French proverbs – Episode 4: Relationships

FRENCH PROVERBS – EPISODE 4: RELATIONSHIPS

So, how quickly do you make friends?

You know what they say, true friends are few!

Nevertheless, some people are really good at launching themselves into new relationships, getting along with anyone.

What do you think?

Check out the article below for more about human relationships and watch the video for some French worth launching into!

(This week: the verb LANCER – to launch)

This is the fourth episode from our series – read our first, second, and third article.

Make sure you read the proverbs below – when you hear them in conversation, you really want to know what they mean – or else you may be excluded from the group fun.

The most fascinating element of proverbs is their multi-dimensionality for sure, but their strongest dimension is cultural. They act as references, intervening in situations where communication is shared by speakers of the same language, but where metaphor is needed. With it they express the often conservative and contradictory wisdoms of the time, as well as everyday experience.

Human relationships are such a generous resource for conversation, and the way they are reflected in the proverbs is an accurate documentation of the stereotypes of the French culture.

French language has such a depth of wisdom, and it tells us how to relate, what to expect, how others think, helping us to find our niche in the society based on our preferences and desires.

Here are some of the most popular proverbs that refer to the human relationships.

Launch yourself into human relationships…

« Il ne faut jamais dire “Fontaine, je ne boirai jamais de ton eau”. »
We can’t say we’ll never need someone’s help.

« Il ne faut pas jeter de l’huile sur le feu. »
We should not aggravate the disputes.

« Il faut laver son linge sale en famille. »
Domestic affairs should not be dealt with in public.

« Ce que femme veut, Dieu le veut. »
It is hard to resist women’s desires.

« Souvent femme varie, bien fol qui s’y fie. »
It is crazy to trust women because they change their mind easily.

« La femme tombe sept fois et toujours se relève. »
Just as cats have nine lives, women always find ways to get out of difficult situations.

« Tel père, tel fils. »
We resemble our parents.

Wait, there are more:

« Qui aime bien châtie bien. »
He who really loves someone is not afraid to be harsh.

« Nul n’est prophète en son pays. »
Those who know us well judge us more harshly.

« Un de perdu, dix de retrouvés. »
Nothing is irreplaceable, what is lost today can be found later.

« Heureux au jeu, malheureux en amour. »
One who has a lot of success in gambling, often has sentimental disappointments.

« Plus on est de fous plus on rit. »
The more the merrier.

« Les plaisanteries les plus courtes sont les meilleures. »
A short joke is a good joke.

« Dis-moi qui tu fréquentes, je te dirai qui tu es. »
A person is judged by the quality of his friends.

« Qui se ressemble s’assemble. »
Those who have a lot in common feel good together.

« L’union fait la force. »
Best results are obtained if one associates with others.

« La vengeance est un plat qui se mange froid. »
We must take our time when preparing a vengeance.

« Le malheur des uns fait le bonheur des autres. »
Bad news for some people may be good news for others.

« Les absents ont toujours tort. »
Those who are not present are those who get the blame.

Picked your fave?

When you have so many things to learn – grammar, pronunciation, phrase construction, verb conjugation, oh-là-là – how do you approach learning the proverbs? Do you memorize them? Do you have a cheat sheet that you peek at during the cocktail party?

In the J’Ouellette® Intensif program, you will understand many French expressions by learning how to find the stem of the words and how to see the subtext and undertone of expressions.

The difference between French and English is significant: while the English words hold the context like a bag-pack, the French words need the context to be clearly defined. For example: « livre » means book or pound (depending on the gender) – same goes with « poêle »; how do you know when is one and not the other?

Like these examples, there are also families of words with concrete and abstract meaning which are easy to identify, once you have a good eye for the stem that can be found in all the words.

Want to know how to master the French expressions? Try J’Ouellette® Intensif and never look back to your past years struggles.

Inspired from french.hku.hk

NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Tell us in the comments below, which one of these proverbs speaks most to you for your relationships? 🙂

Let me guess.

Do you constantly have the feeling that you can’t hear what the French say and you don’t know how to read all the French words because they are written so much differently than they sound?

Learn 3 secrets that will help you be self sufficient in the way you pronounce French words – even if you don’t know what they mean – so that you can read that sophisticated menu in your favorite French restaurant.

Immerse yourself as you FINALLY reach your dream of becoming bilingual, learn to speak Parisian French on Skype and BREAK your language barrier!

…and now, please SHARE this article with your friends. They’ll love you for it! : )

Always in your corner,
Llyane

photo credit: elforro.com, A.G. Photographe