Learning French

The following is a story from earlier this autumn...


P was working on her piano.

I was trying to help.

She was getting frustrated.

"Tu m'énerve!*" she said.

C was horrified.

"You can't say that to her! P! That's like saying that to MOM!!!"

P looked worried.

I asked what it meant, exactly.

(I seemed to sort of remember something about the... and the context...and it sort of sounds like...

OK, yeah, I wasn't sure.)

C tried to explain. Repeatedly. However, she sensed that I wasn't quite getting the gist of what she was trying to tell me.

She walked out of the room, and P looked at me sideways, a look of fear in her eyes.

I was handed a large, heavy English-French dictionary. This one is about 7 times bigger than any we have, and is considered the "Petit Larousse."

It was open to the page.

I looked at the definition. Then, I looked at P.

She looked scared.

"C'est d'accord, P. Quelquefois, tu m'énerve aussi."**





*Tu m'énerve. You irritate me. (drive me nuts, bother)
**C'est d'accord..." That's OK, P. Sometimes, you irritate me, too.