# Help me improve my English!



## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

_I've wanted to do this for a little while, but I never dared to before, because I was afraid that I wouldn't be taken seriously, or that I might be made fun of... But here it is, my_
*Help me improve my English! thread*​
As you may or may not know, I am French - yes, I know, I say it all the time. But that's only because I'm always afraid I'm saying something stupid that doesn't make any sense, or that has bad grammar or spelling ;_; And no, I'm not always bringing it up because I'm super proud or something like that, I don't care I mean... it's not my fault, I was just born in France, it's not an accomplishment ._.

To be honest, I don't think I have a lot of issues when it comes to having a basic conversation with someone, I can pretty much watch any movie/TV show in English with no sub and basically understand everything. But when it comes to more complicated vocabulary or expressions, I'm a little lost. For instance, I tried to read some articles from _The Economist_, although I understood most of it, there were some words or sentences that made me think, 'Okay, I'm just going to pretend you don't exist'... Same happened when I watched 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' when I was in London (so no subs to help). I know Robert Downey Jr speaks really fast but WOW. Even the vocabulary was so complicated. And when people laughed, I didn't even understand why T^T

You must be wondering, 'How can we help? Just use a dictionary or online translation lol', well first of all, online translation *sucks*, and I mean it, never use it! Second, dictionaries are cool for vocabulary but not for grammar or stuff like that.

What would be really helpful would be to tell me new expressions or idioms, like, 'it's raining cats and dogs' or 'pet peeve' with their meaning... or just words you think you may use sometimes but are a little more elaborate. Basic stuff such as 'Can I use the bathroom?' or 'What's your favorite color' is a little useless I'm afraid xD Or just synonym words, so I can improve my vocabulary...

In advance, thanks everyone! I really want to be bilingual one day ?u?
of course letting me know if there's any mistake in this post is also greatly appreciated, lol

_And, I anyone needs help with French (because it's a hell of a complicated language, I'm so glad it's my native tongue), I'm all yours! I can translate stuff for you, give you some advices, let you know about cool videos, movies, music... tell you about our government, politics, culture, History..._

*NEW -* here is a link to the '_Ask Delphine what the meaning of life is_' thread, where you can ask me anything. Questions would be nice, as they could be a way for me to practice my English. Thanks!


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## Gregriii (Aug 28, 2014)

I wanted to do it too, but, I was afraid too xD Well, GL! Yo could do like my thread but with french lol


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## Alvery (Aug 28, 2014)

Hmmm... I can't think of any phrases right now, off the top of my head (it means at the moment). ;~; Any things you don't understand? I'll try my best to explain them.


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## Flop (Aug 28, 2014)

Uh, you have a better grasp of grammatical concepts than half the people on this site. I don't think you need to worry 

Also, fran?ais FTW!


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## jackofspadesman (Aug 28, 2014)

I would be glad to help so long as some examples are given, but I can't think of anything to help you with as of now...


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Alvery said:


> Hmmm... I can't think of any phrases right now, off the top of my head (it means at the moment). ;~; Any things you don't understand? I'll try my best to explain them.



Well right now there's not really anything I can think of, I do understand it's hard to come up with examples... x)
Ooh maybe if someone could tell me the difference between 'of' and 'off'? When I Googled it I didn't understand the difference...



Flop said:


> Uh, you have a better grasp of grammatical concepts than half the people on this site. I don't think you need to worry
> 
> Also, fran?ais FTW!



Aw that's so nice, thank you ;u;/



jackofspadesman said:


> I would be glad to help so long as some examples are given, but I can't think of anything to help you with as of now...



Well you just taught me 'as of now' so thanks :'D

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Gregriii said:


> I wanted to do it too, but, I was afraid too xD Well, GL! Yo could do like my thread but with french lol



Thanks! Yeah, maybe I'll do that later c:


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## Alvery (Aug 28, 2014)

And urgh, French (no offense intended) ;~; My French oral exam (l'examen oral) is coming up... I'm so dead (as in, I'm probably going to fail)  What possessed me to take up a third language that's so complicated?


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Alvery said:


> And urgh, French (no offense intended) ;~; My French oral exam (l'examen oral) is coming up... I'm so dead (as in, I'm probably going to fail)  What possessed me to take up a third language that's so complicated?



Don't worry, I know it's super hard, even in France people speak it in a really loosy way... it's sad. If you want me to help you get prepared, I can totally do that! 
For my English oral exam, I had to talk about the notion of 'Myths and heroes', and I decided to talk about Captain America. Then for my Spanish oral exam, I picked up the notion 'Places and forms of power' and I talked about Captain America again as the incarnation of the American soft-power x)


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## Twinrova (Aug 28, 2014)

I'll try to help you understand the difference between 'of' and 'off', 

*'Of'* has many uses, but it doesn't really have a meaning. It's used to connect words together in a variety *of *ways (just used it!).  Examples- 'Queen *of* England', 'ringing *of *bells', 'icing *of* the cake'. 

'*Off'* actually has a proper meaning (well, a few different meanings). It can mostly be thought of as the opposite of 'on'. Some examples- 'the light is *off*', 'he fell *off *the horse', 'we are *off* school tomorrow' (meaning they don't need to go to school).

It's pretty confusing, but I hope this helped clear it up a little bit! 

Also, 'of' is pronounced with a 'v' sound, and 'off' is pronounced with an 'f' sound.


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Twinrova said:


> I'll try to help you understand the difference between 'of' and 'off',
> 
> *'Of'* has many uses, but it doesn't really have a meaning. It's used to connect words together in a variety *of *ways (just used it!).  Examples- 'Queen *of* England', 'ringing *of *bells', 'icing *of* the cake'.
> 
> ...



That's really helpful! Thank you very much for your time!


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## Lio Fotia (Aug 28, 2014)

If you ever need help please let me know. My native tongue is Te Ro Maori so I understand the struggle that is the English language. I have difficulty sometimes even after 20 years speaking it.


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

C a l l a w a y said:


> If you ever need help please let me know. My native tongue is Te Ro Maori so I understand the struggle that is the English language. I have difficulty sometimes even after 20 years speaking it.



Thank you, that's nice of you!


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## Alvery (Aug 28, 2014)

Of is: 
1) Belonging to or relating to someone or something. Example: That's the house of Joe.
2) Used to show an amount. Example: I need a pound of oranges.
3) Used to show numbers, dates and ages. Example: We have a girl of five (years old).
4) Containing or consisting of. Example: Please give me a glass of water.
5) Used to show a reason. Example: He died of a heart attack.
6) About or showing something or someone. Example: This is a story of love and hate.
7) Used to show which one. Example: The country of France (= The country called France)
8) Used to show a characteristic. Example: She is a woman of great power (=she has a lot of power)
9) Living or coming from a certain place. Example: The people of Spain are called Spaniards.

Off is:
1) Not touching something or removed. Example: His glasses fell off.
2) Away from a place. Example: She ran off.
3) Not operating or not at work. (I think this would be rather hard to understand?) Example: Turn off your computer./I need a year off. (=I need a year's break)
4) Canceled. Example: The wedding is off. 
5) Near a place. Example: Their motel was just off the main road.
6) Far away. Example: Your birthday is a long way off.
7) Less. Example: All apples are %15 off until the end of the day.
8) Wrong. (this is slang) Example: I feel off. (= I don't feel well)/Oh my god, you were so off on that question! (=Your answer to that question was really wrong/off the mark.)


In simple terms: Of shows connection. Off shows disconnection.


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## Lauren (Aug 28, 2014)

Your English seems fine to me! If you need help with it, venture into the IRC, fast paced conversation that slows down, you could learn from there!


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Alvery said:


> Of is:
> 1) Belonging to or relating to someone or something. Example: That's the house of Joe.
> 2) Used to show an amount. Example: I need a pound of oranges.
> 3) Used to show numbers, dates and ages. Example: We have a girl of five (years old).
> ...



Wow, such a complete explanation! Thank you! I didn't know 'off' could mean 'wrong', or 'far away'.
So if I want to say, 'I am going to a certain place', shall I say 'I am off to a certain place'?


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## Alvery (Aug 28, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Don't worry, I know it's super hard, even in France people speak it in a really loosy way... it's sad. If you want me to help you get prepared, I can totally do that!
> For my English oral exam, I had to talk about the notion of 'Myths and heroes', and I decided to talk about Captain America. Then for my Spanish oral exam, I picked up the notion 'Places and forms of power' and I talked about Captain America again as the incarnation of the American soft-power x)



Thanks for the offer, but I don't really need help probably going to fail no matter what you do XP.  If it gets really, really, bad, I could always say: Je suis desol?e, je ne comprends pas. (the only thing I really know how to say in French XD)

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Delphine said:


> Wow, such a complete explanation! Thank you! I didn't know 'off' could mean 'wrong', or 'far away'.
> So if I want to say, 'I am going to a certain place', shall I say 'I am off to a certain place'?



Yep, that's correct


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Lauren said:


> Your English seems fine to me! If you need help with it, venture into the IRC, fast paced conversation that slows down, you could learn from there!



Thanks! And that's a nice advice, I'll take a look! n_n

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Alvery said:


> Thanks for the offer, but I don't really need help probably going to fail no matter what you do XP.  If it gets really, really, bad, I could always say: Je suis desol?e, je ne comprends pas. (the only thing I really know how to say in French XD)
> 
> - - - Post Merge - - -
> 
> ...



Yay, I got that right! xD

As you wish! Good luck anyway, I hope it's going to be fine ;_;/


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## Alvery (Aug 28, 2014)

Good luck with learning English  It's really too darn complicated for it's own good... Do you know that English is the only language where a house can burn up as it burns down? XD


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## Saylor (Aug 28, 2014)

You seem to have a very good grasp of English from the little I've seen you write. If you ever need help with anything or can think of something specific you're confused about, I'd be happy to help. If I were you I'd continue watching and reading things in English, even if some things are hard to understand, it's a great way to help you learn more. :]


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Alvery said:


> Good luck with learning English  It's really too darn complicated for it's own good... Do you know that English is the only language where a house can burn up as it burns down? XD



Haha! Now that's a funny fact xD English is actually less hard than French in my opinion, and it really helps to have so many great TV shows and movies! ?w?
I'm kind of ashamed to say this but I learned most of my English thanks to _South Park_...

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Saylor said:


> You seem to have a very good grasp of English from the little I've seen you write. If you ever need help with anything or can think of something specific you're confused about, I'd be happy to help. If I were you I'd continue watching and reading things in English, even if some things are hard to understand, it's a great way to help you learn more. :]



Thank you!  That's nice of you!

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Oh I know what I would need! Other ways to say:

*- helpful
- complicated/hard
- nice/kind*


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## Lauren (Aug 28, 2014)

- helpful - friendly, pleasant, kind, accommodating, considerate, thoughtful, supportive, cooperative, sympathetic, caring, hospitable, neighbourly, charitable, benevolent and beneficent

- complicated/hard - effort, arduous, strenuous, tiring, fatiguing, exhausting, wearying, back-breaking, gruelling and heavy,

- nice/kind - sweet, pleasant, likeable, agreeable, personable, charming, delightful, amiable, affable, friendly, kindly, genial, congenial, good-natured, engaging, gracious, sympathetic, understanding, compassionate and good


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## LunaMoon Crossing (Aug 28, 2014)

You don't need help! You made this whole thread and with PERFECT grammar and spelling. But if you really so need the help, I'll help. Drop me a PM. I'll see what I can do. Heck, I had to speak with spanish girls half my school year. They didn't know much english, but they knew enough. I also have to do it when I'm online with my German friends.


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Lauren said:


> - helpful - friendly, pleasant, kind, accommodating, considerate, thoughtful, supportive, cooperative, sympathetic, caring, hospitable, neighbourly, charitable, benevolent and beneficent
> 
> - complicated/hard - effort, arduous, strenuous, tiring, fatiguing, exhausting, wearying, back-breaking, gruelling and heavy,
> 
> - nice/kind - sweet, pleasant, likeable, agreeable, personable, charming, delightful, amiable, affable, friendly, kindly, genial, congenial, good-natured, engaging, gracious, sympathetic, understanding, compassionate and good



I knew about half of these, but never would have thought to use them in an everyday conversation!
It's stupid but it makes me really happy to learn all these words, many thanks! c:

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LunaMoon Crossing said:


> You don't need help! You made this whole thread and with PERFECT grammar and spelling. But if you really so need the help, I'll help. Drop me a PM. I'll see what I can do. Heck, I had to speak with spanish girls half my school year. They didn't know much english, but they knew enough. I also have to do it when I'm online with my German friends.



Hehe, thank you, that's very nice! ^______^

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Ah I know! I would also need help with abbreviations.
I'm fine with lol, lmao, ftw, wtf, idk, ikr, jk... but the other ones confuse me ._.


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## Alvery (Aug 28, 2014)

They confuse me, too ._.

Oh yeah, I agree with you that French is harder than English ;~; At least English doesn't have genders.... Or the indicatif (so many exceptions! :O)


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Alvery said:


> They confuse me, too ._.
> 
> Oh yeah, I agree with you that French is harder than English ;~; At least English doesn't have genders.... Or the indicatif (so many exceptions! :O)



Oh yeah the gender, must be so hard for you guys... and yeah conjugation, that's the worse I think.


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## Gregriii (Aug 28, 2014)

Err, can I ask something here? D:


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## Lassy (Aug 28, 2014)

I have to say, your English spelling is perfect! 
I think you may be a bit too hard on yourself when you think your English isn't that good. Compared to an average French person, your English is very good. And even when I compare you to a native English speaker, you might be better as some people can't even know the difference between "your" and "you're".

I think the ideal way to grasp fully the language is either to live in an anglophone country, or watch many anglophone movies/tv shows or whatever. I am French just like you, and I have gotten the opportunity to know quite well English by going to the USA for a year when I was 12. It really helps to learn the "local" language, like slang language, something you can't simply learn by checking the dictionary. But this option isn't for everyone, so I'd really suggest you to read English books (whether their are novels, comics, manga or whatever - I learned a lot of words such as "consort" - although not an important word to give you as an example eh), watch movies - preferably American movies to begin with since the accent is easier to understand rather than a heavy Scottish accent which is bloody hard to understand when you aren't used to it -  tv series and such. Restrain yourself from having the sub-titles in French, if you really want sub-titles, have them in English, because it is really a struggle not to read the subs! I have a friend who learned how to speak really fluent English by just watching English movies all day long, and I swear, this really pays off.


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Gregriii said:


> Err, can I ask something here? D:



Go ahead!



Lassy said:


> I have to say, your English spelling is perfect!
> I think you may be a bit too hard on yourself when you think your English isn't that good. Compared to an average French person, your English is very good. And even when I compare you to a native English speaker, you might be better as some people can't even know the difference between "your" and "you're".
> 
> I think the ideal way to grasp fully the language is either to live in an anglophone country, or watch many anglophone movies/tv shows or whatever. I am French just like you, and I have gotten the opportunity to know quite well English by going to the USA for a year when I was 12. It really helps to learn the "local" language, like slang language, something you can't simply learn by checking the dictionary. But this option isn't for everyone, so I'd really suggest you to read English books (whether their are novels, comics, manga or whatever - I learned a lot of words such as "consort" - although not an important word to give you as an example eh), watch movies - preferably American movies to begin with since the accent is easier to understand rather than a heavy Scottish accent which is bloody hard to understand when you aren't used to it -  tv series and such. Restrain yourself from having the sub-titles in French, if you really want sub-titles, have them in English, because it is really a struggle not to read the subs! I have a friend who learned how to speak really fluent English by just watching English movies all day long, and I swear, this really pays off.



That's very nice to hear! This is exactly what I do, reading comics/mangas or just going through English websites, and of course watching movies/TV shows, that kind of thing. That's how I learned so far, and not thanks to English classes (sorry, dear teachers). If I really have a hard time without subs, I just put the English ones!
It's really encouraging to know that you have such a great English level even though it's not your native language!
Thank you for all your advices and kind words


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## Lassy (Aug 28, 2014)

Nvm. D: sent this post by mistake ;-; pls ignore


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## Zane (Aug 28, 2014)

This is a kinda surprising post :0 I thought your English was excellent, like I wouldn't even have known it wasn't your native language if you hadn't mentioned it before. xp But english does have its gross and nonsensical complexities so I see where you're coming from now.



Delphine said:


> Ah I know! I would also need help with abbreviations.
> I'm fine with lol, lmao, ftw, wtf, idk, ikr, jk... but the other ones confuse me ._.



I can't think of any helpful phrases or anything but it's hard to keep up with the abbreviations. xD here's some common ones I can think of:

smh - shaking my head, implies disappointment 
bbl - be back later
tmi - too much information, you probably knew that one tho haha
bff - best friends forever 
inb4 - mostly a forum expression, saying your post got "in before" something inevitable happens in a topic. Like inb4 flame war
tl;dr - too long, didn't read. used to pointlessly inform someone you didn't read their post because it was too wordy
d/c - disconnection 
h/o - hold on
hag1 or hagd - have a good day or have a good one (day, that is. lol)
iirc - if i remember correctly 
imo - in my opinion
jw - just wondering
nsfw - not safe for work, a warning that the content is not something you'd want people to catch you looking at on the job. generally used as a synonym for sexual content but not strictly so.
nvm - nevermind
smt - something
wip - work in progress


sorry if that's not helpful at all LOL I should be sleeping.


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Zane said:


> This is a kinda surprising post :0 I thought your English was excellent, like I wouldn't even have known it wasn't your native language if you hadn't mentioned it before. xp But english does have its gross and nonsensical complexities so I see where you're coming from now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hehe thanks!  Yup that was interesting although I didn't understand at all what 'in before' means XD
Also glad I learned 'not safe for work'. Not that I'd need to use it, of course


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## xiaonu (Aug 28, 2014)

I'd also like to add that Lang-8 is a great website to get your English corrected c: if you want to check it out ^^


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

xiaonu said:


> I'd also like to add that Lang-8 is a great website to get your English corrected c: if you want to check it out ^^



I'll be sure to check it out! Thanks! n_n


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## Freckles (Aug 28, 2014)

Wow, this thread is great! I'm a native English speaker and I learned spanish at the same time. So studying French later on wasn't too bad but I'd like to know more about it. It really is a beautiful language and I'm trying to be nearly fluent (or at least conversational!) before we take a Europe trip next year. 

Sorry I don't have anything to contribute at the moment, Delphine but your English is quite good! Might I ask you for music recommendations? In your giveaway thread you asked for favorite French songs and I only know a few. I'd love to be exposed to more pop or singer/song writer french musicians. Basically I'm trying to find music were the words are in French and spoken clearly. I like to hear the accents in that way and it's a lot more fun than using Rosetta Stone.


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Freckles said:


> Wow, this thread is great! I'm a native English speaker and I learned spanish at the same time. So studying French later on wasn't too bad but I'd like to know more about it. It really is a beautiful language and I'm trying to be nearly fluent (or at least conversational!) before we take a Europe trip next year.
> 
> Sorry I don't have anything to contribute at the moment, Delphine but your English is quite good! Might I ask you for music recommendations? In your giveaway thread you asked for favorite French songs and I only know a few. I'd love to be exposed to more pop or singer/song writer french musicians. Basically I'm trying to find music were the words are in French and spoken clearly. I like to hear the accents in that way and it's a lot more fun than using Rosetta Stone.



That sounds awesome! Good luck learning French! n_n And thank you!

For French music, if you want something a little modern, I'd of course recommend *Stromae* (such a great writer...), or *Indila*, there's also *Cœur de Pirate*, if you want to hear some French rap you can listen to *Sexion d'Assaut* or *Ma?tre Gims* but they are kind of big jerks... the lyrics are stupid but the beat can be cool. *Orelsan* is nice as well, and if you're more into 'retro' music, we have *Georges Brassens*, *Jacques Brel*, *Francis Cabrel* (great singers and writers, kind of national heroes lol)... We also used to have nice bands, such as *Indochine*, *Louise Attaque*, or *Noir D?sir*.
These are the only ones I can think of right now, all of these speak quite clearly and are understandable, but you might want to look at the lyrics while you're listening to their music. Oh and just to warn you: some of these guys how can I put it roll the 'R' sound... we don't do that XD I mean, it's nice to hear when someone sings in French, but when we talk, we never roll 'R's... it's ridiculous


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## Freckles (Aug 28, 2014)

Delphine said:


> That sounds awesome! Good luck learning French! n_n And thank you!
> 
> For French music, if you want something a little modern, I'd of course recommend *Stromae* (such a great writer...), or *Indila*, there's also *Cœur de Pirate*, if you want to hear some French rap you can listen to *Sexion d'Assaut* or *Ma?tre Gims* but they are kind of big jerks... the lyrics are stupid but the beat can be cool. *Orelsan* is nice as well, and if you're more into 'retro' music, we have *Georges Brassens*, *Jacques Brel*, *Francis Cabrel* (great singers and writers, kind of national heroes lol)... We also used to have nice bands, such as *Indochine*, *Louise Attaque*, or *Noir D?sir*.
> These are the only ones I can think of right now, all of these speak quite clearly and are understandable, but you might want to look at the lyrics while you're listening to their music. Oh and just to warn you: some of these guys how can I put it roll the 'R' sound... we don't do that XD I mean, it's nice to hear when someone sings in French, but when we talk, we never roll 'R's... it's ridiculous



I've never heard any French rap so I'm really looking forward to that! But thank you so much for this list! I can't wait to check these out-will definitely be doing some serious listening this afternoon 

I can barely roll my r's for my espa?ol so no worries there


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## Liquid Ocelot (Aug 28, 2014)

I'm actually majoring in English. I'm in my senior year- so, if you ever have grammar questions, I could definitely help with that.


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## Zulehan (Aug 28, 2014)

Yeah, it certainly takes time to 'get the hang of' (_there_ is another phrase) the cultural baggage of a language. 

Here is another phrase: 'You're treading on mighty thin ice.'

That means you are angering someone by either talking about something s/he would rather not talk about (e.g., a sensitive matter pertaining to his/her family), or you are acting particularly obnoxious (e.g., in a way that actually puts him/her at risk of physical harm, punishment, or embarrassment). 

Anyways, here is a decent website for looking up English phrases: http://www.phrases.org.uk/index.html


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## tamagotchi (Aug 28, 2014)

Yee, going to look over this thread! English is my second language, so hopefully this will help me. c:


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Liquid Ocelot said:


> I'm actually majoring in English. I'm in my senior year- so, if you ever have grammar questions, I could definitely help with that.



Definitely helpful - thanks!



Zulehan said:


> Yeah, it certainly takes time to 'get the hang of' (_there_ is another phrase) the cultural baggage of a language.
> 
> Here is another phrase: 'You're treading on mighty thin ice.'
> 
> ...



Nice, I didn't know these ones! And thanks for the website! c:


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## Liquid Ocelot (Aug 28, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Definitely helpful - thanks!




lol I do grammar, spelling, writing mechanics / techniques and all that stuff. Also poetry / metaphor / whatever else. It's my life. Literally. 

Your casual english is definitely fine, from what I can tell, though!


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## Delphine (Aug 28, 2014)

Liquid Ocelot said:


> lol I do grammar, spelling, writing mechanics / techniques and all that stuff. Also poetry / metaphor / whatever else. It's my life. Literally.
> 
> Your casual english is definitely fine, from what I can tell, though!



Impressive! For a long time I hesitated between cinema studies and litterature/English studies. I also wanted to learn Art History. Man, one life isn't enough...


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## samsquared (Aug 28, 2014)

What you're talking about (raining cats and dogs, etc.) is common phrasal imagery (isn't that a mouthful?) called "idioms". One might call them "figures of speech", lol (that's another idiom). Idioms are something that really come with experience with la langue and the area. Idioms in America and Britain can differ somewhat: phrases like "close, but no cigar" will mean likely nothing to a Brit, and "chalk and cheese" will likely mean nothing to an American. "Getting the gist" of what you're saying is important in this sort of dialogue, which is probably why you're having some trouble picking it up. (Another idiom~)
Also, naturally, readings become more advanced the more acquainted you get with the language. I honestly wouldn't recommend you go further with the language if you didn't already desire to, as being good enough to write and read and hold a fairly technical conversation will get you extremely far already. 
But, since you do want to know, I've got a lot of idioms for you to familiarise yourself with such as: 

"I'm losing my marbles/mind!"
"It cost me an arm and a leg."
"That was a piece of cake!"
"You're pulling my leg."
"Who pissed in your Cheerios? (or some other variant of this)"
"He's bending over backwards just to get me to go to the dance with him!"
"What a load of crap/baloney/etc."
"Now you're getting a taste of your own medicine."
"Japanese, Chinese: it's all Greek to me."
"I'm out here working my nine-to-five while you just sit at home all day!"

Among others. You should look them up to learn more! I hope this was helpful? Good? Something? lol I'm sorry today I suck


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## Delphine (Aug 29, 2014)

^ That was nice, thanks! Some of those are actually similar to French. 
Thanks for the advices, I'm glad I learned all this new stuff ^^


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## nekosync (Aug 29, 2014)

A list of figures of speech:
[x]

A list of popular idioms: [x]

By the way, "it's raining cats and dogs!" is an _idiom_, not a figure of speech.  It means that it's raining a lot.

I hope this helps! Be sure to tell me if there's anything you don't understand.


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## Delphine (Aug 29, 2014)

^ proof that I needed help xD
Thanks! ~


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## nekosync (Aug 29, 2014)

Delphine said:


> ^ proof that I needed help xD
> Thanks! ~



No problem! I also love your avatar, by the way. 

Oh, and, do you need any help with text shorthand? It's used _a lot_, so it's worth understanding.


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## Delphine (Aug 29, 2014)

nekosync said:


> No problem! I also love your avatar, by the way.
> 
> Oh, and, do you need any help with text shorthand? It's used _a lot_, so it's worth understanding.



Thanks! I love yours too, reminds me good memories n_n

I have no idea why text shorthands are so a little heads up would be nice xD <3


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## nekosync (Aug 29, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Thanks! I love yours too, reminds me good memories n_n
> 
> I have no idea why text shorthands are so a little heads up would be nice xD <3


Thank you! And, text shorthand is shortened English which was used commonly when phones didn't have keyboards. People still use it now, though (mainly out of laziness).

Here's some popular shorthand I can think of off the top of my head:

*LOL* = Laugh Out Loud. - To show that you think something is funny.
*TTYL* = "Talk to you later!"
*BTW* = "By the way..." - To add another subject to the conversation 


Spoiler: example of this



Person 1: Hi, are you going to the concert?
Person 2: Oh yeah! Oh, and by the way, have you heard about the lead singer? He broke his foot.


*WTF* =  "What the f**k?" = To show surprise/shock. This is generally considered vulgar and rude, so it's best to say something else with polite company around.
*OMG* = "Oh my God!" = Again, to show surprise/shock. This is a common phrase, so it should be okay to say around most people.
*AFK* = Away From Keyboard. This means that the person who has said this will be away from their computer/phone for a bit, but will return.
*GTG* = "Got to go!" Another way of saying that you need to leave the conversation.
*LMAO* = Laughing My Ass Off - To show that you think something is funny.
*Wat*= "What"
*Tht* = "That"
*Bby* = "Baby"
*K* = "Okay."
*KK* = Another way of saying "Okay.".
*Nao* = Now
*IRL* = In real life
*WUBU2* = "What are you up to?"/"What you up to?"
*R* = "Are"



Spoiler: Try working out this sentence using the phrases above!



Hey bby, wat r u up 2? irl, i was just lmao with my other bby lol 
nao im just chilling
k, gtg ttyl



Please note that you shouldn't use these in real life. It's best to use them on the internet only. You'll seem silly if you use these phrases in real life!


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## Delphine (Aug 29, 2014)

Oh okay I called these abbreviations! We have that in French as well and I ever use it to be honest, I don't know about America and the UK but in my country the average level of French has lowered because people only use these abbreviations now... It's super sad.

Let me translate: hey baby, what are you up to? In real life I was just laughing my ass off with my other baby, laughing out loud! Now I'm just chilling. Okay, got to go, talk to you later!

Hehe ~ I didn't know half of these so thanks!

Also, question: if I write 'doesn't' instead of 'does not', 'I'm' instead of 'I am'... Is it less 'polite'? Wait not polite but... It's better to write every word entirely, is it not?


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## Delphine (Aug 31, 2014)

Looking for other ways to say: that's too bad/that's a shame/that's unfortunate...
Can I say: 'that's unlucky'? It doesn't sound very natural.


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## Cam1 (Aug 31, 2014)

Um, do you understand the differences between certain homophones(words that sound the same but are spelled/mean different)? I can help you with there/their/they're and to/too/two

- - - Post Merge - - -



Delphine said:


> Looking for other ways to say: that's too bad/that's a shame/that's unfortunate...
> Can I say: 'that's unlucky'? It doesn't sound very natural.


I personally have never heard this, but Im only 14, sooo


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## katsuragi (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Looking for other ways to say: that's too bad/that's a shame/that's unfortunate...
> Can I say: 'that's unlucky'? It doesn't sound very natural.



at the moment i can only think of is 'that's no good', 'that's a pity' or 'what a shame', although 'what a shame' can sometimes sound sarcastic. i suppose you would want to use that more when actually speaking so you can emphasise that it isn't sarcastic! that's unlucky is ok but i rarely hear people say that in conversation, though i'm sure you can make it work if you like 

good luck with your english, if i think of any other ways to help you out i'll be sure to let you know! oh also feel free to ask me if you need any specific help, i honestly love helping people out with this sort of thing plus (not to brag at all!!) english is quite a high skill of mine and i'm happy to help you


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## Earth Wolf-Howl (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Looking for other ways to say: that's too bad/that's a shame/that's unfortunate...
> Can I say: 'that's unlucky'? It doesn't sound very natural.



I wouldn't use it. Maybe it's just because I'm a bit inattentive at times, but I haven't heard anyone say 'That's unlucky' in that context.

Also, to answer your previous question about contractions such as 'I'm' or 'They're'- personally, I don't find it makes much of a difference. 'I am' or 'They are' might be good in a formal situation, but their shortened forms are perfectly reasonable for everyday conversation, or for talking to each other via text.


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## Cam1 (Aug 31, 2014)

And I can also help with a bunch of grammatic stuff, too. Its just a lot of information


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## Delphine (Aug 31, 2014)

PokeCam420 said:


> Um, do you understand the differences between certain homophones(words that sound the same but are spelled/mean different)? I can help you with there/their/they're and to/too/two
> 
> - - - Post Merge - - -
> 
> ...



I'm generally fine with this stuff, I had not quite understood the difference between 'of' and 'off' but two people explained to me 
Thanks for your help, if I ever need help with homophones I'll let you know 



katsuragi said:


> at the moment i can only think of is 'that's no good', 'that's a pity' or 'what a shame', although 'what a shame' can sometimes sound sarcastic. i suppose you would want to use that more when actually speaking so you can emphasise that it isn't sarcastic! that's unlucky is ok but i rarely hear people say that in conversation, though i'm sure you can make it work if you like
> 
> good luck with your english, if i think of any other ways to help you out i'll be sure to let you know! oh also feel free to ask me if you need any specific help, i honestly love helping people out with this sort of thing plus (not to brag at all!!) english is quite a high skill of mine and i'm happy to help you



If it sounds weird to you guys I'm just not going to use it haha 
Thanks for your help, it's very kind of you! And don't worry I don't think you're bragging lol, I'm very good at French and when I was younger I helped a Korean friend who didn't speak the language very well so I know the feeling  Thanks again!



Earth Wolf-Howl said:


> I wouldn't use it. Maybe it's just because I'm a bit inattentive at times, but I haven't heard anyone say 'That's unlucky' in that context.
> 
> Also, to answer your previous question about contractions such as 'I'm' or 'They're'- personally, I don't find it makes much of a difference. 'I am' or 'They are' might be good in a formal situation, but their shortened forms are perfectly reasonable for everyday conversation, or for talking to each other via text.



Let's just not say 'That's unlucky', it sounded funny to me as well x)
Ah thank you for answering that, I was just unsure whether contractions may sound inappropriate in certain situations.
Thanks! 



PokeCam420 said:


> And I can also help with a bunch of grammatic stuff, too. Its just a lot of information



Thanks, not anything I can think of right now but thank you! n_n


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## Cam1 (Aug 31, 2014)

Alright! Like I said in the VM, just let me know


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## Earth Wolf-Howl (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> I'm generally fine with this stuff, I had not quite understood the difference between 'of' and 'off' but two people explained to me
> Thanks for your help, if I ever need help with homophones I'll let you know
> 
> 
> ...



No problem! Good luck learning the rest of the language.


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## Delphine (Aug 31, 2014)

Thanks guys!

When someone does something nice for you, or offers to do something kind for you, what can you say? That it's considerate? I can't think of any other way to say so... (I learned the word 'considerate' in Tim Burton's _Vincent_)


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## Cam1 (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> When someone does something nice for you, or offers to do something kind for you, what can you say? That it's considerate? I can't think of any other way to say so... (I learned the word 'considerate' in Tim Burton's _Vincent_)


Most of the time people just say, "that was really nice," thank them, and they go on about their lives in a cheery mood. When offered, they either say, "yes please, that would be great!" or "that is really sweet, but no thanks!"


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## katsuragi (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> When someone does something nice for you, or offers to do something kind for you, what can you say? That it's considerate? I can't think of any other way to say so... (I learned the word 'considerate' in Tim Burton's _Vincent_)



adding expression to thank yous is something you can do to express gratitude, things like 'wow, thank so much!' or 'oh my god/gosh/etc thank you!', and, like pokecam420 said, adding on things like 'that's so nice of you!' or even 'you didn't have to do that!' (in a thankful sense not seriously telling them they didn't have to do it) also lets people know you're thankful.


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## hanashi (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> When someone does something nice for you, or offers to do something kind for you, what can you say? That it's considerate? I can't think of any other way to say so... (I learned the word 'considerate' in Tim Burton's _Vincent_)



i suppose if one is being formal you can say "how very considerate of you", but you can also say that somebody is being "very kind" or sweet etc, etc.


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## starlark (Aug 31, 2014)

Agh! You're French and wanna learn English...and I'm English (well that's what my passport says xD) and wanna learn French.
I live in the generic, stereotypical part of England, the place where people speak "posh" and drink tea and eat crumpets and stuff. So I guess that's the type you want.
I can't really tell you exactly how to speak English, as it's second nature to me. 
I really can't think of any right now but I'll let you know if I can think of any. Your language is so beautiful and I love it so much.
I'm not good with pronunciations as I have this embarrassing kind of lisp, but that's because I have braces.
I listen to French songs every day to help me understand it better. It's really mesmerising. Alternatively, "c'est interessant!"
You can probably tell by my sig that I like it a lot XD
Again, sorry for not helping you. I really hope you do good in your exam! And I'll drop by this thread again if I suddenly have an epiphany.


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## Delphine (Aug 31, 2014)

katsuragi said:


> adding expression to thank yous is something you can do to express gratitude, things like 'wow, thank so much!' or 'oh my god/gosh/etc thank you!', and, like pokecam420 said, adding on things like 'that's so nice of you!' or even 'you didn't have to do that!' (in a thankful sense not seriously telling them they didn't have to do it) also lets people know you're thankful.



Right, I don't believe in God so out of respect for those who do believe in a religion, I don't feel very comfortable saying 'OMG', I know it's not a big deal to most people but for me it kind of is :3 I mean I may occasionally say it because I think it adds a dramatic touch XD Every time I read 'Oh my God' or 'ohmigosh' I always picture the person saying it to be like :O and it makes me laugh so much! For instance when I see a giveaway thread and people go like 'OMG ME PLEASE' I can't stop laughing!

Thanks for your answer!  <3 It's nice to know all this stuff because even though I may not use them personnaly, I might hear it in movies and such. 
But I just wanted to say that I knew it wasn't meant to be taken seriously xD cause in French we also say stuff such as 'You shouldn't have' ^^


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## starlark (Aug 31, 2014)

Also, I just remembered, but it's polite to curtsey or at least do a little bob when you meet someone new. I have no idea if you guys do that or not but I hope I help anyway xD


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## Delphine (Aug 31, 2014)

hanashi said:


> i suppose if one is being formal you can say "how very considerate of you", but you can also say that somebody is being "very kind" or sweet etc, etc.



Alright, thanks for your answer, very nice of you! :3



starlark said:


> Agh! You're French and wanna learn English...and I'm English (well that's what my passport says xD) and wanna learn French.
> I live in the generic, stereotypical part of England, the place where people speak "posh" and drink tea and eat crumpets and stuff. So I guess that's the type you want.
> I can't really tell you exactly how to speak English, as it's second nature to me.
> I really can't think of any right now but I'll let you know if I can think of any. Your language is so beautiful and I love it so much.
> ...



No problem, it's nice to know you have interest in my language and culture! If you need help don't hesitate 
And Indila is pretty cool, although her lyrics are sometimes meaningless :'D And to help you with pronunciations, keep listening to French music and maybe watch movies you know very well, but dubbed in French and w/ English subs (like animes or Disney movies).
And thank you so much for your sweet words 

- - - Post Merge - - -



starlark said:


> Also, I just remembered, but it's polite to curtsey or at least do a little bob when you meet someone new. I have no idea if you guys do that or not but I hope I help anyway xD



... what's a bob...? Like, if you bow? XD


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## starlark (Aug 31, 2014)

Delphine said:


> No problem, it's nice to know you have interest in my language and culture! If you need help don't hesitate
> And Indila is pretty cool, although her lyrics are sometimes meaningless :'D And to help you with pronunciations, keep listening to French music and maybe watch movies you know very well, but dubbed in French and w/ English subs (like animes or Disney movies).
> And thank you so much for your sweet words
> 
> ...



Yeah! Kind of like that XD but you just bend your legs and nod your head a bit.
I'm so glad I found another Indila lover  though I agree, hearing the words in French that I know and then translating them back into English mentally makes me giggle at the cheesiness of it all. Tourner dans le vide is my favourite but hey, S.O.S is actually pretty good.
My teacher showed me French rap (I'm not exactly sure if it even counts as rap) a while back, by a Belgian singer called Stromae. It's called Papaoutai and I don't know if you've heard of it, but if it helps it's the one with the people dressed all retro and there's a little boy that tries to get this mannequin-like man to dance with him.
(Just the other day I watched Les Choristes (?). I cried, many many times. Jean Baptiste-Maunier //dies


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## hanashi (Aug 31, 2014)

starlark said:


> Yeah! Kind of like that XD but you just bend your legs and nod your head a bit.
> I'm so glad I found another Indila lover  though I agree, hearing the words in French that I know and then translating them back into English mentally makes me giggle at the cheesiness of it all. Tourner dans le vide is my favourite but hey, S.O.S is actually pretty good.
> My teacher showed me French rap (I'm not exactly sure if it even counts as rap) a while back, by a Belgian singer called Stromae. It's called Papaoutai and I don't know if you've heard of it, but if it helps it's the one with the people dressed all retro and there's a little boy that tries to get this mannequin-like man to dance with him.
> (Just the other day I watched Les Choristes (?). I cried, many many times. Jean Baptiste-Maunier //dies



sorry for the introjection but i _love_ stromae so much - so to anybody who likes rap and french hes just a good listen. my favourite song is probably b?tard or sommeli. im not doing french for my gcses but i get vry happy when i can understand his lyrics  nwn;;


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## starlark (Aug 31, 2014)

Haha yes, Stromae FTW!


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## Delphine (Aug 31, 2014)

starlark said:


> Yeah! Kind of like that XD but you just bend your legs and nod your head a bit.
> I'm so glad I found another Indila lover  though I agree, hearing the words in French that I know and then translating them back into English mentally makes me giggle at the cheesiness of it all. Tourner dans le vide is my favourite but hey, S.O.S is actually pretty good.
> My teacher showed me French rap (I'm not exactly sure if it even counts as rap) a while back, by a Belgian singer called Stromae. It's called Papaoutai and I don't know if you've heard of it, but if it helps it's the one with the people dressed all retro and there's a little boy that tries to get this mannequin-like man to dance with him.
> (Just the other day I watched Les Choristes (?). I cried, many many times. Jean Baptiste-Maunier //dies



We don't really bow or whatever, grown-ups usually shake hands, but if you meet a friend/if someone introduces you to someone, we 'fait la bise' (we kiss each other), like we give two quick kisses to each other on the two cheeks.

I loooove Stromae as well, it's not really rap per say but really he's one of my favorite singers, and espacially writers, ever.
And I love the movie Les Choristes, I also cried a lot. And I adore G?rard Jugnot <3 You should see him in our very famous French comedies like _Le P?re No?l est une ordure_ (Santa Claus is a *******), _Papy Fait de la R?sistance_ (Grandpa Resists)...



hanashi said:


> sorry for the introjection but i _love_ stromae so much - so to anybody who likes rap and french hes just a good listen. my favourite song is probably b?tard or sommeli. im not doing french for my gcses but i get vry happy when i can understand his lyrics  nwn;;



He's awesome, right! The thing I love most about his music are the lyrics. They're all VERY depressing but at the same time so beautiful. You should definitely check a translation for the parts you don't understand, but congrats on understanding even if you don't learn French (that's actually very impressive!) n_n

- - - Post Merge - - -

The lyrics from Papoutai are like: 'Tell me where he comes from, so I'll know where I'm going, Mom says it's good to work, far better than to be with a bad person', and then he goes 'Where's your dad? Tell me, where's your dad? Without having to speak to him, he knows what's wrong. Tell me where you're hidden dad, I've counted on my fingers a thousand times' ;_;
Or also 'Everybody knows how to make a baby, but nobody knows how to make a dad', that's so sad ;A;

And Sommeil is one of my favorites too ^__________^

- - - Post Merge - - -

WAIT my translation sucks A LOT with the part 'Maman dit travailler c'est bien, bien mieux qu'?tre mal accompagn?'... It's more: 'Mom says that to work is good, better than to be with someone bad' or something like that. Or 'better than to be badly accompanied'

- - - Post Merge - - -

Oh and wanted to add that Stromae is *super* popular in France n_n


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

*Help required!*

Eugene asked me if he was 'cool' or 'clueless'.
I know what clue means. I know what less means. But I have no clue was 'clueless' means I'm so funny I know...
Is it a way to say 'super cool', or 'mega awesome'? 

Thanks n_n


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## BerryPop (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> *Help required!*
> 
> Eugene asked me if he was 'cool' or 'clueless'.
> I know what clue means. I know what less means. But I have no clue was 'clueless' means I'm so funny I know...
> ...


Clueless means you have no idea what something is.
I guess he meant is he cool, or is he not?


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## Aradai (Sep 1, 2014)

"Clueless" means that you have no idea about what's going on. Or, another way to say "dumb".

Eugene was asking if you thought he was cool or stupid, basically.


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Then I'm glad I told him he was cool :'D a koala wearing sunglasses has to be cool
Thanks guys!


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Okay so I have a question that isn't related to grammar or vocabulary but has something to do with the American culture (if I may say so).

See, I want to start writing this scenario that I have been working on for the past couple years (big deal big deal) but I'm still unsure how to name one of the protagonists. I just want him to have a very common, not original, typical American name. 

I first thought of James or William but it sounds too British. I don't really like Kevin and John (sorry to every Kevin and John reading this lol), so yeah. Apart from that, I can only think of Peter or Jack.

Any ideas? I already asked my friend Google but figured it would be nice to have the opinions of American people.


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## Mango (Sep 1, 2014)

typical american name?

john
dave
jake
jim
marcus
jacob
daniel
ethan
anthony 
alex

:>


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

I do like Marcus, Daniel, Anthony and Alex.

Thanks! :3


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## Mango (Sep 1, 2014)

you're welcome!!


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## Oldcatlady (Sep 1, 2014)

*high fives for being frenchies*
:'D
Though I'm from Quebec, not France.

Your English is probably better than mine anyway, so... *cough*
/backs off


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Oldcatlady said:


> *high fives for being frenchies*
> :'D
> Though I'm from Quebec, not France.
> 
> ...



Yeah high five! Tabernacle ! Ostie de calice !
...
I'm sorry...


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## Zulehan (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Okay so I have a question that isn't related to grammar or vocabulary but has something to do with the American culture (if I may say so).
> 
> See, I want to start writing this scenario that I have been working on for the past couple years (big deal big deal) but I'm still unsure how to name one of the protagonists. I just want him to have a very common, not original, typical American name.
> 
> ...


Speaking as an American and a Californian, here are names that come most readily to mind and which I have recently come across: Clementine, Effie, Jeffrey, Pashmina, Ryan, Laura, Stephen, Robin, Rowan, Sabrina, Peyton, Ashima, Betty, Francine, Oliver, Victor, Carlos, Rebecca, Kat, George, Hilary, Lamar.


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Zulehan said:


> Speaking as an American and a Californian, here are names that come most readily to mind and which I have recently come across: Clementine, Effie, Jeffrey, Pashmina, Ryan, Laura, Stephen, Robin, Rowan, Sabrina, Peyton, Ashima, Betty, Francine, Oliver, Victor, Carlos, Rebecca, Kat, George, Hilary, Lamar.



Ah, thank you! I never would have guessed that Pashmina, Ashmina, Rowan, Peyton and Francine were common names. To be honest when I saw the villager 'Pashmina' (the Uchi goat), I thought her name was meant to refer to the cashmere scarfs, lol
Happy to have learned that 

- - - Post Merge - - -

Question!

*I know that this is called bold.*
_I don't know how to call a text that is like this._
This one is underlined, right
But what about that one?

- - - Post Merge - - -

Oh no, post merge


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Question!
> 
> *I know that this is called bold.*
> _I don't know how to call a text that is like this._
> ...



Attempt at bumping so someone can answer this question...


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## Saylor (Sep 1, 2014)

_This is called italics._
This is underlined.
And that last one is called strikethrough, can't do it cause I'm on mobile heh


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## Zulehan (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Ah, thank you! I never would have guessed that Pashmina, Ashmina, Rowan, Peyton and Francine were common names. To be honest when I saw the villager 'Pashmina' (the Uchi goat), I thought her name was meant to refer to the cashmere scarfs, lol
> Happy to have learned that


If taking the population of the whole United States into account, probably only Peyton and Francine, but in California the other names are certainly not that unusual (and the name I mentioned starting with a was Ashima, a name I have seen several times for Bengali-Americans). 



Delphine said:


> Question!
> 
> *I know that this is called bold.*
> _I don't know how to call a text that is like this._
> ...


Yeah, as pointed out above, that is italicized text.


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Saylor said:


> _This is called italics._
> This is underlined.
> And that last one is called strikethrough, can't do it cause I'm on mobile heh.





Zulehan said:


> If taking the population of the whole United States into account, probably only Peyton and Francine, but in California the other names are certainly not that unusual (and the name I mentioned starting with a was Ashima, a name I have seen several times for Bengali-Americans).
> 
> 
> Yeah, as pointed out above, that is italicized text.



I feel so dumb, it's 'italique' in my language :'D Didn't know the adjective was 'italicized' though.
What would the adjective for 'strikethrough' be then? Can a text be strikedthrough?

Thanks you two! n_n


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## starlark (Sep 1, 2014)

struck through is the adjective you're looking for :3

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au moins je pense que oui xD
(Did I get that right?)


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## Zulehan (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> I feel so dumb, it's 'italique' in my language :'D Didn't know the adjective was 'italicized' though.


Not sure if that is 'official;' that is just what I call it. I might start calling it italique, now, as that sounds more bourgeois.



Delphine said:


> What would the adjective for 'strikethrough' be then? Can a text be strikedthrough?


Go for it.


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

starlark said:


> struck through is the adjective you're looking for :3
> 
> - - - Post Merge - - -
> 
> ...



Oh yes right, forgot striked doesn't exist :'D

Yup except that for some odd reason we say 'du moins', or 'enfin'. Don't ask me why though XD
But I totally understood what you meant so no big deal c:

We may sometimes say 'au moins' when we mean to say 'it could have been worse, you at least have that'. That's when we talk about something that already happened.
Here, 'du moins' would have the same signification as 'enfin'. That's when we suppose something.

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Zulehan said:


> Not sure if that is 'official;' that is just what I call it. I might start calling it italique, now, as that sounds more bourgeois.



Haha!


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## starlark (Sep 1, 2014)

I don't trust this textbook, it's from 1999 xD
Oh well, thanks for the info! My teachers will no doubt be surprised. I'm annoyed that only a quarter of our class _don't_ say the n and say jour like JOOR in Bonjour. Cripes, and we've been doing it for at least four years.
Am I right in saying that Jour is the spelling used when it's attached onto other words/ another word? The greeting means good day, right? But day on its own is jouer. Or is that when you're playing something?
Sorry, I'm just too confused right now -^- I have a ridiculous memory.


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

starlark said:


> I don't trust this textbook, it's from 1999 xD
> Oh well, thanks for the info! My teachers will no doubt be surprised. I'm annoyed that only a quarter of our class _don't_ say the n and say jour like JOOR in Bonjour. Cripes, and we've been doing it for at least four years.
> Am I right in saying that Jour is the spelling used when it's attached onto other words/ another word? The greeting means good day, right? But day on its own is jouer. Or is that when you're playing something?
> Sorry, I'm just too confused right now -^- I have a ridiculous memory.



Well 'Bonjour' litterally means 'Good day', so if you only want to say 'day' you can say 'jour'. Same for 'today', which is 'au*jour*d'hui'. When it comes to French, don't hesitate and just cut words: au jour d'hui (which meant many years ago 'at the day of now'), but now we contracted that word and changed a few things to get 'aujourd'hui'. French is a language which evolved a lot... So you can totally say 'Aujourd'hui est un jour nouveau !' ('Today is a new day!')

And 'jouer' means 'play' but it could also mean 'to fool someone'. 'Je me suis jou? de toi' means 'I fooled you'.
I hope I helped :3


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## starlark (Sep 1, 2014)

Oh right! That's it. Thank you so much! I was so confused about it but now I know the differences better  again, thanks!


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

starlark said:


> Oh right! That's it. Thank you so much! I was so confused about it but now I know the differences better  again, thanks!



I'm so happy I helped n_n <3 You're most welcome!


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## Jeff THE Best (Sep 1, 2014)

FRENCH IS MY FIRST LANGUAGE TOO!!! But, I go to an English school, so it's all good. (I know they say not to use "BUT" at the start of a sentence, you don't need to tell me...)


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

1webkinz1 said:


> FRENCH IS MY FIRST LANGUAGE TOO!!! But, I go to an English school, so it's all good. (I know they say not to use "BUT" at the start of a sentence, you don't need to tell me...)



Lucky you! Je commence plein de phrases par 'mais' donc bon... x)


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## Jeff THE Best (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Lucky you! Je commence plein de phrases par 'mais' donc bon... x)



Oui, je sais. C'est comme ca qu'on parle... I probably lost how to correctly spell things, though. I don't practice writing at home...


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

1webkinz1 said:


> Oui, je sais. C'est comme ca qu'on parle... I probably lost how to correctly spell things, though. I don't practice writing at home...



Oh no, it's fine, you're doing good! n_n

Other question!

What do you call this letter in English: ?
?


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## Jeff THE Best (Sep 1, 2014)

Mmmmh? I don't know... I don't think they ever use that letter in English - I don't think I ever saw it :/


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## Zulehan (Sep 1, 2014)

Delphine said:


> What do you call this letter in English: ?
> ?


My guess from a Google search: 

In English, that is not a letter separate from c; rather, we see that as a c with a modifying 'diacritic' (a mark attached that changes pronunciation) called the cedilla (mark placed under the consonant letter), or more specifically in this case the 'c-cedilla.' In other words, a c with a consonant 'accent,' or the c-cedilla. 

However, we already pronounce the c as a consonant without the cedilla (e.g., 'cigarette' or 'cinch,' as opposed to 'cult' or 'capital'), so the cedilla is only used for 'loanwords,' or words borrowed directly from another language rather than 'naturalized' words. 

Maybe an actual linguist will set me straight, though. I really feel stupid here, heh.


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## Delphine (Sep 1, 2014)

Zulehan said:


> My guess from a Google search:
> 
> In English, that is not a letter separate from c; rather, we see that as a c with a modifying 'diacritic' (a mark attached that changes pronunciation) called the cedilla (mark placed under the consonant letter), or more specifically in this case the 'c-cedilla.' In other words, a c with a consonant 'accent,' or the c-cedilla.
> 
> ...



c-cedilla would have been my guess, a simple translation of what I call it in my native language. It might seem useless because it is not used in English, but I figured I'd ask.
Thanks for searching, much appreciated! ^^


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## Delphine (Sep 4, 2014)

I see them all the time, I even use them sometimes, but I don't know what their true meaning is:

N/A
i.e.

Help, please?


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## Reenhard (Sep 4, 2014)

NA is "Not Available" or "Not Applicable" or "Not Announced".
And i.e. means in other words or "that is" from the Latin id est.

I am also trying to practice more as well. Luckly my babe is american and teaches me. Good luck darling!


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## Delphine (Sep 4, 2014)

Reenhard said:


> NA is "Not Available" or "Not Applicable" or "Not Announced".
> And i.e. means in other words or "that is" from the Latin id est.
> 
> I am also trying to practice more as well. Luckly my babe is american and teaches me. Good luck darling!



Thank you very much! It all makes sense now. Thought 'N/A' meant 'Not Added' so I was kind of close... I think.
Kind of embarassed I didn't know about id est though...


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## Hana-Nezumi (Sep 4, 2014)

An example of when you would use N/A is if you were filling out a form and it asks a question that doesn't apply to you.

No need to be embarrassed! Actually I think the average English speaker would not know what i.e. stands for either. It's a little bit high-level.


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## Reenhard (Sep 4, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Thank you very much! It all makes sense now. Thought 'N/A' meant 'Not Added' so I was kind of close... I think.
> Kind of embarassed I didn't know about id est though...



Dont worry about it, I was also wondering what on earth was that. And you are doing really good so far, Im 23 and my english grammar is terrible sometimes. Thats also embarassing pppft.


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## kbelle4 (Sep 4, 2014)

n/a means not applicable, in other words, this does not apply

i.e. is actually latin xD it is originally id est, but I always remember it as in essence. It is used in place of "in other words". 

Here is a fantastic web comic site that hilariously teaches commonly misunderstood english grammar in ways that can help you remember:
http://theoatmeal.com/tag/grammar

it has a more elaborate post on how to use i.e. and e.g. ^.^
hope this helps

- - - Post Merge - - -

annndd I looked at the first sentence and realized I could have used ie in a sentence for you xD 

n/a means not applicable, i.e., this does not apply

- - - Post Merge - - -

I'm actually (when not rapidly typing and using slang) quite good with grammar xD

I took 2 levels of AP english in the US, getting 5s on both tests and minored in English in uni. Also, English is my first language so yay for 22 years of speaking it.

I went to uni in Montreal, so I ALSO have a ton of experience helping french speakers with English grammar, as my entire group of friends either spoke French or Romanian as their first language, so I've fielded a lot of grammar/I don't understand what that phrase you just said meant type questions.

(never be embarrassed, you speak English 100% better than the average English speaker speaks French)


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## Cherry-Blossoms (Sep 4, 2014)

I've been learning French for 4 years but I'm still quite bad at it. I understand a few simple sentences and number up to 100, but that's basically it. I have a French lesson tomorrow as well, so I will try and learn as much as I can from that  bonjour!

You are amazing at speaking English


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## Delphine (Sep 4, 2014)

Hana-Nezumi said:


> An example of when you would use N/A is if you were filling out a form and it asks a question that doesn't apply to you.
> 
> No need to be embarrassed! Actually I think the average English speaker would not know what i.e. stands for either. It's a little bit high-level.



Aw, thank you! n_n



Reenhard said:


> Dont worry about it, I was also wondering what on earth was that. And you are doing really good so far, Im 23 and my english grammar is terrible sometimes. Thats also embarassing pppft.



Haha, thank you very much! n_n



kbelle4 said:


> n/a means not applicable, in other words, this does not apply
> 
> i.e. is actually latin xD it is originally id est, but I always remember it as in essence. It is used in place of "in other words".
> 
> ...



Thanks for the website, and the tips! Much appreciated! 



Cherry-Blossoms said:


> I've been learning French for 4 years but I'm still quite bad at it. I understand a few simple sentences and number up to 100, but that's basically it. I have a French lesson tomorrow as well, so I will try and learn as much as I can from that  bonjour!
> 
> You are amazing at speaking English



If you ever need help, don't hesitate! n_n And thank you!

You guys are all so nice with me, it makes me happy ;u;


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## starlark (Sep 4, 2014)

bonsoir! I have school tomorrow but hey, I thought I'd help you out a bit. Is there anything in particular you really don't get? Phrases, words, I can help you out (hopefully)


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## Delphine (Sep 4, 2014)

starlark said:


> bonsoir! I have school tomorrow but hey, I thought I'd help you out a bit. Is there anything in particular you really don't get? Phrases, words, I can help you out (hopefully)



Hey, bonsoir ! ~
Aw that's so cute and nice of you ;u; Can't really think of anything right now... But I appreciate the thought <3


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## badcrumbs (Sep 4, 2014)

Oh man ... I love idioms! 

Some of my favorites to use are:
"A babe in the woods"
"The game is afoot"
"Three sheets to the wind"
"Out of my element"
"I'm all ears"
"Hands down"
"Like two peas in a pod"
"Wet my whistle"
"I have an axe to grind"
"Burning the candle at both ends"

I studied linguistics in college, so I am somewhat of a vocab nerd.


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## Delphine (Sep 4, 2014)

badcrumbs said:


> Oh man ... I love idioms!
> 
> Some of my favorites to use are:
> "A babe in the woods"
> ...



What do they all mean please? x)


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## badcrumbs (Sep 4, 2014)

"A babe in the woods" : Someone who is naive or inexperienced
"The game is afoot" : It has begun/started
"Three sheets to the wind" : Drunk, usually
"Out of my element" : Not what I'm used to, outside the norm
"I'm all ears" : I'm listening
"Hands down" : Definitely, without question
"Like two peas in a pod" : Good friends/A good match
"Wet my whistle" : Quench my thirst
"I have an axe to grind" : I've got a problem with you
"Burning the candle at both ends" : Working/doing something from morning to night


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## Delphine (Sep 4, 2014)

badcrumbs said:


> "A babe in the woods" : Someone who is naive or inexperienced
> "The game is afoot" : It has begun/started
> "Three sheets to the wind" : Drunk, usually
> "Out of my element" : Not what I'm used to, outside the norm
> ...



Makes sense now that you mention it... Thank you very much!! n_n


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## Delphine (Sep 8, 2014)

Difference bewteen this/that and these/those?

To me, you say 'this' when you refer to something close and 'that' when you refer to something far. Am I right? And 'these' would be plural for 'this', 'those' would be plural for that... but then again... not sure :c
Like: 'That guy over there', 'This guy right here', 'Those guys over there', 'These guys right here'

And when I refer to something that is neither close nor far, which one should I use? Like, 'Wow, what I hate when I play Animal Crossing are rocks! Tho/ese things are so annoying!'

I know it's such basic grammar... which is why I am super embarassed to ask ;_; Don't throw rocks at me, please ;A;


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## Saylor (Sep 8, 2014)

You've got it right, this/these are used when the object(s) you are referring to are close to you, and that/those are used when the object(s) are far away or not present. 

With your Animal Crossing example, you'd use this/these if you were directly pointing out the rocks. Like if you were talking to a friend while playing and pointed at the rocks, you'd say "these rocks are so annoying." Otherwise, you'd use that/those; like if you weren't playing the game but talking about Animal Crossing with a friend, you'd say "those rocks are so annoying."

I hope my example isn't as confusing as it sounded while I was typing it out.


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## Delphine (Sep 8, 2014)

Saylor said:


> like if you weren't playing the game but talking about Animal Crossing with a friend, you'd say "those rocks are so annoying."



Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to know! Thank you so much! ^______^


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## Freckles (Sep 8, 2014)

Yeah, what Saylor said. 

I've heard even native english speakers use this/that interchangeably. Perhaps it's a dialect based regionally, but your idea about how it's used is correct.


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## Delphine (Sep 8, 2014)

Freckles said:


> Yeah, what Saylor said.
> 
> I've heard even native english speakers use this/that interchangeably. Perhaps it's a dialect based regionally, but your idea about how it's used is correct.



Ah good to know, thank you! n_n


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## Hana-Nezumi (Sep 9, 2014)

Yes you have the general concept.

When you use this/that and these/those for immaterial things it can be difficult because you need to consider the mental and metaphorical distance as well as the passage of time and ownership. For example,
"This feeling I have right now..."
"That feeling I had on that day in 1999..."
"This dog is at my foot begging for food."
"That dog passed away in 2004."
"I have this idea in my head!" "I don't like those ideas in those people's heads!"

So it's not entirely "Is this thing near or far?" but also "does this thing FEEL like it is near or far?" then you will have the complete context.

In some cases this or that would BOTH be acceptable.

Also if you make a mistake on using this/that, it's not really a big deal. It might sound unusual to a native English speaker, but we will understand what you're trying to say.


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## Delphine (Sep 10, 2014)

soooooooooo embarassed to ask
This time it's not a matter or spelling or grammar, but I would like to know how the following first names sound to you (are they weird, uncommon, ugly?):

1. Allen
2. Ashton
3. Marilou

My friends told me 'Allen' makes them think of Woody Allen and 'Ashton' makes them think of Ashton Kutcher - so I wanted to know if you can actually meet someone with one of these names IRL in the States or the UK, without thinking that? And Marilou is just a French name for girls.

I know it must seem dumb to ask, but I needed to know ;^; Multiple opinions would be cool. Thank you!


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## Zulehan (Sep 10, 2014)

Not dumb at all. 

Ashton makes me think of the actor Ashton Kutcher, too, though Allen is quite common where I live so I do not immediately and only associate it with a celebrity. 

Marilou is unusual for me, but I have a relative here in the States who has that name.


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## Hana-Nezumi (Sep 11, 2014)

Allen is a bit uncommon. With that spelling, it's usually a last name. More common as a first name is "Alan". But even Alan is not so common to me... and maybe becoming bit old-fashioned? I can think of people named Alan, but nobody born after 1985 and nobody I've met. I don't think it's a bad name though. It sounds very much like a "normal name"

Ashton does remind me immediately of Ashton Kutcher. I've never met anyone named Ashton, but from the sound of it I would think of it as being an upper-class name, probably someone who comes from a snooty social circle.

Marilou is a name I've never heard before. It sounds quirky but kind of cute? A bit old-fashioned and country sounding though... Maybe a little bit silly.

(No offense to anyone who has these names though! This is just my opinion of the sound of the names alone)


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## starlark (Sep 11, 2014)

Delphine said:


> soooooooooo embarassed to ask
> This time it's not a matter or spelling or grammar, but I would like to know how the following first names sound to you (are they weird, uncommon, ugly?):
> 
> 1. Allen
> ...



Allen is quite a popular name here in the land of crumpets and tea parties, though I think Alan is the more popular way of spelling it.

Ashton IMMEDIATELY makes me think of Ashton from 5 Seconds of Summer. Heck. 
But yeah, there's a boy in my school called Ashton. I think there's a girl called Ashton too! 

I don't know anyone called Marilou but it's a really cute name! I think it's like Mary-Lou, which I've definitely heard of.


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## Hana-Nezumi (Sep 11, 2014)

Oh I suppose I should have mentioned where I'm from as well, it's the United States. Seems there can be a lot of variation in how common names are between the different English-speaking countries.


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

I see... Kind of sad that Ashton makes everyone think of the actor XD *bursts in tears because she really wanted to name a character Ashton*, oh well if starlark already met at least one guy with that name... Why not? I'll see!
But I think I'll forget about Allen because the way it's pronounced in my language is not quite the same as Alan (must seems bizarre for you, I know), it sounds exactly like the word we use to say 'breath' but you know, as in 'bad breath' XD So maybe I'd better spell it 'Alan' haha!

Thanks everyone for sharing your opinions, it really helped! You guys are the best ?.?/ <3


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## Guero101 (Sep 11, 2014)

remember, I before E except after C. [:


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## AskaRay (Sep 11, 2014)

IDK I knew an Ashton once

I think it's a nice name, haha..


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

Guero101 said:


> remember, I before E except after C. [:



Is that a rule you teach to kids when they learn how to write? XD Thanks ~



AskaRay said:


> IDK I knew an Ashton once
> 
> I think it's a nice name, haha..



Me too ;-;


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## dude98 (Sep 11, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Is that a rule you teach to kids when they learn how to write? XD Thanks



I dosen't work for the word science xD


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

dude98 said:


> I dosen't work for the word science xD



Guero, how could you lie to me like that?! ;0;


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## AskaRay (Sep 11, 2014)

"I before E, except after C
Unless it sounds like an "A" like in neighbor and weigh"

is the full rhyme
but of course there's exceptions

english is terrible, I'd be screwed if it weren't my native language honestly... seriously applaud everyone learning English, you all are awesome


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

AskaRay said:


> "I before E, except after C
> Unless it sounds like an "A" like in neighbor and weigh"
> 
> is the full rhyme
> ...



Why, thank you!  I feel the same way with French. You think English is bad? French is ten times worse ;-;


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## AskaRay (Sep 11, 2014)

f





Delphine said:


> Why, thank you!  I feel the same way with French. You think English is bad? French is ten times worse ;-;



I took French for four years D: It was..........okay.
Then I switched to Japanese and it's like, okay, sometimes easier and sometimes harder..

I've mostly forgotten my french now but I remember very basic things and sometimes when I'm trying to think of a word in Japanese I'll remember it in French, ahaha.


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

AskaRay said:


> f
> 
> I took French for four years D: It was..........okay.
> Then I switched to Japanese and it's like, okay, sometimes easier and sometimes harder..
> ...



Oh so cool that you're learning Japanese! One of the things I want to do one day. And yeah same happens to me, I get confused with English/French and sometimes Spanish x__X


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## dude98 (Sep 11, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Why, thank you!  I feel the same way with French. You think English is bad? French is ten times worse ;-;



Kids at my school say French is hard


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## AskaRay (Sep 11, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Oh so cool that you're learning Japanese! One of the things I want to do one day. And yeah same happens to me, I get confused with English/French and sometimes Spanish x__X



Haha, thanks! It's fun...
Oooh man Spanish. See, like most people around here are English/Spanish bilingual and...nope. D:

But yeaaah... one day Iwant to learn as many languages as I can :O


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## okun0ichio (Sep 11, 2014)

I think you should watch English movies/tv shows with English subtitles. That helps a lot in learning languages since you can see them in use and kind of get used to it. It also helps that you're reading the words and listening to how they're being pronounced at the same time. You also get to see it in context. Just reading could help too but it would be more difficult since you might often encounter words that you don't know and that would slow you down.

Technically I'm supposed to be bilingual (English and Chinese) because of how Singapore is but like many others I'm much stronger in one of them(make a guess Dx) due to the fact that I'm much more exposed to one than the other.

Not sure if anyone has said this yet but I think "Health is Wealth" is an interesting quote to know.


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

dude98 said:


> Kids at my school say French is hard



And they're right Dx



AskaRay said:


> Haha, thanks! It's fun...
> Oooh man Spanish. See, like most people around here are English/Spanish bilingual and...nope. D:
> 
> But yeaaah... one day Iwant to learn as many languages as I can :O



I understand you, learning languages is so interesting 



okun0ichio said:


> I think you should watch English movies/tv shows with English subtitles. That helps a lot in learning languages since you can see them in use and kind of get used to it. It also helps that you're reading the words and listening to how they're being pronounced at the same time. You also get to see it in context. Just reading could help too but it would be more difficult since you might often encounter words that you don't know and that would slow you down.
> 
> Technically I'm supposed to be bilingual (English and Chinese) because of how Singapore is but like many others I'm much stronger in one of them(make a guess Dx) due to the fact that I'm much more exposed to one than the other.
> 
> Not sure if anyone has said this yet but I think "Health is Wealth" is an interesting quote to know.



Yeah, that's what I already do!  Thank for the advices, and the quote, which I didn't know ~ Makes me think of 'Time is money'.

It's so cool that you speak Chinese, even if it's a little! n_n


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## okun0ichio (Sep 11, 2014)

Delphine said:


> And they're right Dx
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I hope you have lots of fun bettering your English, it's easier to learn when you're enjoying the subject after all 

My Chinese's really rusty now since I don't use it that much ehhh.


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## Guero101 (Sep 11, 2014)

I wouldn't lie to you.....


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## starlark (Sep 11, 2014)

my Spanish teacher proudly spent the whole lesson saying how much easier Spanish was than French before proceeding to rap my boyfriend on the knuckles for drumming his fingers on the table and saying "Se?or Dragon!"
tbh I think French is a lot easier than Spanish but Spanish has lots more cognates
idk xD


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## Delphine (Sep 11, 2014)

Guero101 said:


> I wouldn't lie to you.....



I know I know I was just kidding XD <3



starlark said:


> my Spanish teacher proudly spent the whole lesson saying how much easier Spanish was than French before proceeding to rap my boyfriend on the knuckles for drumming his fingers on the table and saying "Se?or Dragon!"
> tbh I think French is a lot easier than Spanish but Spanish has lots more cognates
> idk xD



Hahaha XD Well I have to agree with your teacher, but maybe French is not _that_ much harder, let us not exagerate


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## Delphine (Sep 18, 2014)

Thought I'd bump this thread just in case someone can think of 'high-leveled' vocabulary, expressions or such.
I want to learn, gimme the resources people, please ;A;

- - - Post Merge - - -

Note to self: link to this post where I quoted Zulehan and put the words I didn't know in bold
http://www.belltreeforums.com/showthread.php?205127-Ask-Zulehan-stuff&p=3826279&viewfull=1#post3826279


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## Cress (Sep 18, 2014)

Phobias that you'll probably never need to know:
Triskaidekaphobia (Tri-skuh-de-cuh-fo-be-uh) Fear of the number 13.
Ebulliophobia (E-boo-lee-oh-fo-be-uh) Fear of bubbles.
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (Hih-po-poh-toh-mon-stroh-sus-quih-ped-ellio-fo-be-uh) Fear of long words.

I'm taking French and I find it pretty easy.


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## Dasbreenee (Sep 18, 2014)

I could probably help you if you had a list of words or something, that you don't know. 
Or maybe some homophones? I know some people have trouble with English homophones because there's so many.


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

PuffleKirby21 said:


> Phobias that you'll probably never need to know:
> Triskaidekaphobia (Tri-skuh-de-cuh-fo-be-uh) Fear of the number 13.
> Ebulliophobia (E-boo-lee-oh-fo-be-uh) Fear of bubbles.
> Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (Hih-po-poh-toh-mon-stroh-sus-quih-ped-ellio-fo-be-uh) Fear of long words.
> ...



Haha well thank you for that! Glad to know you're not having any problem with French  Ce n'est pas si dur quand on y pense 



Dasbreenee said:


> I could probably help you if you had a list of words or something, that you don't know.
> Or maybe some homophones? I know some people have trouble with English homophones because there's so many.



Think I'm good with homophones, but if you can think of any please let me know n_n


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## Alvery (Sep 19, 2014)

okun0ichio said:


> I think you should watch English movies/tv shows with English subtitles. That helps a lot in learning languages since you can see them in use and kind of get used to it. It also helps that you're reading the words and listening to how they're being pronounced at the same time. You also get to see it in context. Just reading could help too but it would be more difficult since you might often encounter words that you don't know and that would slow you down.
> 
> Technically I'm supposed to be bilingual (English and Chinese) because of how Singapore is but like many others I'm much stronger in one of them(make a guess Dx) due to the fact that I'm much more exposed to one than the other.
> 
> Not sure if anyone has said this yet but I think "Health is Wealth" is an interesting quote to know.



Oh wow you're from Singapore? I am, too  Did/Are you taking any 3rd Lang? Mine is French  kinda wish I took Japanese, though XP (sorry Delphine!)



Delphine said:


> Oh so cool that you're learning Japanese! One of the things I want to do one day. And yeah same happens to me, I get confused with English/French and sometimes Spanish x__X



Yeah, that's one thing I want to learn one day, too! Anyways, for English advice, like most people are suggesting, you should watch more English shows and the like "and the like" means other things that are similar..


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

Well I already watch a lot of TV shows and movies... I read a lot in English, too. But it's more or less always the same vocabulary and sentences construction... :/ Hence why I've been trying to read The Economist but I'm getting short on ideas.


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## Alvery (Sep 19, 2014)

Well, some hard words:
brusque
(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain’s brusque manner offended the passengers.)
buffet
1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.)
2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.)

burnish
(v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table.)

buttress
1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.)
2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues.)

cacophony
(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.)

cajole
(v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.)

capricious
(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)

conundrum
(n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum.)

credulity
(n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.)

cupidity
(n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.)

cursory
(adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.)

defile
(v.) to make unclean, impure (She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo.)
deleterious
(adj.) harmful (She experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon without stretching her muscles enough beforehand.)

demure
(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)

deprecate
(v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local charity.)
deride
(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student’s accent.)

desecrate
(v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place (They feared that the construction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.)

egregious
(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior.)

enervate
(v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I will have to take a nap after I finish.)

ephemeral
(adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promised she’d love me forever, but her “forever” was only ephemeral: she left me after one week.)

eschew
(v.) to shun, avoid (George hates the color green so much that he eschews all green food.)

evanescent
(adj.) fleeting, momentary (My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours in a less friendly office.)

fallacious
(adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.)

fastidious
(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.)

fatuous
(adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks.)

feral
(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)

fetid
(adj.) having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled.)

florid
(adj.) flowery, ornate (The writer’s florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.)


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

Oooooh awesome. I only knew four, and because they're similar to French! 
Thank you so much ;u; I know it's a stupid thing to say but it makes me extremely happy to learn new words. Thank you my dear!


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## Alvery (Sep 19, 2014)

Oh, it's no problem!  Here are more c:

garrulous
(adj.) talkative, wordy (Some talk-show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can’t get a word in edgewise.)

grandiloquence
(n.) lofty, pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)

gregarious
(adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable (Well, if you’re not gregarious, I don’t know why you would want to go to a singles party!)

hackneyed
(adj.) unoriginal, trite (A girl can only hear “I love you” so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.)

hapless
(adj.) unlucky (My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation.)

harangue
1. (n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher’s harangue about gum chewing in class before.)
2. (v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class about the importance of brushing your teeth after chewing gum.)

ignominious
(adj.) humiliating, disgracing (It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room.)

impassive
(adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy to cry every now and then.)

imperious
(adj.) commanding, domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once.)

impertinent
(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)

impervious
(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold.)

impetuous
(adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless action.)

impudent
(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him.)

inchoate
(adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage (The country’s government is still inchoate and, because it has no great tradition, quite unstable.)

incontrovertible
(adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.)

indefatigable
(adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay (Even after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable runner kept on moving.)

ineffable
(adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)

inexorable
(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated (Although I begged for hours, Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)

ingenuous
(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.)

insidious
(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive (Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)

jubilant
(adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)

juxtaposition
(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.)

laconic
(adj.) terse in speech or writing (The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness.)

languid
(adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months, the great heat makes people languid and lazy.)

largess
(n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car.)

latent
(adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed (Sigmund’s dream represented his latent paranoid obsession with other people’s shoes.)

limpid
(adj.) clear, transparent (Mr. Johnson’s limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated novels.)

maelstrom
(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.)

magnanimous
(adj.) noble, generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.)

malediction
(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.)

malevolent
(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.)

manifold
(adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.)

maudlin
(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlin and shallow.)

mercurial
(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.)

modicum
(n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.)

myriad
(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

nefarious
(adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.)

obfuscate
(v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did not want to answer the newspaperman’s questions, so he obfuscated the truth.)

oblique
(adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward (Martin’s oblique language confused those who listened to him.)

obtuse
(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

odious
(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box.)

officious
(adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda resented Allan’s officious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.)

opulent
(adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent furnishings of the dictator’s private compound contrasted harshly with the meager accommodations of her subjects.)

ostensible
(adj.) appearing as such, seemingly (Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of flying.)

pallid
(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.)

paragon
(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty.)

pariah
(n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles.)

pathos
(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny, shivering kitten at her door.)

pejorative
(adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign leader.)

perfunctory
(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.)

petulance
(n.) rudeness, irritability (The nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.)

pithy
(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.)

platitude
(n.) an uninspired remark, clich? (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)

plethora
(n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)

precocious
(adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade.)

primeval
(adj.) original, ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval descendants of modern man.)

proclivity
(n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate, Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.)

propensity
(n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.)

protean
(adj.) able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.)

puerile
(adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.)

quagmire
(n.) a difficult situation (We’d all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.)

querulous
(adj.) whiny, complaining (If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes querulous.)

quixotic
(adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.)

rancor
(n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes.)

rebuke
(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.)

recalcitrant
(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)

rectitude
(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.)

replete
(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)

reprobate
(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

reprove
(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.)

ribald
(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

rife
(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors.)

ruse
(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)

sagacity
(n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)

sanctimonious
(adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side.)

sanguine
(adj.) optimistic, cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”)

serendipity
(n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.)

servile
(adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests.)

solicitous
(adj.) concerned, attentive (Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother, who brought him soup and extra blankets.)

spurious
(adj.) false but designed to seem plausible (Using a spurious argument, John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.)

staid
(adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.)

stupefy
(v.) to astonish, make insensible (Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend, Heather.)

surmise
(v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.)

surreptitious
(adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.)

sycophant
(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)

tacit
(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)

taciturn
(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.)

tantamount
(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.)

tenuous
(adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)

timorous
(adj.) timid, fearful (When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.)

torpid
(adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion (The torpid whale floated, wallowing in the water for hours.)

transient
(adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient.)

transmute
(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)

turgid
(adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)

ubiquitous
(adj.) existing everywhere, widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here.)

undulate
(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree.)

upbraid
(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment.)

usurp
(v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

vacuous
(adj.) lack of content or ideas, stupid (Beyonc? realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

vapid
(adj.) lacking liveliness, dull (The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.)

venerate
(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and his legend.)

veracity
(n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.)

verdant
(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.)

vex
(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)

vicarious
(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.)

vicissitude
(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)

vilify
(v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.)

viscous
(adj.) not free flowing, syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)

vitriolic
(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insults.)

wanton
(adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Vicky’s wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.)

winsome
(adj.) charming, pleasing (After such a long, frustrating day, I was grateful for Chris’s winsome attitude and childish naivete.)

wistful
(adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and was wistful all day long.)

wizened
(adj.) dry, shrunken, wrinkled (Agatha’s grandmother, Stephanie, had the most wizened countenance, full of leathery wrinkles.)

zephyr
(n.) a gentle breeze (If not for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us, our room would’ve been unbearably hot.)

Hope this isn't too much  I may have gone a little overboard...


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## Alvery (Sep 19, 2014)

Oh, yeah! Have you ever read this french textbook, Alter Ego? Published by hachette. It has some of the weirdest things, like in Alter Ego 2, there's this passage on, and I quote: "L'?cole de la s?duction" XD

Also, do you think I should take the DELF, even though I'm not planning to work in France? A2 would be enough, right? You've most likely taken it, so how hard would you say it is? According to my French teacher, it's not all that hard, but I'd like a second opinion


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

Ah thanks for the words! I never get enough!  <3

I didn't read this textbook but it sure sounds funny XD

And as for the DELF, I didn't even know it existed  I suppose it's Dipl?me d'Etudes en Langue Fran?aise? We don't pass it in my country, we already have a diploma when we finish school and it validates our level. So I'm not the best one to give you advise here, sorry XD But it could be interesting to at least try it. You should give it a try in my opinion


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## Alvery (Sep 19, 2014)

Yeah, that's what it is  I am pretty interested in taking the exam, but I'm too lazy XD Maybe next year... 

Sometimes, our lessons are pretty weird. One year, the for the r?daction for the contr?le, we had to write about a cameraman who ran away with the bride... It was really funny XD But hard to write about. I had to resort to simply going on and on about "nos regards se sont crois?s", "l'amour coup de foudre", "une d?charge ?l?ctrique", etc ._.

- - - Post Merge - - -

Also, might you have any advice for COD vs COE, Subjonctif vs Infinitif and Pass? compos? vs Imparfait?

My exam is next Friday, and I. Have. Not. Studied. At. All. I don't even want to think about l'examen oral it's on Tuesday!!! ;~; Also, I have my Chinese and English exams on Thursday, and I have to prioritise studying for Chinese, as my Chinese is absmal...


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## starlark (Sep 19, 2014)

I have no idea what's going on in this thread right now but looks like you found yourself a new me, Delphine xD


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

Alvery said:


> Yeah, that's what it is  I am pretty interested in taking the exam, but I'm too lazy XD Maybe next year...
> 
> Sometimes, our lessons are pretty weird. One year, the for the r?daction for the contr?le, we had to write about a cameraman who ran away with the bride... It was really funny XD But hard to write about. I had to resort to simply going on and on about "nos regards se sont crois?s", "l'amour coup de foudre", "une d?charge ?l?ctrique", etc ._.
> 
> ...



Yeah my redactions in English classes were always stupid as well, it must be universal to write dumb things in your second language XD I can't remember of any but I always wrote lots of sarcastic lines, the teachers loved them 

Argh so many work, poor you ;-; 
By COE I think you mean COI, well to make things simple: the COD must answer to the question 'to what?' and the COI must answer to the question 'to who?', COD = object and COI = subject. Hope that's clear...
J'ai parl? ? starlark = I talked to starlark. *Who* did I talk to? I talked to starlark. starlark is the COI.

We use pass? compos? like we would use preterit (pretty much). Imparfait is for narration/description... 
Subjonctif is to express a wish/desire/possibility. Infinitif is well... Used after a conjugated verb? Like "Je veux y aller", aller is in infinitif. 

Yeah really hope it helps somehow, if it doesn't let me know n_n'
And cool site where you can practice: http://www.francaisfacile.com

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starlark said:


> I have no idea what's going on in this thread right now but looks like you found yourself a new me, Delphine xD



The joys of globalization!  Yeah more French learners!


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## Skyfall (Sep 19, 2014)

So I've noticed your posts here and there because you have a cute avatar and your crazy togepi collectible quest (ahem, I have also been on a similar quest... so I am also crazy ), and I would have never known you were not a native English speaker, your posts are so good.  I am always so impressed with Europeans and their ability to speak and write English.  Puts us Americans to shame, imo.  Good job.


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## starlark (Sep 19, 2014)

Skyfall said:


> So I've noticed your posts here and there because you have a cute avatar and your crazy togepi collectible quest (ahem, I have also been on a similar quest... so I am also crazy ), and I would have never known you were not a native English speaker, your posts are so good.  I am always so impressed with Europeans and their ability to speak and write English.  Puts us Americans to shame, imo.  Good job.



My reaction as well! I had no idea you were French until I saw your giveaway :')


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

Skyfall said:


> So I've noticed your posts here and there because you have a cute avatar and your crazy togepi collectible quest (ahem, I have also been on a similar quest... so I am also crazy ), and I would have never known you were not a native English speaker, your posts are so good.  I am always so impressed with Europeans and their ability to speak and write English.  Puts us Americans to shame, imo.  Good job.



W-wow that's such a nice thing to say... I'm so touched, thank you! ;u; <3 You have no idea how happy it makes me feel 
And yeah the Togepi Crusade haha hope to reach my goal one day but I'm poor as of now XD I like all your collectibles' collections, they look so good!



starlark said:


> My reaction as well! I had no idea you were French until I saw your giveaway :')



Aww thanks a bunch! <3 This giveaway was really funy for me


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## Earth Wolf-Howl (Sep 19, 2014)

starlark said:


> My reaction as well! I had no idea you were French until I saw your giveaway :')



Same here. I never knew you were natively French until I saw this topic. It was kind of surprising.


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## Delphine (Sep 19, 2014)

Earth Wolf-Howl said:


> Same here. I never knew you were natively French until I saw this topic. It was kind of surprising.



Hehehe  *smiles like an imbecile because she's feeling super proud* thank you friend!


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## Leela (Sep 19, 2014)

http://bridgesandtangents.wordpress...lly-mean-what-other-people-really-understand/

I'm not sure if this is relevant, but in the UK, there are some instances where what we say is not what we mean. Being from a different country, you may find it useful if you ever decide to venture across La Manche :3

- - - Post Merge - - -

They're not relevant all the time, though


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## Alvery (Sep 20, 2014)

Free bump


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

Leela said:


> http://bridgesandtangents.wordpress...lly-mean-what-other-people-really-understand/
> 
> I'm not sure if this is relevant, but in the UK, there are some instances where what we say is not what we mean. Being from a different country, you may find it useful if you ever decide to venture across La Manche :3
> 
> ...



Heh that was fun to read!  Thanks!



Alvery said:


> Free bump



Thank youuuu <3 ~
Were my explanations any help by the way? x)


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## Alvery (Sep 20, 2014)

Yeah, they were  Thanks!

I can't believe I actually wrote COE, though  I pronounce it the french way in my mind, and the french pronunciation of "I" sounds a lot like the english pronunciation of "E"... I guess I got confused XP


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

Alvery said:


> Yeah, they were  Thanks!
> 
> I can't believe I actually wrote COE, though  I pronounce it the french way in my mind, and the french pronunciation of "I" sounds a lot like the english pronunciation of "E"... I guess I got confused XP



Yes that's what I thought happened, it didn't seem too weird to me n_n It was super hard for me at first to differentiate J/G and E/I when I began learning English X_x


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## Alvery (Sep 20, 2014)

Same for me X) In the end, I resorted to just singing the French alphabet over and over again until it stuck


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## starlark (Sep 20, 2014)

Alvery said:


> Same for me X) In the end, I resorted to just singing the French alphabet over and over again until it stuck



GIVE ME A LINK TO THIS IMMEDIATELY


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## Alvery (Sep 20, 2014)

Well, there are many versions, but this one is the one I memorised: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkFXGlHCn_o 

Hope you find it useful! c:


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## Hyperpesta (Sep 20, 2014)

Hiya, can you help me with the numbers 1-20 in french please.


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## Alvery (Sep 20, 2014)

J o s h said:


> Hiya, can you help me with the numbers 1-20 in french please.



I can help you with that c:

1 - un
2 - deux
3 - trois
4 - quatre
5 - cinq
6 - six
7 - sept
8 - huit
9 - neuf
10 - dix
11 - onze
12 - douze
13 - treize
14 - quatorze
15 - quinze
16 - seize
17 - dix-sept
18 - dix-huit
19 - dix-neuf
20 - vingt


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## starlark (Sep 20, 2014)

Alvery said:


> I can help you with that c:
> 
> 1 - un
> 2 - deux
> ...



AND IIII CAN HELP WITH THE PRONOUNCATION! xD

1- uhn
2- duh
3- tu-wah
4- cah-t
5- sank
6- seess
7- sept
8- wheat
9- nuh-f
10- dees
11- ohn-zeh
12- dout-zeh
13- tray-zeh
14- caht-orz
15- canz
16- sayz
17- dees-sept
18- dees-wheat
19- dees-nuh-f
20- vang-t

- - - Post Merge - - -

Thanks for the link btw Alvery xD


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## Alvery (Sep 20, 2014)

No problem  Though, shouldn't 5 be "sank" instead of "sink"?


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## starlark (Sep 20, 2014)

Alvery said:


> No problem  Though, shouldn't 5 be "sank" instead of "sink"?



Got it confused with Spanish xD
I'll change it, I'm stupid!


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

Laughing so much at the pronunciations x)


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## starlark (Sep 20, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Laughing so much at the pronunciations x)



i can't translate sounds for **** xD


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

starlark said:


> i can't translate sounds for **** xD



Haha well it is really hard... :/


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

Was reading a comic and saw a guy call another 'Smart alec', I thought Alec was a first name so...
Is it another way to say smartass?


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## Saylor (Sep 20, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Was reading a comic and so a guy call another 'Smart alec', I thought Alec was a first name so...
> Is it another way to say smartass?


Yes haha that's exactly what it is. I've also seen it spelled "smart aleck", either way works.


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

Saylor said:


> Yes haha that's exactly what it is. I've also seen it spelled "smart aleck", either way works.



Oh cool, got it right! That's what I love about comics, seeing characters' faces is often enough to understand the situation (not the entire plot of course but you got my point)!
As always, thank you very much 

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And what does alec/aleck alone mean then? x)


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## Saylor (Sep 20, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Oh cool, got it right! That's what I love about comics, seeing characters' faces is often enough to understand the situation (not the entire plot of course but you got my point)!
> As always, thank you very much
> 
> - - - Post Merge - - -
> ...


I'm not entirely sure about all English-speaking countries, but in America "Alec" or "Aleck" alone is just a name, so you were right about that as well.


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## Delphine (Sep 20, 2014)

Saylor said:


> I'm not entirely sure about all English-speaking countries, but in America "Alec" or "Aleck" alone is just a name, so you were right about that as well.



Huh, I see. Thought there maybe once was a smart guy who was a show-off and the expression of 'smart aleck' stayed x)


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## Alvery (Sep 21, 2014)

bumping c:


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## Hyperpesta (Sep 21, 2014)

Thank you


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## MadisonCrossing (Sep 21, 2014)

English is my native language and I've always been pretty good at it, so if you have any more questions I'm free 
Oh, and just wondering, how do you say "I love you" in French?  I chose Spanish classes over French because there are more Spanish people in the U.S. than French people.  But I've always wondered how to say I love you c':


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## starlark (Sep 21, 2014)

MadisonCrossing said:


> English is my native language and I've always been pretty good at it, so if you have any more questions I'm free
> Oh, and just wondering, how do you say "I love you" in French?  I chose Spanish classes over French because there are more Spanish people in the U.S. than French people.  But I've always wondered how to say I love you c':



Well if you're saying I love {noun} then that would be J'adore. But if you were saying I love love you it would be je t'aime!
Now if you wanna be extra classy you could say "ma cherie" {fem} OR "mon cheri" {masc} at the end.
Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do haha~
(I'm not the native French speaker, Delphine is but I'm like a sidekick xD)


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## Delphine (Sep 21, 2014)

MadisonCrossing said:


> English is my native language and I've always been pretty good at it, so if you have any more questions I'm free
> Oh, and just wondering, how do you say "I love you" in French?  I chose Spanish classes over French because there are more Spanish people in the U.S. than French people.  But I've always wondered how to say I love you c':



Thanks for offering your help! 
I love you = Je t'aime
If you want to know more things just let me know n_n

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starlark said:


> Well if you're saying I love {noun} then that would be J'adore. But if you were saying I love love you it would be je t'aime!
> Now if you wanna be extra classy you could say "ma cherie" {fem} OR "mon cheri" {masc} at the end.
> Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do haha~
> (I'm not the native French speaker, Delphine is but I'm like a sidekick xD)



My little sidekick, so cute ;u;
Other ways to say ma/mon ch?ri(e): mon amour, ma ch?re/mon cher, ma douce, mon cher et tendre, mon tr?sor...
Can't think of any other cute nicknames right now but... Yeah.


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## WhitneyLover (Sep 21, 2014)

I'm German and people at my new school are extremely jealous of me that I was born there and such, but believe me, I am jealous of them. The English language was the hardest language I have learned. Americans are the best people in the world so people should be proud to be born there. Heck, when I left Germany, my friend were jealous I was moving to America. So people in America, be proud to be born in the best country I have ever been to, don't take for granted that you can speak English, because it was so stressful for me to learn it. Also people who speak English as their first language, stop speaking it in a lousy way.


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## starlark (Sep 21, 2014)

WhitneyLover said:


> Also people who speak English as their first language, stop speaking it in a lousy way.



*in the name of our lord and saviour, the Flying Spaghetti Monster;
amen*
(what the actual **** my iPad capitalised it)


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## dollydaydream (Sep 21, 2014)

My mum speaks french fluently and I've always been a little jealous  I do speak quite a lot from her teaching me when I was little and from school and holidays, but I do more spanish classes than french so me being me I always get confused between the two haha XD I'd love to help with your english as long as you can help me with my french ^^ How would you say 'I should/would/could and you should/would/could, etc' in french?


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## Delphine (Sep 21, 2014)

WhitneyLover said:


> Americans are the best people in the world



Says you x) That's a huge generalization there 

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dollydaydream said:


> My mum speaks french fluently and I've always been a little jealous  I do speak quite a lot from her teaching me when I was little and from school and holidays, but I do more spanish classes than french so me being me I always get confused between the two haha XD I'd love to help with your english as long as you can help me with my french ^^ How would you say 'I should/would/could and you should/would/could, etc' in french?



I should = Je devrai
I could = Je pourrai
I would = Je pourrai
You should = Tu devrais
You could = Tu pourrais
You would = Tu pourrais

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At least I think?


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## WhitneyLover (Sep 21, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Says you x) That's a huge generalization there


I have no clue what generalization means...


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## Mary (Sep 21, 2014)

This may help. Some important points:


They're, there, and their: these are all pronounced the same, but have different meanings.
They're: They are, as in, "They're eating pizza."
There: a demonstrative pronoun, as in, "The pizza is over there."
Their: Possesive, as in, "Their pizza was cold."



Your English is fantastic. I would not have known you were French.


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## Delphine (Sep 21, 2014)

WhitneyLover said:


> I have no clue what generalization means...



Oh sorry, sometimes I use words but I have no idea if they're common or if they exist >___<
A generalization is when you make a generality out of separate facts. For instance, I know two Spanish people who are very funny, so all Spanish people are funny.



Mary said:


> This may help. Some important points:
> 
> 
> They're, there, and their: these are all pronounced the same, but have different meanings.
> ...



Ah yeah I had no real problem with their/they're but a lot of my friends still make mistakes between the two :/
Thanks so much for your kind words! n_n


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## nammie (Sep 21, 2014)

Wow, your english is fantastic, I never would've guessed it wasn't your native language if you hadn't said so!! Your english is definitely a lot better than my french, and I took french classes in school for 9 years lol


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## Delphine (Sep 21, 2014)

nammie said:


> Wow, your english is fantastic, I never would've guessed it wasn't your native language if you hadn't said so!! Your english is definitely a lot better than my french, and I took french classes in school for 9 years lol



Thanks, that's a nice thing to say!  If you need help with French one day just let me know


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## nammie (Sep 21, 2014)

haha likewise!! feel free to ask me for any help anytime!

I stopped taking french after high school because of lack of time and because my accent is... terrible, but I really wish I was better at languages, french really is such a beautiful language!!


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## starlark (Sep 21, 2014)

*SALUT SALUT BONSOIR BONJOUR TOUT CE QUE*
I'm so stupid ;; I forgot all the phrases I needed for visiting paris and omfg
Could you please tell me:
the algebraic formula for asdfghjkl;
How far away is {place}?
How much is {this}/{that}?
That's expensive! {preparing for Galeries Lafayettes xD)
Wait! {running after a taxi hoping it will stop}
Sorry {I am *the worst* human being currently alive for not knowing this}
No thanks {I'm assuming this is "non, merci" but you know}
Are we at the right place?
(Also, is it "Je suis l'anglais or J'ai Anglais?)
Thank you!
--
Year 8 Ruff y u no listen in lessons, vous ?tes un idiot ;;


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## Delphine (Sep 21, 2014)

So in order:
C'est loin [place] ? Combien de temps pour aller ?/au [place] ?
Combien cela co?te ?
C'est cher !
Attendez/Stop !
D?sol?e/Pardon/Excusez-moi
Non, merci/Merci mais non merci
On est au bon endroit ?

And if you want to say that you're English just say "Je suis anglaise" 

Tada, bon courage n_n

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nammie said:


> haha likewise!! feel free to ask me for any help anytime!
> 
> I stopped taking french after high school because of lack of time and because my accent is... terrible, but I really wish I was better at languages, french really is such a beautiful language!!



That's exactly how I feel about Spanish :'D


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## dude98 (Sep 21, 2014)

My school only offers two languages: Spainish and French. My sister wants to to take French because she wants to move to Quebec or something xD. My parents reccomended I should take Spainish because I would have good use for it. My sister took Spainish anyways to get credits early (she's in 8th grade)


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## Delphine (Sep 24, 2014)

What does 'rad' mean? ;u;
Figured it meant... 'cool', 'awesome', or something along those lines.
Any other word like this one you think might be good for me to know? n_n


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## starlark (Sep 24, 2014)

Rad means exactly that! It's more of an American term though, I hardly ever see it used over here D:
A cool world for you to know? Hm, I'm not sure. I'd say antidisestablishmentarianism but that's not required in daily language xD


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## Delphine (Sep 24, 2014)

starlark said:


> Rad means exactly that! It's more of an American term though, I hardly ever see it used over here D:
> A cool world for you to know? Hm, I'm not sure. I'd say antidisestablishmentarianism but that's not required in daily language xD



Hahaha XD No I meant, I think 'rad' is mostly used by teenagers or young people, so maybe more words like this? n_n
Or I could be totally wrong x)


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## oranje (Sep 24, 2014)

Delphine said:


> Hahaha XD No I meant, I think 'rad' is mostly used by teenagers or young people, so maybe more words like this? n_n
> Or I could be totally wrong x)


People used to use rad more in the 90s than nowadays, but it could also be a regional difference. For example, I used to live in California and people used more "dudes" and "chills" than other parts of the country.


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## Delphine (Sep 24, 2014)

oranje said:


> People used to use rad more in the 90s than nowadays, but it could also be a regional difference. For example, I used to live in California and people used more "dudes" and "chills" than other parts of the country.



Very interesting, thank you for that!


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## dude98 (Sep 24, 2014)

Delphine said:


> What does 'rad' mean? ;u;
> Figured it meant... 'cool', 'awesome', or something along those lines.
> Any other word like this one you think might be good for me to know? n_n


I sometimes say 'sweet' in reply to statments that I'm satisfied with
_example
Me:How are we looking on our project?
Friend: Everything's good to go
Me: Sweet!_


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