Suzanne Harrington: In the middle of a French heatwave I needed a whole new vocab
Suzanne Harrington: I’ve learned loads of useful, practical French this trip
Language apps are all very well if you want to know how to say ‘my aunt has a green pencil’ or ‘I like eating parsnips on Tuesday’, but what if you need to say something real, like ‘my car is overheating’? Such a question may come immediately after learning a new word like canicule, which sounds like a bone in your inner ear, or an unpleasant growth on your foot, but is French for heatwave.
There you are, barrelling through France in your ancient car as giant road signs flash instructions to HYDRATEZ-VOUS on the endless baking shimmer of motorway, your Google Maps stuttering and blinking, your phone melting like cheese on the dashboard. It’s all a bit Dali clocks - 39 degrees and the only functioning air conditioning system is driving with the windows open. What’s French for coolant? Coulant? Culottes? Cul de sac?
