"Where is mom?"
Translation:Où est maman ?
24 Comments
The fact that "Mom" is being used as a name here means that it is a proper noun and thus should be capitalized.
I bring this up not to be pedantic but because a change in capitalization can change the meaning of a sentence and thus its translation.
I was under the impression that Maman = mom and Mère = mother.
Now, in the dictionary, I see that mère = mother or mom.
Is this correct?
Your first assumption is right.
It sounds a bit childish to use "mom" to refer to your mother once you are an adult.
Merci beaucoup, Sitesurf! :-)
Actually, in the US, it has become very common to refer to our Mothers as Mom, even when we are advancing in years ourselves (I called my mother, Mom until she passed away, and usually referred to her as my Mom).
However, it would be extremely odd for an adult to refer to her parents as Mommy and Daddy (although, it is accepted that some women in the southern states, like Texas, refer to their fathers as Daddy).
Yes, a 'daddy's girl' and a 'mama's boy' are pretty much the same creature in the US. The phrase, 'buyer beware' also comes to mind, for no particular reason.
Mom and Dad are common informal usage, whereas Mother and Father are the formal terms.
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Whenever I call my mother, I always say "Hi Mom" (always). I'm 53 years old, and it's a common familiar usage in the U.S., not childish at all. I would never say "Hi Mother" when calling my Mom, it would seem churlish or a little sarcastic.
I always appreciate the Sitesurf tips in French, but think you missed the mark on this particular American English language usage.
I am not teaching American English here but I am aware of this usage.
I was answering a question about the differences between "mère" and "maman" when a French person refers to his or her mother. The average French people do call their mothers "Maman", as a title, whenever it is a direct address. But when they mention their mothers in conversations, they use "ma mère". Only young children refer to their mothers with "ma maman".
As a consequence, the French "mère" gets "mother" as best translation always, and "mom" (+ variants) is accepted as well; the French "maman" gets "mom" as best translation; the English "mom" gets "maman" as Best and "mère" is accepted as well; and the English "mother" gets "mère" and rejects "maman".
Surely, you could have "ma mere"? After all you don't usually ask someone where their mother is using just "mom"
If you were talking to a brother or sister, this is totally what you'd say. "Where's mom?"
If Duolingo was expecting you to use "ma mère", they would have proposed "where is my mother?".
I get confused to, WHEN does ou have an accent, and when does it not have an accent???
Où est ta maman? Dis-moi, où est ta maman? Sans même devoir lui parler, Elle sait ce qu’il ne va pas Une sacrée maman Dis-moi où es-tu caché? Ça doit faire au moins mille fois, Que j’ai compté mes doigts Hé, où t’es? Maman où t’es?
