vendredi 30 octobre 2009

Je l'aime, trouver un boulet, and other amusing mistakes



Like I said earlier, I've been chatting heaps online... and have made some rather hilarious mistakes.

1. I said, "Je l'aime" wanting to mean "I like/love it" and the other person thought I meant "I love him/her" and asked me, "Who?" He said I have to say, "J'aime ça". I asked a second person to confirm and read a bit online and from all of this I gathered that "Je l'aime" can mean "I love it" but it's confusing so you need to specify exactly what (ex. ... Ce livre, je l'aime). Also, "J'aime ça" (or "J'aime cela") is much better for objects.

BUT

"Je les aime" means "I like/love them" and the "them" can mean either people or objects!

2. This was not really a mistake, but a stupid typo. I have no idea why I typed it except I was very tired... "Merci de ton aime" instead of "Merci de ton aide". Luckily the other person saw the funny side of it!

3. I made the typo "...j'ai decidé de trouver un boulet..." Of course I meant boulot (job/work, colloquial form of travail) and didn't even realize my mistake until it was pointed out to me. And after, we both had a good laugh about it since boulet means "cannonball" or one of those heavy "ball and chain" things (pic above).
A "boulet" is also slang for a 'loser', an annoying person, a drag, a boring person, or someone who is bad in bed! It is used to insult someone.

4. "C'était ma journée". After rambling on about my day, I added this at the end, which of course means "That was my day." which is acceptable, but apparently in slang (when said by a women) it also means, "I have my period" (proper term is "j'ai mes règles"). It would have been better to say,"Voilà ma journée."

I'm sure I'll make more amusing mistakes later on! But they are one of the best ways to learn (since you remember them more easily).

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