kk so when we say a swear word we say pardon my french......well do french people say pardon my english?

Question

my friends and i were coming up with stoopid ?'s and this was one of em'...so i got curious and wanted 2 know.....

Answer 1

I never heard anyone say pardon my English.
pardonnez-moi.

Answer 2

The French do not say "Pardon my English" or anything similar in meaning when they swear.

English speaking people just seem to hate the French, so they create expressions that make them look bad. Kind of silly.

Answer 3

In Victorian and Edwardian times, the British upper class gentlemen would express things they considered distasteful in the French language rather than English.

This may have been because they didn't want young children or their womenfolk (usually not as well educated) to understand exactly what was said. They swore in French rather than subject "tender ears" to vulgar English.

After such use of French they would often say "Pardon my French," as it was not considered polite to use a foreign language unless everyone present could understand it.

However, as time passed it became a phrase that was said after uttering any bad language at all, not that just that actually spoken in French. And as the British (until recent times) held the French in low esteem, it was considered humorous to curse and say it was "French."

Answer 4

This it rooted in the ancient British-French rivalry. Both sides like to blame the other for things that are considered to be vulgar, esp. referred to bad or loose sexual behavior (or speech).

This particular expression seems to have first shown up in the late 19th century, but other such expressions were around much earlier. At least the first two in the following list were used as early as the 16th century.

"French pox" or "the French disease - herpes
"French-sick" - syphilis
"French letter" - condom
"the French way" - oral ...
"French postcards" -pornography
"French lessons" - prostitution
"French novels" - explicit novels

(As I hinted above, the French have some similar anti-British expressions. Unfortunately, I don't have those ready-to-hand.)


Several word sites discuss this. Here are articles from two of the better sites for such questions:
http://www.takeourword.com/Issue058.html
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/13/messages/417.html

Answer 5

of direction not. Parisian is so crammed with *colourful metaphores* that if a well mannered verbal substitute have been translated it could make the DI in complete metallic Jacket look like pass over Manners.

Answer 6

french people don't say "pardon my english"

(i'm french)