GailV Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 If someone wanted to refer to a group as The Fighting Butterflies, would they say Les Papillons Combattant ? (Dd is naming a ballet trio doing pointe work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 (edited) My French is not very good - but wouldn't a plural noun require a plural participe? So, if the word itself works, shouldn't it be "combattants"? Edited November 29, 2016 by regentrude 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 ^ what she said. Would need to be "combattants" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 I lived a long time in a francophone country and wonder if other options might be along the lines of "Les Papillons qui ––––" (à la "La vache qui rit" = "Laughing Cow") or "Les Papillons de ––––" (i.e., not a literal, word-for-word translation) ... I'll check back, b/c I'm curious what a native speaker will suggest. :) If you don't get a response (although I know there are French-speakers on this board), I can ask people I know. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 (edited) My French is not very good - but wouldn't a plural noun require a plural participe? So, if the word itself works, shouldn't it be "combattants"? That's what I thought, but dd claims that the s doesn't go on to combattant for some reason. (Edited to add that I tried to "like" the post, but the computer/website refuses to allow it. Mysterious, given that I can "like" the other 2.) I lived a long time in a francophone country and wonder if other options might be along the lines of "Les Papillons qui ––––" (à la "La vache qui rit" = "Laughing Cow") or "Les Papillons de ––––" (i.e., not a literal, word-for-word translation) ... I'll check back, b/c I'm curious what a native speaker will suggest. :) If you don't get a response (although I know there are French-speakers on this board), I can ask people I know. That would make sense to me --- that there's some idiomatic phrase that would come out to be much the same. Edited November 29, 2016 by GailV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Why not something a bit more poetic like "les papillons déchaînés"? (and yes, it needs to agree, hence the s.) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 29, 2016 Share Posted November 29, 2016 Maybe something like "les papillons féroces"? Papillons combatants sounds awkward and inauthentic to me, though I'm not a native speaker. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 (edited) Dh (the real francophone in the household) and I (the naturalized francophone in the household) agree that 'Les papillons de combats' sounds most normal. Combattants is a noun that means 'fighters.' So papillons combattants would be sort of like saying butterflies fighters. Edited November 30, 2016 by Audrey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 Dh (the real francophone in the household) and I (the naturalized francophone in the household) agree that 'Les papillons de combats' sounds most normal. Combattants is a noun that means 'fighters.' So papillons combattants would be sort of like saying butterflies fighters. Audrey, what do you and your husband think of "les papillons guerriers"? My mind seems to think that sounds OK. It's been a long time since I lived in a French speaking area though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted November 30, 2016 Share Posted November 30, 2016 (edited) Audrey, what do you and your husband think of "les papillons guerriers"? My mind seems to think that sounds OK. It's been a long time since I lived in a French speaking area though. 'Les papillons de guerriers' would work. ETA: but that connotation is more like saying "warrior butterflies." Same type of idea, but a stronger connotation of violence. Edited November 30, 2016 by Audrey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted November 30, 2016 Author Share Posted November 30, 2016 Thanks everyone. She ended up not using any title for the group, partially because the other dancers didn't express any preferences. So the paperwork has been mailed in with that bit left blank -- they'll just go by their actual names and "Contemporary Pointe Trio". Last year their teacher had set choreography on them that was sort of badass -- they all wore super hero tshirts with their tutus when performing this contemporary piece -- that's where the idea of "fighting butterflies" came from (and, yes, the music is what you think it is, and it was choreographed way before anyone around here saw that viral video of the hip hop pointe fusion). Three of the dancers have decided to take the piece to a local competition. Dd loves to name things, and the other girls said a name would be great ... but didn't want to contribute ideas, or say whether or not they liked any of her ideas. When she started coming up with French names I offered to ask the all-knowing Hive whether she was coming up with plausible phrases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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