Confusions in French

Be prepared to be embarrassed, once, twice, a million times, in your efforts to speak - and understand French. Yesterday, I carefully read Aujourd’hui’s announcement that President Sarkozy would be in Havre for a ‘grand reunion public’ - but I didn’t read far enough ‘grand reunion public dans le cadre des legislatives’. i.e. it doesn’t look like this will be what I had translated to mean a ‘meeting open to the grand public’. Sometimes you just have to use common sense.

Given the number of surprise appearances (like Segolene Royal at Clichy-sous-bois), you never know when or where people are going to turn up for a ‘hello’ to the ‘grand public’.

In the meantime, Le Havre is still a nice place to visit, particularly if you’re looking for fresh fish.