Le Café des flamants roses has a small garden where people can talk English to ask questions about what is being said in French in the café

Copain Fennel but as you say, a world of difference between “un petit copain” and “un petit ami” ?

Yes thanks for the correction MawB.
Another word in that category is 'concubine' which is in common use. Because it's a separate marriage regime in France.
(I think, could be wrong.)

EP Ne pleure pas fourchette is a joke song based on Ne pleure pas Jeanette. We never managed all the verses of either the genuine or the funny song, but it was great for singing.

Thank you for explaining.

Ellianne Can we have some pointers set please as to whether posters want to be corrected, and as to whether they want explanations in French or English? Don't want to jump on anyone's attempts and upset them.
I'm happy to be corrected, but I'm a bit hesitant as it looks as if I'm asking for free French lessons! Ellianne, I know you are capable of correcting and I'm sure there are others, but do you think it's fair, to be asked to act as a teacher when you're not being paid to do it?

Aw Antonia that is sweet of you. I have often helped others, old and young, for free, because I am passionate about others loving the French language too. Sharing skills makes the world go round.

It's just that sometimes teachers can jump in too speedily to correct every single mistake and on GN I think that might lose the fun element.
I'll have a little look through in a bit, after puppy has been to the vets, and maybe pick up on any tiny mistake of yours.
I think the threads are a great idea. I hope they continue.

10:52Antonia yesterday

^Ah, tu es plus proche que j'avais pensé Lucca! En effet, je n'avais pas deviné. Il se peut que je te connais déjà, mais ayant dit ça, l'Yorkshire est assez grand ! Le département du Bon Dieu est une très belle description !
Ici il fait gris, nuageux et je vais bientôt à mon jardin potager, où il y a beaucoup de travaux à faire.^

So as an example Antonia this piece yesterday was "super!", the only mistake was that il se peut que requires the subjunctive mood. So you should say, il se peut que je te connaisse déjà.

Does that kind of correction help? If I were you, I would then trot off to look at other expressions that take the subjunctive like .....
il est douteux que
il est nécessaire que
il semble que
etc

Coincidence - I've just posed a subjunctive problem on one of the other posts.
I never learnt the subjunctive, in fact I'd never heard about it in english before I was trying to teach the language to a Russian immigrant. Who needed to obtain tha Cambridge qualification for immigrants.

Like Judge Judy -
Coulda
Woulda
Shoulda

It's posh Fennel and shows one is educated. I'll put up a lesson if it helps. It's quite good fun really!

Yes please.

I remember the teaching doing it, I just did not understand it, I think perhaps because I did not understand English. But that was before the 'O' level year.

For the 'O' level year we were reassigned into sets for each subject rather than everybody in the class together, so the future linguists had been in with the future scientists before.

The man who took the 'O' level class started off about seeing before him lots of young men who would be mathematicians, scientists and engineers and laid it on thick about our talents.

Then came the punchline.

The bit about needing a language at 'O' level to do any degree course.

Hmm.

So he offered to go through right from le and la to get us good enough to get 'O' level.

I actually got a 5, when 1 was top and 6 was just passed.

I don't think that the subjunctive got mentioned to our set.

In the event the grades were not on the certificates.

So my 5 in French and my 1 in mathematics did not show.

What I liked about him was that he openly said that he wanted the best for us to do our choice, he was not going to try to push us towards doing French at 'A' level.

Many other teachers gave the impression that their subject was the only one that mattered.

If I were you
Be that as it may
Use a subjunctive
Every day. ?

Vive la différence! That’s another

reminds of that wonderful scene in the History boys

Fennel

Like Judge Judy -
Coulda
Woulda
Shoulda

??

So as an example Antonia this piece yesterday was "super!", the only mistake was that il se peut que requires the subjunctive mood. So you should say, il se peut que je te connaisse déjà. Does that kind of correction help?
Merci beaucoup Ellianne ! Ça m'aide énormément. En effet j'aurais dû savoir, puisqu'on a fait le subjonctif en classe. Mais il y a autant de pointes de grammaire à considérer que parfois j'oublie ce que j'ai déjà appris.

Lucca I thought many phrases in the subjunctive were for situations involving could, would, should.?
Judge Judy's phrase was to people making excuses in her courtroom. A longstanding TV series
Told you I didn't understand it.

savoir éviter le subjonctif- c'est très utile!

Je te connais peut être déjà ... et hop!

Il faut que je fasse = je dois faire- et voilà.

Often, Fennel it is for feelings like doubt or uncertainty that imply necessity or possibility. "If I were you" is similar if you think about it.
The one I use most is il faut que - it is necessary that or I must....
I like il faut que je fasse, but mostly I just stick the infinitive after it, which is easiest. ?

Did anyone here study A level French Did anyone here teach A level French?

My A levels were maths and physics.

Is A level French more grammar, or literature, or things like the French political system or French art or what?

Or some combination of some of them.

What does a degree in French involve?

Fennel

Lucca I thought many phrases in the subjunctive were for situations involving could, would, should.?
Judge Judy's phrase was to people making excuses in her courtroom. A longstanding TV series
Told you I didn't understand it.

Oh I see! That’s the conditional mood rather than the subjunctive though isn’t it ?

Q. What does a degree in French involve?
A. A lot of angst and stress in my experience!

ElderlyPerson

Did anyone here study A level French Did anyone here teach A level French?

My A levels were maths and physics.

Is A level French more grammar, or literature, or things like the French political system or French art or what?

Or some combination of some of them.

What does a degree in French involve?

Yes

ElderlyPerson

Did anyone here study A level French Did anyone here teach A level French?

My A levels were maths and physics.

Is A level French more grammar, or literature, or things like the French political system or French art or what?

Or some combination of some of them.

What does a degree in French involve?

I did. Both. Only taught A level French for a couple of years and thereafter it was Italian and the only exam board available changed the syllabus very much for the worse IMO.
When I studied a level we did grammar, translation, prose, some literature eg Moliere Racine Zola Balzac etc but precious little spoken French. So much so that when I arrived in Paris aged 17 to have a year out before university I couldn’t even negotiate a metro ticket …..