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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask how to pronounce croissant without sounding like a twat?

230 replies

Hoppinggreen · 04/10/2014 08:37

So how do you do it?
I know how to say it properly as I speak reasonable French but I wonder if I sound like a pretentious twat. With close friends and family I get round it by doing it in an over exaggerated ironic way but how would I order one when out or how would I offer one to a casual acquaintance?
And as for Pain au Chocolat - I daren't even go there!!

OP posts:
serenaserene · 04/10/2014 19:53

Custard slice?

poolomoomon · 04/10/2014 20:03

I say Cwa-sonn and pan-oh-shocko-lat. My dad's half French, that's how he says it.

Bulbasaur · 04/10/2014 20:03

Chipotle: (Chi Pole Tlay) It's a Spanish word. Wink
Chorizo: (Chor Rees So) All Z's sound like S's in Spanish.

Here in the states we just pronounce croissant as: Cruh Sahnt

quietbatperson · 04/10/2014 20:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DirtyDancing · 04/10/2014 21:52

dauphinoise potatoes. I never order them as I can't say it. Which is technically better for my diet I suppose.

ilovepowerhoop · 04/10/2014 22:01

I would pronounce that as dough-fin-waas potatoes

Catsize · 04/10/2014 22:06

Really didn't know this was was an issue.
And really not sure why the little girl was chastised for saying fa-hitas instead of fadge-eaters (which was presumably how the poster thought she should say it and just sounds wrong on all levels).
I speak fluent French and say croissants as the French would, but 'pot pourri' will always be 'pott poury'.

Shockers · 04/10/2014 22:11

Doh-fin-wagh?

I had them tonight, but at home so I didn't have to say it out loud.

Vajazzler · 04/10/2014 22:12

I pronounce it cross o dont thanks to my super cute ds5. I know I probably sound knobbish but it's been adopted as an acceptable family word along with mazagine.

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 04/10/2014 22:13

I say Doughf Noir

eatyourveg · 04/10/2014 22:17

focaccia - I know its not "fock a cheer" but I can't help it
I say cwar son
As for pain au chocolat its just chocolate croissant in our house when no-one is around otherwise its pan oh shockalar

MajesticWhine · 04/10/2014 22:22

Fo catch ear
With emphasis on the catch?

Ilikepie · 04/10/2014 22:23

Not quite the same thing thing, but how do you pronounce turmeric? I keep hearing tyu-mur-ic , as in tumour . That cannot be right surely?

Crwah-sont. Terrible i know.

ilovepowerhoop · 04/10/2014 22:26

tur-mer-ick = turmeric
foh-catch-ah - focaccia

Flipflops7 · 04/10/2014 23:02

Tumour-ic is such an annoying mistake.

Love the Cruddites above.

singaporefling · 04/10/2014 23:31

My favourite is pain-au-raisin / pan-oh-reh-zhan...but I HAVE to say 'pan-oh-rayzun' in my local coffee shops or otherwise they just stare at me Smile

Prosopopeia · 04/10/2014 23:31

Crassont.

I've started saying Latty too now instead of Lahtay. I like it when the snooty barista corrects me, 'do you mean Laaahtay?' Grin

Life's too short.

SoonMeansNever · 04/10/2014 23:35

Ah the old focaccia debate.... I had a housemate who was a terrible food snob and would refer to fo-cahhh-chiahhhh with a long A, and laaaaah-tay for latte.
Having spent the previous summer au pairing in Italy the year before it made me clench to hear her, I had been taught (by the granny) short As for everything, A as in 'hat' not 'hard'. I kept thinking "Short A, short A, short A", but never corrected her as she would've just thought I was wrong anyway. I believe she thought it made things sound more authentic/posh. The plank. She still does it too, 15yrs later, and it still makes me clench. Grin

iwantgin · 04/10/2014 23:41

ooh yes, Latte.

Everyone (just about) says Laaahtaay. It's so wrong.

I don't drink milky coffee so it doesn't affect me that much I just like to be right ;)

MarmaladeShatkins · 04/10/2014 23:48

It's cross-ont.

Do you think that French people give a toss about sounding French when asking for things in English?!

unhappyfatmama · 05/10/2014 02:13

Love this thread!

Primaryteach87 · 05/10/2014 02:21

I say qua son/ cwason

Primaryteach87 · 05/10/2014 02:28

dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/british/croissant
Thoughts?

Lushlush · 05/10/2014 06:57

I think words from other languages should be pronounced correctly if the speaker knows how and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

What on earth is wrong with a little culture and class?

CheerfulYank · 05/10/2014 07:22

I'm American and say kruh-sahnt. And chi-POTE-lay.

I don't know what a pain au chocolate is!