useful french phrases...

[HelenSD]

Hey guys/Bonjour!

Im travelling to france next week (Banyuls sur Mer - nice and sunny)! now i can barely speak a sentence of French. I have a little handbook of useful phrases to get me by (also has a good list of things that can be found on the menu), though id like to add some vegan phrases! so could someone translate the following for me?

"I don't eat meat, fish, eggs or dairy products"
"just a salad/vegetables please"
"does this contain dairy products?"
"can i have this but without cheese?"

and just for when i go shopping...

"is this wool?"
"is this real leather?"

and anything else you think could be useful... thankyou!!

[Risker]

There's a thing called the vegan passport, get a copy of that, it has an explanation of what a vegan can/can't is in loads of different languages

http://www.vegansociety.com/catalog/...roducts_id=231

[HelenSD]

oooh that looks useful!! cheers for the link.

Im leaving on Sunday though, so thats only 4 days in royal mail terms.. dont think it would make it in time!

[bryzee86]

"je ne mange pas de la viande, poisson, oeufs ou les produits laitiers"

"juste que un salad/vegetables s-il-vous-plait"

"Est-ce que ceci contient les produits laitiers ?"

"peux j'avoir le ce mais sans fromage?"

"est cette laine?"

"est ce vrai cuir?"

I think these are accurate.

Oh and honey is "miel", and animal(s) is "animal/animaux" just so you know

[Barley]

je ne sais pas gets you out of lots of situations! (sort of: I don't know, in a helpless, shrug of shoulders way) .... or vasi (F*** off) if you get pestered!! Have a great time!

[Otter_]

"Mon aéroglisseur est plein d'anguilles" - My hovercraft is full of eels


Does everything go back to a Monty Python skit? or is it just me?

[harpy]

Personally I wouldn't bother to attempt whole sentences in a language I didn't know very well - it's easier just to learn the words for what you want and don't want and "please".

Une salade s'il vous plait
Des legumes...
Des fruits...
Sans fromage/pas de fromage s'il vous plait
Sans beurre
Sans produits laitiers
Sans oeufs

Then you can string them together, point, smile and hope for the best! Most French people in tourist places speak a bit of English I think, but whether they will want to give you a vegan meal is another matter You may find le supermarche a useful standby...

[absentmindedfan]

Does everything go back to a Monty Python skit? or is it just me?

It's not just you, I'm imagining the French sheep/aircraft sketch as we speak

[troOn]

"Mon aéroglisseur est plein d'anguilles" - My hovercraft is full of eels


Does everything go back to a Monty Python skit? or is it just me?

the Monty Python, I love them

[troOn]

"je ne mange pas de la viande, poisson, oeufs ou les produits laitiers"

"juste que un salad/vegetables s-il-vous-plait"

"Est-ce que ceci contient les produits laitiers ?"

"peux j'avoir le ce mais sans fromage?"

"est cette laine?"

"est ce vrai cuir?"

I think these are accurate.

Oh and honey is "miel", and animal(s) is "animal/animaux" just so you know

and now in correct french language

"je ne mange pas de viande, de poisson, d'oeufs ou de produits laitiers"

"juste une salade/des légumes s'il-vous-plait"

"Est-ce que ceci contient des produits laitiers ?"

"puis je avoir la même chose sans fromage?"

"est-ce de la laine ?"

"est-ce du vrai cuir ?"

[Yoggy]

"puis je avoir la même chose sans fromage?"

And now in the correct correct French language

Puis-j'avoir la même chose sans fromage?

[harpy]

My French is v rusty but I'm fairly sure that it's written

"puis-je avoir" even though it's pronounced the way you wrote it, Yoggy. There's some discussion here:

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=199334

[Yoggy]

Maybe it's different in Canadian French? My bf is from Quebec and says it's usually written with the apostrophe.....but then I can never trust him, he always scored better in English than French in school

[Ruby Rose]

These are really useful - can you give me some phrases about booze - "Do you use animal products to make this wine" sort of thing?

[troOn]

These are really useful - can you give me some phrases about booze - "Do you use animal products to make this wine" sort of thing?

you can say : "utilisez vous des produits animaux (cornes, os, sang, ...) pour fabriquer ce vin ?"

[troOn]

Maybe it's different in Canadian French? My bf is from Quebec and says it's usually written with the apostrophe.....but then I can never trust him, he always scored better in English than French in school

yes it seems to be different between french and canadian french

but as Harpy said, it's pronounced like you wrote it, but it's spelled like I'm written

[emmy]

"Puis-j'avoir la même chose sans fromage?"

Wouldn't that be better as "puis-je l'avoir sans fromage?" (if pointing to item)
?

But I'm sure the French are used to the stupid English who just talk more slowly and loudly in their own language

[emmapresley]

ahh..le bonnehomme de neige est sur la plume de ma tant

*gets her coat*

[emmy]

I nearly had to resort back to "je m'appelle.... et j'habite a ..." LOL, but then it started coming back to me...
I was fluent in French this time 5 years ago. It goes so quick when you aren't practising

[troOn]

ahh..le bonnehomme de neige est sur la plume de ma tant

*gets her coat*

my hovercrrrrrraft is fuuuuul of eeeeeels