The absolute first thing I did in Paris (when I got there two years ago, to spend a year studying) was work out my nerves on le chauffeur de taxi, the taxi driver. (I wanted to know the names of all the buildings we passed—ça marchait pas trop bien. This didn’t work too well.)
The second thing, after moving into l’appartement de ma famille d’accueil (host family) was go wander around le quartier (the neighborhood). And lacking any better way to show my goodwill and appreciation to ma nouvelle famille, I bought flowers.
The marché (market) I went to had a flower stand, where you could choose your flowers and have them emballées (wrapped) together. Great idea, right? Sauf si on vient d’arriver en France (except if you just arrived in France) et on n’a aucune idée comment les fleurs s’appellent! When you don’t know what the flowers are called, it’s that much harder to make a good impression (and since everyone loves flowers, this should probably have been No. 1 on the 8 Ways to Make Friends in France).
Donc, je vous ai préparé un petit quiz (So, I made you a little quiz). Match up the flower names in each language ; I’ll give you les bonnes réponses (the right answers) next week. If you can think of anyone in your life qui mérite des fleurs, maybe that’s a good way to practice!
Happy almost-vendredi… Bonne chance !
Flower Vocabulary Match-Up Quiz!
English Français
- Tulip a. bouton d’or
- Rose b. jonquille
- Carnation c. géranium
- Sunflower d. lilas
- Buttercup e. oeillet
- Daffodil f. pivoine
- Lily g. tulipe
- Daisy h. oeillet de poète (quel nom!)
- Geranium i. tournesol
- Lilac j. lis
- Peony k. rose
- Sweet William l. marguerite / pâquerette
Quel est votre fleur préférée? What is your favorite flower ?
Bonus words:
L’arrosoir : the watering can
Le jardin : the garden
La graine : the seed
Le bouton : the bud
