French translation needed

Sgeir

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We had some really great weather at the weekend, all the more surprising when looking at some of the appalling conditions a day later. We were completing a leisurely sail from the Clyde to our summer mooring at Loch Linnhe. On Saturday we met up with DaveS, and had a very pleasant evening in Puilladobhrain. It was so nice, we missed out the House of the Untrousered, ate on board and enjoyed the late evening sunshine.

Anyway, while partaking of our post prandials, we were fascinated by the skillful anchoring technique demonstrated by a French skipper in what was now an incredibly tight space. A very impressive figure, he gave us a cheerful Gallic wave, so we invited him to join us.

Amazingly, he turned out to be the legendary French sailor and ocean adventurer René Tremblère. We'd never met him but knew of his exploits. He was, of course, until a slight misunderstanding with YBW, an occasional poster of this Parish.

Neither my command of French, nor his his of the English language, was terribly good, but we were able to exchange some pleasantries. But, imagine our astonishment, when, out of the blue, he asked "Où est mon brave ami, et Sceuttelbuerre, le fameux Monsieur C******?"

Well, that fairly shivered our timbers. We couldn't bear to tell him why he couldn't find his respected friend. So we told him that Monsieur C****** was unable to sail that weekend as he was undertaking some important academic work of national importance, to wit, training the youth of Fleetwood for employment in the soon-to-be-opened combined casino and wet fish emporium, believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

Despite our best efforts, he clearly did not believe us. He looked sadly into his glass, stroked his salt speckled beard, and said, "Zout alors! Les prévisions météorologiques ? Le metéo!"

He then said something like "Mon ami, il est une grande je sais". Whatever did he mean?
 
"Mon ami, il est une grande je sais".

I am worried about the use of the feminine. Is there something you should know about your friend ?

"Je sais" is also provided a smidgen of uncertainty. If your French friend is of a religious persuasion, then he might mean "to know" in the biblical sense.

In all, I am concerned about the ethical climate north of the border. What can it all mean ?
 
Sgeir, my ageing earpiece, ma pal Rene is in constant touch with ma good self so I suspect that either this guy was an imposter or yer being something of a stranger to the truth. The barque Surcouf is snugged down on a Breton quayside as we speak having some work done to her and Rene has accepted an invitation to join me for the Clyde Cruising Club muster in Loch Spelve over the 4th and 5th August.
 
Assuming you were all in your cups by then and weren't hearing straight, it's possible you heard either "il est un grand jersiais" ('he is a large or great Jersey cow') or "il est un grand jèse" ('he is a great Jesuit'). Either way, worth avoiding if true.
 
Spot on, Ken. Just received a PM from M Tremblère;

<ul type="square"> Mon chèr M Sgeir
I am thinking it was a pleasure to meet you, Mme Sgeir, and your Hollandaise friend M Van Winkel.
(EDIT: he seems to be confused about something here, there was no M Van Winkel). However I am thinking that perhaps you have a marmot in your aural passage. I did not say"Mon ami, il est une grande je sais", but "Mon ami, il est une grande Jessie".

Did you have pleasure with my little joke, is it not so? I anticipate with happiness to be reassembled with M C******* in August.
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Haw hee haw , I am sure zat ze Tremblére bent ze knee sur la mer de azure et eet vos der donkee zar broke back lat montagne .. zat is une gross garçon gai de vache
 
Having had time to consider further, and knowing Réné's strange mixture of Bréton accéntéd Franglais and his lové of the vérnacular, I suspéct what hé might havé béén trying to çonvéy was sométhing liké:

"Où est mon brave ami, et Sceuttelbuerre, le fameux Monsieur C******?"

Where is my brief lover, and snufflebummer, the infamous Mister Claymore?

"Zout alors! Les prévisions météorologiques ? Le metéo!"

Soot aloud (a cry often heard on the famous Breton codpiece longliners). The timetable for the Metro. The metro.

"Mon ami, il est une grande je sais".

My friend, he is a big Jessy (jessy is Breton slang for the male procreative protruberance).

To paraphrase, then, into more usual English...

...Where's me old lover, that infamous bum-sniffing grundies lover, Claysie. Oh poo, he has missed tonight's last underground train. My word, but he's well-hung."

There you have it. You have unwittingly become embroiled a gay re-enactment of the auld alliance.
 
[ QUOTE ]
is it possible that the feminine is being used on purpose, as an insult? "He is a big girl, i know" might be the intention?

[/ QUOTE ]

Is Rene trying to out Claymore as the fallen madonna with the big boobies? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Let's not forget 'grand' means tall/big or great. In the context of this conversation I would think he meant he is a great (man/...) I know.
Bon weekend
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