Canadians, help!

[killdozzer]

French speaking Canadians, that is!

I have my French exam tomorrow (no dirty jokes!!) and I've spent few hours trying to find such an obvious phrase and no matter what I type into search engines, I can't find what I'm looking for.

Here goes; someone asks you to go to the cinema and you want to ask what is showing, how do you ask that??? How do you ask what's in the cinema? There must be a phrase or something, I doubt it's "ce qu'il y a dans le cinema?" or "ce qui montre?"

Please help!!

 

[Verdinut]

You could just say: "Quels sont les films présentés au théatre?" which means "What are the films showing at the theater?"

 

[Trell]

There's always Google Translate, and now I'll show myself out the door

Good luck with your exam.

 

[lovinthehd]

There's always Google Translate, and now I'll show myself out the door

Good luck with your exam.

Altho might be a good time to get some opinions on google translated phrases....altho am sure the Parisians wouldn't agree

ps good luck on your exam!

 

[highfigh]

French speaking Canadians, that is!

I have my French exam tomorrow (no dirty jokes!!) and I've spent few hours trying to find such an obvious phrase and no matter what I type into search engines, I can't find what I'm looking for.

Here goes; someone asks you to go to the cinema and you want to ask what is showing, how do you ask that??? How do you ask what's in the cinema? There must be a phrase or something, I doubt it's "ce qu'il y a dans le cinema?" or "ce qui montre?"

Please help!!

The wording of the question needs to be refined. If you ask "what's in the cinema?", the answers could have a wide range- 'sticky floors, couples having a quickie, lonely people sobbing, people talking to themselves...'.

Maybe 'What film is playing at the cinema?" would be a good question.

 

[Verdinut]

Your answer is in post #2. I'm a Montreal born French Canadian and I know my mother tongue pretty well.

Cheers,
André

 

[killdozzer]

There's always Google Translate, and now I'll show myself out the door

Good luck with your exam.

Google translate is very bad with phrases. It won't get you anywhere. That's the problem of, what we call, mechanical language translation. If you're trying to provoke a correct answer from Google Translate, you first have to know how the phrase goes.

For example, Brits have a phrase when they want to know if you'd like to have a cup of tea. They say; Do you feel like a cup of tea? translate this in Google Translate and you'll get Vous sentez-vous comme une tasse de thé? And that's not how the French ask that question.

ps good luck on your exam!

Thank you!

The wording of the question needs to be refined. If you ask "what's in the cinema?", the answers could have a wide range- 'sticky floors, couples having a quickie, lonely people sobbing, people talking to themselves...'.

Maybe 'What film is playing at the cinema?" would be a good question.

Yep, If I knew the wording, I'd find the answer.

Your answer is in post #2. I'm a Montreal born French Canadian and I know my mother tongue pretty well.

Cheers,
André

Thanks, but not really. That question is correct, but it's a different kind of question. It is non specific, it is a general inquiry. If a friend asks you to go see a movie with him, it is usually a specific movie he wants you to go see with him, so he won't go trough all les films qui sont présentés. I hope you understand what I mean.

He asks you to go to the cinema with him and you want to know what are you going to see, but I'm not interested in a literal translation, I'm looking for a phrase.

What would be your usual question if a friend asks you to come see a movie with him, but he didn't say which one, you ask...

 

[Trell]

Google translate is very bad with phrases. It won't get you anywhere. That's the problem of, what we call, mechanical language translation. If you're trying to provoke a correct answer from Google Translate, you first have to know how the phrase goes.

For example, Brits have a phrase when they want to know if you'd like to have a cup of tea. They say; Do you feel like a cup of tea? translate this in Google Translate and you'll get Vous sentez-vous comme une tasse de thé? And that's not how the French ask that question.

It was a tongue-in-cheek answer and I hope you didn't mind

 

[killdozzer]

It was a tongue-in-cheek answer and I hope you didn't mind

Nooo, of course not. Why would I mind, don't be silly.

 

[GO-NAD!]

My French is quite rusty and I didn't want to steer you wrong, so I asked my daughter. Here's what she suggested:
Less formal - "Quel film veux tu voir?"
More formal - "Quel film voulez vous voir?"

 

[highfigh]

Google translate is very bad with phrases. It won't get you anywhere. That's the problem of, what we call, mechanical language translation. If you're trying to provoke a correct answer from Google Translate, you first have to know how the phrase goes.

For example, Brits have a phrase when they want to know if you'd like to have a cup of tea. They say; Do you feel like a cup of tea? translate this in Google Translate and you'll get Vous sentez-vous comme une tasse de thé? And that's not how the French ask that question.

"Do you feel like a cup of tea?"-

I don't know- let's ask one and compare.

They also ask "Fancy a cup of tea?"- that must be all but impossible to translate with the original intent.

 

[Swerd]

Translating idiomatic phrases from one language to another is always difficult and fun. It's those errors that are more fun than any correct translation.

Translate this from American English: It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

 

[Trell]

Translating idiomatic phrases from one language to another is always difficult and fun. It's those errors that are more fun than any correct translation.

Translate this from American English: It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings

Translated to French and then translated the result back to English: "It's not over until the fat lady sings".

Same result for German, so trying with Somali gave a much better result: "It should not be terminated 'animal girl'"

 

[Verdinut]

Google translate is very bad with phrases. It won't get you anywhere. That's the problem of, what we call, mechanical language translation. If you're trying to provoke a correct answer from Google Translate, you first have to know how the phrase goes.

For example, Brits have a phrase when they want to know if you'd like to have a cup of tea. They say; Do you feel like a cup of tea? translate this in Google Translate and you'll get Vous sentez-vous comme une tasse de thé? And that's not how the French ask that question.


Thank you!


Yep, If I knew the wording, I'd find the answer.


Thanks, but not really. That question is correct, but it's a different kind of question. It is non specific, it is a general inquiry. If a friend asks you to go see a movie with him, it is usually a specific movie he wants you to go see with him, so he won't go trough all les films qui sont présentés. I hope you understand what I mean.

He asks you to go to the cinema with him and you want to know what are you going to see, but I'm not interested in a literal translation, I'm looking for a phrase.

What would be your usual question if a friend asks you to come see a movie with him, but he didn't say which one, you ask...

My question would simply be: "De quel film s'agit-il?"

 

[KEW]

I doubt it helps, but if a friend asked me to go to the movie, my response would be "what's playing". But "what film" seems hardest to screw up!

Obviously asking questions like "do you feel like a cup of tea" invite problems as compared to "do you want tea". And there is always the fool-proofedly simple "Tea?"!

 

[lovinthehd]

So how'd the French test go?

 

[killdozzer]

Thank you all. Verdinut's second answer would probably be the most useful.

I doubt it helps, but if a friend asked me to go to the movie, my response would be "what's playing". But "what film" seems hardest to screw up!

Obviously asking questions like "do you feel like a cup of tea" invite problems as compared to "do you want tea". And there is always the fool-proofedly simple "Tea?"!

That's right, you can do it all with proper intonation. Or simply ask quel film. But I wanted to be able to say it in the spirit of the French language, with the exact phrase. I'll get there eventually.

So how'd the French test go?

Aced it, of course! But I ace all my exams, honestly, I'm not bragging. Languages are my thing as well, since all the results of all the skills profiling tests I ever did clearly stated. Combine that with the fact that I'm not lazy, at least for the things I like and I really wanted to learn French... But before I overdo it this is just the 1st level.

One more thing, my imaginary conversation topic wasn't asking someone to the movies at all. It was a friend asking help with finding a job. So no cinema at all...

 

[3db]

I'm a Canuck. I took 3 months of French training at a college and although I scored quite high, it didnt do me much good because the French being taught was Parisienne French and not the Quebec French which is being spoke in Canada nor was it the Acadian French being spoke in the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (also part of Canada ). Both are dialects with the Acadian French being much older than the Quebec French. Regardless of which is older, both are considered dialects and litteral translations don't work.

Maybe give them multiple answers based on the French being taught/examined. That way you have covered all your basis.

 

[Verdinut]

I'm a Canuck. I took 3 months of French training at a college and although I scored quite high, it didnt do me much good because the French being taught was Parisienne French and not the Quebec French which is being spoke in Canada nor was it the Acadian French being spoke in the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (also part of Canada ). Both are dialects with the Acadian French being much older than the Quebec French. Regardless of which is older, both are considered dialects and litteral translations don't work..

Inexact! The good French language which is spoken in the province of Quebec is not a dialect. Just listen to the news on Radio-Canada TV (or the RDI HD Channel in Montreal) or one of their Radio stations, and you will hear a good French language. When I speak my mother tongue, it's not a dialect! Any francophone from any country will understand it.

Of course, there is a dialect spoken in the province of Quebec as there are some in any other country, but the good French is still spoken. The translations which I suggested to @killdozzer are in a correct French language!

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Audiophile est l'huile de serpent

Et c'est le CBC News

Bonne nuit