{"id":29320,"date":"2017-11-14T05:30:07","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T04:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=29320"},"modified":"2017-11-11T21:27:52","modified_gmt":"2017-11-11T20:27:52","slug":"reading-signs-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/reading-signs-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Signs in French"},"content":{"rendered":"

A very important skill for traveling abroad is reading signs. This is as true in France as it is in any country. Reading the local signs isn\u2019t generally a matter de vie ou de mort <\/strong>(of life or death)<\/em>, but sometimes it can mean the difference between privacy \u2026 and, well, wet shoes.<\/p>\n

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[Photo courtesy of Michael Bissonnette]<\/p><\/div>I love driving through France. In addition to the fact that you get to see so much beautiful country, they have so many well equipped aires de repos<\/strong> (highway rest stops\/<\/em>rest areas).<\/em> Many of them include facilities pour faire des pique-niques <\/strong>(for picnicking<\/em>) and plenty of toilettes publiques <\/strong>(public rest rooms<\/em>). On my recent travels<\/a> with my parents (who don\u2019t speak or read French) one sign in particular reminded me of the importance of reading signs. As a public service to anyone who might find themselves in need, the sign and translation are below!<\/p>\n

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[Photo courtesy of Michael Bissonnette.]<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Appuyer*^ sur le bouton pour verrouiller la porte et conserver l\u2019\u00e9clairage<\/strong><\/td>\nPress^ the button to lock the door and keep the lights on<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
R\u00e9appuyer* sur le bouton pour d\u00e9verrouiller la porte et d\u00e9clencher la chasse d\u2019eau<\/strong><\/td>\nPress^ the button again to unlock the door and to flush the toilet<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
D\u00e9verrouillage automatique de la porte apr\u00e8s 15 min d\u2019utilisation<\/strong><\/td>\nThe door will automatically unlock after 15 minutes of use<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bouton de verrouillage \/ d\u00e9verrouillage<\/strong><\/td>\nButton to lock \/ un-lock<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pour votre confort, ces sanitaires sont lav\u00e9s et d\u00e9sinfect\u00e9s apr\u00e8s chaque utilisation<\/strong><\/td>\nFor your convenience (comfort), these toilets are washed and disinfected after each use<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

* The infinitive form of the verb is used here in place of the imperative <\/a>(the mood generally used for giving orders\/instructions). This is typical of signs, instruction manuals, and other situations where the audience is unspecified.
\n^ While in English we might say both ‘push the button<\/em>‘ (‘pousser le bouton<\/em>‘) and ‘press the button’ (‘appuyer sur le bouton’), <\/em>in French the verb ‘appuyer’ (‘to press’) <\/em>is the more correct. When you push something (pousser la porte \/ push the door; pousser une voiture en panne \/ push a broken-down car; pousser l’enfant sur le balan\u00e7oire \/ push the child on the swing)<\/em>, that thing moves. When you press something (appuyer sur le bouton \/ press the button; appuyer sur l’acc\u00e9l\u00e9rateur \/ press on the gas pedal), <\/em>you are pressing one thing to get a result from something else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

A very important skill for traveling abroad is reading signs. This is as true in France as it is in any country. Reading the local signs isn\u2019t generally a matter de vie ou de mort (of life or death), but sometimes it can mean the difference between privacy \u2026 and, well, wet shoes. I love…<\/p>\n

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