Member Since: 09 Aug 2006
Location: East Manchester
Posts: 4030
NoDo$h wrote:
...and that's when the fight started
Except the French don't fight, they surrender and collaberate, and then spend all their life hating the country that gave them their freedom back
That should provoke a response from GurvanI believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.
Buzz Aldrin (1930 -
Edit: Wiki suggests "singes mangeurs de fromage" sans rendre....
Perhaps "rendre-singes mangeurs de fromage" would be better?
Gurvan! Help!I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
6th May 2009 12:53 pm
SJR
Member Since: 09 Aug 2006
Location: East Manchester
Posts: 4030
Are you sure about that translation Alan?
edit: he changed it whilst I was typing this I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.
Buzz Aldrin (1930 -
Sorry, was trying to work out the translation very roughly when I typed it out first time, then thought "hmmm, that's not right...." and went for a wander around Wiki. Final version fits nicely with our take on the sentence, but doesn't work with French grammar - use of a hyphen like that being a no-noI know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
6th May 2009 1:02 pm
Gurvan
Member Since: 02 Jan 2005
Location: Germany... Not far from both the US and Hard German rock...
Posts: 1089
Which country are you talking about ?
The one who took 4 years to cross the channel with the help of the US when they only took 9 days in 1940 on their way back home ? I should remember you that it took some Frenchmen to protect your backs from that one (And a mysterious "Haltbefehl order" from Hitler...). We left 35.000+ "Cheese Surrender Monkey" in that one... ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkirk ) Not too shabby I would say...
Anyway...
We were going to win in the end...
Beside, it was not surrender but a long term strategy aimed at inducing the Germans into splitting in small parts which would be more easily managed later on... And it worked !
Let us be fair and say that the 1940 surrender was just a successful trick for luring the Germans in a false sense of security and that it worked, ok ?
Georgia On My Mind...
6th May 2009 1:10 pm
SJR
Member Since: 09 Aug 2006
Location: East Manchester
Posts: 4030
Ha Ha, Nice Response Gurvan I believe that every human has a finite number of heart-beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.
Buzz Aldrin (1930 -
6th May 2009 1:11 pm
PaulP
Member Since: 04 May 2007
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 4317
I wasn't going to get involved in this thread, but I just wanted to say a few things to Gurvan....
1. I'm frankly amazed at the level of your English - especially considering it is the '3rd' language you learnt after French and German....seriously - your grasp of the language would put many British people to shame. I've spent the last 5 or 6 years talking, reading and writing every day in Spanish and Catalan - I consider myself pretty fluent in both, but not even close to the level that you've managed with English
2. You've got a fantastic (and educated) sense of humour - even more so when you consider that most of this thread has been critisicing (in a nice way) your country.
Nice one 2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE AutoBuckingham Blue 2007 Golf GT DSG
6th May 2009 1:23 pm
Gurvan
Member Since: 02 Jan 2005
Location: Germany... Not far from both the US and Hard German rock...
Posts: 1089
What can I say after that ? Thanks, I guess...
Anyway, trust us (The French...), nobody can criticize that country (France) better than we do ! A Frenchman who is not criticizing its country at least once per day is probably dead !
Also, even though English was my 3rd language, it is the one that I get the most chances to use. And after having worked with Americans and British people on many occasion, you develop a thicker hide ! Beside as long as nobody else cooks better than us, we still feel all right... Georgia On My Mind...
6th May 2009 1:39 pm
countrywide
Member Since: 16 Sep 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 6019
I only asked why a few French companies didn't speak English while trying to get business from the UK, now we have bought up the war, NoDo$h dubious French ramblings and now somebody bringing Spain into it.
It is all light hearted of course and Gurvan has added fun to it and your right his English is way too good . He also has a D3 so he is virtually an adopted Englishman whether he likes it or not
I'll try to speak French when I come over in a few weeks I promise, just don't expect anybody to understand me
6th May 2009 1:40 pm
PaulP
Member Since: 04 May 2007
Location: Barcelona
Posts: 4317
CW
countrywide wrote:
now we have bought up the war, NoDo$h dubious French ramblings and now somebody bringing Spain into it.
Don't you just love the off-topic section
As an aside, and just to start things back on topic....
I work with automotive companies (both customers and suppliers) all day every day. All of them release technical data (specs, documents and drawings etc) in both their local language and English.....(obviously just in English in the case of JLR)
Well......all of them except for.......
wait for it.......
.....you know what's coming don't you?
The French 2006 Discovery 3 TDV6 SE AutoBuckingham Blue 2007 Golf GT DSG
6th May 2009 1:50 pm
countrywide
Member Since: 16 Sep 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 6019
Does english from Birmingham count though or is that another language
6th May 2009 1:52 pm
Gurvan
Member Since: 02 Jan 2005
Location: Germany... Not far from both the US and Hard German rock...
Posts: 1089
PaulP wrote:
The French
Why do you think that I buy foreign cars ? Georgia On My Mind...
Gurvan, I've always taken the view that you should never buy a British car built on a Friday, a German car built in Spain, an Italian car built in the summer or a French car built in the afternoon. Have you seen the amount of red wine that get consumed in the cafes near the Renault plant outside Le Havre of a lunchtime?I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
I've been enjoying this thread and would like to add the weight of the 'auld alliance' to Pauls' comments. Gurvan - I am in awe of your command of the English language in its written form. I reckon you could easily shame more than 20% of the UK population with that.
French is my second language and although I never progressed it beyond school, I still use it to remind myself that I haven't forgotten it. Last time I was in Burgandy, I was complemented by a wine seller in the following way:
When a German speaks French, you can always tell that he is German. When an Englishman attempts French you can tell instantly that he is English. However, to me, you sound like you come from Paris!
What is even more shocking is that I don't believe that my French is anything more than 'schoolboy level'. However, I think the Scots have a more natural ability for doing French correctly - after all, we come from a Gaelic background. Must be something to do with the intentions in our own dialects (we say 'loch' eg Loch Ness with a gutteral sound, whereas the English call it 'Lock Ness' and we roll our r's where the English tend only to stick their r's in the air......).
It's true to say that English speakers have become lazy because of the weight of the language use across the globe by the USA (and Austrailia etc.), but the French have the same colonialist background and can show many countries in the world where their language is prime.The older I get, the more I realise that people confuse wrinkles for wisdom
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6th May 2009 2:45 pm
countrywide
Member Since: 16 Sep 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 6019
JMC I am shocked if French is your second language where does Scottish feature
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
. He also has a D3 so he is virtually an adopted Englishman whether he likes it or not 
