French and English

Some parts of French vocabulary learning are easy because a near identical word exists in English. Also, one can also see how it stretches you to use more interesting vocabulary in your own language as the translation has more interesting nuances. Examples:

(Fr) banal = (En) mundane. Hey but we can say banal too woohoo!

(Fr) immense = (En) Immense, though I prefer the French pronunciation. It sounds more weighty

(Fr) décontracté = (En) bewildered. But, not so far off from disconcerted

(Fr) à l'esprit étroit = (En) literally means "at narrow spirit" but we translate as "narrow minded"

(Fr) la parjure = (En) the betrayal. We also have our older word "perjuries" that we should use more often. Interesting note too as I think how jurer "to swear/to promise" comes from the same root in our language: juristication & jury

(Fr) un gueux = (En) a beggar. An old french word that you now only see as le mendiant but if we look at how knees translate as "les genoux" this makes him a sort of "kneeler." In English we of course must look at how "to knee" (s'agenouiller) is exactly the same as we can also "genuflect" before the throne (le trône)

(Fr) la perfidie = (En) the treachory. Now we can at least understand when one's brother calls them a "perfidious nitwit"

(Fr) la menace = (En) the threat. Or the menace. Same in the verb form as "to threaten" is menacer

(Fr) l'infamie = slanderous remark. Easy to understand as it's a negation that forms "in-famous." But, we might want to question the nature of their legacy next time we declare someone "to go down in infamy" as I think we've forgotten the nasty meaning of this declaration

(Fr) la dérision = the scorn or mockery. We too have derisive remarks.

Well, once again a cheerful compilation. Thank you Jean Giraudoux for your deleterious (délétère) provision. Forced french play writes makes me spend a lot of time with the online dictionary.