Bon courage : Daily French Lessons(Day 2)

Welcome to class! Today we are looking into a very interesting French phrase which is very popular, I bet you must have heard it before or seen it somewhere even if you don’t know what it means or what it stands for. After this lesson it won’t be a feat to identify the meaning, context and also to use the expression when necessary.

Yesterday we talked about c’est la vie which is all about acceptance and positivity so today is gonna be all about encouragement, we need to encourage ourselves and feel loved instead of cutting down and criticising.

In English we say “Good Luck” but in French we say “Bon Courage”, means same thing but I’ll explain the little diversity in this lesson. Actually in reality or in literal terms or translation, bon courage doesn’t mean luck but it means strength for what you are already going through or facing. We don’t just wish you Goodluck in French language but we are caring enough to show you support in words to strengthen you for whatever present activity or challenge goimg on. It has a lot to do with the emotional realism, cultural mindset and the way the French practically use their language. French is more respectful of their culture than anything else Thats why it reflects so much in their language. The literal meaning of Bon. Courage is actually good courage ig translated directly to English but Thats already a tiny shift in perspective because the French avoids “luck” in this context, they’re more heavy on work than faith.

Bon Courage could be very handy for our daily expressions, examples:

See a woman working heavily: “bon courage” meaning well done 👍

See a service member fighting for the nation: “bon courage”

Bon courage is a word of encouragement but it doesn’t take the focus away from the subject, feels like you appreciate him and then he goes back to work or whatever you encouraged him to do. It doesn’t shift responsibility from the person it only encourages. The expression is one to support and not discourage, it’s still about positivity respect and love.

When do we say bon courage?

Before an exam
Before a difficult conversation
Before a long day at work

I hope you learned a few from this teaching? If you still find it quite difficult I’ll only say one thing to you “BON COURAGE!” Well done, 👍 , bravo, keep it up! You’d be a French speaker soon!

And the expression is pronounced as [bon kuraj:]

Thank you for reading. Please ask questions, I’d entertain them all.

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