Learn about superstitions related to black cats, and crossing fingers
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Black Cats and Crossed Fingers. I'm Eric and I'm joined by Yasmine. |
| Yasmine: Hi, I'm Yasmine. |
| THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS |
| Eric: In this lesson we will talk about two common superstitions in France. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s it called in French? |
| Yasmine: chat noir |
| Eric: Which literally means "black cat." Yasmine, can you repeat the French phrase again? |
| Yasmine: [slow] chat noir [normal] chat noir |
| Eric: I used to have a black cat when I was young. Actually, it’s very hard for black cats to get adopted in the States. |
| Yasmine: Well, it may be similar in France. In France, it's believed that seeing a black cat at night will bring you bad luck. |
| Eric: There’s a supernatural reason for this. Black cats were said to be witches’ companions. |
| Yasmine: Black was also said to be the devil's color. |
| Eric: So maybe that’s why some people are hesitant to adopt them. |
| Yasmine: I think they’re very cute, though. |
| Eric: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s it called in French? |
| Yasmine: croiser les doigts |
| Eric: Which literally means "cross fingers." Let’s hear it in French again. |
| Yasmine: [slow] croiser les doigts [normal] croiser les doigts |
| Eric: This is our last superstition. Let’s hope we don’t mess it up now. |
| Yasmine: Yup. We’ll cross our fingers. |
| Eric: In France, it's believed that crossing fingers is a sign of good luck. |
| Yasmine: This is because crossed fingers are said to represent the shape of a cross. |
| Eric: The shape of the cross is supposed to repel bad luck. |
| Yasmine: So, how do you think we did? |
| Eric: Good. I guess crossing our fingers worked! |
Outro |
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| Eric: There you have it - two French superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments! |
| Yasmine: À bientôt! |
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