CELEBRATING THE ART OF LIVING WELL,
AS THE FRENCH DO,
BY USING ALL FIVE SENSES
TO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING ABOUT LIFE

(FOR MY JOIE DE VIVRE PHILOSOPHY, READ MY FIRST THREE POSTS FROM JUNE 2009)






30 April 2015

Wonderful French Words and Phrases

Kristin Espinasse and her golden retriever, Smokey

My blogger "friend" Kristin Espinasse has this subject well-covered, so I am posting today, mostly to direct my readers to her blogsite, French Word-A-Day, which is both chouette and interessant. Today, she posted another of her favorite French words, and she included a link to a past post where readers were invited to add their own favorite French words and phrases to a growing list. I've been reading through the list with reader comments and have rediscovered some of my personal old favorites in the process.

If you are a francophile and don't follow Kristin's blog, you should check it out. She is an American woman who fell in love with and married a French man, and writes about raising two kids together (and a sweet dog) in the South of France. Her stories are about everyday life experiences, always with the slant of being seen through the eyes of an American/French woman. Her posts are full of charm and joie de vivre - I truly look forward to reading them.

Here are the two words I added to Kristin's readers' list today:

"I love "vachement", meaning hugely, as in as much as a whole cow! My friends and I used it a lot when I was there in the late 70's for school, and now when I use it, French people laugh and say "Wow - you really do know the language!"
I also love "chouette" which is just so fun (i.e., "chouette"!!) I used to call my painting business "La Palette Chouette" (which I still love) but most Americans were baffled by both the name and pronunciation, so I changed it.
I am having the best time reading all of the other favorites. Many of them tickle my fancy, as well. Great list."
                                                  ~ Kate Dickerson

You can add your own favorites, too. I hope you enjoy this list as much as I did!


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