British or French accent; what sounds sexier? [Archive]

Matrix

11-09-2006, 01:01 AM

I love the british and french accent, both sound awesome to me. It's really tough to pick the best but if I was stranded on a deserted island and had a choice of which accent i was gonna hear for the next ten years from a woman... I think I would pick the british accent, surprise.

Of course if Alizee was in the option of who to hear for the next ten years, it would be french, lol

If you think about it, french doesn't really have an accent like the way the british speak english and sound to us americans, its more of just the way french sounds, french flows and sounds cool :) I could be way off in saying french doesn't really have an accent, I don't really know.

British women sound very sexy. Like the british accent being used by the female narrator in the Passengers video of Alizee, the video where she is wearing that black beret. She sounds awesome in that video

In France, can you tell what region of france someone lives in by the way they speak french? Here in usa, you know someone is from down South or east coast by the way they talk.

maareek

11-09-2006, 01:11 AM

I just spent like a full minute in awe as Alizée, in your gif, was hitting the cymbals in time with Danny Carey in this version of Stinkfist I'm listening to. Has nothing to do with the topic, but I'm still dumbfounded at this point...I think I'm gonna keep this song on loop for awhile and just enjoy it.

Erm...on to the topic. I'm pretty sure there's different accents in different parts of France (I would extremely surprised if this wasn't found in every single language on the planet, slight variations in pronunciation and word usage in different regions just seems like it would apply everywhere).

As to whether I prefer a French or a British accent...it's kind of a hard choice as most of the French accents I've heard were speaking French. The one lady I knew pretty well who was French and still had a very pronounced accent makes it very hard to go against the French accent.

And it really depends on the area the British woman was from, as some region's dialects are quite annoying to listen to while others are completely intoxicating. And then you have to take into account the woman herself (I could listen to Keira Knightley talk all day, but I think I'd have to plug my ears listening to someone else using that dialect). So I'm gonna cop out and not answer and go back to watching this gif. ;p

My favorite all time accent would probably be a woman with a slight (slight, mind you) Georgia drawl. Southern belle, God I'm such a redneck.

brad

11-09-2006, 01:34 AM

atra201

11-09-2006, 02:43 AM

HibyPrime

11-09-2006, 02:46 AM

Apples and Oranges...

It depends on the person...

(unless shes got some really annoying accent, ie. a german screaming in your ear)

Cooney

11-09-2006, 02:51 AM

There are definitely differences in accent between different parts of France. What most American schools teach is "Parisien" french - the French sound you'll hear in and around Paris. There are plenty of others (though I don't pretend to recognize them myself), which one can pick up on in interviews and films.

As for my personal preference, I'd have to go with a French accent. I do like some British accents (but not all!), but I prefer the French.

bt_bird_90

11-09-2006, 04:10 AM

Alizée wins everytime as far as cuteness goes, but for everyone else:

Aussie girls

/thread

nurvonic

11-09-2006, 05:57 AM

i have to say ive always hated the british accent. them with their 'oh im sooo proper and well-mannered with my british accent' attitude. then i saw that movie 'Snatch' and that all changed. but i still hate it

but overall, ive always loved the french accent, either speaking french or english. that would be cute as having Alizee attempt to do an interview in english..lol

Cooney

11-09-2006, 06:38 AM

C-4

11-09-2006, 07:04 AM

I love Alizée's French accent, and I would prefer it if women speak with that type of french accent.

For men, I prefer a british accent, but not too cockney or heavy, more like the Beatles had.

aFrenchie

11-09-2006, 08:02 AM

Erm...on to the topic. I'm pretty sure there's different accents in different parts of France
Yes of course, although they lessen more and more as time goes by. The most recognizable is the one from the "Midi de la France", all around Marseilles. Old movies made in that area (specifically by Marcel Pagnol) used to be hilarious! Now if anyone francophone here has seen the "Taxi" series produced by Luc Besson in Marseilles, you can clearly see how it's not the same anymore :(.

Mozaik

11-09-2006, 09:41 AM

Other than her songs, how many recordings do we have of her speaking in English? The only things that come to mind are her citing the names of her 4 English tracks from MCE in the FunTV interview, and saying "Thank you, thank you very much" at the British Top of the Pops performance.

In the start of the I'm fed up music video I have, she says "You're watching my new music video, 'I'm fed up'.", I can enlarge your list with this. :)

For the topic: I can't really say anything because Alizée is the only person who I heard to speak english with french accent; and I cannot really differentiate the american and the british english. :p I know they're different, I can hear the different when I hear these two, one after the other but... If somebody would simply talking english, I couldn't tell, if he(/she)'s american or british. :rolleyes:

Senshi87

11-09-2006, 09:57 AM

id go for french accent :)

Twitch

11-09-2006, 09:58 AM

(unless shes got some really annoying accent, ie. a german screaming in your ear)
Not all German women have an annoying accent (the one often used in American movies), Joanna (a German exchange student) had one of the sweetest accent I've heard, so I guess it depends on what part of Germany they are from. And back to the question I prefer the accent a native Parisian women has when speaking English to that of the British. As for Parisian French I'm still undecided as I haven't heard enough of it, but it seems less "colourful" than Québecois.(like our English is less "colourful" than Newfoundlander's:) )

rwd716

11-09-2006, 11:09 AM

In the start of the I'm fed up music video I have, she says "You're watching my new music video, 'I'm fed up'.", I can enlarge your list with this. :)

I've never hear that, link?

Amelie

11-09-2006, 11:43 AM

i really prefer the french accent, it's very beautiful and charming. and american accent is good too, but i don't like english accent.

Spartan500

11-09-2006, 11:56 AM

I can't stand most accents but I like french, british, and australian accents

Matrix

11-09-2006, 12:16 PM

Alizée wins everytime as far as cuteness goes, but for everyone else:

Aussie girls

/thread

How could I forget the Aussie accent!!! :eek: Australian female accent is very sexy

neoteny

11-09-2006, 12:56 PM

I definitely would have said British three years ago. But I never really listened to a French woman speaking before then. The first time I really heard a French woman speaking French was Alizée's Fun TV interview.

I was completely hypnotized by her, so I would have to say French. I really enjoy listening to Lili speak in English with her accent too. I would love to hear her interviewed in English, even if she isn't that fluent.

kinda like Audrey Tautou trying to speak english...i find it sexy. Alizee would make me...well...
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaKKRpmTwlE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaKKRpmTwlE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

Twitch

11-09-2006, 01:17 PM

Again, Parisians and the French have a nice accent that unfortunately is not usually found with French Canadians speaking English. Not sure why, probably because of the massive amount of exposure to English media that the French in Canada are exposed to, not saying that the French in Canada speak without an accent, I just don't find it enjoyable as a true French/Parisian accent.

Unfortunately for us though, as far as I know, speaking French with an English accent is not seen as being sexy like having a French accent when speaking English. Or is it? Being English I know how we respond to foreign accents (some good some bad), but how do English speakers speaking foreign languages with an English accent(not British, just any native English speaker) sound to native speakers of those languages? I know ultimately it is all a matter of personal opinion, but was curious what members of the international community thought.

maareek

11-09-2006, 01:41 PM

HibyPrime

11-09-2006, 01:47 PM

Not all German women have an annoying accent (the one often used in American movies), Joanna (a German exchange student) had one of the sweetest accent I've heard, so I guess it depends on what part of Germany they are from.

Interesting, I'm reminded of Euro Trip here, the german chick (you know, the one the whole movie was about?) in there didn't have too bad an accent.

(like our English is less "colourful" than Newfoundlander's:) )

Colourful? Suuure, let's call them "colourful."

kinda like Audrey Tautou trying to speak english...i find it sexy. Alizee would make me...well...
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaKKRpmTwlE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaKKRpmTwlE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

She says "the" like almost every other french native: "ze," but she pronounces "that" without a zed? Now I'm lost. Edit: Ok, now I'm not lost, shes not french :/

RMJ

11-09-2006, 01:50 PM

French sounds million times sexier !

British English sounds horrible, I think... most of their accents, I mean.. Since there's million different kind of them anyways.

Out of all French accents, I think the Corsican one is the best. :) I don't so much like the parisien accent (tho, it's easier to understand ! ). Might be because I like very much Italian language, and Corsican accent has influenced by it a lot. And I like how smooth the Corsican accent is ! :wub:

I remember last year when I went to eat at uni and suddenly two French chicks sits next to for coffee and started to talk French (not parisien, not corsican but some other accent in between). I like fall in trance and stared far away and listened their speaking the next 30 mins, until they finally took off. My food was already cold by then... but damn... it was worth it. :p

Only if I could have gotten word out of my mouth and talk to them...

Mozaik

11-09-2006, 01:54 PM

I've never hear that, link?

http://upload.musique.hu/Kika/clips/Alizee/Im_feed_up.wmv
(15 MB)

(I know, "feed up"... It was not me, who wrote it! :) )

aFrenchie

11-09-2006, 03:18 PM

kinda like Audrey Tautou trying to speak english...i find it sexy. Alizee would make me...well...
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaKKRpmTwlE"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xaKKRpmTwlE" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Thanks, I never heard Audrey speaking English. I love that actress :).

Edit: Ok, now I'm not lost, shes not french :/
Eh? :confused:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Tautou

Out of all French accents, I think the Corsican one is the best. :) I don't so much like the parisien accent (tho, it's easier to understand ! ). Might be because I like very much Italian language, and Corsican accent has influenced by it a lot. And I like how smooth the Corsican accent is ! :wub:
Am I the only one who can't hear the Corsican accent? :confused: :confused: :confused:
Or is it a trick that only foreigners can catch?
Maybe sometimes Alizée has a little weird way to speak and sometimes she "eats" some of her words (still, not that much) but I'm very positive that it's herself only, not an accent, and nothing I heard in other Corsicans' mouths, either politic or showbiz people.

RMJ

11-09-2006, 03:28 PM

Thanks, I never heard Audrey speaking English. I love that actress :).

You should watch her English movies. :)

Like Dirty pretty things, which is one of my favorites from her. Her accent is very sweet !

Btw, that youtube clip is old. She speaks much better English nowadays (watch for example Da Vinci Code)

edit:
Ah... I just realized that the clip above is from the DVD extras of Dirty pretty things. :)

HibyPrime

11-09-2006, 05:05 PM

Eh? :confused:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Tautou

She says she has a turkish accent in the video :/

Now I'm even more confused than I was earlier...

mibir

11-09-2006, 05:19 PM

Between these two I'd say French. In general I have quite a thing for European accents and European women in general :o.

RMJ

11-09-2006, 05:36 PM

She says she has a turkish accent in the video :/

Now I'm even more confused than I was earlier...

Her character is from Turkey in that movie she is talking about (which is Dirty Pretty Things (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301199/)).

brad

11-09-2006, 05:43 PM

ahh man .. Audrey Tautou is so damn sweet.

I ♥ French girls

Twitch

11-09-2006, 06:04 PM

Audrey actually learned a lot of English while doing Dirty Pretty Things, during filming her English improved so much that they re dubbed all her scenes in post production. And RMJ is right she's French but her character is Turkish in DPT, but that might have been a way to disguise her French accent, which she pretty much lost during the filming. If you watch some of her early interviews you can really see how far her English has come. :)

aFrenchie

11-09-2006, 06:17 PM

brad

11-09-2006, 06:27 PM

she speaks great english in the da vinci code. I actually think she is speaking very well in the video posted above, she is just a little slow while she tries to think of the words.

i think you will find (in the USA anyway) that we enjoy people with foreign accents, so i wouldn't worry about your accent very much. I would think it is a benefit actually ..

Cooney

11-09-2006, 06:35 PM

http://upload.musique.hu/Kika/clips/Alizee/Im_feed_up.wmv
(15 MB)

(I know, "feed up"... It was not me, who wrote it! :) )

Thanks for the link! Consider my collection expanded.

Ahhh! So much hotness! I just sat at repeated that first couple seconds over, and over, and over, and over again. Ok, so I'm not in Korea, but I'll pretend she said hello to me instead :-P

I think those are the first complex sentences I've heard her speak in English. She hasn't, to my ear, developed any accent yet for her English pronunciation (she sounds French still, woot!). I love the full stop she put on the hard K sound on the end of "music" :-)

Not only I recognize the French accent in this video but also how exactly I pronounce English myself, in the smallest detail. So even if I didn't know her, I could tell you for sure that she's French :)
And if you tell me that the way she talks doesn't shock you too much, then it's very reassuring for me! :D

It doesn't shock me at all. I'm pretty impressed by it, really - her grammer remained perfect throughout, and if you eliminate the pauses in her speech, the words themselves flow perfectly. I had no trouble understanding everything she said :-)

DJ_Greg

11-09-2006, 07:00 PM

I'm not sure if this has been said already, but there are VERY different British accents depending on the region, and they range from very charming to...well...the little girl that Stewie meets in an old Family Guy episode.

Twitch

11-09-2006, 07:05 PM

^^I think that holds true for every country, and like I said it all comes down to each individual about whether you like or dislike an accent.

maareek

11-09-2006, 10:54 PM

From my limited experience I think the difference in dialects in Britain is far more pronounced than it is in almost any other language, at least any that I have heard.

I mean there's obvious difference from region to region in any language but most of the time they're fairly subtle and more related to word usage than the actual pronounciation itself. But people who live a relatively short way away from each other in Britain may almost sound like they're speaking different languages completely.

Audrey spoke fine English in that clip, and her accent was excellent. If you speak like that aFrenchie then you shouldn't have a problem with conversing in English.

And, oh man, that Alizée clip...thank you soooo much. I think I could watch it all day long and not get past the 5 second mark. o_O

cane17

11-09-2006, 11:49 PM

French all the way

here are my reasons why

http://moi-alizee.us/play/?v=4

http://moi-alizee.us/play/?v=5

Brits are ok

:D

rcs

11-10-2006, 12:52 AM

I like all accents because they are different. I'm biased, of course. Currently, I favor the french. I don't get to hear much of it.

aditya8617

11-10-2006, 02:38 AM

I think my opinion is biased too as I like France a lot so I like French and french accent both.

HibyPrime

11-10-2006, 02:42 AM

Her character is from Turkey in that movie she is talking about (which is Dirty Pretty Things (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301199/)).

Ok, NOW it makes sence...

Now I'm curious what a turkish accent sounds like..

It never ends..

neoteny

11-10-2006, 05:35 PM

Well Good.

RMJ

11-10-2006, 05:43 PM

Ok, NOW it makes sence...

Now I'm curious what a turkish accent sounds like..

It never ends..

Well, one thing is sure

It odes not sound like Audrey !

Your best bet is to go the nearest pizzeria or kebab place. it's most likely owned by Turk people. :)

neoteny

11-11-2006, 07:37 AM

...the little girl that Stewie meets in an old Family Guy episode.

i ride that poney... LOL

NANAKI

11-11-2006, 09:51 AM

French for me I hear it in school all the time in two different classes, and at home when i listen to Alizée

rwd716

12-18-2006, 06:33 PM

http://upload.musique.hu/Kika/clips/Alizee/Im_feed_up.wmv
(15 MB)

(I know, "feed up"... It was not me, who wrote it! :) )
Ugg, I just caught wind of this thread again and the link won't work for me :(

...the little girl that Stewie meets in an old Family Guy episode.

LOL!

Mozaik

12-19-2006, 04:38 PM

Ugg, I just caught wind of this thread again and the link won't work for me :(

Thank you for reporting it, will be fixed soon ;)

rwd716

12-19-2006, 07:25 PM

Not only I recognize the French accent in this video but also how exactly I pronounce English myself, in the smallest detail. So even if I didn't know her, I could tell you for sure that she's French :)
And if you tell me that the way she talks doesn't shock you too much, then it's very reassuring for me! :D

It doesn't shock me at all. It's just how I've become accustomed to French people talking. It has a certain charm about it that "clear" English lacks. I dunno, I actually don't see a huge reason to try to get rid of an accent except maybe if you're really trying to master pronunciation.

I was wondering though, if our American accent is at all pleasant. The only time I ever came close to "hearing" how English sounded was when I was watching "A Good Year" and Russell started to speak in English then the girl (don't remember her name) spoke in French. I'd have to say that the English didn't sound that good to me :( It was sort of rough or not so smooth, lol.

Also, if an Anglophone is speaking French, should they try to pronounce it with more of a French flavor or would it sound like they're trying to hard?

aFrenchie

12-19-2006, 07:50 PM

Also, if an Anglophone is speaking French, should they try to pronounce it with more of a French flavor or would it sound like they're trying to hard?
I don't know what you mean with "French flavor". If it's just about losing the English accent, then it will be better if the person wants to integrate even more in France for example. But you're right about the charm in all foreign accents of course.

Btw if you want to hear an American you're used to hear speaking English but who speaks an EXCELLENT French, with no accent at all, very fast, very at ease with slang or anything familiar, then here's Jodie Foster in France:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93gUpUsZktk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVOvobs-gns

You'd better ask her about her secret because you'd swear she's born and raised in France! :blink:

brad

12-19-2006, 08:07 PM

thanks for posting this, she also has a good southern USA accent in a lot of her movies. it seems like French is sooo fast compared to English.

neoteny

12-19-2006, 08:08 PM

i knew she went to harvard, but i had no idea she spoke french. i should have known or at least assumed she spoke another language! she's very fluent.

neoteny

12-19-2006, 08:16 PM

no...she went to yale. DAMMIT :mad:

HibyPrime

12-19-2006, 08:22 PM

no...she went to yale. DAMMIT :mad:

Damnit*

:)

aFrenchie

12-19-2006, 08:38 PM

In the interview, she says that she was in a French high-school, that her mother loved French movies and she had to translate each of them to her, that must help :D

Younger, singing in French:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OClsC17XRk

Performing in a French film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet with Audrey Tautou (same as Amelie! :)):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxjVFRIljxw

CFHollister

12-19-2006, 08:41 PM

This discussion about accents has got me thinking. I hope this isn't going too far off topic.

I like to think that I'm a person that doesn't have too many prejudices, but two that I am aware of, for myself, is towards English speakers with particular accents; and its something I know I have to watch when meeting new people. Specifically, without prior knowledge, I tend to think of people with strong Southern American (as in the "Deep South") as being not very intelligent, while I tend to think of people with British accents as being quite intelligent.

Personnaly, I don't speak any languages nearly well enough to even notice most accents spoken in them, let alone form prejudices about them. But I'm particular curious about our members who speak English not as their first language: What kind of prejudices or predispositions do you have toward any English accents, if any?

And as a more general question (including our English-only speakers): What kind of accent prejudices or predispositions do you think that you have for accents in your native language?

The question of whether you think a British or French accent is sexier skirts on the idea of a kind of positive accent prejudice (even if it really isn't the same thing). I just didn't feel like starting a whole new topic.

Thoughts?

BTW: Jody Foster is impressive in many ways, and this one is new to me.

brad

12-19-2006, 08:50 PM

I tend to think of people with strong Southern American (as in the "Deep South") as being not very intelligent, while I tend to think of people with British accents as being quite intelligent.

i have a strong southern accent, and i would agree with what you said .. i also think all british people sound smart.

i actually use that prejudice to my advantage all the time. i also look rather young for my age, so when I have to give a talk to a large number of people, they always think I am really smart because they think I am way younger than I really am .. and I have a southern accent.

so they end up thinking I am a genius.. lol

HibyPrime

12-19-2006, 09:06 PM

And as a more general question (including our English-only speakers): What kind of accent prejudices or predispositions do you think that you have for accents in your native language?

Haha.. That's an amazingly long list..

The question of whether you think a British or French accent is sexier skirts on the idea of a kind of positive accent prejudice (even if it really isn't the same thing). I just didn't feel like starting a whole new topic.

Yeah, that's basically true. Though, now that we've gone this far already, why not go as far as to say there isn't too much different between beauty and a positive prejudice toward people that look a certain way (infact I think you could even use one as a definition for the other)?

There are many levels in that line of thinking, but when you get to the bottom, you are just going to see that anything you believe, regardless of wether or not other people agree, will be true in your eyes.

back OT now: I still stand by my first statement in this thread: You can not compare the accents, it has a lot more to do with the person themselves, rather than the accent.

There was a Seinfeld episode where George was going crazy because he didn't know what to do after screwing up a date the night earlier (yeah, he does that a lot). Elaine said to him (paraphrased) "Just call her, I love it when guys call me the day after the date." George replied with quite probably the smartest statement I have ever seen on the show (paraphrased again): "Yeah, but you see, you are imagining someone you like!"

My point? Somewhat like what CFH was getting at; you are all imagining people you like of one accent, and you are imagining people you don't like of another accent based on pure prejudice.

You can't compare the accents, unless you compare two specific people with the accents..

Cooney

12-19-2006, 09:07 PM

The only language I speak well enough to easily pick specific accents out in is English, though I think can usually tell the difference between say a Parisian French, and something like Provençal (I might not know what it is, but I'll know it's different!).

With American English, I can of course recognize many different parts of the country, and I share some of your biases. Deep South I associate with lack of education and political conservativism, New England blue-blood I associate with high education, Californian I associate with political liberalism, etc. Most I just connect to a part of the country, and get images (farming for the Midwest, sand for the Old West, etc). At the airport the other day, the gate agents at the gates on either side of where I was sitting had great accents. One was full blown Louisiana Cajun (I think possibly the first time I've heard it in person), and the other was, I believe, Somali. Both were nice to listen to.

In British English I can also recognize some accent differences, in part because I've had voice training to emulate one or two specific ones. The easiest for me is the Standard RP (what most Americans think of as British, slightly less haughty than Queen's English). I can hear High RP (queen), the "lower class" London sound, Cockney (of course), and on good days, Brighton and Devon, plus Irish and Scottish (though not more specific than that). I don't have enough immersion in English culture to really have biases associated with them, though the very terms by which I've learned to identify them (high, standard, lower class, etc) have built-in bias which I'm sure is present for me.

rwd716

12-19-2006, 09:30 PM

Btw if you want to hear an American you're used to hear speaking English but who speaks an EXCELLENT French, with no accent at all, very fast, very at ease with slang or anything familiar, then here's Jodie Foster in France:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93gUpUsZktk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVOvobs-gns

You'd better ask her about her secret because you'd swear she's born and raised in France! :blink:

Whoa! I never knew she spoke french. Trés bien! I guess her secret is speaking it since she was young. And yes, it does seem a whole lot faster than English.

Twitch

12-20-2006, 10:14 AM

Did none of you watch "It's a Very Long Engagement" (English title for Un long dimanche de fiançailles). It won all kinds of awards, but was only nominated for two oscars so I don't know how big it was in the US. John Malkevich is also another American actor that can speak perfect French (IMO, aFrenchie might think otherwise :)). And on that note I'm curious how Schwarzenegger's accent in french sounds (he is said to speak it according to this page, About.com (http://french.about.com/od/teachingresources/a/celebrities.htm)).

RMJ

12-20-2006, 11:11 AM

Je serai de retour !

aFrenchie

12-20-2006, 12:11 PM

Did none of you watch "It's a Very Long Engagement" (English title for Un long dimanche de fiançailles).
I've posted a long excerpt of it here:
http://moi-alizee.us/forums/showthread.php?p=21713#post21713
John Malkevich is also another American actor that can speak perfect French (IMO, aFrenchie might think otherwise :)). And on that note I'm curious how Schwarzenegger's accent in french sounds (he is said to speak it according to this page, About.com (http://french.about.com/od/teachingresources/a/celebrities.htm)).
I haven't heard them speaking French yet so I can't tell you.
Je serai de retour !
"je reviendrai" is a better translation of "I'll be back" ;)

kilroy

12-20-2006, 12:12 PM

imo, french. years ago I met an au pair from Paris... a long story short, hands down french is "sexier" ;)

RMJ

12-20-2006, 12:53 PM

"je reviendrai" is a better translation of "I'll be back" ;)
I don't think so !

"Je reviendrai" means "I will come back" aka "I will return".

:)

aFrenchie

12-20-2006, 01:27 PM

"je reviendrai" is a better translation of "I'll be back" ;)
I don't think so !

Yes trust me!! (I've seen your smiley though) ;).
It's better because "je serai de retour" is usually used only with a complement, for example "je serai de retour dans une heure". Alone, it just sound weird (still grammatically correct) and "je reviendrai" is way better :)

RMJ

12-20-2006, 03:08 PM

Yes, but we are talking about killer machine here ! He does not care what is the nice way to put it but he uses the most efficient way !

:)

I did know that other too but I still think the other is much cooler. It has more the original feeling... If he had said "I'll return" it wouldn't become unforgottable line. So, I chose my way. And there's of course small comedy factor in the whole scene. :)

Actually, I tried to check out how they translated it for the movie but unfortunately my Limited Edition of Terminator has no French subtitles. :(

aFrenchie

12-20-2006, 03:19 PM

Actually, I tried to check out how they translated it for the movie but unfortunately my Limited Edition of Terminator has no French subtitles. :(
I don't remember either. And I probably saw it dubbed, not with subtitles anyway.

Cooney

12-21-2006, 07:38 AM

My own pitiful attempt at translating "I'll be back," while attempting to keep the meaning, would probably be "Je serai encore ici" (I will be here again).

The key thing to the menace of the phrase, in my opinion, is which verb is conjugated. The Terminator's "coming back" (revenir) isn't the future tense verb; if the return was the future tense, he'd simply say "I'll come back." Instead, the future tense verb is his state of being, "to be" (être). He makes a state-of-being statement "I'll be back;" In other words, "In the future, I will BE here" instead of "In the future, I will RETURN here"

If I were to conjugate it with revenir, I'd likely use "Je serai revenu" (I will have returned), but I don't think that makes as much sense, and it isn't the same. The phrase refers to ongoing future state of being, while "Je serai revenu" is completed future action :-/

aFrenchie

12-21-2006, 07:52 AM

My own pitiful attempt at translating "I'll be back," while attempting to keep the meaning, would probably be "Je serai encore ici" (I will be here again).
No no no, it could have a total different meaning! You could be saying that you're going to stay here and you'll be still here waiting :). You still can change "encore" with "à nouveau" (or "de nouveau") though.

If you really don't want "je reviendrai" (which is still the best in French for me), then you could only say "je serai là" ("I'll be there"), with no translation of "back"

SupaKrupa

12-21-2006, 08:46 AM

Since we're on the topic of Arnie... Think of his voice in a british accent. I crack myself up.

RMJ

12-21-2006, 09:22 AM

No no no, it could have a total different meaning! You could be saying that you're going to stay here and you'll be still here waiting :). You still can change "encore" with "à nouveau" (or "de nouveau") though.

If you really don't want "je reviendrai" (which is still the best in French for me), then you could only say "je serai là" ("I'll be there"), with no translation of "back"
Btw... "Je serai là" it surely wouldn't be in any case ! He's not gonna be there, but back !

Je serai là de retour !

( Obviously you are right about the translation but it's funny tht we got even this long the debate. Let's face it, you are native... :p )

Cooney

12-21-2006, 09:29 AM

( Obviously you are right about the translation but it's funny tht we got even this long the debate. Let's face it, you are native... :p )

Hehe, this is true. I have no doubt aFrenchie has the grammatically correct words, but it is fun to argue about! :-P

No wonder translating songs with double meanings is difficult... here we are debating the translation of three simple words, that have only one meaning!

brad

12-21-2006, 02:19 PM

nurvonic

12-21-2006, 02:24 PM

lol...where the hell were you when he posted that about a month and a half ago

yes ive watched it a bunch too :)

RMJ

12-21-2006, 02:24 PM

Get the DVD, it's better quality and you get to hear more of her accent. :)

nurvonic

12-21-2006, 02:27 PM

Get the DVD, it's better quality and you get to hear more of her accent. :)

my friend patrick bought the dvd back in 2002. i think i watched about 2 minutes of it and was grossed out by the baby delivery...lol

i wish i would of continued watching it back then cuz it really is a good movie:)

brad

12-21-2006, 03:21 PM

Get the DVD, it's better quality and you get to hear more of her accent. :)

i already ordered it today .. lol :)

i haven't done anything at work today except watch Audrey clips on youtube ..

aFrenchie

12-21-2006, 03:24 PM

kinda like Audrey Tautou trying to speak english...i find it sexy. Alizee would make me...well...
I :wub: Audrey! And she's cute even when she's speaking French ;)

brad

12-21-2006, 03:27 PM

aFrenchie

12-21-2006, 03:36 PM

this is a good one with bloopers from Amelie .. lol
Funny stuff :). She's still cute even when she squints and grimaces :wub:

brad

12-21-2006, 03:38 PM

extremely cute .. i love all of those faces she makes :)

nurvonic

12-21-2006, 03:39 PM

this is a good one with bloopers from Amelie .. lol

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sSddu5AIhoU"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sSddu5AIhoU" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

gahhh, i posted this a looong time ago on this thread

http://moi-alizee.us/forums/showthread.php?t=432

i guess i should of made a seperate thread..lol

nurvonic

12-21-2006, 03:45 PM

i already ordered it today .. lol :)

i haven't done anything at work today except watch Audrey clips on youtube ..

lol... a true sign of a workaholic:p

Mr Bond

12-23-2006, 05:20 PM

Back on topic French accents are definately sexy Alizee, Jenifer even Mylene although she scares me a little lol! Some British accents are sexy I love the welsh accent my girlfriend has so gentle and soft sort of sing song (daydreams). But no some are horrible like Scouse (Liverpool) and Brummie(Birmingham) (sorry if your from these places).

c-dawg777

12-23-2006, 11:37 PM

I just got back from New Zealand, and down there there are so many languages to choose from... Personally I thought the German women speaking English was the sexiest, but between the two I would deffinately say French. The occasional placed z where there once was a th is incredibly appealing in my mind.

Merci Alizée

05-29-2010, 01:27 PM

I love Alizée's French accent, and I would prefer it if women speak with that type of french accent.

For men, I prefer a british accent, but not too cockney or heavy, more like the Beatles had.

Similar thoughts by me. I like French accent more than British accent. :)

user472884

05-29-2010, 10:17 PM

Sexy to me doesn't depend on the accent

ACRUZ

05-30-2010, 01:09 PM

I think the French accent when they speak English sounds sexier than when a British person speaks English which is already English anyway with the exception of "Cheers", "Way Out", "Mind the Gap" and my favorite "Bollocks"

Future Raptor Ace

05-30-2010, 03:01 PM

The British accent is my favorite, especially on a girl. I LUV BRIT CHICKS!!!

user472884

05-30-2010, 03:22 PM

To those of you who favor the English accent, are you partial to the aristocratic sounding accents (Well I do say!) or the more... common accent (We'l, just sta'n roight there th'n, yea?)?

VVVACCPLPNLY

06-02-2010, 12:28 PM

I don't find the English accent sexy. At all. Well, I did when I was watching Emma Wattson back when I was like 14. But I have never heard a genuine French accent in person, but Alizee's is far better than any I have ever heard. And Jalen, the word I believe you may be looking for is 'cockney' in reference to the second accent you mention.

paintballpdh19

06-02-2010, 01:01 PM

I don't see the British accent sexy at all, French on the other hand is in my opinion.

Tchaikovsky

06-03-2010, 01:08 PM

http://library.gmu.edu/resources/french/French%20flag.jpg

Piblokto

06-05-2010, 03:51 PM

Not exactly about accents, but it's an interesting point of view from British newspaper The Guardian...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jun/03/french-women-sexier-than-british

wasabi622

06-05-2010, 07:15 PM

I'm going with French, but it also depends on which British accent too, if it's too thick I find it kind of gross, but accents like the one Kate Beckinsale has? sexy.

VVVACCPLPNLY

06-05-2010, 08:58 PM

Lolz kate beckinsale's is awesome, best Brítish accent ever! But I wish a female would post here. I can emulate both, I just wish I knew which was preferred! :D

wasabi622

06-06-2010, 06:26 PM

Oh! Another hot British accent: Emma Watson. Oooh yeah. :p

VVVACCPLPNLY

06-06-2010, 07:13 PM

Read my post at the top of this page, wasabi.:)

wasabi622

06-06-2010, 07:19 PM

Read my post at the top of this page, wasabi.:)

Ah, point taken. In that case, let me offer up Michael Caine as having the best British accent ever.

VVVACCPLPNLY

06-06-2010, 07:21 PM

Lolz, I only ever saw him in Goldmember and Secondhand Lions. How about Pierce Brosnan?

wasabi622

06-06-2010, 07:24 PM

Lolz, I only ever saw him in Goldmember and Secondhand Lions. How about Pierce Brosnan?

Dark Knight?! The Prestige? Miss. Congeniality?

Pierce Brosnan has what I'd call the "usual" British accent. If that makes sense.

Junkmale

06-06-2010, 09:55 PM

Pierce Brosnan is Southern Irish.

British accent? There isn't one really.
English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish are all completely different and the regions within don't often sound the same either. I speak with a very broad Belfast accent e.g. You would have a lot of difficulty understanding me. We tend to use an awful lot of slang. There are some similarities between Northern Irish accents and Scottish ones.
I suppose it's a bit like saying an 'American' accent. I would imagine that someone from Kentucky speaks differntly from someone from California.
Most i know assume that a British accent sounds something like Hugh Grant when his is in fact more Upper Class 'Posh' English.

wasabi622

06-06-2010, 10:02 PM

Well there is a generic American accent, but then there are the southern and east coast "dialects" I guess.

Junkmale

06-06-2010, 10:07 PM

Well there is a generic American accent, but then there are the southern and east coast "dialects" I guess.

Dialects.
That's the word i was looking for Wasabi:)

Future Raptor Ace

05-07-2013, 09:40 PM

Ide love to have a girl with a British accent. And then if we ever have kids I can have someone looking up at me while talking down to me :p *some of you will know where that's from*

lapinschous

05-08-2013, 06:51 AM

I don't really like listening to french girls speaking english , since I really improved my accent during my six months long stay in Bristol, it almost irritates me to hear my fellow countrymen not putting any effort in the way they sound... I'd definitely go with the british accent especially when english girls speak french, they sound very cute !