Discuss the Article : You May Think You're Saying... (15 French Phrases You Thought You Knew )
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French is a beautiful, expressive language, but it’s frightfully easy to express oneself quite incorrectly. Here are some French phrases that mean entirely something else in French from what you might think — and some can make the innocent abroad sound like anything but!
It's a witty and well-written article, but there are several inaccuracies... Should have had a native French speaker edit it.
Yes, I was about to point out some. "vous avez DES raisins" (articles are mandatory in French. "Des" means "some"). "BonNE journée" (this word is feminine, so "bon" becomes "bonne"). "Blessez-vous" mean "hurt yourself" but I don't see when one would want to say it... Last comment: "je suis chaud" in Québec means "I'm drunk"!
Here's another I think I might never get right... I was told by a Frenchman, "C'est pas terrible" in lieu of meaning "It's not terrible" actually means "It is terrible"... Isn't that fun?
Also, "actuellement" does not mean "actually" but "at the current moment". I have a whole book on the confusing words and expressions that do not have the same meaning in English. I just review them from time to time to try to remember them when I need them.
My good French friend pointed out a few additional errors as well: