« Sh! » in English, but « chut! » in French. Expressions certainly do not simply translate from one language to another, they are also transformed. Here’s a Speak Easy collection of « sh » words in English (many of the these English words are of Yiddish origin and they are fun to say outloud due to their rather odd combination of sounds), up to you to find the French equivalents in the list. In French the Sh and sch sound are not very much used. The English section of my Harrap’s has 8 pages of words beginning with these letters whereas the corresponding French section has just 25 entries. Those 25 French words are frequently derived from English: schéma, schématique, schisme, schiste, schizophrène, schlinguer, schnaps, schnock, schuss, shaker, shakespearien, shampooing, shampoiner, shampouineur, shérif, shetland, shiatsu, shinto, shit, shoot, shooter, shopping, short, show and show-business.
Enjoy the this puzzle of expressions and prick up your ears to the colorful expressions of the French language pour descendre tout schuss.
PS: The Speak Easy Puzzle was a popular feature in the FUSAC magazine for more than 25 years. Readers liked them so much they would cut them out and save the whole collection. It is widely used by teachers of English and French as well. Because they were so popular we combined them into a lively book illustrated with watercolors. Fun, entertaining way to learn French. Makes a good gift too. This Spring Speak Easy Puzzle is one of 150 puzzles in a 3 volume collection which is available exclusively at Bill & Rosa’s Book Room or by email : BRBookRoom@gmail.com
There are more sample Speak Easy Puzzles on our website.
More than 100 Speak Easy puzzles have been collected in 3 volumes.