What’s wrong with saying "Yum, this is very delicious!" or "Wow, this is very beautiful!" Nothing...in English. However, a literal translation of these expressions -along with a few others- doesn't work in French. Here’s why. Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode Délicieux Super / génial / formidable / merveilleux / grandiose / fabuleux Magnifique / superbe Meilleur / mieux Pire Essentiel, indispensable vraiment= really absolument = absolutely "Miam! C'est très délicieux!" ? "Miam ! C'est vraiment / absolument délicieux !" (= Yum ! It’s really / … Read More →
Why you can’t say “very delicious” in French – and other examples
What’s wrong with saying “Yum, this is very delicious!” or “Wow, this is very beautiful!” ? Nothing…in English. However, a literal translation of these expressions -along with a few others- doesn’t work in French. Here’s why. "Very delicious": the basic explanation Some words such as “délicieux”, “magnifique” already include the idea of a superlative/of “something very high degree”, therefore using “très” with these words is really redundant and sounds very awkward. The more detailed explanation Here’s what the online dictionary of the CNRTL says about “très” (it’s a bit grammatical, but … Read More →