D is for Débrouiller

 

This is one of those words that covers  many possibilities.

In it's plain form, it simply means to untangle something, straighten a thing out, whether it's a ball of string or a misunderstanding.

But alongside that, it has the sense of fending for yourself, of getting by.

Slip in the reflexive se and you have a phrase that is so useful.

You can manage, you can get by, you can sort it out.

You'll be OK, you won't need a helping hand, you'll muddle through.

 You'll deal with it.

Tottering out of the supermarket, two tins of anchovies and a tub of olives in my coat pockets, a bag of frozen peas under my hat, two bottles of wine under my arms and a pile of boxes balanced under my chin. I forgot my bag again (absolutely no giveaway bags in French supermarchés), but je me débrouille.

I spent the week in bed with flu, there's nothing in the fridge and the cat is glaring at me. My friend calls and asks if I need anything, but guess what? Je me débrouille.

A plumbing emergency has me dashing to M Bricolage but they're fresh out of the widget I need. Never mind, je me débrouillerais with an empty yoghurt carton and some black tape.

Je me debrouillerai. It's my blog, I'll do it my way.

B is for Bon

Who could ever tire of the fabulous French habit of wishing you all kinds of bon?

We are all familiar with bonjour, we learnt it in school. We may even have ventured into bonsoir and bonne nuit. But who knew there is a whole lexicon of other times and experiences for which a well wisher can cheer us on with a bon?

Out shopping, the shopkeeper will send you off with a smile and a bonne journée, a bon après-midi or a bonne soirée. They might even be more precise, with a bonne fin matinée or fin après-midi.

The bank manager once ushered me off the premises at 12 on the dot with a bonne appétit, the assumption being that at that hour of the day, everyone will be hurrying towards their midday repas.

There's the familiar bon voyage and it's more pragmatic cousin bonne route. Or you could be hailed a bonne promenade as you set off in your walking gear along a hiking trail.

We welcome a bon weekend, or at the least a bonne dimanche, and heave a sigh of joy at the sound of bonnes vacances.

Of course, we expect to be wished a bonne anniversaire, and a bonne fête for whatever we might be celebrating, not forgetting a bon fin d'année as we approach a New Year and bonne année as we launch into it, although interestingly, Christmas is always joyeux and never bon.

(And as a quick aside, it is quite acceptable in France to continue wishing folk a bonne année right up until the end of January. Great news for those of us whose Christmas cards remain unsent well past the 25th of December.)

But one of the quirkier expressions you hear a great deal in France is bon continuation. I've never been able to put my finger on a good enough translation (Google suggests helpfully 'good continuation' but I think we could have worked that out for ourselves). It's used in many different scenarios, and loosely means 'keep up the good work' or 'good luck with it'. It implies an ongoing thing - a project, a problem, a conundrum - and is a hearty wish of moral support.

Finally, the one that always makes me smile. We host French kids in the summer and sometimes a parent will deliver their child then beat a hasty retreat down the path, offering a cheery wave and the words 'bon courage!' We don't need Google translate to help with that one.

So as I reach the end of day 2 of the A to Z Challenge, there remains just one thing for me to say - bon lecture à tous et toutes!

A is for Alors!

Alors, what a great way to start this latest A to Z challenge! 

It's such a useful word. It slips out easily, as you draw breath, ordering your thoughts in a conversation.

It is a clarion call to action when you've finally finished dallying and are ready to go. "Alors, let's get in the car".

Alors is a way of confounding your adversary, as you are poised to make your killer point. "I spoke to the facteur as I was hanging out the washing and we both remarked on the new church bell chiming ten. Alors, I could not have murdered the vicar!"

And it is the best way to round off a conversation, as you drain your espresso and rise to go. "Alors, things to do, places to be!" (with a quick bisou for good measure.)

Alors, that's enough for now. I'll see you tomorrow for the letter B!