A French "Faux Paw"

By Caroline Menghini

Texas A and M University

Class of 2012

Two summers ago I landed a dream job as a summer extern at a busy small animal practice in Paris, France. I managed to convince the vet there that my French was adequate enough for me to work an entire summer. I don’t consider myself fluent, but I can read pretty well and carry on a decent conversation.  

My first day went well and the veterinarians treated me to lunch at their favorite café down the street. I envisioned myself speaking French for the duration of the lunch break in order to impress the vets and gain rapport with the locals. I mostly just sat there listening as the veterinarians discussed their cases for the day and some drama happening at the clinic. Any questions directed at me were answered briefly and with energetic nodding.  I felt anxious about my rusty French skills and I was upset that I had accidentally ordered a salad with tuna in it because I couldn’t properly translate the menu.

At the end of the meal the waiter came around to clear the table. He glanced down at my plate and saw that I had eaten a small portion of the salad and shoveled the rest around on the plate like a six year old avoiding his broccoli.  I tried to redeem myself by continuing to speak French.  Seeing his concerned facial expression I assured him, “Je suis plein.”  He suddenly broke out into an enormous smile followed by obnoxious laughter.  I looked over at the vets who were vigorously shaking their heads and looking rather embarrassed.  I had just made a big rookie mistake. “Je suis plein” directly translated into English means “ I am full.” In French however, “Je suis plein” means “I am a pregnant animal.”  Being in the company of veterinarians made this even more ironic and hilarious for everyone I’m sure. Mortified, I tried to recover by saying what I should have said, which is “Je n'ai pas faim,” meaning “I am no longer hungry.” Too late.  My feeble response wasn’t audible over the laughter.  We left the café tout de suite and thankfully the vets never mentioned the incident again, at least not in my presence.  Needless to say, I never went back to that café with them. Instead, I chose to eat baguette sandwiches at a local park while brushing up on my French vocabulary.