Idioms & Expressions
You could say “I eat” but you’d rather say “I’m eating” if you’re asked what are you doing right now ?
In French, we would say “Je mange” but we don’t have the straight equivalent for “I’m eating” which implies an action being done at that moment.
The French would say “Je suis en train de manger,”
but what’s the matter with a train, here ???
This train is not the one with the carriages and the engine 😉
It comes from the 15th century where “train” had the meaning of action, or pace. Being “en train“ actually means being “in action.” And the French stil use “train” with this meaning but in this very specific case.
“Etre en train de“ belongs in the everyday language meaning being right in the middle of an action.
And if you answer someone that you are “en train de manger”… it very often implies that you won’t be available until you’re finished with you meal 😉
When you are on board a train, you won’t stop down before the end of the trip… anyway ;-)… even if it’s not that “train.”
To go one step further, “entrain” is a word meaning enthusiasm, animation… and it’s very much a today’s word !
Idioms & Expressions
Apart from the regular – utilitarian – aspect of languages… there are very charming aspects… and you find them in expressions.
It’s another reason why I do love languages.
The drawback is that, most of the time, they are plain and simple untranslatable from one language to the other.
Natives don’t even pay attention to them because they grew up soaking in them… but when you are learning, like now… you do have to LEARN them, that is if you understand them, to start with 😉
“It”s raining cats and dogs.” Really ? I’ve tried to retrieve the origins of this expression and… well, I’m not fully convinced (you can Google it if you wish).
In French, we would say : “Il pleut des cordes.” It’s raining ropes. Funny, hey ? But visually, when you can’t see drops anymore but literally rain flowing like from an open tap… it can look like “ropes.”
Count on me to find many of them, they will be included in the Idioms & Expressions of the Dare Speak French program… for the fun aspect and because even if you might not use them, you will probably hear them now and then !
Idioms & Expressions
As snug as a bug in a rug… As dead as a doornail…
Many English expressions don’t always make real sense… they are made up of sonorities and are easy to remember for that reason.
They are also totally, TOTALLY, untranslatable !
I mean, you can express their meaning in any other way but word to word will never make sense in another language.
Let’s try :
“Aussi douillet qu’un insecte dans un tapis” or “Aussi mort qu’une clou de porte” – the verbatim translations – would probably raise French eyebrows big time 😉
Idioms & Expressions
It’s Sales big time here in Portugal right now… and it reminded me of an expression we have in French that sends the Australien author-speaker – whose “French Voice” I am – into roars of laughter.
In English, you say “window shopping”
In French, we say “lécher les vitrines” which, literally translated, means shopwindow licking…
OK, I let you figure out the picture…
Ah, expressions… idiomatic expressions… language is such fun territory to explore !
