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Idioms and Proverbs

Oh, Did You Hear The Latest News in France?

Formal French Formal English Vocabulary Grammar Points

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Formal French
Marine Thomas Marine Thomas H Thomas, tu as entendu la nouvelle ? Non ? Il parait que Sophie a un autre petit ami ! Tu crois que c'est vrai ? Je ne sais pas mais en tout cas. Il n'y a pas de fume sans feu !

Formal English
Marine Thomas Marine Thomas Hey Thomas, have you heard the news? No? They say that Sophie has another boyfriend. Do you think its true? I don't know!!! But in any case, theres no smoke without fire.

Vocabulary
French Il n'y a pas sans feu fume English there isn't, there aren't without fire smoke Class expression preposition noun noun Gender

masculine feminine

Vocabulary Sample Sentences

Il n'y a pas de clients dans ce restaurants. Cela va sans dire. Les pompiers teignent le feu. La fume de cigarettes nuit la sant. "There aren't any customers in this restaurant." "It's without saying." "Firefighters put out the fire." "Cigarette smoke damages your health."

Grammar Points
The Focus of This Lesson is Gossip: Reality or Fiction? Il n'y a pas de fume sans feu.

LC: 121_IP_L1_102008

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2008-10-20

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"There's no smoke without fire." Gossiping, or making comments about someone's behavior, can happen quite frequently. You may find yourself criticizing or becoming aware of the qualities of the people around you while silently observing them, or you may talk to the person closest to you. Either way, sharing thoughts and information about people or their actions is certainly a good start for gossip. For example: 1. Il n'y a pas de fume sans feu. "There's no smoke without fire."

Once you hear about gossip, haven't you ever wondered if it was true or not? Well with this French proverb, you might find your answer. Il n'y a pas de fume sans feu. The literal English translation is, "there's no smoke without fire." People recognize it best by its English equivalent, "where there's smoke, there's fire." Both French and English proverbs are quite self-explanatory, meaning that gossip and rumors have some truth. We often use Il n'y a pas de fume sans feu when the latest news is corrected with solid information. By using this proverb, a person wishes to insist that the news given is partly false as well as being partly true. You may find that French people use it among colleagues when referring to the company's ability to make decisions or its staff, between neighbors in small villages, among circles of friends, and even among family members. Proverb Origin You will find this proverb in written documents as early as the fourteenth century. French Proverb Equivalence

1. Il n'y a pas de plume tombe sans oiseau plum. "There isn't a fallen feather without any plucked bird." 2. On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser des oeufs. "One can't make omelets without breaking the eggs."

LC: 121_IP_L1_102008

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2008-10-20

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Language Expansion Here are some other common ways we to refer to gossip in French: "English" "Gossip, rumors" French Ragots, cancans, commrages

LC: 121_IP_L1_102008

www.FrenchPod101.com - All Rights Reserved

2008-10-20