March 28, 2024
Un passage d'un scénario (29)
La barista s'eloigne. Jeanne fixe le shooter vide devant elle en réfléchissant.
Jeanne : Tu sais quoi, j'en prends un autre.
La barista : Je t'ai dit, je sais de quoi je parle.
Elle lui en verse un autre, gracieusement. Jean tend sa carte de crédit. Après réflexion, elle sort de l'argent liquide, en tâtonnant...
Jeanne : Alors, as-tu toujours kiffé le café ?
La barista : C'est un taf.
Jeanne : Oui. Bien sûr. C'est logique.
Le visage de Jeanne devient de plus en plus rouge.
La barista : Mais toi, tu dois avoir un genre de boulot sérieux, hein ?
Jeanne hésite.
Jeanne : Je suis écrivaine.
La barista regarde sa jupe et son chemisier.
La barista : Tu t'habilles comme ça pour écrire ?
Jeanne rougit.
Jeanne : Enfin, je suis plus journaliste. C'est un peu corporate.
Elle la regarde de travers.
La barista : J'aurais lu quelque chose ?
Jeanne : Probablement pas. Je travaille principalement en free-lance. Articles d'opinion...
The barista pulls away. Jean stares at the empty shot glass in front of her, considering...
JEAN
You know what, I’ll take another.
FEMALE BARISTA
Told you, I know my shit.
She pours another, gracefully. Jean holds out her credit card. On second thought, she takes out cash, fumbling-
JEAN
So, have you always been into coffee?
FEMALE BARISTA
(uh, no.)
It’s a job.
JEAN
Right. Of course. Makes sense.
Jean, turning redder now.
FEMALE BARISTA
But you. You must have some kind of serious job, huh?
Jean pauses.
JEAN
I’m a writer.
FEMALE BARISTA
(re: skirt/blouse)
You wear that to write?
Jean blushes.
JEAN
Well, I’m more like a journalist. It’s kinda corporate.
She looks at her, sideways.
FEMALE BARISTA
Anything I would have read?
JEAN
Probably not. I do mostly freelance. Op-ed pieces...
Un passage d'un scénario (29)
La barista s'eloigne.
Jeanne fixe le shooter vide devant elle en réfléchissant.
Jeanne : Tu sais quoi, j'en e vais en (re)prendsre un autre.
Would be natural to use the futur proche here
La barista : Je t'ai dit, je sais de quoi je parle.m'y connais !
to know one's shit = would be "je m'y connais", which is less colloquial than its English counterpart
Elle lui en verse un autre, gracieusement.
Jean tend sa carte de crédit.
Après réflexion, elle sort de l'argent liquide, en tâtonnant...
¶¶
¶
Jeanne : Alors, t'as-tu toujours kiffé le café ?
de l'argent liquide = du liquide (the seconde alternative is even more common)
The discrepancy between a very formal verb-subject inversion and the very informal "kiffer" makes the sentence looks quite funny :) "t'as" is the non standard abbreviation of "tu as"
La barista : C'est un taf.
Jeanne : Ouiais.
"oui" is quite standard and formal, "ouais" is more colloquial. A bit like "yes" vs "yeah"
Le visage de Jeanne devienrougit de plus en plus rouge.
Shorter and more natural
La barista : Mais toi, tu dois avoir un genre de boulot sérieux, hein ?
Jeanne hésite.
Jeanne : Je suis écrivaine.
La barista regarde sa jupe et son chemisier.
La barista : Tu t'habilles comme ça pour écrire ?
More colloquial alternatives => tu te fringues comme ça pour écrire ? ; t'écris sapée comme ça ?
sapé = habillé = dressed
se fringuer = s'habiller = to dress
Jeanne rougit.
Jeanne : Enfin, je suis plus journaliste.
C'est un peu corporate.
There's no true alternative to this word, (although approximative matches could be found), I'll try to think about it...
Elle la regarde de travers.
I don't know in which exact sense you meant "sideways" here, but "regarder quelqu'un de travers" in French is always looking at them askance, ie suspiciously, or with disdain, hatred etc.
La barista : J'aurais lu quelque choseC'est possible que j'aie déjà lu un truc de toi ?
I tried to keep the syntax while thinking about something common and colloquial... Literally: "it's possible I've read a thing from you?"
Jeanne : Probablement pas.
Je travaille principalement en free-lancà mon compte.
Here it's possible to avoid the anglicism "freelance"
ADes articles d'opinion, ce genre de trucs...
The sentence would need a little complement here for the reader to understand you basically mean "etc"
March 29, 2024
Merci. It's hard to shake the habit of using inversions for questions after learning them from school. Same with using nous instead of on.
And yes, looking at someone sideways can imply suspicion as was the case here (the barista suspected Jean of lying).
March 29, 2024
It's also very cultural. The verb-subject inversion seems to be still very prevalent in Québec, even in oral contexts, but in Europe, it definitely belongs to the formal written language.
Oh nice, because so far I've understood, "look at someone sideways" can imply several things in English (but in French, it cannot)
|
La barista regarde sa jupe et son chemisier. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
La barista : Tu t'habilles comme ça pour écrire ? La barista : Tu t'habilles comme ça pour écrire ? More colloquial alternatives => tu te fringues comme ça pour écrire ? ; t'écris sapée comme ça ? sapé = habillé = dressed se fringuer = s'habiller = to dress |
|
Jeanne rougit. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jeanne : Enfin, je suis plus journaliste. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
C'est un peu corporate. C'est un peu corporate. There's no true alternative to this word, (although approximative matches could be found), I'll try to think about it... |
|
Articles d'opinion...
The sentence would need a little complement here for the reader to understand you basically mean "etc" |
|
Un passage d'un scénario (29) This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
La barista s'eloigne. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jeanne fixe le shooter vide devant elle en réfléchissant. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jeanne : Tu sais quoi, j'en prends un autre. Jeanne : Tu sais quoi, j Would be natural to use the futur proche here |
|
La barista : Je t'ai dit, je sais de quoi je parle. La barista : Je t'ai dit, je to know one's shit = would be "je m'y connais", which is less colloquial than its English counterpart |
|
Elle lui en verse un autre, gracieusement. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jean tend sa carte de crédit. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Après réflexion, elle sort de l'argent liquide, en tâtonnant... Jeanne : Alors, as-tu toujours kiffé le café ? Après réflexion, elle sort de l'argent liquide, en tâtonnant... de l'argent liquide = du liquide (the seconde alternative is even more common) The discrepancy between a very formal verb-subject inversion and the very informal "kiffer" makes the sentence looks quite funny :) "t'as" is the non standard abbreviation of "tu as" |
|
La barista : C'est un taf. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jeanne : Oui. Jeanne : Ou "oui" is quite standard and formal, "ouais" is more colloquial. A bit like "yes" vs "yeah" |
|
Bien sûr. |
|
C'est logique. |
|
Le visage de Jeanne devient de plus en plus rouge.
Shorter and more natural |
|
La barista : Mais toi, tu dois avoir un genre de boulot sérieux, hein ? This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jeanne hésite. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Jeanne : Je suis écrivaine. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Elle la regarde de travers. Elle la regarde de travers. I don't know in which exact sense you meant "sideways" here, but "regarder quelqu'un de travers" in French is always looking at them askance, ie suspiciously, or with disdain, hatred etc. |
|
La barista : J'aurais lu quelque chose ? La barista : I tried to keep the syntax while thinking about something common and colloquial... Literally: "it's possible I've read a thing from you?" |
|
Jeanne : Probablement pas. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Je travaille principalement en free-lance. Je travaille principalement Here it's possible to avoid the anglicism "freelance" |
You need LangCorrect Premium to access this feature.
Go Premium