# Je prévois d'aller acheter!



## dmitry

Could someone please check this for me ? I am in a tight situation here...

Je planifie sur allant commercial pour acheter quelques cadeaux pour ma mère. quelqu'un a recommandé aller à Johnson Mall. je pourrais utiliser une opinion de la fille sur ce qu'acheter. ..êtes vous libérez un jour sur le weekend?

If my French is too hard to understand, here is what I am trying to say in French:

i am planning to go shopping to buy gifts for my mother. someone recommended going to the Johnson mall. i could use a girl's opinion on what to buy...are you free sometime on the weekend?

Thanks in advance...


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## AlistairCookie

dmitry said:
			
		

> Could someone please check this for me ? I am in a tight situation here...
> 
> Je planifie sur allant prévois d'aller pour acheter quelques cadeaux pour ma mère. quelqu'un a recommandé le centre commercial Johnson Mall. je pourrais utiliser une opinion  l'avis d'une fille me serait utile...êtes vous libre un jour ce weekend?
> 
> If my French is too hard to understand, here is what I am trying to say in French:
> 
> i am planning to go shopping to buy gifts for my mother. someone recommended going to the Johnson mall. i could use a girl's opinion on what to buy...are you free sometime on the weekend?
> 
> Thanks in advance...


some good idioms there.

Je planifie sur allant prévois d'aller pour acheter quelques cadeaux pour ma mère. quelqu'un a recommandé le centre commercial Johnson Mall. je pourrais utiliser une opinion  l'avis d'une fille me serait utile...êtes vous libre un jour ce weekend?

I'm not French, but that should work...


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## carolineR

Alistair


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## dmitry

Thanks Alistair. One more thing, is this too 'formal'? I don't really know this girl yet and I don't want to sound like a weirdo. Know what I mean?


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## Ev3

Hi!
If I understand well, you will ask in french to that girl... You are the only one to know if you can say 'tu' or 'vous'. Depend of your age but french people use easely 'tu', in that case it will be less 'formal' but the sentense change:
Je prévois d'aller acheter un cadeau pour ma mère. Quelqu'un m'a recommandé le centre commercial Johnson Mall. J'aurais besoin de l'avis d'une fille /femme (depend of the age ^^) sur quoi acheter. Es-tu libre un jour de ce week-end?
For exemple but 'l'avis d'une fille me serais utilise' work as well...
good luck


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## Gardefeu

To my French ears it sounds like _un gros plan drague_ (any native here?)[I mean that's what the girl is likely to believe!]
Does anyone concur?


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## dmitry

i don't quite understand what you meant by that phrase...could you please explain?


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## Ev3

to my french ears too! MDR! try to flirt with her?


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## dmitry

maybe just a little bit...do you think that is good or should i change the language to something else?


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## Gardefeu

I'm sorry, _un gros plan drague_ is just the French expression that came to my mind, and I can't translate it (that's why I was asking for a native's help - or maybe the notion is typically French).
Well, however: my point is that, If I was (or do I mean If I were) a French girl receiving this letter, I would suspect... that your intentions are not _only_ the ones you state, see what I mean?
Nothing in the way it's written, the choice of words or anything... Just the notion of asking a girl you barely know...
Well, you asked of you were likely to sound like a weirdo... A weirdo, no. A womanizer, maybe... 
But that's only my opinion, I'm definitely not a French girl...


> maybe just a little bit...



See? It shows!


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## la grive solitaire

dmitry said:
			
		

> i don't quite understand what you meant by that phrase...could you please explain?


 
I think that Gardefeu is trying to say that it sounds like a thinly veiled plan to get her to go out with you. Yes, Gardefeu? I'm afraid it sounds that way to me, too, dmitry. You could just ask her for her suggestions (i.e., leave off the last line) and see how she responds. If she's interested, she might suggest meeting you at the mall...


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## dmitry

i may have given the wrong impression here... i do know her well enough to ask her. i am trying to figure out if she is interested without being too explicit. and yes, she is french


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## la grive solitaire

dmitry said:
			
		

> i may have given the wrong impression here... i do know her well enough to ask her. i am trying to figure out if she is interested without being too explicit. and yes, she is french


 
Does she speak any English?


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## Gardefeu

I propose this bowdlerized version:
Je prévois d'aller acheter un cadeau pour ma mère. Quelqu'un m'a recommandé le centre commercial Johnson Mall. J'aurais besoin *d'un avis féminin* sur quoi acheter. *Veux-tu me conseiller?* or: *Veux-tu être ma conseillère?

*It's vague enough, as she might understand that you just ask for her opinion over the phone or whatever, and yet it leaves the door open for her to reply: _Gee! How about next Saturday at the mall?
_
Let's be subtle!


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## dmitry

not really. that is why i want to ask in french...but i don't want to come on too strong.

thanks for all the help, by the way.


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## Ev3

But a french expression say : if you don't try, you can't suceed...( i'm sure you have that kind of sentense too ^^) 
I think it's better if you ask for a gift for your sister, not for your mum ( she can take it badly, no?) You can also say that her taste is exactly what your sister like... Am I wrong? Is there any other girl here to confirm or invalidate?


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## Gardefeu

But I think he really wants to buy a present for his mum, no?


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## dmitry

not really...it was just an excuse to get her out. you read it perfectly!


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## Ev3

ok, but it's too late because you make the effort to ask to HER and in FRENCH so whatever you will said, she will understand that you want to ask it to her and not to another english friend (girl) of your...^^


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## Gardefeu

So, what do you think about my subtly bowdlerized version?


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## la grive solitaire

dmitry said:
			
		

> not really. that is why i want to ask in french...but i don't want to come on too strong.
> 
> thanks for all the help, by the way.


 
Then I think Gardefeu's "bowdlerized" version is perfect , and although, as Ev3 says,_ Nothing ventured, nothing gained,__ Faint heart never won fair damsel, _etc. I'd choose subtlety, too, until you know her better. (And if the present is for your mom, then stick with that.)
Bon courage! Let us know how it turns out.


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## dmitry

the only problem i can see with that is , what if she just suggests to do it over the phone and not go to the mall with me? i want to get her out of the house...


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## Gardefeu

> i want to get her out of the house...


  .... and into your bed, yes, I see your point!
 Then stick to either Alistair's or Ev3 versions, that should do the trick
Good luck, mate!


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## la grive solitaire

dmitry said:
			
		

> the only problem i can see with that is , what if she just suggests to do it over the phone and not go to the mall with me? i want to get her out of the house...


 
Yes, but _she_ has to want to leave the house with you...


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## Ev3

Don't think about too much or it will really looks like you try to have a date... especially if you speak like if learn a lesson  and it seem like you're close enough to said ' Je vais aller à Johnson Mall pour trouver un cadeau pour ma mere/ soeur, j'aurais besoin d'un avis feminin. Est-ce que tu voudrais bien venir avec moi pour me conseiller, s'il te plait ?
What everybody think about this kind of speech? Native please...your opinion is required !^^


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## Gardefeu

On dirait un gros plan drague...


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## Ev3

mais s'en est un!! LOL pas la peine de se voiler la face! c'est plus courant déjà quand même comme ça non?


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## AlistairCookie

how about:

il faut que j'achète un cadeau pour ma mère, mais je ne sais JAMAIS quoi lui acheter. Normalement, je ne demande qu'à ma soeur, mais elle est (partie pour le weekend, absente, avec son copain, conne, morte d'un cancer, etc...) je pensais que peut-être tu voudrais aller avec moi? comme ça tu peux me conseiller - on pourra boire un café (french chicks LOVE coffee) - c'est moi qui invite! 

or 

qu'est-ce tu fais aujourd'hui, demain, ce weekend? moi je dois acheter un cadeau pour ma mère au centre commercial - wanna come?


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## Gardefeu

> l faut que j'achète un cadeau pour ma mère, mais je ne sais JAMAIS quoi lui acheter. Normalement, je ne demande qu'à ma soeur, mais elle est (partie pour le weekend, absente, avec son copain, conne, morte d'un cancer, etc...) je pensais que peut-être tu voudrais aller avec moi? comme ça tu peux me conseiller - on pourra boire un café (french chicks LOVE coffee) - c'est moi qui invite!
> 
> or
> 
> qu'est-ce tu fais aujourd'hui, demain, ce weekend? moi je dois acheter un cadeau pour ma mère au centre commercial - wanna come?


Bravo Alistair! 
On voit tout de suite l'homme d'expérience...
Est-ce que ça marche à tous les coups?


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## AlistairCookie

draguer is something along the lines of _to hit on a girl_ 

a gros plan drague, a plan of attack to talk to a girl that sounds _really _obvious that you are trying to get it on with the chicky.

I didn't realize this was to pick up a chick, which is why I amended my attempt.

BE CONFIDENT! AND DON'T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH! AND speaking French is cool and all, but make her speak English, then you can say all sorts of things she doesn't understand which will make you seem really smart.  You're attempting her language, and you are a master of your own.


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## dmitry

How about this?

Je vais acheter quelques cadeaux pour ma mere au Johnson Mall. Je voudrais l'opinion d'une femme de quoi acheter. Est-ce que tu es libre ce weekend pour me conseiller s'il te plait?

I don't want to be too explicit that it is a date, I want it to seem like something amongst friends.


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## Ev3

dmitry said:
			
		

> Je vais acheter quelques cadeaux pour ma mere au Johnson Mall. Je voudrais l'opinion d'une femme sur quoi acheter. Est-ce que tu es libre ce weekend pour me conseiller s'il te plait?


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## dmitry

Alistair, is that too subtle?


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## AlistairCookie

dmitry said:
			
		

> I want it to seem like something amongst friends.


If you want her to think it's something amongst friends, then that is what she'll think. But you don't want _her_ to think that. You want her to think that _you  _think that.

Do you see the difference?

If you're too subtle, then she'll _really _think your not interested. The trick is to be completely obvious, but act like you don't care if she says yes or no. so


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## dmitry

so, to update y'all on the situation...she said, and this is the english translation, 'i want to help you, but unfortunately this weekend sucks for me. so next weekend?'

and i want to say the following now:

"Le prochain weekend peut-être un peu difficile pour moi, parce que je vais aller a un pays différent! Je rentre la maison à London vendredi. Fait comment Aout 27?"

If that doesn't make sense, here it is in English:

"Next weekend is going to be difficult for me, as I'll be in a different country! I am going back home to London on Friday. How does the 27th sound?"

I want it to sound friendly though, NOT formal. and maybe a bit funny, because I want to make her laugh. Can anyone help please?


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## OlivierG

Please dmitry, open a new thread for any new query.

Context is always needed in order to get an accurate translation, so please in your new thread, explain the situation briefly before asking your question.

Thanks for your comprehension,
Olivier
Moderator


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## Nunty

I hope dear Dmitry actually has a sister (I think that's better than mother, too), and I wish him all the luck in the world.


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