-
Learning French: when and why do we say jeter l'éponge?
A phrase to use when acknowledging defeat
-
Learning French: the origins and meaning of 22 v’la les flics and other police terms
Hearing the number 22 when in France may suggest the police are nearby
-
Who do the new French language tests changes affect - and from when?
Use our handy graphic to see if this applies to you
'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?