The Flirtatious French Language

A seaside stranger offers Kristin a poetic perspective on French accents…

The French love to flâner, glâner and flirter, and on a crisp morning recently, I experienced all three while chatting beneath a parasol pine, blocks from the sea.

I was returning from my walk when I noticed the tree-cutters had moved on. There, where their camions had been parked, lay a sprinkling of branches perfectly sized for kindling. After collecting a few handfuls, I straightened up, easing the kink in my back.

A little farther along the trottoir, I saw a man walking toward me. The sun was rising higher now, the crisp air turning mild. As he shed his coat, I smiled and said, “Oui, ça commence à chauffer!” “Rassurez-vous,” he teased, smiling back. “Je n’enlève pas plus que ça!”

His comment might have been a bit déplacé. But my creep-o-meter immediately registered assez innocent on its scale of louche, dangereux, and hurry, run for your life! Besides, he was at least twice my age and I’m 58. Well… maybe he wasn’t that old. As he approached, I noticed his vibrant smile and longish silver locks.

“Vous avez un accent charmant!” he began.

“Oh, ce n’est pas terrible,” I answered automatically. We were standing in front of Le Cosmos, a maze of apartment buildings nestled among the freshly trimmed pines. The birds had already returned to the branches, and I could barely hear Monsieur above their cheerful racket. He asked me a few questions about myself: where I was from (Amérique), where exactly (le sud-ouest), how I liked France (I love it), and how long I had lived here (32 years).

A Poetic Lesson

In return he shared a few things about himself: his name (Arthur), his favourite film (À l’Est d’Eden – “Il faut le voir!”), his nationality (Arménien) and even his hobby (astronomie – fitting, given we stood in front of Le Cosmos). Our conversation ended with a gentle scolding from Arthur. “I gave you a compliment on your accent, but you didn’t accept it. Music is the highest art what is an accent if not music?”

I thanked Arthur for the most poetic lesson on perception. There is no such thing as a false note when it comes to French accents. The next time I open my mouth, I’ll smile as the symphony begins – and I’ll think of Arthur, the innocent flirt who made me feel good about my French.

French Vocabulary

FLANER = to stroll, to wander

GLANER = to gather, to glean

FLIRTER = to flirt

LE CAMION = truck

LE TROTTOIR = sidewalk, pavement

ÇA COMMENCE À CHAUFFER = It’s starting to get hot

RASSUREZ-VOUS. JE N’ENLÈVE PAS PLUS QUE ÇA = Don’t worry. I’m not taking any more than that off

DÉPLACÉ = inappropriate, out of place

ASSEZ INNOCENT = quite harmless

LOUCHE = shady

DANGEREUX = dangerous

VOUS AVEZ UN ACCENT CHARMANT = You have a charming accent

OH, CE N’EST PAS TERRIBLE = Oh, it’s not terrible

LE SUD-OUEST = the Southwest

À L’EST D’EDEN = East of Eden

IL FAUT LE VOIR = You must see it

ASTRONOMIE = astronomy

From France Today Magazine