown
and
My grandfather has a goitre

Very useful!

 

[TheDoctor]

One of the more useful things I've ever seen in a phrasebook was the French for 'Please help me, I'm drowning!'

 

[rich p]

One of the more useful things I've ever seen in a phrasebook was the French for 'Please help me, I'm drowning!'

Je ne suis pas waving

 

[Abitrary]

Hab SoSlI' Quch = your mother has a smooth forehead in Klingon

 

[Bonj Hovi]

Hab SoSlI' Quch = your mother has a smooth forehead in Klingon

Baa Ba Bahahaaaa = Klingon is spoken by tossers in Sad Goatese

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

well I just picked up a 4cd french intensive course..so I'm going to load it into my ipod and play it back as I sleep...if I sleep...I have already learnt...'allo'allo...leesten vely carefully i shall say zees only vunce...