Day 1909 (Tuesday) 30th August 2022

It was quite cloudy this morning and the temperature was quite comfortable even though it was still a bit humid. The forecast said to expect a storm this afternoon but it never appeared and it was hot and sunny again this afternoon. Villefranche wasn’t very busy at all and I think most of the tourists have gone but the bloody accordion player was still  here – he drives me indoors on some days. Badger has found a new place to hide and sleep

 

We both did our French lessons this morning and neither of us are finding it easy. I’m sure we’re both better than we were but we’re still really struggling. I found a video online last night, which helps us understand why French is so difficult.

If you Google this…

Un ver vert verse un verre vers un verrier vers vignt heure

… you should be able to watch it on Youtube

When you watch the video, you will hear that almost every word in each sentence is pronounced the same…

Worm – ver

Green – vert

pour – vers

Towards – vers

Worm - ver

A green worm pours  a glass towards a glass maker around 8 o’clock – un ver vert verse un verre vers un verrier vers vingt heure.

Goose – oie

What – quoi

Through – quoique

Squeak – coucac

What goose squeak through – quoi quoique oie coucac

Blood – sang

Without – sans

Hundred – cent

Smells - sent

Without a hundred smells of blood – sans cent sent sang

Your – ton

Tuna – thon

Mowing - tonds

Uncle - tonton

Your uncle mows your tuna – ton tonton tond ton thon

Time – temps

Horsefly – taon

Stretch – tends

So much – tant

Horsefly stretches so much time - taon tends temps tant

But – mais

Granny – meme

Even - meme

Liked – aimait

My – mes

Mets – dishes

But granny even liked my dishes – mais meme aimait meme mes mets

Thyme – thym

Skin tone – teint

Have – tint

Tintin – Tintin

Tintin had a thyme skin tone – tintin tint un teint thyme

Bottoms up! Five things to know about proposing a toast in France

Proposing the good health of your friends, family or colleagues is a serious business in France, so here's how to do it correctly.

Published: 16 April 2021 14:04 CEST

Photo: Philippe Lopez/AFP

1. It’s more common than you might be used to

Most countries have a culture of proposing toasts, but in Anglo countries they tend to be reserved for more formal occasions, or perhaps for people you haven’t seen for a while. In France it’s more common to toast even on a casual night out or a family dinner.

Of course it varies depending on the situation, the age of the people you are drinking with and the social group, but don’t be surprised if there is a pause and a toast before people take the first sip of their drinks.

If you want to discuss the custom, it’s known in French as l’art de trinquer – the art of toasting.

2. It’s brief

But you won’t be expected to make a speech or indulge in a Viking-like exchange of toasts lasting all evening. In France a toast is a simple clinking of glasses before taking the first sip of your drink. It is then not repeated unless you are marking something special like a wedding.

The most common phrases to use when toasting are santé (or the more formal or plural à votre santé depending on the situation) or tchin-tchin. You can also toast to something specific – Trinquons à notre réussite (here’s to our success) or the more general à la votre (here’s to you) or à la notre (here’s to us).

Foreign toasts are also popular – the English ‘bottoms up’, not often heard these days in the UK, is quite common in some circles in France.

3. But it’s all in the eyes

Eye contact is crucial when toasting, as is clinking everyone’s glass. Don’t think you can get away with just waving your glass in the general direction of others and then taking a drink.

It’s considered polite to clink glasses with each of the people you are drinking with and you must make eye contact with them while doing it. You then wait for everyone to finish toasting then take a sip before putting your glass down. 

There are no rules on the type of drink you can toast with and it’s not considered unlucky to toast someone with a non-alcoholic drink. 

4. You really don’t want to get this wrong

Foreigners in France get used to being tutted at as they make a mistake in French etiquette so why is it particularly bad to get this one wrong? Well, legend has it that people who do not toast correctly are condemned to seven years of bad sex. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

5. Cul sec is not a toast

The other drinking phrase you might hear is cul sec (dry bottom) which not a toast, but an invitation to down your drink in one.

Although cul is often translated as ‘arse’ or ‘butt’ this phrase is not in itself vulgar – it’s just telling you to make sure the bottom of your glass is dry – but there is a time and a place for it. Your French mother-in-law might be slightly surprised if you order her to ‘down in one’ her pre-lunch kir.

Here are some more interesting facts about France 

21. The Louvre Museum in Paris is consistently the most visited museum in the world. Over 9 million visitors go through their doors annually.

22. By the 1660s France already had a form of public transportation. It consisted of horse-drawn wagons that followed a set schedule along specific routes.

23. For 214 years it was illegal in Paris for women to wear pants. This ended in 2012.

24. The highest mountain in France is Mont Blanc. At 4,809.744m (15,780 feet) Mont Blanc is a part of the French Alps.

25. Despite France’s reputation as a culinary mecca, French males have the lowest percentage of obesity in Europe.

26. In order to be a taxi driver in Paris, you would have to pay almost 200,000 Euros to get your license.

27. France is divided into 13 Regions, which are divided into 101 Departments. There are also 5 ROMs or overseas regions which are part of France. In December 2015, the regions were reorganised to the 13 current regions, down from the previous number of 22.

28. The oldest person in the world was (according to the Guinness Book of World Records), a French woman who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old.

29. Another one of those fun France facts is that at the time of writing, no country has won more Nobel Prizes for Literature than France.

30. The French rail system, at 29,000 km, is second only to Germany’s in length.