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04/05/2008, 6:00 NormanH Joined on 10/04/2008 Posts 179 Re: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis  J.R. gone native wrote: I say that he should continue to say "serves them well", it carries just as much meaning "serves them well "   is a bit ambiguous. It could be construed to mean something like ' it suits them' or even to have a positive meaning as in 'he serves them well' "Serves them right" is a particular idiom which carries the slightly malicious joy at the other person's situation, a bit like "schadenfreude" in German. There was no implied criticism of anybody being French, but if faulty idioms are not corrected they can become habitual, and there is no learning. This is why language teachers have a reputation for being 'difficult' . I never take criticism of my my mistakes in French  personally, which is just as well, given how many I make    Report

04/05/2008, 6:09 LyndaandRichard Joined on 01/05/2005 Posts 768 Re: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis  J.R. gone native wrote: I also find that by listening to the different (again not mistakes) way that the French speak English, it teaches me  how to say the same phrase "correctly" in French. I do that too. It's not just about translating and learning new words for our words, it's the logic of the whole language that must also be learnt. And that is the hardest part imo. But the thing that's always made me struggle with learning French is the jargon that goes with it eg future principle, past principle etc etc I don't ever remember having to learn that jargon when I learnt English. Probably why I like Michel Thomas' method, he cuts to the chase. Your Property in France    Report

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France Forum » French Culture » French Culture » Re: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis

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