I put my foot in my mouth with a poor child (lighthearted)

[Booboostwo]

I was at an English speaking Easter egg hunt (I live in France, the party was specifically set up to encourage kids to speak English - this is relevant). I was introduced to three kids from the same family and since I was meeting them for the first time I said "Hello, my name is Booboos, what is your name?" The first two children told me their names all fine, the third one told me a number. In the context I assumed she had misunderstood the question so I said "No, not how old you are but what is your name?", but she repeated the number. I kept going and switched to French to help him out at which point his mum intervened and clarified that the child had understood me the first time and the number was his name.

I don't know if I should tell you the number as it might make the child more identifiable but there is nothing about this number that in any way resembles a name or is used as a name in a different culture. I didn't have the guts to ask why he had been called after a number.

Judgey? Moi? Well yes but only in a lighthearted sort of way.

But isn't Sixten is pronounced like Six and the Ten practically trails off. The emphasis on the word Sixteen is on the teen. So if his name is Sixten they are saying it very wrong.

Yes I just re read the op and it says she for some of it and then he. So was the child a girl or a boy?

Wasn't blossom's friend called Six in Blossom because her mum was a hippy. Maybe it's a lucky number? 😕 very odd though

@Arf, you're right, I missed that

He or she? You start off with her,she ect then it's him, he. Then back to she and then again he

It was not Sixten or Sixtine, it was 16 and pronounced exactly like the English number sixteen. Sixtine sounds nice actually, I assume it's pronounced like Floriane and Oriane?

Ok it was a girl. I thought I should change it a boy to make her less identifiable but I completely messed that up.

The mum confirmed it was the number and they pronounced it Six TEEN not Six ten or Six TE ne.

Why would Sixtine be pronounced like Floriane?

I'm not a native speaker, btu Larousse gives the pronunciation of the name Sixtine as [sikstin].

I thought in France you had to be careful with names and couldn't name a child something that a court could ban if it decided it was not in the child's best interest. So surely then it must be an agreed family nickname rather than their actual name?!

I don't know, maybe I am totally wrong!

I thought Florian is pronounced short at the end like Sixteen, whereas Floriane has the strong e at the end so assumed Sixtine also needs the strong e like Oriane, Fabienne, etc.

Is that rubbish? If yes then i put my foot in it even more! Maybe her mum meant the name was like the number, not the number.

I'm French and know a Sixtine, pronounced like the number. It's a een sound like in the French cantine, comptine, tartine etc.

I'll have to ask my friend who organised the party what the girl was called, but the DCs are now up so I am not too sure when I will be able to update.

My name is a number so I often get other adults correcting me or repeatedly asking my name.

Sixtine is a French name, though

No you don't say the e at the end of those names. For female versions of Fabian, Florian etc (Fabienne, Floriane) you pronounce the n, so Flor-jann, whereas man would be more like Flor-jaa

(feel free to correct me, Ghost)

I was hoping that someone had named their child Quatre-Vingt-Dix-Neuf. I often hear on Mumsnet that quadruple-barrelled names are becoming more popular.

I was hoping that someone had named their child Quatre-Vingt-Dix-Neuf.

isn't that "Flocon" ?

I would have been at this, no idea that Sixtine was a name.

Those Die Antwoord rappers have a GORGEOUS little girl called Sixteen. Spelt like that, not Sixtine.

Maybe the mother is a Die Antwoord fan?

Seems more likely it was a young Sixtine though. I've never heard that name before, I think it's lovely!

Am baffled as to how someone who lives in France could not know that Sixtine would be pronounced Sixteen though

I rather like it now, but if someone came onto the Baby Names board here and said they wanted to name a kid Sixtine, it'd be wall-to-wall ooh, look at you with your yooonique name, you may as well give up and call her Shardonay before a French person came along to correct us

With my schoolgirl French I would have pronounced Sixtine and sixteen (maybe a tiny bit more like Seexteen) so I'm puzzled as to how you'd think it would be pronounced like Floriane (which I would pronounce Florry-anne ish)

"Sorry, you must be 16 to drink here."
"Ah, then I have a surprise for you!"