Confusing words makes you funny in French

 

 

So the other night Pirate and I were at L’Americano in St. Anne having  three Euro Stellas and dinner with a friend. I was in the middle of explaining in French that Pirate was en route the last time I had him on the phone and that I couldn’t hear him very well..something utterly unimportant and, so I thought, easy to say. Well, if it weren’t for that evil little ‘eu’ sound in French, I would have slipped by unnoticed. I mispronounced. I outed myself as a crappy French speaker. What I said was, “Tu étais en rut” instead of “Tu etais en route”. The sound is difficult for me to differentiate. I need to concentrate, put all my energy into making that one damned vowel sound, “euuuuuuwww”  vs “ooouuuu”.

So I failed to do that, and in doing so told Pirate, “You were in heat”, not “You were en route”.  That got quite the laugh. I guess I will think twice before smiling kindly yet witl laughing eyes at someone who is French when they tell me someone is a “beech”.  Vowels are difficult people!