"fart" or "péter"? That is the question... FAO Noomill

[Bookworm]

Well.... we have been taking a very important and interesting thread (albeit somewhat long ) just a tad OT, so thought I'd better continue here instead.

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-consumer-issues/167970-locked-car-park-71.html

 

Funny how anything in French sounds far more stylish!

 

I do prefer the Anglo-Saxon "fart" though!

 

Nearly a thousand years since the Norman invasion an Englishman can still fart, rather than errr...péter!

 

*waves defiant cardboard and string longbow across the Pas de Calais*

 

You're quite right. What I love about the English language though is how wonderfully onomatopoeic it can be... "fart" is one of many, think of burp, plop, squelsh, fizz, hum, thud... Oh, so many of them.

 

It is said that French is the language of diplomacy whilst English is the language of business and no wonder.

 

People have often asked me what I think is easier to learn, French or English, and my reply is that it is very easy to learn basic English and you could get by forever on that, but to pass as a local (not talking of accents here) you'd have to study a long, long time, whereas in French, you need to spend a long time to master the basics, but once you have those, the whole language opens to you. The rules in French are complicated, but change little. The shifts in the English language... oh my... :-|

 

*waves effigy of Alienor of Aquitaine right back at Kent*

[hilaryfrances]

:ptshhh put your effigy back in its cupboard,

waving it about in public and all

[Spamalot]

But there is no f in g

 

and also the P is silent in bath...

[suzieblooz]

And another question - are your thoughts in French or English?

[texanbar]

Do you dream in French? I dream in colour

 

x:)x

[Dodgy Geezer]

I definitely prefer Fart.

 

Peter aint coming anywhere near my a*rse. .

[Bookworm]

And another question - are your thoughts in French or English?

English. I even dream in English, and the weirdest thing is that when I am thinking of past events in France, I relive them in English... Go figure.

[meerkatsmimm]

i'm going to invade this thread as it really interests me

 

i remember many years ago being told that if you don't know how to say something in french, think of the posh way it would be said in english and try that!

 

better than just S H O U T I N G S L O W L Y in english!

 

mind you it doesn't always work - using the same thought process for spanish i once told someone i was 'embarazada' due to not being able to speak much spanish! how embarrassed was i really when i figured out what i'd said...

 

english isn't even spoken well by a huge proportion of native english speakers...

 

meerkat xx

 

fart....by far the better word

[Bookworm]

mind you it doesn't always work - using the same thought process for spanish i once told someone i was 'embarazada' due to not being able to speak much spanish! how embarrassed was i really when i figured out what i'd said...

 

My sister did the same in Italy when forgetting the word for "cake" in a cafe, she asked for a slice of "gateau"... Except "gato" means "cat"... Oh dear.

[babybear39]

EWWW!!! lol

 

I prefer fart...

[meerkatsmimm]

have done that - spent a month staying in dodgy uni accomodation in grenoble - complained to reception on arrival as there were cockroaches everywhere, so i told them that i needed to change rooms becasue there were 100's of large 'canards' in my room!

 

couldn't understand why the receptionist kept telling me i was wrong...

[hilaryfrances]

what BB you prefer a fart to a slice of cat?.....so do I