<p>What you all think about the Rosetta Stone programs?</p>
<p>Whether you would benefit from Rosetta Stone probably depends on your learning style. I tried a sample lesson of Rosetta Stone for Italian and was frustrated because they didn’t explain grammar. </p>
<p>If you really want to learn and are willing to practice their grammar drills (which are very well designed), I think the Audio-Forum courses are a wonderful alternative.</p>
<p>^Don’t know the original intent, but xiggi’s slang example above translates in google as:
;)</p>
<p>As for myself, I guess the first place to start is with what is most proper. It is amazing what is available online, and I have already managed to watch a movie with English subtitles (“Belle de Jour”) on youtube and understand “un peu”. I appreciate the discussion and hope to have more when more questions come up!</p>
<p>LOL, google translation isn’t too good for slang. “Cat” is probably short for catastrophe. The Alfredo sentence refers to somebody (the speaker?) being at Alfredo’s house. “Pete” isn’t a name; it’s a verb. "P</p>
<p>Cata is indeed catastrophe.
BM is slang for BMW
Cage is slang for a car.
Chez Alfredo was simply the name of a repair shop
Pas photo means it’s a no-brainer.
Peter les plombs is indeed losing your cool or going crazy.</p>
<p>So I guess the Alfredo sentence means that Alfredo’s people could fix the car easily. “Cage” was what hung me up. It sounds more like something you would call a car, but I was thinking BM motorcycle; I should have noticed the “BMW” in your response, xiggi. :)</p>
<p>I guess I assumed that this slangy French person who messed up his vehicle would be more likely to have been riding a motorcycle than driving a Beemer!</p>
<p>Meanwhile, I’ve added “Oh, damn! It’s a catamaran!” to my set of useful phrases…:)</p>
<p>If you watch French movies and note who says “putain” and under what circumstances, I think you’ll find that it’s a lot ruder than “damn.”</p>
<p>A couple of wildly entertaining French films are the Mesrine films with Vincent Cassell. After seeing those, you’ll know more slang…including the fact that people say “shut up!” by yelling “ta gueule!”</p>
<p>Another interesting thing I’ve picked up from films is that a lot of young people seem to pronounce “oui” like “way”; I think there’s actually a different spelling for it: “ouais.” It’s more like “yeah.”</p>
<p>Any French movie recommendations that are actually on Netflix streaming?</p>
<p>Maybe less violent than the Mesrine films?</p>
<p>Not sure which of these might be on streaming, but some good ones are: </p>
<p>*Am</p>
<p>^ Yes, there are many. Ones that I’ve seen and recommend are the two OSS films (Bond-type spoofs) which star Jean Dujardin from The Artist. Also, one that was recently added is The Day I Saw Your Heart, which I saw at a French film festival. It’s an odd little movie about a French Jewish family. It’s not great but its interesting.</p>
<p>Regarding the gros mot used above, here is an opinion:</p>
<p><a href=“Bar à Vin - Restaurant - Dégustations”>Bar à Vin - Restaurant - Dégustations;
<p>
</p>
<p>…and then there’s “con,” which occurs in your quote as well, xiggi. I’ve heard young children in French films use it to mean, simply, “a fool”; however its original meaning is a word whose equivalent Americans would be utterly scandalized to hear a child say.</p>
<p>Google translate says “Il est compl</p>
<p>I think “puta” might be considered a more objectionable word than “putain,” in a way. I believe that the French swear a lot more readily than the Spanish, in general. </p>
<p>By the way, two films that I forgot to include on the above list that both have wonderful child actors in them are:
*Ponette<a href=“1996”>/I</a>. Descriptions makes it sound sad, but it isn’t what you’d expect. It’s wonderful.
Small Change<a href="%5BI%5DL’argent%20de%20poche">/I</a>, (1976), directed by Fran</p>
<p>Three films about education that I show repeatedly: L’argent de poche (Small Change, 1976), Etre et avoir (To Be and to Have, 2002), Entre les murs (The Class, 2008).</p>
<p>I’m surprised no one’s yet mentioned Jean de Florette (1986). Of course they’ll have to add subtitles in Russian now.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. Some aren’t available and some only on DVD, but a I’ve got a reasonable number there. Dh is out of town so it’s a good time for French movies. </p>
<p>And just in case anyone wants another movie suggestion I always loved Jules et Jim. * I’ve been dying to watch Les Enfant du Paradis *again, but it’s not on Netflix.</p>
<p>Les Enfants du Paradis is available from Netflix as a DVD under the title Children of Paradise.</p>
<p>I liked Jules et Jim when I saw it years go, but when I tried watching a DVD of it with my college age son, he hated it! He loved Les Enfants du Paradis, though.</p>
<p>Somehow I have never seen Jean de Florette. Could you explain your comment about the Russian subtitles, UrbanGardener?</p>
<p>My daughter just watched Jean de Florette in her French class and loved it. OSS is a scream. DD and I will be watching the sequel after she finishes finals. DS isn’t at all interested and DH is a snob, so if it isn’t Truffaut or Fellini he’s out.</p>
<p>^^ Peeved with proposed new taxes on high income earners in France, G</p>