10/17/2009

Pouloir

I invented a new French word today. Well, actually I invented it in class a week or two ago when I got my words confused, but I actually gave it a meaning today. Let's see if I can get the meaning correct in French:

"avoir désirer pouvoir"

In other words, "have the desire to be capable of." It's a mix of vouloir (to want) and pouvoir (to be able). Here's the conjugation for present tense:

Pouloir
je pois
tu pois
il/elle pois
nous poulons
vous poulez
ils/elles poilent

et l'impératif:

tu po
nous po
vous po

Pourquoi? parce-que je poux de crier ce mot quand quelqu'un a besoin de la motivation pour la pratique.
Why? I want to be able to yell it at people in practice. It sounds like the English word "go" and you can put a lot more force into it than "allez." How am I supposed to yell a word that has no hard consonants? "Po" also has more meaning than "go"/"allez". Those are vague words that give the person no reason to "go." "Po", on the other hand, captures the essence of why we anyone would practice in the first place- to improve his or her capacity to engage a similar situation when desired or necessary at some point in the future. I run so that when the sun is shining brightly on all the world, as it is at this moment, I can jump out the door and cruise over to the park without having to stop every half mile for a breather. I practice French so that I will one day have the capability to converse with people rather than guessing what they are talking about. "Go" is a very short-term goal. "Po" carries a long-term vision for the future, which is something that a good many people need.

Alors, je pois convaincre le gouvernement français que mon mot est bon...

1 comment:

C.A.S. said...

Jeepers..... Now I kinda wish I had paid more attention in Leslie Crabtree's Structure of the English Language class...... then MAYBE I'd have a clue of what you are speaking.... haha..... Glad you're having fun!