Monday, January 14, 2008
bon vs. bien
"Quand, je me sens pas bon...," I started to say.
My French teacher burst out with a good-natured laugh and proceeded to explain the difference between using bon and bien with the verb sentir.
Thankfully, she realized I was mistaken when I had said, "When, I don't smell good..."
I knew that bon and bien both mean essentially the same thing: good. Sentir, I know from when I am feeling sick: je me sens malade. What I didn't know was that sentir can also mean to smell.
So unless you want to tell the world you smell- use bien with sentir!
sentir
présent: je sens, tu sens, il sent, nous sentons, vous sentez, ils sentent
Quand, je me sens pas bon When I don't smell good
Quand, je me sens pas bien When I don't feel good
La photo: A Jackass penguin during molting season. Without his feathers he still looks good but he does stink! At Boulders Beach in Cape Town, South Africa. Novembre 2007.
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2 comments:
molting season can be so cruel.
oui- this penguin probably would rather trade places with an international singe of terry cloth. :-)
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