-
Verbal tics can puzzle learners of French
There are some habits you should not acquire, says columnist Nick Inman
-
Lesser-known French abbreviations to listen out for: just add 'O'
Insights into informal language trends, featuring shortened versions of restaurant, ordonnance and more
-
Tchin tchin, santé, eye contact: the words and rituals of French apéros
From a Mandarin phrase to mediaeval beliefs, we look back through the history of this evening tradition
'Le carnet rose' - the French way of announcing a new baby
There is also a 'carnet noir' and a 'carnet blanc'. We explain which life events these notices refer to
Translated literally le carnet rose means the pink newspaper notices.
Le carnet rose refers to the section of French newspapers that recent births would typically be reported in.
Read more: French language tip - making things sound mini, dinky or cute
This means anyone appearing in le carnet rose has recently become a parent.
Some publications even refer to a carnet rose for baby girls and a carnet bleu (blue notices) for baby boys.
And these are not the only carnets – there is also le carnet noir (black notices) for deaths, and le carnet blanc (white notices) for marriages.
Some English-language newspapers would group these under family announcements – but you might also hear the colloquial phrase ‘Hatched, matched and despatched’ for births, marriages and death notices used.
Related articles
Tati, toutou, teuf-teuf: French and its love of doubled-up words
Bavarde, commérages: how to describe having a chat or gossip in French
Do you know this versatile French word for mileage or being stubborn?
