{"id":24867,"date":"2016-10-11T05:30:12","date_gmt":"2016-10-11T03:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=24867"},"modified":"2017-10-26T12:46:43","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T10:46:43","slug":"salade-de-mots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/salade-de-mots\/","title":{"rendered":"Salade de mots*"},"content":{"rendered":"

Savez-vous planter des choux . . . et pourquoi l\u2019on se bat pour des prunes ?<\/strong> (Do you know how to plant cabbages . . . and why one fights for plums?<\/em>) French is full of interesting expressions about les fruits et les legumes <\/strong>(fruits and vegetables)<\/em>. This week I thought I\u2019d share a few of my favorites with you.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Avoir la p\u00eache <\/strong>\/ litterally \u2018to have the peach\u2019 – <\/em>When someone has la p\u00eache,<\/strong> they\u2019re full of enegry, raring to go. It is an expression that encapsulates in one phrase both mental and physical vigor. \u00ab\u00a0J\u2019ai la peche\u00a0!\u00a0\u00bb<\/strong> means \u2018I\u2019m ready for anything\u00a0!\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pur\u00e9e\u00a0! <\/strong>\/ literally \u2018Mashed potatos\u00a0!\u2019** – <\/em>Perhaps the perfect French word, \u2018Puree\u00a0!\u2019 <\/strong>is both a food . . . and a multi-purpose interjection. Because it\u2019s so flexible, the precise English transition is tricky to pin down, but it hovers somewhere around an expression of shock and disbelief (at the enormity of the situation) that you might equate to \u2018Oh man\u00a0!\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Tomber dans les pommes<\/strong> \/ literally ‘to fall in the apples’ – <\/em>To ‘fall in the apples’ doesn’t sound so bad, does it? But it is in reality quite serious. If you ever feel like you are going to tomber dans les pommes<\/strong>, you should find une chaise<\/strong> (a chair), <\/em>vite!\u00a0<\/strong>(fast!)<\/em> Tomber dans les pommes<\/strong> actually means ‘to faint or pass out’<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Se battre pour des prunes*** <\/strong>\/ literally ‘to fight over plums’ – <\/em>Plums are delicious . . . but they’re generally not worth very much. That fact is at the heart of this expression which means ‘to fight over nothing \/ for something not worth the effort’. <\/em><\/p>\n

And finally, speaking of salades****<\/strong>, here\u2019s an expression that some might find useful when discussing the current US (or any, really!) elections\u00a0: raconter des salades<\/strong>. To recount\/tell salads <\/em>means \u2018to lie, or to tell untruths\u2019.<\/p>\n

Here’s a list of common fruit and vegetables and their French translations . . . along with a list of body parts that should help you understand the song at the end of this blog (below the vocab).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Les fruits<\/strong> \/ Fruits<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nLes l\u00e9gumes<\/strong> \/ Vegetables<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nLes parties du corps<\/strong> \/ Parts of the body<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/div>la pomme<\/strong><\/td>\n
<\/div>apple<\/em><\/td>\n
<\/td>\n
<\/div>le carotte<\/strong><\/td>\n
<\/div>carrot<\/em><\/td>\n
<\/td>\n
<\/div>la t\u00eate<\/strong><\/td>\n
<\/div>head<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la poire<\/strong><\/td>\npear<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle tomate<\/strong><\/td>\ntomato<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle cou<\/strong><\/td>\nneck<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la banane<\/strong><\/td>\nbanana<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nla pomme de terre<\/strong><\/td>\npotato (lit. \u2018apple of the earth\u2019)<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nl’\u00e9paule<\/strong><\/td>\nshoulder<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la fraise<\/strong><\/td>\nstrawberry<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nl’oignon<\/strong><\/td>\nonion<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle dos<\/strong><\/td>\nback<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la cerise<\/strong><\/td>\ncherry<\/em><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nle chou<\/strong><\/td>\ncabbage<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle bras<\/strong><\/td>\narm<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la p\u00eache<\/strong><\/td>\npeach<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nles haricots<\/strong><\/td>\ngreen beans<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nla main<\/strong><\/td>\nhand<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la prune<\/strong><\/td>\nplum<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nles petits pois<\/strong><\/td>\npeas<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nla jambe<\/strong><\/td>\nleg<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le pruneau<\/strong><\/td>\nprune<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle champignon<\/strong><\/td>\nmushroom<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle pied<\/strong><\/td>\nfoot<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
l’orange<\/strong><\/td>\norange<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle poivron<\/strong><\/td>\npepper<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle coude<\/strong><\/td>\nelbow<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le citron<\/strong><\/td>\nlemon<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle chou-fleur<\/strong><\/td>\ncabbage<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle genou<\/strong><\/td>\nknee<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le citron vert<\/strong><\/td>\nlime<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle ma\u00efs<\/strong><\/td>\ncorn<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle poignet<\/strong><\/td>\nwrist<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le pamplemousse<\/strong><\/td>\ngrapefruit<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nla laitue<\/strong><\/td>\nlettuce<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nla cheville<\/strong><\/td>\nankle<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le raisin<\/strong><\/td>\ngrape<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nles \u00e9pinards<\/strong><\/td>\nspinach<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nla taille<\/strong><\/td>\nwaist<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
le raisin-sec<\/strong><\/td>\nraisin<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nl’aubergine<\/strong><\/td>\neggplant<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle doigt<\/strong><\/td>\nfinger<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la framboise<\/strong><\/td>\nraspberry<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nl’asperge<\/strong><\/td>\nasparagus<\/em><\/td>\n<\/td>\nle pouce<\/strong><\/td>\nthumb<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n