French phrases, translations and tutoring

[amles80]

Hi, I have a couple of French questions. I thought it best to post both them in one entry although the second is unrelated, rather than cluttering up people's friends pages.

How would you translate jouer les midinettes? ("jamais elle n'a toléré jouer les midinettes, les fleurs bleues

Comments

[muckefuck]

If you like to read French novels, couldn't you give him selections to read and then go over those together? You could read them through yourself beforehand and then ask here and elsewhere about any grammatical aspects you don't quite grasp yourself so that you wouldn't be blindsided.

I tutor German, despite not being fluent, and fortunately my client is very patient about accepting, "I don't know; I'll find out for you." (He likes to make up unusual sentences and ask, "Can you say that? Could you say it this way?" and sometimes I just can't give a definitive answer.)

[amles80]

couldn't you give him selections to read and then go over those together?
Yes, I tried that. I think it was okay. :)

My client is also very patient, which is good because that's probably the only way we can make it work. :)

Sorry about the very late reply.

[eefster]

About the translation

Short version: My personal gloss -- "She never tolerated playing the silly romantic, the starry-eyed fool."

Long version:
"Les midinettes" and "les fleurs bleues" are both slang, so I hope a native or fluent speaker can come in and give more nuance. As I understand them, though, both are used to describe people (usually young women) who are very into romance. Naive about it, even.

Une fleur bleue is a starry-eyed person, often pining for something unattainable. See also the Romanticism symbolism of the blue flower.

In contrast, une midinette is a light-hearted romantic girl, sometimes a bit silly. Infatuated, that sort of thing. From wordreference: 'Typically, young girls who fall in love with handsome actors or singers and stand yelling to get an autograph or a photo are called "midinettes".' I guess it's often translated into English as "bimbo", but it's not really as derogatory as "bimbo" is

[amles80]

Thank you. That was very helpful. :)

[eefster]

About the tutoring

(These are both awfully long. Sorry about that. Apparently I have a lot things to say about these. Also, these are just suggestions that have worked for me, as student and tutor. They might not work for you and your student, but might give you ideas on what sorts of things you can try.)

I agree with muckefuck -- give him stuff you're comfortable with, and don't be afraid to say that you don't know. You might also talk to his teacher directly, if it would be appropriate. She might be able to let you know what the class will be covering on a particular date, and you can have supplementary materials available for him to reinforce what she's teaching. She might also have recommendations for other study books

[amles80]

Thank you for your long comment, and I'm sorry about the very late reply

[michigoo]

Pour info pour moi qui suis française midinette et fleur bleue ce nest pas la même chose, je dit comment moi je vois les 2 mots.
Midinette : une jeune fille qui fait du charme, qui s'habille plus sexi, qui se maquille et se coiffe pour être remarqué par les autres et les jeunes hommes
Fleur bleue : une jeune fille romantique plus discrète que la midinette. La fleur bleue ose moins se montrer, plus renfermé sur soit même, plus timide
Désolée j'arriverai pas à traduire donc j'ai pris Google traduction

Sorry I get not translate so I took Google translation
For info for me as French shopgirl (midinette) and blue flower (fleur bleue) it is not the same thing, I said how I see the two words.
Midinette : a girl who is charming, who dresses more sexi, applying make-up and her hair to be noticed by other young men
Fleur bleue : a romantic girl more discreet than the midinette. The fleur bleue dares to show less, or more closed in on itself, more timid

[amles80]

Merci beaucoup pour l'info ! C'est très bien d'avoir la réponse d'une française pour une question comme ça. :)
Maintenant je comprends très bien la signification de "midinette" et la difference des deux mots, merci! (J'ai même l'impression que "fleur bleu" est une description de moi *lol*)