How to say "sign" in French + 8 things you can't do in Lourdes, France
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A sign or pancarte outside an entrance to Lourdes.
pancarte (pahn-kart) noun, feminine
: sign, notice, road sign; placard
French definition by Petit Larousse: une pancarte: "[un] Panneau, [ou] plaque portant une inscription ou un avis destiné au public."
Audio File: listen to my daughter, Jackie, pronounce today's word and French definition:
Download pancarte.mp3 . Download pancarte.wav
A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse
In the intermission between yesterday's Lourdes story and tomorrow's conclusion, here are 8 things that are prohibited at the holy lieu de pèlerinage*:
Interdits à Lourdes (Prohibited at Lourdes):
1. Les chiens ("dogs" ... or animals in general)
2. Les cornets de glace ("ice cream cones" ... or snacks)
3. Les cigarettes ("cigarettes")
4. Les vêtements de plage ("beach clothing")
5. Les téléphones portables (mobile phones)
6. Interdit de mendier ("begging is prohibited")
7. Attention aux voleurs ("watch out for pickpockets")
8. Pas de bicyclette ("no bikes")
... I should add that asking the candle-machine refiller guy (a contemplative frère?*) for his photo is prohibited too (but feeling super duper dumb and déplacée* for asking is not).
* * *
Comment on today's post... or help expand this edition with your own language savoir-faire: Do you (or does the person sitting next to you...) know the word for pancarte (sign) in Spanish? German? Italian? Chinese? What is the word for pancarte (road sign, public notice) in Danish? Swedish? In Tagalog? Click on the comments box to share today's word in another language. Meantime, I know today's word in Pig Latin... I'll add it here now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~References~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
un lieu (m) de pèlerinage = place of pilgrimage; un frère (m) = a brother; déplacé(e) = out of line (misplaced)
In French film: Army of Shadows: Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece about the French resistance against the Nazi Occupation went unreleased in the United States for thirty-seven years before its triumphant theatrical release in 2006.
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The Pig Latin word for "pancarte" is ancarte-pay, if I remember right...
Posted by: kristin | Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 11:40 AM
In Danish a pancarte is simply called 'skilt' (meaning sign, signpost or board).
Posted by: Jens | Friday, August 15, 2008 at 11:04 AM
In spanish "pancarte" is 'pancarta' (banner or sign... for example in a march or manifestation) and also 'letrero', 'señal' or 'señalamiento' ("official" sign, signal... for traffic)
Posted by: Andrea | Friday, August 15, 2008 at 03:44 PM
Bonjour, je pense qu'on doit dire "attention aux voleurs", parce qu'on ne veut pas attirer l'attention des voleurs :) J'adore votre site, et j'y apprends beaucoup!
Posted by: karen | Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 05:34 PM