Jeux de mots = puns {sponsored by the SNCF}

The SNCF, which is the French national railway company 

{Remember how I taught some of their staff English for a quite a while way back when? 

 Nope? Well, click over here if you'd like to catch up on ancient history & 

read about why I had to wear a fluorescent safety vest to work every day...} 

is currently making me smile with a very clever ad campaign
on the local bus stops.

Ready to test your French?

{& your French sense of humour?}

Allons-y...

Example #1

Hahahahahaha!

Do you get it?  No?  Try again...

Any better?  A little?  OK, read it one more time...

{Remember that the sign on the station photo is the city name 
& an essential part of the pun...}

You got it?  Bravo!  Pretty funny, n'est-ce pas ?

OK, how about another one?  

It's a bit trickier.

Mais pas de panique... I'll give you a hand if you like.

Example #2

Allez faire un tour = go take a trip.

But remember that the sign in the ad is the city name...

Do you remember Tours {avec un "s"}?

We went there last summer on our way to Brittany & loved it.

{You can read up on that over here if you like. I promise lots of lovely photos of the city!}

So... voilà !

A clever ad campaign that not only makes me laugh 

but also reminds me of some of the great destinations 

that I've been to so far in France.

But...
almost always by car, pas en train... 

Because the SNCF is often expensive, late, or on strike!!!

Frenglish: colour blind

I live in the "quartier des lycées" in Annecy, 

which means there are several big high schools just down the street.

Now that school is back in session, 

there are tons of teenagers in my neighbourhood,

riding their bikes to class,

sitting in cafés on their lunch break

& generally hanging out.

The other day, I had to laugh when I saw this boy's bookbag.

You don't get it either, huh?

Please disturb

Funny thing about the sign on our hotel door in Spain last weekend?

They forgot to use "ne pas" to make the French sentence negative!

It actually reads "please disturb"!!! 

Hmmm... 

I guess those Spanish are very friendly indeed!

P.S. Even though I know that "molestar" 

is actually Spanish for "disturb", it still creeps me out.

Frenglish: Emotional Pulsations

Are you still enjoying all the

T-shirt Frenglish 

that seems to be everywhere these days?

Hope so, because I have another excellent specimen 

for you aujourd'hui.

I think it's good they added the butterflies.

Otherwise it might have been a bit plain, non?

Frenglish: Vintages Review

Hooray!

More summer T-shirt Frenglish...

 

Music is good, yes.

But putting an "s" on an adjective?  

That, as I am constantly telling my students, is not good.

Not at all.

Frenglish: With Sensations

 Now that summer weather is officially here 

(it was 29 degrees today!!),

 there seems to be an abundance of  

great T-shirt Frenglish in the shops.

I've chosen a rather inspirational example for you today.

Confusing but inspirational.

Frenglish: ewaving

While I'm off sorting through all my photos of 

our Easter weekend in Flavigny,

here's some more T-shirt Frenglish to keep you entertained.

So what on earth is "ewaving"?

Is it like regular waving except through the internet?

Nobody knows.

Frenglish: Crafty Man

It's been a long time since I've done a Frenglish post.

Good thing I came across this fabulous t-shirt 

in the clothing section of the supermarket the other day.

Counter-attack!

Free!

Go rise up!

Get up!

All those random verbs are quite motivating, n'est-ce pas?

I feel like I should get off the computer right this second & 

take a step aerobics class, 

attack the laundry pile

or perhaps save the world from injustice & global warming.

Off I go!

Frenglish: for one-legged skiers only

Praz de Lys, January 2011.

Frenglish (Special Swiss Version): Handy power

Dishwashing liquid, spotted in a supermarket in Geneva this past weekend.

Frenglish: A People

cosmetic case spotted at the shopping centre this afternoon

Sigh.

That's all.

Goodnight.

Frenglish: Bun's

How often do I have to remind my students of the rules about apostrophe "s" to show possession?  

Way too often.

So imagine my horror when I spotted this in the frozen-food section of our supermarket:

Seriously?  "Bun's"??!! 

(Also, France has a bakery on practically every corner.

Why somebody would choose this microwave-able atrocity 

over a still-warm-from-the-oven brioche is beyond me.)

The mind.  It boggle's.

Frenglish: make deliver at home!!!

While in Chamonix last weekend, 

I noticed that a local supermarket was advertising their on-line shopping/home delivery service
to the English-speaking crowd:

Yikes!

My recommendations?  

Go back to the grammar books and review those pesky prepositions.  

While you're at it, why not re-read the chapter on  "make" vs "do"?

Then we'll talk about groceries, ok?

Frenglish: Splippery

Spotted at a restaurant we went to last weekend.