Salut à tous,

Je suis bien d'acccord avec Céline.

"Il y a toujours le revers de la médaille" représente mieux la situation décrite par Careyxxx puisque cela implique le bon et le mauvais côté des choses (le revers étant les inconvénients).

What is a popular proverb/idiom in your country or one you really like?

where was I ??? oh mon Dieu tout ce qu'il s'est passe ici !

donc en fait Careyxxx, c'est deux gars qui sont en train de parler. Et il y en a un qui dit a l'autre : " Tu ne devrais pas coucher avec toutes ses femmes, tu pourrais attraper une maladie. Tu pourrais attraper le SIDA". et son pote lui repond : "je suis conscient des risques mais pour toute chose, il y a toujours le revers de la medaille !"

Je pense que pour cette situation "il y a toujours le revers de la medaille" is better. Quoique il n'y pas d'omelette sans casser des oeufs pourrait etre bon aussi. Mais Careyxxx, il n'y a pas d'omelette sans casser des oeufs implique une bonne action ou une bonne cause des le depart.

Je ne pense pas que "papilloner" (flirting around) de fleurs en fleurs soit une tres bonne cause. et puis il y a les preservatifs !

I have thought of one situation. If I am wrong, please tell me how to describe my situation in French. Thank you in advance.

There are these 2 guys talking. One guy tells the other guy that he should not sleep around with so many women. He might catch something. He might catch le SIDA. The guy he is talking to says that he is well-aware of the risk, but it goes along with the territory meaning that if a person is going to engage in such dangerous behavior, it is only natural that unpleasant consequences will occur. Then he adds: "There aren't any omelettes without breaking any eggs."

Bonjour

Effectively, the idiom "il n'y a pas d'omelettes sans casser des oeufs" can be used in any conversation about any situation where risks are taken even though unpleasant consequences will occur.

Could anyone think of such situation?

An idiom that my entourage used to tell me is "tu n'as pas froid aux yeux." meaning that I was daring and not afraid to just go and do it (whatever it was!)

Other things that poeple know me for is my passion for chocolate and riding and training horses!

When my father was young, not quite old enough to be a soldier, he worked as a civilian in a US military cafeteria on Wake Island. The island was overtaken by the Japanese, and the American GIs and my father were sent to a Prisoner of War camp in mainland China. My father was born and raised in Hawaii, but he longed to retire and settle in mainland China, but that dream was never realized.

Thank you for sharing your story about your grandfather. When I asked the questions in the post above, I did not intend to get such a "heavy" response that would bring up such powerful emotions. That is why I asked if the idiom "There is no omelette without breaking any eggs" could be used in situations not related to military battle.

I tried listening to the mp3 for the lesson, but I could only listen to the dialogue. The part with the Frenchpod101 teachers explaining the idiom got cut off, so I don't know the correct meaning of it. I think it is better not knowing the meaning at first glance. It gives me a chance to guess what it means, but now for my sake, and the sake of other listeners who are not paid subscribers, could you tell us the meaning of the idiom in this thread and tell us if it could be applied to situations other than military battles?

When I first signed up at this website, I never dreamed I would reveal so much about myself. I only know 2 things about you: You listened to your parents and did not pursue a career as a mounted ranger so that you would not risk suffering serious injuries, and you gave up your country and family to live with the man of your life. Could those 2 experiences of yours be related to the idiom for this lesson, "There is no omelette without breaking any eggs"? If they cannot be related to your experiences, can you think of any French idioms that might fit your experiences?

The essential is to be able to gain trust and establish a comfortable atmosphere for the veteran to reveal himself.

My grand-father for example was enrolled by force into the German army during WWII. He never talked about this time which was difficult for him on all points of view. (emotionally and physically during winter combats ; emotionally and mentally after the war)

Re-bonjour

Tu demanderais plutôt:

Est-ce que tu as pris des risques?

Est-ce que tu as souffert physiquement ou émotionnellement?

Pour le verbe préciser à la 2ième personne du singuler, c'est

Tu précises.

La question serait:

Tu peux préciser? / Tu pourrais préciser? (un peu plus poli)

Préciser veut dire "to be precise" and therefore ask for details.

L'essentiel est de pouvoir gagner la confiance et établir une atmosphère confortable, pour qu'un ancien combattant se révèle.

Mon grand-père par exemple a été engagé de force dans l'armée allemande lors de la 2ième guerre mondiale. Il ne parlait jamais de cette époque qui a été difficile pour lui à tous les points de vue. (émotionnellement et physiquement en hiver lors des combats ; émotionnellement et mentalement après la guerre).

Je voudrais poser des questions. Est-ce que tu a fait de grands risques? Est-ce que tu a souffri physiquement ou d'emotion?

Il y a aussi le mot «precisez». Quelle est le «tu» forme du verbe?

Does it mean to be precise or to elaborate? Does it ask you to give details as opposed to just saying "yes" or "no"?

This idiom is great when you apply it to any confrontation in life.

Bonjour fidèle Careyxxx

Tu es un victime de guerre. (pour un homme)

Tu es une victime de guerre. (pour une femme)

Tu souffres de blessures de guerre.

We call veterans "les anciens combattants". They are celebrated for the ones who fought in WWI on November 11th. Fernand Goux is one of them and alive at 108 years old. They were nicknamed "les poilus" (hairy).

The ones who fought in WWII are celebrated on May 8th.

It looks like the idiom is talking more about suffering casualties in any battle, but the truth of the idiom applies to more than military battles. It applies to life. The beauty of idioms is that they represent a lesson from the idiom alone after one has learned the story that goes along with the idiom. And although the idiom is worded in a colorful way, it would still be useful to learn the idiom in standard French.

How do you say in French "You/They suffer casualties in any battle"?