You have a quote that means a lot to you, maybe it’s something you heard or saw someone say, or it could be something you created yourself; now it’s time to share it with the world. But how? What do I write? What language should I use? Can you teach me?
Writing a beautiful and precise quote can be a challenge. Many people have a hard time keeping the language simple and easy to understand while also making it powerful and precise. On the other hand, if you’re not careful, a bad quote can leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth. So how do I avoid this? How do I write a beautiful and precise quote?
Start With A Few Examples
When you’re learning a new language or trying to learn how to write a new genre, it’s important to look at examples. The last thing you want to do is write a sentence or two and then realize it doesn’t make much sense. Therefore, it’s important to look at how other people wrote before you and how you can improve on their ideas. This way you can guarantee your quote is going to be powerful and precise. To that end, try looking at a few quotes by famous people to get an idea of how a beautiful quote should sound. You can find many famous quotes in different languages on the internet, simply search for the language you’re struggling with and the word “famous.”
Learn Phraseology
Every language has its own set of words and expressions that you need to learn to properly speak and write. For example, the French language has a specific set of words that you must know in order to write powerful and precise quotes. Knowing these words will help you avoid some of the pitfalls that most people fall into when writing quotes. One of the most useful words in French for writers is “en avoué”; this is followed by the phrase “de bonne gugusse.” To put it simply, avoué means “honest broker” or “third party mediator” and de bonne gugusse means “good gossip.” Knowing these two words will help you write a beautiful and precise sentence when you say, “J’ai eu des ennuis avec une bonne guguse.” (I had trouble with an honest broker.) Instead of using “en avoué,” you can say “j’ai eu des problèmes avec une personne honnête.” (I had problems with an honest person.)
You can also use these phrases to help you along the way:
- en cas de découverte: in case of discovery (detection, accusation, etc)
- en faux pas: in case of faux pas (gaffe, blunder, etc)
- dans le domaine: in the field (within one’s specialty)
- à la suite de: after (subsequent to, on the heels of, etc)
- à titre post-subscription: as an alternative to (in the style of)
- des affaires de marjane: Jane’s affairs (i.e., the affairs of Jane, the goddess)
- pour répondre: for answering (replying to, in response to)
- à chaud: at the moment (just now, at this very moment)
- un peu de temps après: a bit after (subsequently, soon afterward)
- du coup: by coincidence (happily, by chance)
- en passant: by the way (besides)
- malgré lui: against his or her will (beyond what the person wants)
Understand The Structure Of A French Sentence
When writing in French, you must understand the structure of a sentence and how to use the right word to get your meaning across. French is a very logical and systematic language, so once you understand how sentences work, everything else falls into place. To start with, every sentence must begin with a subject and a verb. The subject of a sentence is the thing that you’re talking about or what you’re trying to achieve. For example, “J’ai loué un kayak pour faire un ami aux États-Unis.” (I rented a kayak to make a friend in America.) The verb in a sentence represents the action you’re taking or the result of that action. For example, in the previous sentence, “faire un ami” means “to make a friend” and “un kayak” represents the action of “renting a kayak.”
To put it more simply, the verb in the sentence “J’ai loué un kayak” means “I rented a kayak.” “Faire” is the verb and “un ami aux États-Unis” is the object of the verb. Learning how to conjugate regular French verbs is an essential part of learning how to write a beautiful quote in French. Remember, the subject of a sentence is different from the object.
Use Pronouns
It’s important to learn to use pronouns correctly when writing in French. When writing a beautiful quote, it tends to be easier to write about yourself or people close to you. However, this can lead you into some pitfalls, the biggest one being that you end up sounding conceited or like you’re bragging. To avoid this, make sure that you use the right pronoun for the same situation. For example, if you want to write something like, “J’ai compris l’importance de parler anglais aux Américains,” you would want to write, “Je traduis l’anglais aux Américains.” (I translate English to the Americans.)
Other than that, make sure that you always use the appropriate form of a pronoun when referring to a person or thing. When it comes to people, you need to use the appropriate form of the pronoun “il” or “elle” depending on whether you’re talking about a male or female (i.e., “le” for a man and “la” for a woman). If it’s a thing or an action, you should use the singular “un” followed by the appropriate adjective. For example, “la machine à café” is a singular noun that becomes “la mécanique café” when used with “il.” So, instead of saying, “La mécanique café est facile à utiliser,” you would instead say, “L’utilisation de la machine café est simple.” (The use of the café machine is simple.)
You can also use these phrases to help you along the way:
- en cas de doute: in case of doubt (suspension of judgment, etc)
- mieux vaut: it’s preferable (preferably, it’s better)
- pour le mieux: for the best (optimistically)
- à la suite de: after (subsequent to, on the heels of, etc)
- demain matin: tomorrow morning (tomorrow)
- pour le moins: at least (for the least)
Use Regular Expressions
The French language is very regular, which makes it very easy to learn. The same goes for quotes. Once you know how to write a regular sentence, you know how to write a beautiful one. Learning regular expressions can be useful in many ways. For example, you can use them to validate text fields as you’re typing or to replace certain words or phrases with alternatives. To that end, if you want to write a sentence such as, “J’ai cherché ce qu’il fallait sur le net, puis j’ai trouvé ce livre,” you can use regular expressions to replace the word “cherché” (I sought) with “je cherche” (I’m looking for) and the word “sur” (on) with “du” (of, or to) while simultaneously keeping the meaning intact. This way, you can guarantee that anyone reading your quote will understand what you mean without having to explain too much.