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Message board > Au secours!
Au secours!
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cunliffe
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Au secours!
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Hello French colleagues. Can you tell me how you refer to a pet? Is it un animal domestique/un animal de compagnie? What is a spindle on a staircase - is it une broche or un barreau? Is lightning always un eclair? If you say: there was lightning? how do you say that?
Also: coquine! Does it just mean naughty, or is it rude? Thank you in advance. Lynne
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13 Sep 2022
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mfraczek
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Hello Lynne, There isn�t much difference between "un animal de compagnie" and "un animal domestique", though I think "de compagnie" has a more positive connotation. Children would just say "un animal" (ex : As -tu un animal ?). The word "broche d�escalier" corresponds to the vertical parts of a handrail only. It is a technical word, "barreau" is less specific. For there was lightning I would say, il y avait DES éclairs. Coquine means naughty but it some contexts it can have a sexual connotation. I hope it helps. Murielle |
14 Sep 2022
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cunliffe
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Merci beaucoup Murielle! This is what I meant by spindle - the white sticks and oops, he has broken a spindle. So I will use the word broche. Lynne |
14 Sep 2022
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valodra
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Hello Lynne , I fully agree with Murielle , but I �d never use "broche" ; I�d say "barreaux". Coquine means "nicely naughty "- if one can say that :-D when speaking about a young girl , BUT do not use this word when speaking about a female adult ;-)) ( = sexual connotation , as Murielle said.) Hope you are fine , Val |
14 Sep 2022
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cunliffe
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Thank you Valodra. My friend, married to a French lady , calls her �coquine� from time to time. I looked it up and it said �naughty�. At my French conversation group, I called another woman �coquine!�.   Maybe �Vilaine� would be better! Mechante?  She did look a bit shocked, hopefully, just because she hadn�t heard the term before! Lynne |
14 Sep 2022
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maryse pey�
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COQUINE is for young girls and it is a kind word. A very weak reproach. For adult females yes, there is a sexual connotation. "Vilaine, méchante" or "tu n�es pas gentille", "tu es très désagréable" can be right and better fit NAUGHTY.. We may say "tu es une vraie PESTE !". |
15 Sep 2022
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cunliffe
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Merci, Maryse. That makes sense and thank you for the alternatives. I was wanting to make a joke when I called this lady �coquine� - she kept interrupting her husband with jokes and jibes. Lynne |
15 Sep 2022
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Babs1966
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Hello, Just a little ad on about " Broche" Broche can be a medical term kown as a pin or K-wire to fix broken bones together also an other meaning for that word can be a piece of jewelry you can wear on your blouse. Enjoy your teaching  |
23 Sep 2022
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