Expressions Idiomatiques

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on October 15, 2013 at 9:48pm

Hello

2) No !  definitly no. The meaning isn't clear because of the word  "ceci", and in French we hear only "ss ss ss ss"

1) For the first we can find something close. "Au matin de la vie" is right and means "childhood"

Do you have an idea about the meaning you want ?

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EducatorPermalink Reply by George Hunt on October 16, 2013 at 1:54am

I feel confident Clara is attempting to translate "This too will pass"

I don't know how to say this in French  but in English it is a way of  saying that  a bad experience will  come to an end.

You might say a headache will  "pass".Or a bad mood.

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Permalink Reply by Clara Beau on October 16, 2013 at 3:15am

Hi George, 

That is actually exactly what I meant! 

Thanks for your reply

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Permalink Reply by Clara Beau on October 16, 2013 at 3:14am

Thanks for your advice!

1) I was hoping to say "At the dawn of life" literally, if there is a translation for that 

2) The second one is exactly as George said it, "This too shall pass" 

Any more help would be great if you're willing! 

Merci encore! 

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on October 16, 2013 at 7:03pm

so for the first one it could be  "A l'aube de la vie"  (which is a known expression).

and for the second and to be in the same way, it could be translated by "Les mauvais jours passent aussi" or "Le pire passe aussi" (for a short expression)

or "Les mauvais jours passeront aussi" or "Le pire passera aussi" (for a short expression)

Theses sentences are ok in French but I think that an English native opinion would be the best about the translation, to respect the meaning.

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EducatorPermalink Reply by George Hunt on October 17, 2013 at 1:52am

"This too will pass" is a  well known expression in English and is supposed to come from Biblical times .

I have researched  the internet but it does not seem that there is a close equivalent in French even though I would have thought what King Soloman is  reported to have said must have also been translated  into French.

It is also supposed to be a proverb in Persian  and Arabic Turkish as well as Hebrew.

Actually I don't think it only applies to  bad  times but  to the good times too.

"Tout passera"  has been translated as "this too shall pass"  but I cannot say how common an expression it actually is (I can see it was used by Voltaire) or whether it would have  that as its main meaning.

Here is a link to the quote from Voltaire .

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rZEKAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA300&lp...

 

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Permalink Reply by Clara Beau on October 17, 2013 at 2:11am

Thanks for your in depth research George!

I was thinking the same thing as for good times passing as well as bad. I didn't know that it was a Persain/Arabic/Turkish/Hebrew proverb, that might be another interesting venue to try.

I do actually remember Voltaire saying "this too shall pass," but that was in the english translation of Candide, of course. 

The only reason I turned to French for my tattoo is that I have pretty deep French roots (my family is from New Orleans via France). I've also loved learning the language and culture for the past 7 years, and for some reason a tattoo in French feels a little more personal than one in English. 

Thanks again!

Clara 

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Permalink Reply by Chantal Savignat on October 17, 2013 at 8:28am

oh ok

if it is for bad and good things, my translation was wrong because it was only about bad things.

"Tout passera" doesn't really sound like an expression, but it's common and very easy to understand.  And  if Voltaire said it ...it's a the best reference.

Two common expressions with the same idea : 

"Tout passe" (present form but with the idea of general truth / understood "un jour" without saying when - now or in the future)

and "Tout a une fin" which is a common expression (present form too)

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Permalink Reply by Clara Beau on October 17, 2013 at 2:13am

Hi Chantal, 

Thanks for coming up with some different translations. I remember seeing "À l'aube " before, but I didn't know if it was more understandable/widely used than "petit matin" so I just chose the latter. 

Thanks again! 

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Permalink Reply by Vedas on October 19, 2013 at 12:18am

Hello,

à l'aube de sa vie opposed to au soir de sa vie

other suggestions for and this too shall pass:

- tout est condamné à l'éphémère/ à disparaître

- Il n'y a rien qui dure

- rien ne perdure ici bas (more spiritual)

- avec le temps, va, tout s'en va (this is a reference to a song of a famous French singer, expressing quite sad feelings...)

- si il y a quelque chose qui ne  change pas c'est le changement (Arabic saying...)

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