Saturday, November 01, 2008

Textbook French

Anna is learning about the weather and temperatures in French. Trying to help her lessons and conversation, I am relearning French as I am able. We were discussing yesterday that the French say, "J'ai chaud", literally "I have hot" to say that the person's body is experiencing rising temperatures. To say "Je suis chaud" or literally, "I am hot" means to express one is gay. I asked how she knew that it meant that and she said it was right there in the textbook. I took four or five years of high school and college French, and they never told me that. I guess times have indeed changed.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Darling Cathy, I am not saying you are old (alas, you are younger than I), but when WE were in school, perhaps gay didn't mean gay as we know it today. Gay used to mean happy and care-free; not so anymore. Following this line of thinking, I would wonder (since I never took French) what Je suis chaud meant BEFORE it meant I am gay?

That Janie Girl said...

Girl. I took years of French and I would have busted out on that one, as well.

Who had a clue?

pita-woman said...

So how do the French say: I am happy?

Junosmom said...

Robin and Janie, well, I'll admit to being old, but a friend of mine who is ten years younger and with a degree in Spanish education says she didn't learn that in Spanish.

Pitawoman: Je suis hereux (or hereuse if female).

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