Wednesday, May 26, 2010

expressions: words ending in "ing"

Where do you park your car?  In un parking.
Where do you hang your clothes? In un dressing.
Where do you put up your tent? In un camping.
What do you call your schedule? Un planning.
What do you use to wash your hair? Un shampooing.
What do men wear to fancy functions? Un smoking.
What do you call going for a run or a jog? Un footing.

For whatever reason, the French have adopted these English words to mean something other than their definitions in English (much like how we use "entree" to mean a main dish, when it actually is the entrance or starter to a meal). Of course French people expect anglophones to understand these words because they think they are English words, and they seem genuinely surprised to find out that we don't use these words in the same way!

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