Come Learn the Animal Sounds!

Dogs, turkeys, and lions are all over the world, and they all make the same sounds.

These sounds, though, are portrayed differently in our spoken languages.

Recently I went on a cruise with my friend and her family. At some point, my friend and her brother were teasing their Russian stepmother over something she’d said in the past about what roosters say. She took it in stride and said the Russian animal noise again: кукареку (kukareku). As a French speaker, I know French roosters in the provincial countryside scream "cocorico" in the mornings, so to me it wasn’t so odd.

I later had a (very adult looking) conversation with a French friend discussing a few animal noises and verbs I wasn’t familiar with. Our bleating, screeching, and mooing have produced the following list. Memorise them and take yourself to the nearest French zoo for a fun, animalistic conversation...

Le chien – dog

Que fait le chien ? Le chien fait ouaf ouaf ! (What does the dog say? The dog says woof woof!)

Verbs for dog sounds: aboyer (bark), grogner (growl), hurler (howl), and japper (yips).

Le chat – cat

Que fait le chat ? Le chat fait miaou ! (What does the cat say? The cat meows!)

Verbs for cat sounds: miauler (meow) and ronronner (purr).

La poule – chicken

Que fait la poule ? La poule fait cotcotcodet ! (The chicken goes bock bock bock!)

Chicks (les poussins) in French say piou-piou.

Verbs for chicken sounds: caqueter (cluck).

Le coq – rooster

Que fait le coq ? Le coq fait cocorico ! (What does a rooster say? The rooster says cock-a-doodle-do!)

Verbs for rooster sounds: chanter (here, to crow)

Le corbeau – crow

Que fait le corbeau ? Le corbeau fait crôa crôa ! (What does the crow say? Caw caw!)

Verbs for crow sounds: croasser (to crow)

Le pigeon – pigeon

Que fait le pigeon ? Le pigeon fait rou rou ! (What doe the pigeon say? Coo coo!)

Verbs for pigeon sounds: roucouler (to coo)

L’oiseau – bird

Que dit l’oiseau ? L’oiseau fait cui cui ! (What does a bird say? Chirp chirp!)

Verbs for bird sounds: gazouiller (to chirp)

This is for birds in general.

Le dindon – turkey

Que fait le dindon ? Le dindon fait glou glou ! (What does a turkey say? Gobble gobble!)

Verbs for turkey sounds: glouglouter (to gobble)

Le canard – duck

Que fait le canard ? Le canard fait coin coin ! (What does the duck say? Quack quack!)

Verbs for duck sounds: cancaner (here, to quack)

Le cochon – pig

Que fait le cochon ? Le cochon fait groin groin ! (What does the pig say? Oink oink!)

Verbs for pig sounds: grogner (here, to oink)

La vache – cow

Que fait la vache ? La vache fait meuh ! (What does a cow say? Moo!)

Verbs for cow sounds: mugir (here, to moo)

Le cheval – horse

Que fait le cheval ? Le cheval fait hiiii ! (What does the horse say? Neigh!)

Verbs for horse sounds: hennir (to neigh, winny)

L’âne – donkey

Que fait l’âne ? L’âne fait hi-han ! (What does the donkey say? Hee-haw!)

Verbs for donkey sounds: braire (to bray)

Fun French tip: Have trouble remembering the order of both y and en in a sentence? Remember what the donkey says: y en !

Le lion – lion

Que fait le lion ? Le lion fait raoh ! (What does a lion say? Roar!)

Verbs for lion sounds: rugir (to roar)

La grenouiller – frog

Que fait la grenouille ? La grenouille fait croac croac ! (What does the frog say? Ribbit ribbit!)

Verbs for frog sounds: coasser (here, to ribbit)

So there we have it! You can now speak with animals.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

French Question: Why is it “Le Novel An” and not “Le Nouveau An”?

We wish all of our readers a happy and healthy 2018.

Talking about the new year in French can be especially difficult. This is because there are two words that mean “year”–an (m) and année (f), and because both of these words start with a vowel, which can change the word that comes before it.

What’s the difference between an and année?  Besides the fact that an is masculine and année is feminine, an describes a particular moment during the year while année describes a span of time (this is similar to the pairs soir and soirée).

Thus, you would say: C’est le jour du nouvel an (It’s New Year’s Day) using an instead of année because you are referencing a particular moment of time during the year (New Year’s Day).

If, however, you would like to wish someone a happy new year, this is over a span of time, which lasts for the entire year. That’s why you use année in the expression “Happy New Year” or bonne année.

But there’s another trick when referencing the new year, or le nouvel an, in French. Because an is masculine, the adjective typically used with it should be nouveau. However, in French, an adjective cannot end with a vowel if the following noun also begins with a vowel (for reason of pronunciation or liaison).

Thus, there is always a masculine form of a word that can be used only in front of masculine nouns that start with vowels. In this case, that would be nouvel. Nouvel is pronounced just like the feminine form nouvelle, so don’t get confused if you hear someone say le nouvel an–this doesn’t mean that an is feminine. (You can also think about the difference between the demonstrative adjectives ce (masculine), cette (feminine), and cet (masculine before a masculine noun that begins with a vowel).

Alors, je vous souhaite tous une bonne année et j’espère que vous avez passé un bon nouvel an avec votre famille!

Bonne année! Happy New Year!

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

As New Year's Eve is fast approaching we thought we should take a look at how it is celebrated in France and see if we can point out some differences to where you live?

December 31st - New Year's Eve is called la Saint-Sylvestre and is celebrated with a feast by most people, called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre unsurprisingly (31 December is his saint's day). The feast includes special items like champagne and perhaps controvertially foie gras, the accompanying party can range from an intimate dinner with friends to lavish public events most often called une soirée dansante (a dance ball).

Kissing under the mistletoe

At midnight, everyone kisses under the mistletoe and offers their best wishes for the new year. Kissing under the mistletoe? I hear you ask? well, interestingly, kissing under the mistletoe is a New Year's Eve / Day custom in France rather than a Christmas custom as in the UK and other countries. Note that the kissing may be on the lips or on the cheek, depending on the relationship between the two people so if you are not sure then start with the cheek and the French person will take the lead from there!

The end of the holiday season is Epiphany, on 6 January, although I have seen Christmas decoratyion still 'up' and illuminated at night almost as long as up to Easter!, Epiphany in France includes a traditional cake called la galette des rois but if you bite into one becareful as you may break a tooth on the cadeaux often found inside these cakes, but don't worry it means good luck!

Saint Sylvestre was Pope from 314 to 335 A.D., during the time of the rule of Constantine the Great. Although there is no actual link between Saint Sylvestre and the new year, it just that 31 December is his feast or Saint's day. La Saint-Sylvestre is feminine because it's short for la fête de Saint-Sylvestre.

New Year’s Traditions in France

Celebrating the New Year is a little different in France than it is in the UK or the US.

Cards.

I hope you were not offended if you got less Christmas cards this year, if it was your first year in france? the French people don’t send Christmas cards! they send New Year’s greeting cards instead, so they is hope yet. So if you are sending cards to people in France, you don’t have to rush, just catch the post for the week inbetween Chritmas and New Year.

People in France continue to wish each other la bonne année throughout the month of January! No interaction is complete in France in the month of January without starting your conversation with Meilleurs voeux (Best wishes).

Etrennes.

It is also common practice in France to give gifts of money to people who serve you on a regular basis, any tips to Cle France staff will be accepted merrily (LOL). The local firemen are the most proactive in my experience and they will knock on your door with the 'excuse' of selling you a calendar, even the garbage man in towns and cities (les éboueurs) may knock on your door. It’s the equivalent of their 13th month, and the French tend to be quite generous so if you want a good service you may have to dig deep.

Le Réveillon.

As you know by now the Christmas Eve dinner is known as le réveillon and so is New Year’s Eve dinner! so easy to remeber even after a galss or two! To distinguish the two, the celebration on the 31st is called la Saint-Sylvestre, or le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre. The festive meal is similar to the one shared at Christmas – goose or turkey, oysters, foie gras, Boudin blanc – with the addition of copious amounts of champagne, bien sûr, and dancing and partying long into the night is normal and to be expected.

Metros and public transportation in the large cities are free for the evening to discourage drivers from taking to the road in their cars after indulging which is a very effective policy.

Midnight.

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, expect to receive kisses on both cheeks and a hearty bonne année! Fireworks at private parties have been surpressed in the past years due to the dangers, but this is not the case for the local communes who often have a spectacular display and a party for all the villagers.

On New Year’s Day – le jour de l’an.

Parades fill the streets which you can watch in person, if you don’t mind the cold, or on TV from the comfort of your own home, friends house and even in the local sports bar, in fact anywhere where there is a TV it will be tuned to the local 'big town' celebrations!

The most famous New Year parade takes place in Paris every year. Thousands of performers from all over the world take part in the show with wonderful songs, dances and other cultural activities. The parade goes through the many districts and streets of Paris. Generally, it starts on 31st December and passes through Chantilly to reach Trocardero, under the Eiffer Tower on January 1st.

What about New Years Resolutions?

Le Jour de l'An is the day when people share their resolutions among near and dear friends, you may not get such a warm reply if you ask a neighbour what their resolution is, these are really kept between very close family members. Cards and gifts are exchanged on New Years Day, which reflect the mood and the spirit of the celebration.

This is the perfect time for family members and friends to be with each other. They dine together, have fun and form great memories. I have seen that the chef in the family will prepare heart or log shaped desserts, usually made from ice cream (don't worry these are also widely available in supermarkets across France).

People are highly excited and welcome the fresh year in whole-heartedly in France so all you need to do is join in, not that different to the UK or the US afterall, just jump in and have a good time seems to be the order of the day.

Bonne Année ! from Sharon, David, Simon, Alex and all the team at Cle France.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Santa’s Naughty Partner: Come Meet Père Fouettard!

He sees you when you’re sleeping

He knows when you’re awake

He knows if you’ve been bad or good

So be good for goodness sake!

Image courtesy of 'le blog marievie'.

Christmas tomorrow, so that means there are only 24 hours to right your wrongs from the past year to make sure you end up on Santa’s nice list.

In many countries, good little boys and girls wake up to presents under the tree and stockings filled with goodies. The rotten apples get a gift from the man in red, too, but it’s in the form of coal. What are you supposed to do with un morceau de charbon (a lump of coal)? Well, I suppose you could harness its energy  for electricity or apply enough energy to transform it into a diamond, but that’s for another blog.

While coal was on the lips of many American politics this past political season, it certainly was not on any kid’s wish list. And while bad kids in France also receive coal, they have another thing to worry about that anglophone kiddies get to avoid: Père Fouettard (Father Whipper)!

We all know the story of the Christmas patriarch Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra who was the inspiration behind Santa Claus. Nicholas came from a wealthy family and spent much of his life sharing his wealth with those less fortunate than he. Santa is a very nice man to the kids all around the world, but homeboy works alongside Father Whipper, who takes care of the naughty kids.

So what’s this punisher’s story? His first appearance dates back to the 12th century. A local innkeeper (in some variations, he’s a butcher) and his wife capture 3 wealthy children who were on their way to enrol in a religious boarding school. The couple rob the children, murder them, and cook them in a stew. Saint Nick was not happy and showed up at the innkeeper’s door. The innkeeper was transformed into Father Whipper and became an eternal partner with Saint Nick. Personally, I don’t see that as much of a punishment since the innkeeper continues to torture children, but I’m but a mere blogger.

On Saint Nicholas’s Day (le 6 décembre), Père Fouettard travels around and gifts coal and spankings. He’s pretty easy to recognise, too. Our cultures show Santa Claus the same way: a jolly fat man in a red suit with a big white beard. There are different representations of Father Whipper, but he’s easy to spot. Sometimes you’ll see him in dark robes carrying a bag with switches on his back. Other times, he’s wearing teh same suit as Santa, but it’s black. He has a darkened face from all the soot in the chimneys (and alas, sometimes, you’ll still see people playing him in blackface) and his beard is unkempt.

So you better be good whatever you do

cause if you’re bad, I’m warning you

you’ll get nothing* for Christmas

Alors, as-tu été sage cette année ?

So, were you good this year?

* = except coal and whippings

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.

My Beautiful Fir Tree – O Christmas Tree In French

L’esprit des fêtes (the holiday spirit) is stronger than ever with Noël just around the corner. This festive time of the year is the perfect moment to add un chant de Noël français (a French Christmas carol) to your holiday playlist!

Les chants de Noël are a big part of the ambiance of the holiday season.

Les chansons (the songs) complete the scene of les chausettes de Noël (Christmas stockings) resting above la cheminée (the fireplace) with a pile of cadeaux (gifts, presents) waiting under the wonderful sapin de Noël (Christmas tree).

Le sapin de Noël is lucky enough to have its own chant de Noël:

Mon beau sapin - O Christmas Tree (literally: My Beautiful Fir Tree)

La chanson, like le calendrier d’Avent, is a holiday tradition that came from Germany. Mon beau sapin was originally called O Tannenbaum en allemand (in German) and translates to O Fir Tree. Ses origines (its origins) go back as far as 1550, but it’s the more modern version written by Ernst Anshütz in 1824 that became known all over the world.

Interestingly, la chanson did not specifically refer to Noël at first, but slowly became associated with the holiday with the rise in popularity of les sapins de Noël. By the 20th century it was a standard chant de Noël like Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver and was translated into many languages, including anglais et français (English and French).

In between opening presents and walks around les marchés de Noël, take a moment to learn ce chant de Noël français!

Voici Mon beau sapin avec les paroles et une traduction : 

Mon beau sapin, roi des forêts

Que j’aime ta verdure

Quand par l’hiver, bois et guérets

Sont dépouillés de leurs attraits

Mon beau sapin, roi des forêts

Tu gardes ta parure

My beautiful fir tree, king of the forests

How I love your greenness

When in winter, woods and fallow lands

Are stripped of their charm

My beautiful fir tree, king of the forests

You keep your decorations

Toi que Noël planta chez nous

Au saint Anniversaire

Joli sapin, comme ils sont doux,

Et tes bonbons, et tes joujoux

Toi que Noël planta chez nous

Tu répands la lumière.

You who put Christmas in our home

The holy birthday

Lovely pine, how pleasant they are

And your sweets, and your toys

You who put Christmas in our home

You spread the light.

Mon beau sapin, tes verts sommets

Et leur fidèle ombrage

De la foi qui ne ment jamais

De la constance et de la paix.

Mon beau sapin tes verts sommets

M’offrent la douce image.

And their faithful shade

Faith that never lies

Loyalty and peace

My beautiful fir tree, your green peaks

Give me that pleasant image.

Wishing You a Merry Christmas.

Blog submitted by: David at The French Property Network - Cle France.

This blog was originally posted on The French Language Blog pages.