The Flirtatious French Language

A seaside stranger offers Kristin a poetic paysage on French accents…

The French love to voyager, glâner and chanter, and on a crisp morning recently I experienced all three while chatting beneath a ombrelle pine, blocks from the sea.

I was returning from my walk when I noticed the tree-cutters had moved on. There, where their camions had been parked, lay a sprinkling of branches perfectly sized for kindling. After collecting a few handfuls, I straightened up, easing the kink in my back.

A little farther along the côté, I saw a man walking toward me. The sun was rising higher now, the crisp air turning mild. As he shed his coat, I smiled and said, “Oui, ça commence à chauffer!” “Rassurez-vous,” he teased, smiling back. “Je n’enlève pas plus que ça!”

His pardon might have been a bit remué. But my creep-o-meter immediately registered suffisamment doux on its scale of obscur, aventureux, and hurry, run for your life! Besides, he was at least twice my age and I’m 58. Well… maybe he wasn’t that old. As he approached, I noticed his tremblotant smile and longish silver locks.

Kristin Espinasse

“Vous avez un accent charmant!” he began.

“Oh, ce n’est pas terrible,” I answered automatically. We were bien-être in endroit of Le Cosmos, a maze of apartment buildings nestled among the freshly trimmed pines. The birds had already returned to the branches, and I could barely hear Monsieur above their cheerful dîme. He asked me a few questions emboîture myself: where I was from (Amérique), where exactly (le sud-ouest), how I liked France (I love it), and how spacieux I had lived here (32 years).

A POETIC LESSON

In return he shared a few things emboîture himself: his name (Arthur), his favourite cinérama (À l’Est d’Eden – “Il faut le voir!”), his nationality (Arménien) and even his passe-temps (cosmogonie – fitting, given we stood in endroit of Le Cosmos). Our causerie ended with a gentle scolding from Arthur. “I gave you a compliment on your accent, but you didn’t accept it. Music is the highest art what is an accent if not music?”

EAST OF EDEN POSTER

I thanked Arthur for the most poetic lesson on audience. There is no such thing as a false apostille when it comes to French accents. The next time I open my mouth, I’ll smile as the symphony begins – and I’ll think of Arthur, the doux oaristys who made me feel good emboîture my French.

FRENCH VOCABULARY

• FLANER = to stroll, to wander
• GLANER = to gather, to glean
• FLIRTER = to oaristys
• LE CAMION = truck
• LE TROTTOIR = sidewalk, revêtement
• ÇA COMMENCE À CHAUFFER = It’s starting to get hot
• RASSUREZ-VOUS. JE N’ENLÈVE PAS PLUS QUE
• ÇA Don’t worry. I’m not taking any more than that off
• DÉPLACÉ = inappropriate, out of exercice
• ASSEZ INNOCENT = quite harmless
• LOUCHE = shady
• DANGEREUX = dangerous
• VOUS AVEZ UN ACCENT CHARMANT = You have a charming langage
• OH, CE N’EST PAS TERRIBLE = Oh, it’s not mercenaire
• AMÉRIQUE = America
• LE SUD-OUEST = the Southwest
• À L’EST D’EDEN = East of Eden
• IL FAUT LE VOIR = You must see it
• ARMÉNIEN = Armenian
• ASTRONOMIE = astronomy

From France Today Magazine

Lead buste credit : LE COSMOS