The Student Room Group

French speakers?

The book I'm reading at the moment has a lot of French in it. Usually I just gloss over the phrases if I can't figure them out (and I never can, my French is limited to 'yes', 'please' and 'chips').

I was just wondering if someone could tell me what this means. I don't want to use a translator because it always comes up with things that seem to make no sense!

Firstly what does 'Oui, ils sont gentils' mean?

And secondly:

'Prenez donc une de ces poires. La bonne dame d'en face m'en offre plus que je n'en peux savourer'

And also:

'Mississe Taille Lore vient de me donner ces dahlias, belles fleurs que j'execre'


Thank you!
first: yes, they are lovely
second: so take one of those pears. the nice women in front of me offers me more than I can eat
third: (name) comes to give me these dahlias (type of flower), beautiful flowers that i loathe
Reply 2
Ha ha thank you, this makes sense now (but I bet you're confused aren't you?)

Rep at midnight :smile:
yes i am a bit. whats the book?
Reply 4
museobsessed
yes i am a bit. whats the book?


Lolita - I've read it far too many times and ignored the French but that long bit really got on my nerves. Usually I can sort of work out what the smaller phrases mean by looking at the context.

Thank you!
Reply 5
i recognised those phrases immediately because I'm reading the same book and am getting the general idea of what he's saying but wanted to get the exact translation so i searched and Google brought me straight here 😁