I was considering skipping a translation for today. Then I decided to try to find a quick and easy one so that I could feel as if I had achieved something more today than simply adding a Twitter link.
Who better to turn to in such a circumstance than Les Trois Accords, the bonkers Québécois guaranteed to put a smile on your face in any language. You may remember them from this translation which, although from a different album, is equally daft.
I’m not going to do the full vocabulary and grammar breakdown today that I would normally do. Just the translation.
Well, ok, just one little shout out for the subjunctive…
Notice how the English simply don’t use the construct that triggers the subjunctive – if we did it would be:
“You be scared” is in the subjunctive because without the subjunctive it would be “you are scared”.
Although the more literal English equivalent would be
That “have” is the subjunctive, but you’ll have to take my word for it because it would be the same if I had written it in the indicative. Maybe I did.
Ok, you’ve made it this far so I guess I can trust you with this. I stumbled across this at some point while working on this post and it’s quite disturbing.
You have been warned.
I have no idea.
M'as-tu dit - Les Trois Accords | Did you say (translation of M'as-tu dit by Les Trois Accords) |
| M'as-tu dit de bonne humeur ? | Did you speak to me in a good mood? | |
| De bonne humeur ! | In a good mood! | |
| Quand je te parle de feu et de dragons | When I talk to you about fire and dragons | |
| Je veux que tu aies peur | I want you to be scared | |
| M'as-tu dit écran couleur ? | Did you say "colour screen?" | |
| Écran couleur ! | Colour screen! | |
| Quand je te parle de cinéma maison | When I talk to you about a home cinema | |
| Je te parle d'un projecteur | I'm talking about a projector | |
| Tu ne m'écoutes pas quand je parle | You don't listen when I talk | |
| Tu ne m'écoutes pas quand je parle | You don't listen when I talk | |
| M'as-tu dit ventilateur ? | Did you say "Ventilator?" | |
| Ventilateur ! | Ventilator! | |
| Quand je te parle de réfrigération | When I talk to you about refrigeration | |
| Je te parle d'un réfrigérateur | I'm talking about a refrigerator | |
| Tu ne m'écoutes pas quand je parle | You don't listen when I talk | |
| Tu ne m'écoutes pas quand je parle | You don't listen when I talk |
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Say it like this:
I want that he have fear.
All I want is that he have fear.
Yeah, it’s a little strange. There is nothing grammatically incorrect about saying, “It is neccessary to go to Canada” or “I want to do that”. How is that said in French again? “Il faut aller au Canada”?
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