Help with French, please--The French pronunciation thread

Post by **icequeen** » December 30th, 2014, 8:43 pm

Thank you, Ezwa and Tovarisch! I knew I was close for the first part of the sentence, but the second part threw me. I thought I should ask the experts before slaughtering that sentence!

msfry · Post by **msfry** » January 23rd, 2015, 9:57 am

Can someone help me pronounce these French names for a chapter I am recording about famous explorers/travellers:

Gaspar Mollien
Fleuriau
M. de la Renaudière
Partarieu
Caillié
De Cailliaud
Letorzec

tony123 · Post by **tony123** » January 23rd, 2015, 2:44 pm

msfry wrote:Can someone help me pronounce these French names for a chapter I am recording about famous explorers/travellers:

Gaspar Mollien
Fleuriau
M. de la Renaudière
Partarieu
Caillié
De Cailliaud
Letorzec

Here you go. I'm not a native speaker, but I think it will do the trick.

Best, --Tony

https://librivox.org/uploads/xx-nonproject/French_names_for_Michele_Fry.mp3

msfry · Post by **msfry** » January 23rd, 2015, 3:29 pm

Thanks, Tony. That's perfect!

mlcui · Post by **mlcui** » February 9th, 2015, 8:28 am

Some help with this sentence, please.

La necessite empoisonne les maux qu'elle ne peut guerir - La Rochefoucauld

Thank you!

tovarisch · Post by **tovarisch** » February 9th, 2015, 8:44 am

I'd probably read it as

Lah neh-seh-sih-TUmp-wah-ZON loe-MOH kel-noe poo ghe-REE[r] -- Lah rosh-foo-KOH

(uppercased syllables are emphasized). The 'oe' is the same sound 'i' makes in 'sir'. The second word flows into the third (sih-TUPM-wah...) Also, if you paste the phrase into Google Translate, it gives a decent rendition, I believe.

gypsygirl · Post by **gypsygirl** » February 9th, 2015, 9:12 am

There should be an accent on necessité, in which case it does not flow into the third word: neh-seh-sih-TEH ump-wah-ZON

And "les" should be leh (same e sound as in bet). The oe sound is for the singular, masculine "le".

Lah neh-seh-sih-TEH ump-wah-ZON leh MOH kel-noe poe ghe-REE[r] -- Lah rosh-foo-KOH

Post by **ezwa** » February 9th, 2015, 2:18 pm

Hello mlcui,

Here's what it sounds like (different speeds): http://uploads.librivox.org/ezwa/french4mlcui_20150209.mp3 and how we would write it with the accents: "La nécessité empoisonne les maux qu'elle ne peut guérir - La Rochefoucauld."

mlcui · Post by **mlcui** » February 12th, 2015, 10:45 pm

ezwa wrote:Hello mlcui,

Here's what it sounds like (different speeds): http://uploads.librivox.org/ezwa/french4mlcui_20150209.mp3 and how we would write it with the accents: "La nécessité empoisonne les maux qu'elle ne peut guérir - La Rochefoucauld."

Thank you very much!

Post by **Availle** » June 27th, 2015, 8:41 pm

From another thread, help needed:

roxy2012 wrote:I'm doing a solo project and there is one passage in French I need help with its

"Le Suel vrai sacrifice humain est celui de l'enfant par son p'ere; car l'enfant seul est relativement assez pur pour mourir au lieu d'un pècheur, et sa mort seule peut causer, dans l'a^me de celui qui veut apaiser Dieu, une douleur assez profonde pour qu'il tremble de l'offenser par de nouveaux pèchès qui exigeraient de nouvelles victimes"

Post by **ezwa** » June 28th, 2015, 1:14 pm

Hello Ava,

Here it is at various speeds: https://librivox.org/uploads/ezwa/french4roxy2012_20150628.mp3.
And the text as read (the "_" indicate that the letter before and after it are linked so, the letter before is to be read):
"Le Seul vrai sacrifice humain est celui de l'enfant par son père; car l'enfant seul est relativement _ assez pur pour mourir au lieu d'un pécheur, et sa mort seule peut causer, dans l'âme de celui qui veut _ apaiser Dieu, une douleur assez profonde pour qu'il tremble de l'offenser par de nouveaux péchés qui exigeraient de nouvelles victimes."[/quote][/quote]

Post by **KiltedDragon** » August 5th, 2015, 8:00 am

As a few of you know, whenever I see French in a project, I make like the guys in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Run Away! Run Away!). However, I am working on a non-LV project about cowboys and was surprised to run into this poem in French (that is French isn't it?). Would someone be willing to post a recording for me so I can hear what it should sound like.

I have also posted the translation that the book provides. Thanks.

Poem:

Car il etait du monde ou les plus belles choses
Ont le pire destin.
Et Ringgold a vecu ce que vivent les roses
L’espace d’un matin

Translation:

For he was of the world in which the most beautiful things
Have the worst destiny,
And Ringgold lived as live the roses
The duration of a morning.

Post by **ezwa** » August 6th, 2015, 11:08 am

Hello Barry,

Here it is at different speeds (normal, slooooow, slowish, normal): https://librivox.org/uploads/ezwa/french4KiltedDragon_20150806.mp3.
And the text with the two missing accents :
Car il était du monde ou les plus belles choses
Ont le pire destin.
Et Ringgold a vécu ce que vivent les roses
L’espace d’un matin.

You made me think of the knights who say "ni." Ah... the good old Holy Grail.

Post by **KiltedDragon** » August 7th, 2015, 2:39 am

Oh, thank you so much, Ezwa.

I also see that the movie is being re-released in the theaters (though I have my own personal copy at home):
http://epicstream.com/news/Monty-Python-and-The-Holy-Grail-To-Return-To-Theaters

jmoorehouse · Post by **jmoorehouse** » October 7th, 2015, 6:35 am

Greetings--
I'm attempting to use a gruff, elder male voice--in theory quoting Napolean!--to pronounce the following phrases:

Voilà un garçon bien éveillé! Qui est ton père?

Le fils d'un boyard et d'un brave, pardessus le marché. J'aime les boyards. M'aimes-tu, petit?

Bah, il devient supersti’sioux!

Ah, petite feel’ alor!

Nay mon’tay je’may! Napoléon (vo tray’ me sin’sair).

(My own efforts have left this voice sounding like a redneck American southerner with marbles in his mouth--NOT the impression I was hoping to make.)

Thanks--

Jan