French speakers please!!

[agnat]

Is anyone able to tell me how I would say that I am bringing up my daughter bi-lingually. Am I right in thinking I would say "élever de manière bi-lingue" or "élever afin qu'elle soit bi-lingue" rather than "élever bi-lingue". I have been told once but post motherhood have the attention span and recall of a gnat. Many thanks for your help.

This is not a question I would like to answer but I do think you are in danger of over-translating. I myself would either state, "elle est bilingue" or "elle comprend deux langues" or even "nous sommes une famille bilingue".

Nous sommes une famille bilingue is best I think.

Agree with Man and OneLieIn, particularly if your DD can't talk yet.

If she is older and can speak both languages you can say simply "elle est bilingue".

In any case, it wouldn't be "afin que" - that sounds like the reason you're bringing her up is to be bilingual! I think the word you'd want would be "de facon que" + subj, but it sounds a bit pompous to my resolutely demotic ear.

Keep it simple!

Thanks everyone. I think you're right MIFLAW it may have been "de facon que" - suggested by a French au pair a few months ago - but I agree they do sound a bit strained. I really just wanted to convey that she was in the process of becoming bilingual - to say "elle est bilingue" feels as if I'm jumping the gun. So I've taken the easy option and said I would like her to be bilingual. Hope this is sufficiently demotic.

I realise I've never told anyone that I am 'bringing up my DCs bilingually'

I usually say that we speak English at home and then people say 'Alors ils sont bilingues! Quel atout! etc'

Absolutely. I would probably follow your lead except, in the process of trying to make my own daughter bilingual, I have reflected on what that actually means. And I cannot help thinking that, while she is not yet competent in both languages, she is as competent in both her languages as can be expected at this age (a whole year!) and I've done what I would have if she was monolingual - ie spoken to her all the time in French, while her mum does the same in English - so, in that respect, she already IS bilingual, in the sense that any baby is "lingual" (!) at all.

IYSWIM ...