Cajun French Language Tutorials

My father fixed our shoes using a shoe-form. “Mon père réparait nos souliers en usant aine forme à souliers.”

Merci.

• Author: Jim Leger | Category: Learn Cajun French | Comments(0)

Il Est Après Brumasser - No English Translation To Test Your Remembrance

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THE SETTING FOR THIS POST WOULD HAVE TO BE DURING EARLIER TIMES IN CAJUN LIFE DUE TO THE HOME FURNISHINGS ETC. USED.
J’vas vous mettre en épreuve avec c’post-ici. Essayez-donc d’le traduire en Anglais vous-même. La traduction va vous donner ain bon exercice pour déterminer combien apprenait-vous-autres par moyen de mon blog.

J’ai intitulé ou nomée ce post “Il Est Aprés Brumasser.”

Les Cajuns aiment user “brumasser” pour indiquer équand qu’on après attraper aine tite pluie finne. (Le sérein est usé pour indiquer la trempeur du soir ou sur l’avant jour.)

Si il est après brumasser dehors (déhors) y faut qu’on trouve quel-que chose à faire dans la maison ou à l’abri du temps brumassant.

Pour les p’tits c’est ain bon temps pour faire des joues, ou-bien, se trouver ain bon livre à lire. Par exemple, les p’tits peuvent faire leur homework (leurs devoirs de l’éole) si y se trouvent sur le week-end (fin d’la semaine) ou manière tard dans l’après midi.

La femme de la maison, sans doute, pourra se ratrapper avec son raccommodage qu’alle a mis à côter pour accomplir plus tard. Aussi, é pourra faire du pain élevé (pain d’froment) pour mettre à côté pour user plus tard, et aussi servir chaque avec ain bloc ou tranche de se pain très frais et délicieux. Du beurre et du sirop d’canne, j’me doute pas, vont être mis sur le pain.

L’homme de la maison à toujours besoin d’arranger ses outils, alors, c’temps-la va le donner aine chance de faire ça, en magasin ou si il aurait aine forge dans ça. Peut-être il à besoin de dérober des épis d’mais et aussi les égrainer avec sa égraineusse, tourné à la main.

Si la compagnie arriverait, c’est ain bon temps pour se cracker ain bon gumbo. Le pain élevé va bien complimenter ou aller avec ce bon gumbo. Aussi, la femme va vitement brassé des gateaux au sirop et peut-être les glacer avec ain glaçage aux blancs d’oeufs.

Les animaux ont besoin d’être nourri, alors, l’homme ou les grands garçon de la maison vont mettre leurs capots cirés et aller les nourrir. Plus tard, si il est toujours après brumasser, les vâches à lait vont être tiré et le lait va être passé au couloir et serré dans le garmanger.*

Après que la compagnie va quitté la femme va netoyé sa cuisine et les p’tits vont ramasser leurs chambres et se préparer pour aller se coucher.

Tous bien entendu, la p’tite pluie finne à donné aine chance à la famille à faire quelques chose différente, mais qu’était bien plaisante et bien nécessaire et qu’y pouvait pas être fait pendant n’importe d’autre temps que pendant le jour “il était après brumasser.”

*Remember what a “garmanger” is?  Sometimes it may be pronounced “gardmanger.”

Look up all the words unknown to you in the Cajun Dictionary and try to remember the way Cajuns conjugate their verbs and how they elide or leave out letters or syllables.  Merci.

• Author: Jim Leger | Category: Learn Cajun French | Comments(0)

Bonbon, Candi, Carton, Cher Pitié, Conjo, Décolleter, Gris Gris, Hoba, Pas Fit, Pis, Piste, Dégotter Et Éreinter

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“Mais cher pitié, gardez-donc voir ça!”  (For pity’s sake please look at that!)  My mother would use the expression “mais cher pitié” meaning “but dear pity” at everything upsetting or situation that called for some form of compassion.

 “Mais cher pitié, gardes donc quoi qu’arrivé avec elle depuis son wreck, (abordage) asteur alle est bien estropié!”  (But dear pity, look thou please then what happened with her since her wreck, now she is well crippled.)

My mother would see dust arising from a passing vehicle in front of the old country home that was very close to a gravel road, and she would utter, “mais cher pitié, j’ai justement fini d’époussièré la chambre d’en avant, et gardez-donc tout la poussiére tous partout encore!”  (For pity’s sake I just finished dusting the front room, and please look at all of the dust all over again.!) [In those days during the summer the doors were kept open, of course having screen doors [[portes en grilles]] afore them “en avant d’eux.”]

“On habitude de enlever d’la poussière nous-autres même dans la cour du magasin et mom nous disait, “arrêtez vous-autres de faire ça pour l’amour d’pitié mes enfants!”  (We were in the habit of kicking up dust ourselves in the barnyard and mom would tell us, “stop (you others) of making that for the love of pity my children!)

“Deux oeufs achetaient ain cinq sous vaut de bonbons.”  (Two eggs would buy a nickle (five cents) of candy.)  “Le commis nous donnait laniappe équand on allait acheter cinq ou dix sous vaut d’bonbons”  (The sales person would give us a little extra when we would go buy five or ten cents worth of candy.)

“Bonbon” in my area was generic for any kind of candy, except peppermint sticks.  Generally you would use “le candi” for the peppermint stick.  “J’me rappelle quand j’étais dans les grades d’ain à sept à l’école qu’il avait ain gros garçon qu’était envoyé au maître (professeur) d’école pour attraper aine raclée à cause de malfaire et il avait ain gros candi dans aine de ses poches d’en arrière.  Le maître l’a donné plusieur de coups sur son derrière (fond d’culotte) et en faisant ça il a tout cassé le candi du gros garçon.  En sortant de l’office du maître d’école (professeur) cet étudiant s’a éclaté à rire parce que le gros candi l’avait sauvé (empêché) de sentir la force du bâton sur son derrière (fond d’culotte).  Après cette raclée le gros garçon avait rien d’autre que des grimilles d’candis plutôt d’ain candi en nette.”

Translation to the above: I remember when I was in elementary school, that there was a big (young) boy that was sent to the principal of the school to get a spanking due to mishehaving and he had a large peppermint stick in one of his back pockets.  The principal gave him a number of strokes on his back side and in doing that he broke completely the peppermint stick of the the big boy.  In leaving the principal’s office that student burst out laughing because the big peppermint stick had saved him or prevented him from feeling the full force of the rod on his back end.  After this spanking, the big boy had nothing else than small candy pieces instead of a whole peppermint stick.  

The Cajun word for “cardboard” is “carton.”  The Cajun Dictionary author tells us never to say “cartron.”  Well, I have a son who use to disagree with Webster as to how to spell English words when he was in middle school, now I am not disagreeing with the author as to what is proper, but we did use “cartron” in my area.  Sometimes I would hear “caltron” as well.

“J’avais l’habitude équand j’étais ain jeune garçon, de jouer avec des boîtes en caltron (carton, cartron) pour faire accroire que j’aie été ain brigand après espérer en cachette pour sauter dessus mes victimes.”  (I used to play, when I was a young boy, with carboard boxes to make believe that I was a brigand waiting in hiding to leap upon my victims.)

Dans c’temps-là j’faisais ce joue simplement en faire accroire, mais c’est trop damage qu’ajourd’hui il y a ain tas de jeune monde qui font (fait) pas accroire, mais y le font (fait) en réalité.”  (During or in that time, I would engage in this play only in make believe, but it is regrettable that there are a lot of young folks who do not play make believe, but they do it in reality.)

Around my neighborhood there was a woman who was known to engage in “gris-gris” stuff, or a form of voodoo.  It may not have been looked upon as black magic, but to me it was.

“On avait aine bonne amie qu’était tous l’temps malade avec aine maladie que les docteurs peuvent pas comprendre.  Ain jour aine de ses amies a cherché tous partout dans sa maison pour essayer de trouver ain conjo (conja).  Les deux ensemble ont trouvé ain conjo (conja) en bas de son lit.  Le conjo (conja) était aine corde entortillé comme aine couette à peu près six pouces de long.  Y l’ont, j’crois, enterré loin de la maison, mais la maladie s’a pas quitter.  Enfin, cette amie est mort avec cette maladie après la embarrasser.” (We had a good friend who was always sick with a sickness that the doctors could not understand.  One day one of her friends tried to find a voodoo amulet.  The two together found one under the bed of the sick friend.  They buried it, I think, far away from the house, but the sickness did not go away.  At the end, this friend died with this sickness still affecting her.)

“On avait des femmes qu’y disaient qu’y puissent (pouvaient) tirer la bonne aventure.  Mes parents allaient jamais visiter ces femmes là parce qu’ils avaient peur d’être embêté par moyen de tous ce gris-gris.”  (We had women who said that they could tell the future.  My parents never did go to visit them because they were afraid that it they could be mislead by all this gris-gris.)

“Pendant certains époques les robes que les femmes apportassent (apportaient) étaient bien décolleté, mais en contraire, pendant d’autres époques, leurs epaules, et leurs cous étaient tous caché par leur habillements.  (During cetain epochs (time periods) the dresses that the women wore had low neck lines, but to the contrary during other time periods their shoulders and necks were well covered (hidden) by their clothing.)  

“Mes grandes mères avaient dédain de voir les femmes tous décolleté.  (My grandmothers had disdain in seeing the women with low-cut dresses.)  “Aine de mes grand-mères cousait ses robes elle-même, et j’te guarantie qu’é mît (mettait) ain col qui pouvait être bien boutonné pour cacher son cou et ses épaules.”  (One of my grandmothers sewed her dresses herself, and I guarantee, you, that she would put a collar that could well buttoned up to hide her neck and her shoulders.) 

“Hoba, hoba, hoba!”  This expression was heard on the farm everyday.  It was used to drive cattle gently, but when the need arose you heard a forceful “hoba!”  The expression “cha” was used when calling a milking cow to get her ready for milking.  Of course, each area may have had their own expressions for these two cattle calling expressions.

In Cajun sometimes as I have stated before that English words or expressions are used.  E.g.: “Mais cher tu peux essayer d’replacer ce morceau ici avec çula, mais j’crois bien, qu’y va pas fit.”  (But dear, you can try to replace this piece here with this one there, but I don’t think that it will fit.) 

“Mes souliers sont trop serré sur mes pieds à c’t'heure, mais  équand j’les acheté, endurer qu’ils étaient comfortable-là, mais aujourd’hui y vont pas fit.  Peut être que mes pieds ont conflé dernièrement (most often than not, the first “r” was elided).” (My shoes are too tight on my feet now, but when I bought them, it looked like that they were comfortable then, but today they won’t fit.  Maybe that my feet have swollen lately.”

“Pis” is an elided form of “puis.”  You will hear me pronounce “épis” which is a combination of “et puis,” which stands for “and then.” I will also use “pis-là” which literally means ”then at this point.”   “Elle a été hier chez (c’es) sa belle-fille, épis (pis-là) é s’a mis en obstination (obstination) (querelle) avec elle.”  (She went yesterday at the home of her daughter-in-law, and then she put herself in a disput (quarrel) with her.)

Like one person said about “pis” or “épis-là” when she was in South Central Louisiana, that it seemed that every sentence had “pis-là” in it.  I believe that it is true.  These are word whiskas, such as is used in English a lot when one is not fluent.  (like “and then, and uh”)

“Les pistes de mon wagon sont bien aisé à voir dans cette terre arable.”  (My wagon tracks are easy to see in this arable or loose earth.)  Another Cajun word for tracks is “les rouins.”  Seldom was this word used in the singular.  “Les rouins dans le tit ch’min terre sont très creux.”  (The tracks (or ruts) in the little dirt road are very deep.)  Very interesting is the usage of this word (pistes) in SF as in “les pistes de bowling,” which would stand for “the bowling lanes.”

At times “pistes” is used to mean ”paths” (as such small roadways walked on by people).  “On va suivre dans ses pistes, entrement, on va s’perdre.”  (We will follow in his paths, otherwise, we will lose ourselves.)

“Le pauvre tit garçon s’a engoté sur ain morceau d’pain sec, chanceux pour lui, que son père était au près de lui pour l’aider à se dégoter.”  (The poor little boy chocked himself on a piece of dry bread, fortunately for him that his father was near to him to help him to unchoke himself.)

It seems that the Cajun verb “engoter” is not used in SF.  It means as used above ”to choke” oneself.  (There are other verbs that are used such as, “etrangler [which can also be used to choke someone by the neck and étouffer to smother, yet due to choking on something.])

“Quand les deux ont commencé à s’battre, le plus gros a essayé d’etrangler le plus petit [mostly pronounced 'pitit' when used as this adjective].”  (When the two started to fight the bigger one tried to choke the smaller one.”)

“Le gros chien s’a étouffé quand sa tête s’a fait pris dans ain trou qu’aie été trop étroit pour la retirer.”  (The big dog smothered himself when his head was stuck in a hole that was too narrow to remove it (head).”

To frazzle, exhaust, work overly hard enough to symbolically break one’s back one verb to use is “éreinter.”  The SF verb for ” le rein” is “the kidney.”  In Cajun we do not use that word for the kidney.  We prefer “le pigroin,” sometimes pronounced by my folks as “le pigôroin.”  Cajuns are also heard, though rarely, using “le rognon” for “the kidney.  That noun refers also to the flank or side of ribs, sometimes identified as “le flanc.” 

For “the “lower back” or “lumbar”  we use “le rein” or ”le reintier.”  Never do we use “le rein” for “the kidney!”  If you were speaking SF to a Cajun and you were to say, “il tomba et au même temps il fit du mal à son rein,” he would conclude that you told him that “he fell and at the same time he hurt his back,” not one of his kidneys.

So you can see why Cajun is a unique language.  Yes it has its own vocabulary and conjugation, mais mes amis c’est ça qui fait cette langue ô si intéressante!

J’souhaite que ce poste va vous donner ain tit brin plus d’connaisance usable et aine que vous-autres peut bien comprendre facilement.  (I hope that this post will give you a little bit more of usable knowledge and one that you can well understand, easily.) 

• Author: Jim Leger | Category: Learn Cajun French | Comments(0)

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Jim Leger

• Author: Jim Leger | Category: Learn Cajun French | Comments(3)

Questions In Cajun And The Usage Of Pourquoi, Quoi, Qui Et D’Autres Choses

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Cajuns have a number of ways to ask a question.  Again, a person must remember that eliding can take place and for one who knows standard French it may be a little confusing.

“Quoi” is a relative pronoun which can stand for, “what,” “which” and “something.”  It is also used as a masculine noun for “wherewith” and “something.” 

E.g.s: “L’homme a ri parce qu’il avait “de quoi à rire.” [Cajun Dictionary]  (The man laughed because he had “something” to laugh about.)

“J’connais pas quoi que j’vas faire avec cette vieille bétaille là!”  (I do not know “what” that I will do with this old “beast” there!)  Now in Cajun “bétaille can stand for any kind of animal, bug etc.  However, it can also stand for a person with beast-like qualities.  It is a very derogatory (dénigrant) term for a person.  So one would have to know if the speaker were speaking about  a “beast” or “a beast-like” person.

Interestingly, Cajun parents would tell their young children, “ou, la tétaille,” or if a child were to try and touch a bug or small creature they would say, “non, non, tétaille, tétaille!”  Of course tétaille was a childish way of saying “bétaille.”

“Quoi c’est qu’a arrivé avec lui?”  (”What” is it that happened to him?)  Now if you were to hear the question, “quoi c’est?” [what is it?] without further ado, then you would take it to mean that the speaker was asking you just that “what is it?”  (Cajuns elide that phrase to, “quoi c’qu’a arrivé avec lui?)

“Quoi” is used as an interjection to reply to a statement that may not be fully comprehended or heard.  Speaker: “J’peux pas faufiler mon aguille à cause de ma vue est faible, viens donc voir si ti peux la faufiler.” (I cannot thread my needle due to my sight being weak, please come see if you can thread it.)  Reply: “Quoi!” Then the speaker would repeat the plea. 

Another way of asking “why” in Cajun is the combination of “quoi” with “faire.”  “Quoi-faire qu’alle a pas v’nu nous joindre au temps qu’alle nous a promis?”  “Quoi-faire” literally means “why do or why perform that way, or why is it so.”  (Why is it that she did not come join us at the time that she had promised us?”)

Again you may hear “quoi-faire” used alone to reply to a statement made by someone.  Speaker: “J’peux pas aller demain à ta maison.” (I cannot go tomorrow to your house.)  Reply: “Quoi-faire?”  That reply would mean “why not” or “why is it done that you can’t, etc.”

Of course Cajuns use “pourquoi” [for why] which is the adverb that means the same as “quoi” or “quoi-faire.”  “Pourquoi donc pas aller le donner la main?”  (Why, then, not go to give him a helping hand?”)

“Pourquoi” can also be used as a noun in Cajun in the following example: “Le pourquoi est que j’me sens pas bien pour aller à la pêche aujourd’hui.”  (The reason is that I do not feel well to go fishing today.)  Here “pourquoi” is used as a masculine noun.

“Quoi qu’il y a?”  (What is the matter.)  This is heard often in Cajun conversations.  “Quoi qu’il y a avec lui qu’il faut qu’y va se coucher?”  (What is the matter with him that it is necessary that he has to go to bed?”)  [Notice that "y" can also stand for "he."  I used "il" in the two instances where"qu'il" appears  to differentiate from "y."]  {”qu’il [[that it]] and qu’y [[that he.]]}

Of course you may hear an elided version.  “Quoi y’a avec lui?”  (What is the matter with him?   In my area this was the popular way of asking “what is the matter…”)  If you heard “quoi y’a” you were being asked simply, “what is the matter.”

If you were to hear a Cajun ask “quoi?” that would mean he is asking you “what?”  You know like we do in English in a forceful way if we hear something that is not to our liking!  Of course it could simply mean “what” as well.

Speaker: “J’crois qu’il a volé mon argent qu’était sur la tablette-là!”  Reply: “Quoi!”  (I think that he stole my money that was on the shelf, there!”  “What!”)

“Quoi t’as vu?” (What did you see?)  “Quoi” here is a noun and the object.  (Invert and make a statement you would have “t’as vu, quoi,” or “you saw what.”)  Now if one were not very familiar with Cajun and did not see that question in writing, he might think ”quoi” or “what”  would be doing the seeing if he did not pick up on the way the question was asked.  Remember that Cajuns ask a question by the tone of their voice and not necessarily by inverting the verb form.  So, you would hear the inflection at the end of the question, “quoi t’as vu?) [listen for the inflection].

Now for “who is it who saw you?” we would ask “qui c’est qui t’a vu?” (Not elided: “qui ce est qui te a vu?”)   We would not use “quoi,” or “what,” but use “qui,” since “quoi” is used only with regard to inanimate things and at times animals when used as a masculine noun.) ["Qui" or "who" is the direct object.  Make a statement with that "c'est qui, qui t'a vu," or "it is who, who has seen you."]  Or “qui c’est que t’as vus?” would be (who is it that you saw?  Making a statement it would be “c’est qui, que t’as vu, or “it is who, that you saw.)

“Quoi c’que (literally “quoi ce que”) tu veux pour déjeuner?”  (What is it that you want to breakfast [eat for breakfast]?) “Ce” is a masculine demonstrative adjective which stands for “this, that, those and these.  So literally one would be asking “what of this etc. do you want for breakfast?)  Remember that the “e” in “ce” is elided or seldom pronounced.

Now “quoi” can also be used as a masculine noun.  “Il y a assez du quoi qui peut pas toucher d’l'aide du governement.”  (He has enough of “money,” “material goods,” “wherewith” etc., that he cannot receive government aid or help.) 

The verb “toucher” means “to feel” but in Cajun it can also mean “to draw or collect something, especially money.”

“Vas pas toucher ça mon enfant!”  (Go not to touch that my child!)  “Dans les années passés le vieux monde pouvaient toucher ain cheque pour le vieux monde de l’état de la Louisiane.”  (In years gone by the old folks could draw or collect a check for old people from the state of Louisiana.)

Now as to “qu’est-ce que” we pronounce it “qu’es(t)-c’que.”  As in SF it asks “what is it?”  You will hear Cajuns use that adverbial phrase also. 

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(A late addition: Cajuns would also use, “quoi-c’est que tu veux?”)  That phrase was heard in my Cajun circle more often than “qu’est-ce que tu veux?”  As stated above it would no doubt be more often elided to, “quoi c’que tu veux?)  [What is it that you want?]

“Qu’est-ce que (quoi c’est que) tu veux faire avec cette affaire ici, cher?”  (What is it that you want to do with this thing here, dear.)

As I have posted before when Cajuns ask please, they say it in different ways. 

E.g.s:  “Si vous plait” is preferred over “s’il vous plait,” that is “if it pleases you.” 

“Si vous plait, viens m’aider à ramasser les mûrs qui se trouvent dans les eronces (éronces) dans le sud de la savane.”  (If you please, come and help me pick up the blackberries that are found in the briar patches in the south of the pasture.) 

Another way, “Viens donc voir m’aider à ramasser les mûrs qui se trouvent dans les éronces (eronces) dans le sud de la savane.”  (Come, then please see and, aid me to pick up the blackberries that are found in the briars in the south of the pasture.)  Here “donc voir” “thus see” is used for “please.”

“Il est ti-malade?”  This is a question about someone’s health.  (Is he really sick, but doubting it)  “Il est ti-bien malade?” (Is he I hope not sick?)  “Ti” and “ti-bien” according to the Cajun Dictionary is probably an inversion of SF ”est-il?”[is he?] and “faut-il” [must-he, like "must he be sick?]  Anyway that is what makes Cajun interesting.

Here are some more short questions that I heard over and over growing up in my Cajun community.  Some of them can be found in the introduction of the Cajun Dictionary under “Other grammatical differences,” on page xxii.

“Tu viens?”  (Thou cometh?)  Your voice inflection would indicate that you are asking a question.

“Il va v’nir?”  (He will come?)  “Il va ti v’nir?”  (He will (doubting) come?)

“Combien il en a?”  (How many does he have?)

“Quoi t’en penses?”  (What do you think of it?”)  Remember “en” can stand for “it.”  “Quoi t’en penses, mon garçon, on devrait amener quelque gallons de gaz, d’extra, en tout-cas, parce que j’connais pas si il y aurait du gaz allentour du lac ayeou qu’on va aller à la pêche?  (What do you think of it, my boy, should we take some gallons of gas, extra, because I do not know if there will be gas around the lake where we are going fishing.)

“En tout-cas” in Cajun can mean “something like a spare tire or a jack in a trunk, or anything for emergencies.”  We also used that phrase in this way:  “En tout-cas que Marie peut (puisse) pas v’nir avec nous-autres, tu pourras v’nir dans sa place?”  (In all case that Mary cannot come with us, will you be able to come in her place?)

“Pourquoi t’es v’nu?”  (Why did thou come?)  “Quoi-faire t’es v’nu?” was also used.

“T’as vu ça, ein?”  (Did thou see that, huh?) 

These are just a few examples of how Cajuns may ask questions and use the words “pourquoi, quoi” (why) and “qui” (who) in their conversations.  This is not to say that in all areas these examples are used.  Remember that Cajuns have “locale” conversations. 

Here is another example of learning a language by ear and not enhanced by the written page:

To “lend” in French is “prêter.”  As kids growing up we would pronounce that verb “préter”.  “J’aimrai préter (prêter) ain tit brin d’argent à mon bon ami.”  (I would like to lend a little bit of money to my good friend.)  “Si la banque me prêterait d’l'argent pour m’acheter ain char, j’pourrai l’acheter, bétôt,  et qu’y va être plus nouveau.”  (If the bank would lend me money to buy a car, I would be able to buy it sooner and that it would be newer.)

Now when the verb “prêter” was used in other tenses, we would generally pronounce the prefix as “prê” rather than “pré.” (e.g. prêterait, conditionel first person)

Now to “borrow” something, the French verb is “emprunter.”  Well, lo and behold, we more often than not pronounced it “empréter” or “emprêter,”  I would surmise that was because we put “prêter” as the suffix due to the usage of “prêter” (to lend).  We mixed the “to lend” with “to borrow.”  Again, due to the fact of not being educated in the French language, we went by the ear.

“J’peux donc emprunter ta pelle pour fouiller mes poteaux d’barrièrs?”  (May I borrow your spade to dig my fence posts?)  Usually I would pronounce “emprunter” as “emprêter.” 

“J’emprunte” for “I borrow” was not heard in our area.  We always would say “j’emprête.”  I believe that in all conjugations we used we preferred the “prête” sound rather than the “prunte” sound.  I would image that this may be viewed as bad Cajun by some, but, cher, that is how we learned it!

I hope that this post will give you some insight into another facet of the Cajun language.  Je vous donne merci pour votre intérêt.