My French Mother-in-Law stopped me during today's chat to correct my pronunciation for the word "quand" (when).
MIL: "Erika, it is pronounced KOHN not KOHN."
Me: KOHN.
MIL: KOHN.
ME: KOHN.
MIL: KOHN. See? KOHN, not KOHN
Me: They sound identical!
MIL: The word *you* are saying (con) means "CUNT"!
What this conversation would have sounded like to a French observer:
MIL: When.
Me: Cunt.
MIL: When.
Me: Cunt.
MIL: When.
Me: Cunt.
MIL: When.
Me: Cunt.
Shakespeare makes use of a very similar dialogue in Henry V where a French princess is attempting to learn English. The words "gown" and "foot" cause issues :)
Oddly, the sounds are much more distinct in the accents of Quebec than those of France.
...
Can you say can't but stop before the N?
Because the bad word is more like comb if you stop before the M.
(Yes, the French sound to us like they're saying the bad word every time they say "when".)
Non, ils ont vraiment rapproché "an" et "on" au cours des trois ou quatre siècles qui nous séparent.
Ou alors c'est ici qu'on en a eu assez de la confusion.
