Help your fluency in a nifty way

[jal]

Ja, precies*, je hebt "je pourrais" en "pire."** nodig***.

*As you already found out
**There are, oddly enough, no official spelling rules concerning the use of punctuation in Dutch. Including the final dot within the last quotes is however typically not done when it's not a quote. See also here.
***"je zoekt" for "you're looking for" is an anglicism, even though you may find it now and then.

De zin is dus als volgt: (...)
Niet vergeten dat je "pire" met zijn referentie congruent* houden moet**.

*I didn't even now the Dutch term, had to look it up on Wikipedia.
**Sounds Flemmish to me, preferred ND order: "moet houden".

*Kan je "genoeg" voor Duits "genau" gebruiken?

Merde, c'est froid ici. Après cinq heur le chauffage est arrêter automatiquement. Mes doigts sont gourds...
Damn, it's cold here. After five o'clock the heating is automatically turned off. My fingers are frozen...


JAL

[Viktor77]

Merde, il fait* froid ici. Après cinq heure le chauffage s'arrête** automatiquement. Mes doigts sont gelés***...
Damn, it's cold here. After five o'clock the heating is automatically turned off. My fingers are frozen...

*Always "faire" with temperature.
**Your English translation suggests that a present "s'arrête" is most appropriate.
***"Gourd" means numb or stiff, frozen is "gelé."

Ik ben tevreden dat "akkord moeten houden" juist is omdat ik het gewoon verzint heb**.
Als je wilt niet dat ik je Fraans corrigeren blijf, gewoon zeg 't. Ik weet niet bij welke niveau mijn Fraans ligt omdat ik het nooit getest ben.

I'm content that "akkord moeten houden" is good because I just came up with it.**(How would you say "out of nowhere?)
If you don't want me to continue to correct your French, just tell me. I don't know what level my French is because I've never had it tested.

*Edit* changed past passive.

[din]

I wasn't really going to mention this because one I don't feel I have much right to criticize someone when my French is itself not perfect, but Vijay's correction of "regardant" in my paragraph was not correct*, not replacing it by an infinitive in any case. The gerund wasn't wrong really, though "qui regarde" would have been an acceptable correction and perhaps a better choice.

Vijay's suggestion "en voyant qqn regarder" is actually correct, though, and I'm not sure if "en voyant qqn regardant" is.

As far as I can tell, his other corrections were fine, too.

Though I agree that it's useful to have an idea of somebody's level first, if they're going to provide corrections in a language that isn't their first language.

[linguoboy]

Though I agree that it's useful to have an idea of somebody's level first, if they're going to provide corrections in a language that isn't their first language.

Even if it is their L1, that's no guarantee. I've seen too many people who were clueless about the grammar and diction of any variety other than their native dialect.

[Viktor77]

I wasn't really going to mention this because one I don't feel I have much right to criticize someone when my French is itself not perfect, but Vijay's correction of "regardant" in my paragraph was not correct*, not replacing it by an infinitive in any case. The gerund wasn't wrong really, though "qui regarde" would have been an acceptable correction and perhaps a better choice.

Vijay's suggestion "en voyant qqn regarder" is actually correct, though, and I'm not sure if "en voyant qqn regardant" is.

As far as I can tell, his other corrections were fine, too.

Though I agree that it's useful to have an idea of somebody's level first, if they're going to provide corrections in a language that isn't their first language.

I asked a native speaker and he preferred "en voyant qqn qui regarde" and said "regardant" just seemed very formal and perhaps not the most idiomatic. It's weird for me. I don't know why I did it, I usually write "qui regarde" but I suppose I just got carried away with gerunds. If the infinitive is correct then that's a rule I either forgot or didn't know.

[hwhatting]

But I don't mean that as an attack, I just say it to show that a superior knowledge of the language needs to be demonstrated for me, at least, to accept a correction, so that would be either a superior speaker or a native speaker. Now, someone with a moderate level can correct lower level French, but more advanced French requires the correction skills of even more advanced speakers. When I teach I am allowed to correct French 101 and 102 papers, but I wouldn't be allowed to correct French 405 papers, not with my current academic status which is tied into my fluency in French (part of my MA defense will involve demonstrating my fluency of French meaning my defense is done entirely in French).

Well, we're not in a formal education context here. Stepping up to correct the writing of others should not be discouraged in this thread; otherwise even less people will do so. I think all we should ask for is that people give some clues as to their proficiency.

"Durch" statt "von" mit einem lebendigen Subjekt bereitet dir tatsächlich keine Schwierigkeiten? Das hätte ich nicht erwartet.

For me, it's more a register difference than an animacy distinction, with durch being more literary and von more colloquial, although the choice also depends on other factors. If I had written the sentence myself, I would have used von, but for me durch is not wrong or unidiomatic in that sentence, so there was no need for a correction.

Teraz pójdę oglądać telewizję.
Noe ga ik televisie kijken.
Now I'll go watch TV.

[Salmoneus]

Stepping up to correct the writing of others should not be discouraged in this thread; otherwise even less people will do so.

Fewer.

OK, so we've lost that battle, but:
a) 'less' is still really annoying for some reason
b) 'fewer' is still preferred in formal/academic/etc writing, and business writing (in the sense that the writer will correct it if it's pointed out, though not in the sense that he'll not make the mistake in the first place)
c) the irony, it called to me...

[din]

I wasn't really going to mention this because one I don't feel I have much right to criticize someone when my French is itself not perfect, but Vijay's correction of "regardant" in my paragraph was not correct*, not replacing it by an infinitive in any case. The gerund wasn't wrong really, though "qui regarde" would have been an acceptable correction and perhaps a better choice.

Vijay's suggestion "en voyant qqn regarder" is actually correct, though, and I'm not sure if "en voyant qqn regardant" is.

As far as I can tell, his other corrections were fine, too.

Though I agree that it's useful to have an idea of somebody's level first, if they're going to provide corrections in a language that isn't their first language.

I asked a native speaker and he preferred "en voyant qqn qui regarde" and said "regardant" just seemed very formal and perhaps not the most idiomatic. It's weird for me. I don't know why I did it, I usually write "qui regarde" but I suppose I just got carried away with gerunds. If the infinitive is correct then that's a rule I either forgot or didn't know.

I definitely agree that "qui regarde" is the most natural solution.

If you search for "en voyant * aller" (or any other common infinitive) in Google, you'll find lots of examples of the infinitive from all kinds of Francophone sources, so I'm pretty sure that also works, though maybe it's not the most natural option here.

[Viktor77]

I definitely agree that "qui regarde" is the most natural solution.

If you search for "en voyant * aller" (or any other common infinitive) in Google, you'll find lots of examples of the infinitive from all kinds of Francophone sources, so I'm pretty sure that also works, though maybe it's not the most natural option here.

I was trying to Google it but didn't know how to. I really don't know what this would be called in grammar so I could look it up.

I do owe Vijay an apology though for calling his correction wrong.

[linguoboy]

Stepping up to correct the writing of others should not be discouraged in this thread; otherwise even less people will do so.

Fewer.

OK, so we've lost that battle

And about damn time, too.

If there's a better example of a "rule" with no reason to exist except to give pedants a glow of small-minded satisfaction, I can't think of it. One dude one time says, "Hey, I think we should start doing this for no reason other than I think we should" and the result is two-and-a-half centuries of pointless zealotry. It's the poster boy for the perils of prescriptivism.

[Salmoneus]

Stepping up to correct the writing of others should not be discouraged in this thread; otherwise even less people will do so.

Fewer.

OK, so we've lost that battle

And about damn time, too.

If there's a better example of a "rule" with no reason to exist except to give pedants a glow of small-minded satisfaction, I can't think of it. One dude one time says, "Hey, I think we should start doing this for no reason other than I think we should" and the result is two-and-a-half centuries of pointless zealotry. It's the poster boy for the perils of prescriptivism.

Hardly! Perhaps you fail to grasp the inherent beauty in the distinction, but at worst its an inconsequential mannerism of style - OK, it privileges one dialect over another, but any sort of standard English will do that. The real problems are rules that actually get in the way of expression: things like not splitting infinitives, or not allowing standed prepositions (which I tend to find inelegant and like to avoid, but have no real problem with... and sometimes indulge in...). The zealous modern insistence on 'less' just seems like pointless reverse snobbery to me, though that might be because on more than one occasion I've been angrily attacked for using 'fewer'.

[jal]

Nu ga ik televisie kijken.

Ik ben tevreden dat "akkoord moeten houden" juist is omdat ik het gewoon verzonnen heb

Mais ce n'est pas vrais, je l'ai corrigé.
But that isn't true, I corrected it.

Als je niet wilt dat ik je Fraans blijf corrigeren*, zeg 't dan** gewoon. Ik weet niet op welke niveau*** mijn Fraans ligt^ omdat ik het nooit getest heb^^.

*I'd just say "dat ik je Frans corrigeer", but "blijf corrigeren" is ok too.
**Not needed per se, but sounds slightly more idiomatic.
***het niveau
^or "zit"
^^Either "omdat ik het nooit getest heb" or "omdat ik nooit getest ben"

Non, je t'en prie, corrige moi. Il n'y a pas beaucoup de locateur natif ici, et je pense ta français est suffisament pour corriger ma français mauvaise.
No, please, correct me. There aren't many native speakers here, and I think your French is sufficient to correct my bad French.

How would you say "out of nowhere"?

Belle question... Je ne pense pas il ya une traduction pour la.
Good question... I don't think there's a translation for that.
That said, "it came out of nowhere" would be translated with "het kwam/dook op uit het niets" or "het dook ineens op" ("het kwam inees op" means something different). "It dawned on me out of nowehere" - "Het kwam ineens in me op" etc.


JAL

[Viktor77]

Mais ce n'est pas vrais, je l'ai corrigé.
But that isn't true, I corrected it.

Ah, het spijt mij, ik heb het niet geherinnerd.
Ah, sorry, I didn't remember.

Non, je t'en prie, corrige-moi. Il n'y a pas beaucoup de locateurs natifs ici, et je pense que* ton français est suffisant pour corriger mon mauvais** français.
No, please, correct me. There aren't many native speakers here, and I think your French is sufficient to correct my bad French.

*Always need a subordinator in French.
**Some adjectives come before nouns. These have to basically be memorized.

Bonne question... Je ne pense pas qu'il y ait*** une traduction pour ça****.
Good question... I don't think there's a translation for that.

***This construction is getting into the subjunctive, so instead I'd just say "Je pense qu'il n'y a pas de traduction pour ça/cela.
****"That" here is "ça" or more stressed/formal "cela."

[Viktor77]

O, ik heb vergeten om iets te schrijven. Vanavond heb ik mijn eerste tandemtafel in Frans en Nederlands. Ik ben nerveus, vooral voor de nederlandse deel, omdat ik zelfs nog niet de taal uitspreken kan. Ik werk mijn Vlaamse accent aan, maar de "g" en de klemton zijn nog moelijk.

Oh, I forgot to write something. Tonight I have my first tandem table in French and Dutch. I am nervous, especially for the Dutch part, because I can't even pronounce the language yet. I'm working on my Flemish accent, but the "g" and stress are still difficult.

*Edit* Changed first sentence.

[kanejam]

Moi, j'aime la distinction entre 'fewer' et 'less', même si je ne l'utilise pas souvent. En tout cas ce n'est pas complètement arbitraire, car c'est égal à la distinction assez plus vivante entre 'much' et 'many'.
I like the distinction between 'fewer' and 'less', even if I don't use it very often. Anyway it's not completely arbitrary as it parallels the slightly more alive distinction of 'much' and 'many'.

[jal]

Ah, het spijt mij*, ik heb het me niet geherinnerd**.

*Better to use the reduced form "me"
**Verbs starting with "her" (and some other prefixes like "be") don't get "ge" in their past participle

Some adjectives come before nouns. These have to basically be memorized.

Ah, oui, je devrais* savoir ça.
Ah, yes, I should've known that.
*I had to look that up, my French is too shaky to say anything meaningful.

EDIT:

O, ik ben vergeten om iets te schrijven. Vanavond heb ik mijn eerste tandemtafel* in Frans en Nederlands. Ik ben nerveus, vooral voor het Nederlandse deel, omdat ik zelfs nog niet de taal uitspreken kan**. Ik werk aan mijn Vlaamse accent, maar de "g" en de klemtoon zijn nog moelijk.

*I haven't got a clue what this is, but it seems legit :)
**Word order not really idiomatic in ND, but perhaps in Flemmish it is. I'd say something like "omdat ik de taal zelfs nog niet kan uitspreken".


JAL

[linguoboy]

Hitt hätt i mit-nem Fründ us Ditschland sotte ummehänge, aba i ha Buuchweh und Dünnpfiff gha.
Today I was supposed to hang out with a friend visiting from Germany but I had a stomach ache.

[hwhatting]

Hitt hätt i mit-nem Fründ us Ditschland sotte ummehänge, aba i ha Buuchweh und Dünnpfiff gha.
Today I was supposed to hang out with a friend visiting from Germany but I had a stomach ache.

Mam nadzieję, że dzisiaj lepiej się czujesz!
Ik hoop, dat jij je vandaag beter voelt!
I hope you're feeling better today!

[jal]

Ik hoop, dat je je vandaag beter voelt!

Moi aussi!
Me too!


JAL

[Viktor77]

Moi aussi!
Me too!

En ik ook!

Wat betreft me, was mijn tandemtafel gisteren een groot success. Het was leuk en ik praatte met vele studenten en Nederlands en Frans. Ik ben wel tevreden.

Maar, ik zou ook naar de Duitse-Franse tafelen graag gaan, maar ze plaatsvinden om de dezelfde uur als de Nederlandse-Frans tafelen. Ik weet niet wat ik zal doen, al moet ik me op mijn Nederlands meer toeleggen zouden...tevens hou ik ook van Duits.

Jal, een tandemtafel is waar de mensen half in één taal, half in een andere taal praten. Dus voor de Nederlandse-Franse tandemtafelen zijn er allebei Franstaligen en Nederlandstaligen (wel Vlaamstaligen).

And me too!

As for me, my tandem table yesterday was a big success. It was fun and I spoke with many students in French and Dutch. I am quite content.

But, I would also like to go to the German-French tables, but they take place at the same time as the Dutch-French tables. I don't know what I'll do, although I should focus on my Dutch...though I love German too.

Jal, a tandem table is where people speak half in one language, half in another language. So for a Dutch-French tandem table there are both Francophones and Neerlandophones (well Flemishophones)*.

*Made Neerlandophones and Flemishophones up.

[hwhatting]

*Made Neerlandophones and Flemishophones up.

Batavophones.
Te terminy zawsze bazują się na łacinie.
Deze termen bazeren altijd op het Latijn.
These terms are always based on Latin.

[Viktor77]

*Made Neerlandophones and Flemishophones up.

Batavophones.
Te terminy zawsze bazują się na łacinie.
Deze termen bazeren altijd op het Latijn.
These terms are always based on Latin.

Batavophone? Das ist ein bisschen fremd. Ich denke dass, ich lieber mehr "Netherlandophone" mag. Niemand würde "Batavophone" wissen, denke ich. Weißt du diesen Ausdruck?

Batavophone? That's a bit weird. I think I prefer "Netherlandophone" more. No one would know "Batavophone," I think. Do you know this term?

[hwhatting]

Batavophone? Das ist ein bisschen seltsam. Ich denke, dass, ich lieber mehr "Netherlandophone" mehr*1) mag. Niemand würde "Batavophone" kennen, denke ich. Kennst du diesen Ausdruck? [/b]

Batavophone? That's a bit weird. I think I prefer "Netherlandophone" more. No one would know "Batavophone," I think. Do you know this term?

*1) Or: lieber mag, or: bevorzuge
Zgadnąłem, że ten jest terminem, i sprawdziłem; mój domysł okazał się właściwym.
Ik heb geraden, dat dit de term is, en heb het gecheckt; mijn gissing is juis gebleken.
I guessed that this would be the term and checked; my guess turned out to be correct.

(If you don't like it, better use Dutch / Flemish speaker.)

[linguoboy]

Ja, Derivation mit dem Element -phon ist für mich nur sinnvoll für romanische Sprachen (mit Ausnahme von Anglophon, da das Englische eine ehrenamtliche romanische Sprache ist).
Yeah, derivations with the element -phone only make sense for me for Romance languages (with the exception of Anglophone, because our language has honorary Romance status).

[Magb]

Ég er þér sammála, en held að hellenophone sér einnig skaplegt vegna þess að það er æðilegt orð.
I agree, but I think hellenophone is also acceptable because it's a cool word.

Edit: And it obviously makes sense to allow it on etymological grounds.