i don't know french, but it's sounds like jen e tu va???
2006-08-23 18:36:10 · 7 answers · asked by 2beme 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
"Je ne sais quoi" or "joie de vivre"
2006-08-23 18:38:24 · answer #1 · answered by crowbird_52 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just love the french phrase "Il a je ne sais quoi", literally meaning "He has I don't know what" - it implies the person is very special / mysterious / attractive in some way you can't describe in words. Most often it's used when you quite like someone, because of something in their character (not related to their looks).
For a girl you would say "Elle a je ne sais quoi."
On the other hand, "joie de vivre" means "joy of life" - or rather lust / passion for life. In general it describes a person full of life, energetic and positive, who may, but doesn't necessarily have to have "that something".
2006-08-26 20:57:48 · answer #2 · answered by Petra 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My first answer would be "Charismatique" however, English speaking ppl are hung on the "je ne sais quoi" thing for some reason - sounds more French I guess.
If you say of somebody that "s/he has a little je ne sais quoi", that means "there is something about him/her".
It's NOT always positive, I know ppl that have a little "je ne sais quoi" that I just find repulsive or scary.
As for "joie de vivre", itès only a slightly different concept of happiness, like somebody that loves life so much, they are always happy. For example, we'll say of somebody that became depressed that they lost their joie de vivre.
2006-08-23 19:34:59 · answer #3 · answered by gargoyle08 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is "je ne sais quoi" but that's the quality itself, not the person. The person HAS a certain je ne sais quoi.
(If you said a person IS je ne sais quoi, that might sound like an insult instead, or maybe just odd.)
2006-08-23 19:25:57 · answer #4 · answered by Goddess of Grammar 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I know French very well but I can't answer your question because I don't understand what you mean.
Precise it please. Write down the exact phrase and I translate it for you.
I am a French and Swiss girl.
2006-08-23 22:35:23 · answer #5 · answered by Chocolate 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is "Je ne se quois"
Directly translated it means "I don't know what". Indirectly it means what you said.
2006-08-23 19:13:01 · answer #6 · answered by Rackjack 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yep, it's "je ne sais quoi" (which means "i don't know what"...
and it's not the person but the quality
2006-08-23 22:20:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋