Generic Phrases

Anybody speak French? I have a couple of phrases that I would like to know the meaning of. Thank you! :)?

Hello, I've been reading "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and I've stumbled across some French phrases I don't understand. Could you translate them for me please? This is not for HW, just for personal interest for those who are going to tell me to, "Do it yourself!" I don't even take French at school- I'm a Latin student. :) Pronunciations, if possible would also be greatly appreciated! 1. Mes Petites Choux. 2. Ca va? 3. Le Bon Dieu- I think this means, "The Good God", but is it an idiom or translated word for word? 4. Ma Petite Chou, ecounte voir ici 5. Ca, c'est dommage! 6. Mons fils de grace!

Public Comments

1. 1. Les Petits Choux. = the little children, the little kids 2. Ca va? = Are you fine? 3. Le Bon Dieu = God (in french, le bon Dieu is the personified version of the far more formal "Dieu") 4. Ma Petite Chou, écoute voir ici = my little girl, come listening here 5. Ça, c'est dommage! This is a shame, this is bad 6. Mons fils de grace! my gracious son
2. 1- Mes petits choux is an expression in French similar to sweet heart. It's usually used when talking to kids or when kidding with very close people to you. Some people call their dogs "petits choux." 2- Ca va? Are you ok? or how is it going? 3- Bon dieu! = Good god! - Le bon dieu = the higher power - Dieu = God. 4- My little darling or my sweet heart. The second part of the sentence is not well written. I think it meant to be something like: Ecoutes, regardes ici = listen, look here. 5- My gracious son. 6- It's too bad.
3. Mazda man is right. "izzpill" was right too, but she made couple of mistakes like "dommage." Shame means "honteux" in French. and "mes petits choux" mean "my little cabbages" not little kids as "Mazda man" said, it is an expression. In the phrases you provided the word "girl" was not mentioned, and there was nothing bad about whatsoever...it's a feeling of regrets. Basically, "izzill" got only the #6 right. She sounds like a native indeed, but she must have missed some classes...Do not translate if you are not sure period...
4. 1. Mes Petites Choux = my little cabbages--an endearment, like calling someone "honey" or "pumpkin" [may p'teet shoe] 2. Ça va? = How's it going? How are you? [sah vah] 3. Le Bon Dieu- I think this means, "The Good God", but is it an idiom or translated word for word? You're right--you'd use it in a phrase like "God knows" or "Only God can help him." [leh bo[n] dyeh] O[n] means you say the o, but through your nose--don't say the n. 4. Ma Petite Chou, ecounte voir ici = Should be something like "...écoute, vois ici" = Darling (my little cabbage), listen, look here [mah p'teet shoe aykoot vwah ee-see] 5. Ça, c'est dommage! = That's too bad, that's a shame! In this case, "shame" does not mean "disgrace." It simply means that something is unfortunate. "You can't come to my party? That's a shame--it's going to be fun!" [sah seh dommazh] Zh like the s in pleasure 6. Mons fils de grace! = My gracious son--maybe. Mon fils = my son, but "grâce" has as many meanings as "grace" does in English--it could have to do with being gracious or graceful or thankful or in a state of religious grace--if none of those fits the context, maybe it's just a phrase like "Goodness gracious!" [mo[n] feese deh grahss] The pronunciation is *very* rough because there are a lot of sounds in French that just don't exist in English. Oh, and about the word "chou"--since it's actually a masculine word in French but is used here with feminine adjectives, I think it's fair to assume that the speaker is addressing girls in sentences 1 and 4. I haven't read the book, but if the speaker is not a native speaker of *French* French, but someone who is from a French-speaking area like Louisiana, it would make sense.