Two old horses
Although sporting a French name, I'm English and working hard on my French. At a dinner party I tried to explain that I had just bought a 19 year old 2CV car, deux chevaux. The Frenchman turned to his wife and said incredulously that I had bought two 19 year old horses! It was all in the pronunciation. I now tell them it's a deudeuche, the Normandie patois word for a 2CV. I had no problem since!
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Comments
Michelle
2006-09-02
I have many students who cannot hear the difference between cheveux and chevaux. I frequently hear about the horses on their heads and how they ride their hair on weekends!
My father was once discussing cars in France with a friend of the family and was heard to say that it had deux cheveux power instead of deux chevaux power. The former of course means two hair power instead of saying the latter meaning of two horse power! It caused great amusement and certainly broke the ice as we had only just arrived in France.
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