FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

My daughter Jackie (7-years-old) has updated her column this week. Don't miss these "Thoughts of a Little Girl from France." (The English version follows the French.)

redoubler (ruh-doo-blay) verb
1. to increase, to intensify, to step up, to redouble
2. to repeat a year (school)

Also:
un redoublant (une redoublante) = a student who repeats a grade.

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Expressions:

redoubler d'efforts = to strive harder than ever
redoubler une classe = to repeat a year or a grade, to be held back
redoubler de prudence/de vigilance = to be extra careful/vigilant
redoubler le chagrin de quelqu'un = to add to someone's grief

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Citation du Jour:

C'est le naturel du coeur humain de redoubler ses efforts pour retenir le bien qu'on lui ôte.

It is natural for the human heart to strive to keep the good that has been taken away from it. --Bossuet

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Pensées d'une Petite Fille de France...

Il y a une fille à mon école qui est méchante. Elle est plus grande que moi et elle est dans ma classe. Normalement, elle va au CE2, mais cette année elle redouble.

Cette fille, elle nous pousse et elle nous dit des gros mots. Quand je joue avec sa petite protégée, et que je coiffe ses cheveux, elle n'aime pas ça et elle lui dit:

"Ce soir tu auras les cheveux tout embrouillés."

Moi je ne dis rien mais elle, elle est toujours méchante. Quand les gens sont méchants avec nous, il faut courir et s'en aller.

In English:

There is a girl at my school who is mean. She is bigger than me and she's in my class. Normally, she goes to 3rd Grade, but this year she's repeating 2nd Grade.

This girl pushes us and says cusswords. When I play with her favorite friend, styling her hair, she doesn't like that and she tells her:

"Tonight your hair will be all tangled up!"

As for me, I say nothing, but she is still mean. When people are mean to us, we must run, and go away.

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Post Note: Re-reading Jackie's story aloud to her, she stopped me on a few words. Here follows that episode:

Moi: (encountering the word "redoubler") "ray doo blay"...
Jackie: "C'est 'ruh' pas 'ray'.* Je te dis mille fois!* 'Ruh' et pas 'ray'!"
Moi: (moving on to paragraph two) "em bree yay"...
Jackie: BROO! BROO! C'est 'em broo yay'. Tu l'as presque eu, maman.*

*References: C'est = it's; Je te dis mille fois = I've told you a thousand times; Tu l'as presque eu, maman = You almost had it, mom