I have enjoyed a lazy Sunday reading.
I was given, or rather “gifted”, a book by a friend of mine.
It is a remarkable book: the memoir of Ernest Hemingway as a young man in Paris. He describes the characters and the cafés of over a hundred years ago.
While reading, I came across a French phrase which caught my attention:
Le mot juste.
It means, the exact right word or phrasing.
English has never been able to come up with its own equivalent, so it simply borrowed the French.
It got me thinking of all the French words we use in English: chic, fiancé, cliché, protégé, avant-garde, bon appétit, entrepreneur, raison d’être, déjà vu, faux pas.
I could go on.
So although you might be seeking to improve your English this year, bear this in mind:
That there are times when only French will do.
I want to sit and write in a café in 1920’s Paris
This week’s three tips:
SOMETHING TO AVOID 🫣
🤦🏻♀️ “A friend of him gave him the book”
This sounds unnatural in English, and signals Spanish interference (un amigo de él).
✅ “A friend of his gave him the book”
English uses possessive pronouns, not object pronouns, in this structure.
We are going to see a friend of ours next weekend
I saw a friend of mine the other day
SOMETHING TO SOUND CONFIDENT 🧐
👔 Business expressions
“Hit the nail on the head”
To describe something exactly right. Identifying the true problem, idea, or solution with precision. It means no approximation, no vagueness. The words, analysis, or decision are spot on.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, the issue isn’t price, it’s timing
SOMETHING TO WATCH 👀
NEXT STEPS ➡️
Keep learning,
Jack & Krystallo
Please give us your opinion about this newsletter by replying to us ✉️
and remember to follow us on social media 🫶