Wouldn’t this be handy?
Deprived of context, the phrase “contradictory affirmative” will elicit something like “Yeah, right” from me. But it’s a handy little idiom, which English unfortunately lacks:
Even those of us who don’t know French all know that “oui” means “yes.” But French actually has two words for yes; oui gets used most of the time, but there is also si which you use when answering yes to a negative question.
So if the question was “do you want cake?” you would just say “oui” — but if the question was “don’t you want cake?” you would reply with “si.” I guess it has something of a tone of “well, actually, yes I do want cake!” But it’s all summed up in one little word! It’s not really formal language, but it’s used a lot in spoken French.
I wonder if the French have a comeback for “the cake is a lie.”
(Tweeted, and suggested, by Nancy Friedman.)
Francis W. Porretto »
22 October 2011 · 4:33 am
Whether or not the cake is a lie, the cow of the red general’s wife is sick. However, I have seen the fountain pen of your uncle. Now, shall we talk about pencils, trolleybuses, or concrete?
McGehee »
22 October 2011 · 10:22 am
Have you seen the fountain pen of the uncle of the sister of my friend?