I was on the T yesterday after a busy day of work. I thankfully managed to grab a seat and I settled in with my copy of The Princess Diaries (not to worry, I've finished that and am now reading a Toni Morrison - I like to mix it up). I was quickly distracted from my book when I overheard snippets of conversation in French off to my left. I got very excited, and continued to stare at my book as if reading, while really concentrating with all my might on eavesdropping. To be honest, I didn't catch much. I was dying to butt in, but managed to restrain myself.
Well, at least until the conductor announced that the train was being taken out of service at the next stop, and we'd all have to get off and wait for the next one. I seized my opportunity and turned to the nearest francophone and said in my most beautiful French accent, "est-ce que vous avez comprené?" He had me repeat it. "Est-ce que vous avez comprené?" Finally, after the third repetion, he said, "Oh, oui." I was a little miffed that that was all I got out of it. Not even a grudging, "merci."
It wasn't until we had gotten off, stood in the freakin' freezing cold for 5 minutes, and boarded the next train did I realize why he hadn't understood me. I had used the wrong past participle of comprendre. Yes, that's what's this whole freak out is about. I said "comprené" instead of "compris". And I can't let it go. The kid on the train was probably thinking, "Hell yeah I understood, cause clearly my Eeenglish is way better than your French."
Which might be true. BUT it shouldn't be. I mean, after 5 years of French classes growing up, and then a minor in the subject while studying in Montreal, you would THINK I could ask, "Did you understand?" without screwing it up. So yeah, I felt like an idiot. And I'm not sure sharing my idiocy with you makes me feel a whole lot better...
*le sigh*
5 comments:
Yep. It's time like that that make you long for the day when SOMEONE invents the life-rewind clicker. Sooo wish we could have a few do-overs.
Hahaha you know what, I had to give a presentation to the French Ebayers, and I made all my French friends in Shanghai listen to my presentation thirty billion times to make sure I got EVERYTHING correct. I'm still not sure how well I did.
But apparently they think I have a "cute quebecois accent". Do people say that about you? I don't know what to make of it.
Hilarious! Enjoying your blog!
I'm the one who grew up in a supposedly bilingual country, and I'd probably launch in with "Je mapple Chris, common tapple too?"
Besides, let's flip this one around - lets say you're in Spain and you're talking with a friend on a bus, and out of the Spanish chatter, someone looks at you and says "Does you understand the me?"
You ignore him, so he, with a smile on his face, repeats himself: "Does you understand the me?"
And what do you reply? What's the one thing you can say to someone who's trying to communicate with you? "Oh. Yes."
So yeah, you shouldn't feel bad about the minor goof, the LeSnootersons should feel bad.
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