I speak French. I used to teach it.
I know some people don't care much for foreign languages, and some don't care for details of language, such as spelling, grammar, etc. Many English speakers seem to be resolutely monolingual, and proud of it, alas!
I don't mean to be a stickler, but French looks and sounds ever so much nicer when it's done right... and the French really care about doing things right (especially their language), so...
Please remember that all nouns in French (as in most European languages other than English) have grammatical gender; some nouns are masculine, and some are feminine. All nouns in French, even the names of inanimate objects, have grammatical gender, i. e., they are either masculine or feminine. In French, adjectives that modify nouns must match those nouns for number and gender. Masculine nouns must be used with the masculine forms of adjectives, feminine nouns, with the feminine forms of adjectives. Singular forms of adjectives are used with singular nouns, and plural forms of adjectives with plural nouns. There are four forms of most adjectives, the masculine singular, the feminine singular, the masculine plural, and the feminine plural.
Please observe:
Un lycée grand (masc. sing.), a big high school
Des lycées grands (masc. plural), big high schools
Une table grande (fem. sing.), a big table
Des tables grandes (fem, plur.), big tables
French perfume names always follow this rule:
Bois Noir (masc.): the noun bois, "wood" is masculine in French; the masculine form of the adjective noir, "black" has no final "e." ( As in film noir.)
Nuit Noire (fem.): the noun nuit, "night" is feminine in French, hence the "e" on the end of Noire. The form noire, with the feminine ending "e", is used only with feminine singular nouns.
Daim means "suede" and the noun is masculine; the adjective "blond" is blond for masculine nouns and blonde for feminine nouns. Since Daim is masculine, the correct form is Daim Blond (no feminine "e" on the end of "blond"). Hence the form Daim Blond is the only form that is grammatically possible in French; Daim Blonde is grammatically impossible in French.
Sometimes there is no difference in pronunciation between masculine and feminine forms of adjectives; sometimes the form is the same in spelling, too. And the singular and plural forms of adjectives are generally pronounced the same, since the plural ending "-s" in French is written but not pronounced.
So, please, guys, when you write the names of perfumes and other fragrances in French, check the spelling. A good way to do this is to look at the box or bottle, or do a quick check in the Basenotes Directory (though there are a few typos there, too).
You don't need to pretend that you know French if you don't, but since you respect the art of French perfumery, just show some respect for the language, too... please!
I know some people don't care much for foreign languages, and some don't care for details of language, such as spelling, grammar, etc. Many English speakers seem to be resolutely monolingual, and proud of it, alas!
I don't mean to be a stickler, but French looks and sounds ever so much nicer when it's done right... and the French really care about doing things right (especially their language), so...
Please remember that all nouns in French (as in most European languages other than English) have grammatical gender; some nouns are masculine, and some are feminine. All nouns in French, even the names of inanimate objects, have grammatical gender, i. e., they are either masculine or feminine. In French, adjectives that modify nouns must match those nouns for number and gender. Masculine nouns must be used with the masculine forms of adjectives, feminine nouns, with the feminine forms of adjectives. Singular forms of adjectives are used with singular nouns, and plural forms of adjectives with plural nouns. There are four forms of most adjectives, the masculine singular, the feminine singular, the masculine plural, and the feminine plural.
Please observe:
Un lycée grand (masc. sing.), a big high school
Des lycées grands (masc. plural), big high schools
Une table grande (fem. sing.), a big table
Des tables grandes (fem, plur.), big tables
French perfume names always follow this rule:
Bois Noir (masc.): the noun bois, "wood" is masculine in French; the masculine form of the adjective noir, "black" has no final "e." ( As in film noir.)
Nuit Noire (fem.): the noun nuit, "night" is feminine in French, hence the "e" on the end of Noire. The form noire, with the feminine ending "e", is used only with feminine singular nouns.
Daim means "suede" and the noun is masculine; the adjective "blond" is blond for masculine nouns and blonde for feminine nouns. Since Daim is masculine, the correct form is Daim Blond (no feminine "e" on the end of "blond"). Hence the form Daim Blond is the only form that is grammatically possible in French; Daim Blonde is grammatically impossible in French.
Sometimes there is no difference in pronunciation between masculine and feminine forms of adjectives; sometimes the form is the same in spelling, too. And the singular and plural forms of adjectives are generally pronounced the same, since the plural ending "-s" in French is written but not pronounced.
So, please, guys, when you write the names of perfumes and other fragrances in French, check the spelling. A good way to do this is to look at the box or bottle, or do a quick check in the Basenotes Directory (though there are a few typos there, too).
You don't need to pretend that you know French if you don't, but since you respect the art of French perfumery, just show some respect for the language, too... please!
!
! England, Deutschland are 'it' in our view, because 'land' is 'it'.
