Thanks Alot. Nice Ass.

Three months have passed and I'm freaking out a little. I can not believe how quickly the time is passing, which I suppose is a good sign as it means that I am enjoying my time in Paris. However, I wish I was learning more French. Fortunately, I'm managing to improve "s'ameiliore" my French by watching television and engaging people in conversation. And I totally appreciate it when someone helps me with my "prononciation."

Apparently, as a typical American, I've learned to say "merci beaucoup" like a typical American. We say "mare-si bo-koo." (Okay, I have limited characters on my keyboard, but you get the idea.) "Beau" means beautiful, for masculine nouns whereas "belle" is for feminine nouns. We actually do pretty well with the "bo."

But, it is the "coup" that we have a problem with. Typically, the French do not pronounce the last letter of a word so "coup" sounds like "cou." Except that we don't really have the same "ou" sound in American English. So we pronounce it "cooo" like we are cooing to a baby, which sounds more like the French word "cul" (remember, the last letter is not pronounced.)

To the French ear, it sounds like the typical American is saying "Merci. Beau cul." Translation: "Thanks. Nice ass."

So, if you visit France, practice the "ou" sound which is spoken from the throat, with rounded lips and sounds more like an "o" than a "u." Unless of course you are complimenting someone on their ass, then by all means, "beau cul" would be quite appropriate.

Some inspirational photos from the School of Beaux Arts. [Pronounced boZ_ar because the second word starts with a vowel, so a liaison is necessary. The last letter of "art" is not pronounced, so it is "ar." If you are following all of this, you will do well during your next French lesson.]

A fun little snapshot of the walkway where I took "beaucoup des photos des beau culs" posted above. [Remember, you can click on photos to see larger image.].

A sculpture in the same courtyard that I thought was cul, errr I mean cool, because it is not on a pedastal and seems more life-like.

Restoration of one of the buildings being restored at the University of Beaux Arts. As I walk around Paris, I see so many beautiful buildings, and this reminded me of how much work goes into each one.