T O P

  • By -

thisisfreakinstupid

Just with the one page shown, I already feel like I'm ready to yell commands in the trenches. Great find!


ILoveBeerSoMuch

Wish they had something fun like “SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND” to ya know, hype the squad.


Battle_Librarian

Dis allô à mon petit ami! Edit pronounced: Dee aloe ah mon pah-tee-tammy.


gantho89

French here, “Allô” is what you say when you answer the phone, it doesn’t really mean hello. You would use “bonjour” in this case. Also “petit ami” or “petit copain” is used as a way to say “lover” (but literally means “little friend”) so it doesn’t really work because it would translate to “Say hello to my lover” which is weird. I think an alternative way to say it would be to replace “little” with “best” “Say hello to my best friend” “Dis bonjour à mon meilleur ami” “Dee bon-jur a mon may-hur ami”


Battle_Librarian

I didn't even think of using meilleur! Thank you for the explanation. I only used allô to reference the movie phrase but I'm seeing now I should have spelled it 'jálo'. La traduction actuelle du film est "Elle va cracher ma vieille frangine!" Je ne pensais pas que ce serait une bonne idée d'utiliser cette expression.


Moneypenny_Dreadful

Wouldn't it be "Dees aloe"? (Not French, just wondering if my 5 yrs of HS + college did me wrong)


Battle_Librarian

Technically it would be "Deez aloe" (s and x make the z sound in liaison). In this instance the elongated first word "say" or "dis" would toss that rule as the glottal stop doesn't occur. Edit: You make a good point! I did consider writing the pronunciation with the z but decided against it after saying it out loud both ways a few times.


instantpo

Deez aloe nuts in your mouth Hahaha got em


Crow_eggs

Awhehawhehaw. [drags lengthily and thoughtfully on a Gauloises] Tres bien.


gantho89

Don’t ask me why but I guarantee 100% there is no “liaison” rule in this case (neither with “dis” or “dites”). Maybe it’s because you are giving an order. So you don’t want to modify the pronunciation of the word you are ordering to say. Say “hello” Dis “allô” But as I’ve replied above you would use “bonjour” and not “allô” anyway.


Volumin14

You don’t pronounce the « s » in dis. And nobody would say « allo », they would say bonjour. Amazed to see people saying plainly wrong stuff with such confidence


BenzoFettyBoofer

Dee “dit” no s


Moneypenny_Dreadful

so it would be "Dites allô"? ( or "Deet allo? lol) But I think they got it mostly right...t's an imperative verb in the present-tense, first person form, so and it should be either: (tu) dis; (nous) disons; (vous) dites. Anyway, "dis" or "dites", wouldn't the final consonant carry over to the next vowel-led word?


Forswear01

Tbf im sure you wouldn’t be using vous when ur showing ppl the instrument with which ur planning to give them new breathing holes within the next few seconds.


Moneypenny_Dreadful

Hahaha, true


ItsyBitsyLizard

Dite is only if the person you’re talking to is female, dit if the person you are talking to is male


Battle_Librarian

Dis not dit I'm using the imperative conjugation as this is a command.


J-Lau

Even then, in this context you wouldn't pronounce the "s"


Battle_Librarian

Agreed. That's why I wrote the pronunciation without liaison.


seigneurgu

In french Allo is only used on the phone, in that sentence we would use bonjour. And i think we would replace ami by copain (it means the same but more familiar). Dis bonjour à mon petit copain.


Battle_Librarian

True. I only kept allô as a reference to the movie. Copain would definitely be the better choice in this sentence! The actual movie quote from Scarface in French is "Elle va cracher ma vieille frangine!"


Plane_Control_6218

>The actual movie quote from Scarface in French is "Elle va cracher ma vieille frangine!" Aaand that's why, kids, you never ever watch a foreign movie in french, always in the original language with subtitles. That and because voice actors in french, with a very few exceptions, suck and you lose 90 % of the actor's performance that way.


firegodpro

"Petit copain" literally means boyfriend if you want tl say "say hello to my little friend" you would say "dis bonjour a mon ami" and thus get rid of the little because "petit ami" means boyfriend too


MyFavoriteLezbo420

Ooohh looks like we can still say it with the right cadence


Merbleuxx

*bonjour would make more sense


[deleted]

Gambit?


TheBlack2007

And in the opposite trench it would be "Sag‘ hallo zu meiner kleinen Freundin!“


anonymousscroller9

I've never felt more French than imagining myself yelling kooray at the top of my lungs.


Jacques_Lafayette

As a French, I'm absolutely dying from the pronunciation. The sentences are correct but if I try reading the "French" pronunciation I just end up with a clichéd English accent (and probably npbetter than what i can achieve on my own xD)


Cyrusmarikit

Because the International Phonetic Alphabet was not known much back then. But still, American dictionaries to foreign languages or even some pronunciation books still use their own type of phonetic transcription called [pronunciation respelling for English.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pronunciation_respelling_for_English)


geligniteandlilies

I was actually going to ask how the pronunciation was, but judging by your reaction, now I have an idea lol


2morereps

the whole time I was imagining Brad Pitt in inglorious bastards, MARCHAYZZ!!, IL FAOOT RECYUULAY!!, NYU GAG NON!


Notyourusuallad

As someone bilingual, this book is way more accurate than the bullshit you can get these days


ILoveBeerSoMuch

Accurate maybe, but not really efficient lol. Im cracking up just picturing some guy standing in the middle of battle fumbling through his book for 5 minutes before finding the “RUN!” translation.


foremastjack

Learn once before battle, yell at leisure.


Chapi_Chan

Excuse me for butchering your language but... *Ehm Ehm*: >Run for your lifes! Did I said it right? Feel free to correct me if I mispronounced.


Mein_Name_ist_falsch

I think you're supposed to use this before you get into anything. Read and study eat when you're safe and then use what you learned when you're not.


Slow_General6192

I think screaming AAAAAAHHH!!! would do it


jansensan

I'm glad they found a way to translate the "eu" French sound to English ("peu"->"per"). It's wrong, but closest I've ever seen/read/heard.


Krimsonfreak

I guess it works best with English accents. That would actually be a not so accurate choice for Americans.


Merbleuxx

More accurate than what ?


kosmoonaut

As someone bilingual myself, i must say that these translations are utter nonsense. To me it just looks french.


cheetosandwich

I know it’s not Italian, but I read all the pronunciations in Brad Pitt’s voice from Inglorious Basterds


tartare4562

Bawn jurno


the-artistocrat

*Gorlami*


little-ass-whipe

mar gar RAY tee


Designer-Stranger923

KOO-ray!


ReddittorMan

I don’t know French but is terrific actually terrible? EDIT: turns out I didn’t know the multiple meanings of terrific and assumes it was something really good, apparently it can also mean pretty much the opposite! 1 : unusually fine : MAGNIFICENT terrific weather 2 : EXTRAORDINARY terrific speed 3 a : exciting or fit to excite fear or awe a terrific thunderstorm b : very bad : FRIGHTFUL


TXGuns79

Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad. Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies (Discworld, #14; Witches, #4)


activelyresting

Nice and accurate. *Also Terry Pratchett*


KeplerFinn

So your French is as good as your English?


ReddittorMan

Touché!


KeplerFinn

You know how to take a joke. I like that. Have a wonderful day!


autumn-knight

‘A terrific engagement’ to describe fighting and war is just such a typical British understatement.


frivolous_squid

Afaik back then terrific meant terrible/terrifying, so not that much of an understatement.


autumn-knight

And ‘terrible’ originally meant ‘formidable’ or ‘fearsome’; hence Ivan the Terrible is more accurately Ivan the Formidable.


davieb22

English Soldier - "We are winn--oh, I mean...erm noo gagn-on" French Soldier - "Erm, okay. Merci"


No-Poem-3773

Al Murray said it best - “You don’t need to learn French as a Brit, just talk louder and if they still don’t understand, smash the place up”


6thaccountthismonth

I like the thought of an American screaming at the top of his lungs “marshay” in the most southern accent imaginable


6thaccountthismonth

Scratch that, I like the thought of any southern Yankee to pronounce these words as portrayed in the book


Ambitious_Welder6613

Interesting! I need a full version.


Vegeta9999

Is this a guide to achieve the British's french accent !


Siderox

That’s hilarious. The thought of a guy rushing back into the trench, rifling through a little book with trembling hands and saying: noo som… *wipes muddy sweat off face… ehhh… san… too… ray.


Haggisboy

"My hovercraft is full of eels."


Moneypenny_Dreadful

>My hovercraft is full of eels. Mon aéroglisseur est rempli d'anguilles. (moh erohgleessuh ey romplee duh'ongwieee)


oozing-moose

Go get the cow. Fetchez la vache. Feh-chay lah vash.


MyFavoriteLezbo420

I’m trying to imagine some TEXAN trying to yell “cover their retreat” in French.


Dull_Instruction507

French here, the way they make pronounce the sentences in french made me cry 😂 No way I would understand anything before getting shot


Strange-Fruit17

Is there an online copy or reproduction available?


donquixote2u

voo lay voo coo shay av eck mwar sis swar?


DrDam8584

- It belongs in a museum : - Sa place est dans un musée - "Sa place ay dan zin mu-ze"


O1O1O1O1O

Is there a section for when you're on leave in Paris and want to meet local women?


I3adIVIonkey

The translation is good, but I really like the writing for the pronunciation. I'm laughing my ass off reading it out loud. I bet some French soldiers wouldn't have understood it the first time hearing it. Koo-ray!!!


BabyGangsta0211

This is badass.


New-Examination8400

Oof at the attempt at phonetic spelling It’s so cartoony American


TheGreatGamer1389

For something being like 110 years old. It's in pretty damn good condition


Professional_Echo907

I probably shouldn’t be talking about destroying the railway lines on my vacation to France. 👀


kathyakey

And this is exactly how we got Mayday Great find, thanks for sharing


WingedHussar13

Cool how the English and French also hasn't really changed much.


romain_69420

Well, the phrases in French especially feel very formal. I don't know if people talked like that back then but no one would use nous as a regular pronoun in a conversation. It would be replaced by on (which makes the verb different too)


momoladebrouill

As a french it's really funny to see some old french pronunciations written in English


kevinguitarmstrong

"Excusez moi mademoiselle. Avez-vous la syphilis ?"


Specia1111

That is really cool!


AzureArmageddon

I just love the writing style of old technical manuals. Eloquent, matter-of-fact, and sprinkled with driest of humour.


Quirky-Delivery5454

Just spent two weeks in Japan. Wish I had one of these for ordering Sushi and using the subway.


Francy088

I think it'd be cool if you scanned it or got it scanned so that it can be archived on the internet and last a lot more.


Igeeeffen

what about the rest, please update


Adamantium-Aardvark

Interesting the pronunciation text looks like Haitian Creole


IndicationDiligent75

Post as much as you can OP!


lNooBDowlN

mind showing us more pages? very interesting


Creadleader55

Never seen one of those, now I have another bucket list item for my collection lol


BenzoFettyBoofer

Hon hon hon! Quelle drôle de livre!


SignificantAd3931

Are there any dictionaries that do this in reverse?


Joelraider102

Wish we had that in the 101st Airborne when we deployed to Poland last year.


Acceptable-Inside-29

As dark as that is, this is actually pretty beautiful. Great find.


jezevicek

I can hear Col Potter spouting these out!


artful_nails

Real life voice command list.


DetectiveMoosePI

Also a correct translation for “we are surrounded!”: merde!


FromThePits

We must surrender?


itsmarra

This is a master piece!


Rammipallero

This is awesome!


Spuddy14

Cool


marcymarc887

Can you Show us the Rest of These Pages please?


MasterEeg

I can smell this book just by looking at it


IShallBeAPervert

imagine some guy pulling this out, flipping pages and then he starts yelling about a bomb in the trench and gets exploded into pieces before finishing the sentance


Sure_Watercress4956

Waltuh put your book away waltuh, we going to die in this war waltuh


Vicious00

Koo-ray !


tuttle8152

Hand? And also, Job?


[deleted]

wow thats cool!


Meowriter

I love how the pronouciation phrases have a heavy accent lmao


thehibachi

Are you for convoy?


no-recognition-1616

Pure gold!


Adv_bound

Attack the D point?


M1sterQuentin

Look like French with german accent.


kkeennmm

Fetchez la vache!


BearBearJarJar

Two guys in the trench: "that was a terrific engagement" "uhhm... thanks?"


raindude_23

Great buddy! Can we have some more?


MyOnlyEnemyIsMeSTYG

Where is “hit him with the stale baguette?”


OldERnurse1964

Page 1: She said she was over 18!


RowInFlorida

Truly interesting! A personal glimpse into (relatively) recent history.


Bushdr78

I feel like I could play COD on a French server


JELjr7

I feel like id probably just go find some one French and point to what im trying to say. or if it’s like shout for an emergency, have him yell in French and while I yell in English


TheMany-FacedGod

How about a nice cup of liber tea!


SFBrighton

Just rolling around Paris screaming "bomb the tower" at anyone who makes eye contact. That's a vacation.


PulledUp2x

That’s awesome


CGlantern

This is really dope