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Differences between similar words?
Message de gylles posté le 23-11-2008 à 16:03:10
Boyfriend or Girlfriend (serious and long relationship) and Lover (some other partner unknown from the others) is it the difference?
Chum (buddy, friends, colleague...) or Chump (stupîd or simpleton victim??) Why those two words seem to be so similar, is anybody could give me some explanation about their origins? Why only a letter at the end can make such a difference for the meaning??
Bunch (of flowers) or Stack (haystack)
In brief everyday when I find some new words or expressions I try to check them into dictionnaries but even after my investigations I still feel curious... lol
Wait for your answer
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Modifié par bridg le 19-02-2009 06:45
Message de gylles posté le 23-11-2008 à 16:03:10
Boyfriend or Girlfriend (serious and long relationship) and Lover (some other partner unknown from the others) is it the difference?
Chum (buddy, friends, colleague...) or Chump (stupîd or simpleton victim??) Why those two words seem to be so similar, is anybody could give me some explanation about their origins? Why only a letter at the end can make such a difference for the meaning??
Bunch (of flowers) or Stack (haystack)
In brief everyday when I find some new words or expressions I try to check them into dictionnaries but even after my investigations I still feel curious... lol
Wait for your answer
-------------------
Modifié par bridg le 19-02-2009 06:45
Réponse: Differences between similar words? de robertbrou, postée le 25-11-2008 à 21:40:07
Hello,
This is my opinion of how I understand boy-, girlfriend, lover:
Lover is a relationship, not necessarily for courtship and tends to be short-term.
Boyfriend/Girlfriend - is a courtship and tends to be long-term.
Please note: A girl can have a girlfriend (copine) but a boy doesn't have a boyfriend. He usually has a buddy, pal, or chum.
Go to MerriamWebster.com to verify chum and chump. They each have different etymologies.
I don't know what you mean with Bunch and Stack
Stack is a group of things, one on top of the other.
Bunch is a group of things, like flowers/radishes/bananas. In US English, bunch is widely used for many other things. For example: I have a bunch of friends/toys/things/etc.
--
I've also run into similar situations in French:
Un vase / Une vase
C'est terrible / C'est pas terrible - in the positive sense
foi/Foix/foie - Le marchand de foie par example
poli=comportement, poli=lisse et brillant
Hope this helps!
Rob
Réponse: Differences between similar words? de gylles, postée le 26-11-2008 à 11:57:46
Thank you for your answer it will help me a lot anyway, alone I wouldn't have found the origins of those words and in which other cases it's possible to use girlfriend or girlfriend.
This English dictionary is very good, it can explains meanings and briefly the origins of the word in english and even pronounce them (ha it's a pity I don't have window, I can't hear it, lol).
Yes I know that in french there are also many familiar expressions from the spoken language which can't be explained directly (like terrible and not terrible...).
If you have any question like this about french, I'd be willing to answer you!
Réponse: Differences between similar words? de rumil, postée le 19-02-2009 à 00:14:57
deeds-actions;vividly-clearly;witty-amusing;heroic-brave;topic-subject;intended-planned;locate-find;determined-decidedrecuperate-recover
Réponse: Differences between similar words? de TravisKidd, postée le 19-02-2009 à 01:08:36
"Boyfriend/girlfriend" is used for any romantic relationship other than marriage ("husband/wife") or marriage engagement ("fiancé(e)"). It can be as innocent as a schoolboy and schoolgirl "liking" each other, or it can be as serious as two lovers (see below) living together as a husband and wife would (but without being married or engaged).
"Lover" is used for a serious, and usually sexual, relationship. While a spouse is by definition a lover, the term is usually used to indicate the serious and sexual nature of a relationship other than marriage.
