# Help translating these English words/phrases into French **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281 "2013-05-25T01:06:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/1 "2013-05-25T01:06:22Z")
I’m usually pretty good at French, but I’d like to know the correct French translations of these words/phrases: 1. “My parents are getting divorced.” 2. “Life is rosy in Côte-des-Neiges.” (Is “La vie est en rose à Côte-des-Neiges” correct?) 3. “Cool” or “hip” (I’m basically looking for a trendy word for “trendy.”) 4. “I don’t want to be in the way.” and 1. “He’s a lot of fun.” ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/2 "2013-05-25T05:55:24Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I’m usually pretty good at French, but I’d like to know the correct French translations of these words/phrases: > > 1. “My parents are getting divorced.” France : "Mes pa 1. “Life is rosy in Côte-des-Neiges.” (Is “La vie est en rose à Côte-des-Neiges” correct?) 2. “Cool” or “hip” (I’m basically looking for a trendy word for “trendy.”) 3. “I don’t want to be in the way.” and 1. “He’s a lot of fun.” [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/3 "2013-05-25T06:02:18Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I’m usually pretty good at French, but I’d like to know the correct French translations of these words/phrases: > > 1. “My parents are getting divorced.” France : “Mes parents sont en instance de divorce” Québec : “Mes parents sont en train de divorcer” > [@](#): > > 1. “Life is rosy in Côte-des-Neiges.” (Is “La vie est en rose à Côte-des-Neiges” correct?) La vie est belle à Côte-des-Neiges > [@](#): > > 1. “Cool” or “hip” (I’m basically looking for a trendy word for “trendy.”) à la mode, cool is also commonly used in Québec > [@](#): > > 1. “I don’t want to be in the way.” Je ne veux pas être dans le chemin > [@](#): > > and > > 1. “He’s a lot of fun.” Yé l’fun (typically _québecois_ expression)😃 “Il est très sympa” France French ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/4 "2013-05-25T15:00:43Z")
Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/5 "2013-05-25T15:25:43Z")
:: takes notes :: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/6 "2013-05-25T15:32:26Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > :: takes notes :: > > 🙂 Glad to be of help 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/7 "2013-05-25T16:02:33Z")
Re 4 : “I don’t want to be in the way.” = “Je ne veux pas être dans le chemin” Maybe it’s used in Quebec, but at least in France, it would mean “I don’t want to be on the path” literally (there’s an actual path and you don’t want to stand there) and even then it would rather be “SUR le chemin”. In the metaphorical sense, I’d probably use something like “Je ne veux pas gêner” but it depends on the context. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/8 "2013-05-25T16:02:34Z")
You can add a “sti”, “calice” or “tabarnak” either at the beginning or the end of each sentence if you want to better fit in. Inserting such terms in the middle of the sentence is Intermediate Quebec French. Proper stringing of such terms is Advanced Quebec French. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/9 "2013-05-25T17:36:00Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > You can add a “sti”, “calice” or “tabarnak” either at the beginning or the end of each sentence if you want to better fit in. Inserting such terms in the middle of the sentence is Intermediate Quebec French. Proper stringing of such terms is Advanced Quebec French. Don’t know if they’d be too happy if I did such things at work, though. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-translating-these-english-words-phrases-into-french/659281/10 "2013-05-25T19:30:50Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > Don’t know if they’d be too happy if I did such things at work, though. 😉 Just tell them you are assuaging you Canadian identity. Remember field-marshall Sir Bernard Law Montgomery’s quote : “If the word ‘fuck’ and gasoline were to disasppear, the Canadian Army would be both speechless and immobile.” 😃