Toodle-oo

The last couple of blogs have been on French words that we use in English. It is not about the words that are used in French and in English that have the same source, the perfect cognates or vrais amis, which are words that have the same spelling but not the same pronunciation in both languages. I have written blogs on the words ending in ion because the vast majority of these English words are also French, but this blog continues the theme of French words that we have recently started to use.

I don’t want you to be blasé about these words because you do have to learn them. Even if they sound French that doesn’t mean that they are French (but blasé is French). We don’t particularly say ‘have a good meal’ but bon appétit is very common in French and we can use it in English. K D Lang has an album called 'Ingénue'. It is not a word I often use in English to describe an innocent young woman (or ingénu for a man) but it is definitely French.

I will say toodle-oo to this subject but not before saying that à tout à l'heure, ‘I'll see you soon’ sounds like it has been corrupted to form this English word.

A bientôt