A lot of English words come from French words that we borrowed, but some English words contain whole French phrases within them.

很多英文字是我們從法文借用而來的，不過，有些英文詞彙包含了完整法文用語。

Let's take a 'petite' tour!

咱們來一場迷你旅行吧！

What is vinegar but sour wine?

醋不是酸掉的酒，能是什麼呢？

And that's exactly where the word comes from, too. Vinegar is 'vin aigre', or sour wine.

而那也正是這個字的來源：Vinegar 就是 vin aigre，代表「酸酒」。

"Curfew" goes back to the medieval regulation, where the village bell would ring in the evening as a signal for everyone to put out their fires.

「宵禁」這個字源自中世紀的規範，村莊的鐘會在夜間敲響，提醒村民該熄燈了。

Hence curfew, 'couvre feu' or cover fire.

由此延伸了 curfew 這個字，也就是 couvre feu 或是「把火熄滅」。

A dandelion has notched, pointed petals that look a bit... like lion's teeth?

蒲公英有 V 型的尖頭花瓣，看起來有點像... 獅牙？

In any case, that's where we get the word dandelion from, French 'dent de lion', or lion's tooth.

無論如何，那就是這個字的來源，法文是 dent de lion，或「獅子的牙齒」。

We also get our name for the spikiest animal we know from a French phrase.

我們所知身上長滿最多尖刺的動物名也來自法文用語。

A porcupine is a 'porc épine' or spiky pig.

豪豬是法文的 porc épine 或是「有尖刺的豬」。

Denim, that coolest of cool American looks, got its start as a twill fabric from Nîmes, a southern French city known for textile manufacturing.

單寧牛仔布，最酷的美式風格，源自南法的尼姆市（Nîmes）的斜紋編織布，而該市以紡織業聞名。

Denim is from Nîmes, 'de Nîmes'.

單寧牛仔布來自 Nîmes，也就是 de Nîmes。

Ok, it's pretty obvious that debonair is a French word, but have you ever broken it down?

好，debonair 很明顯也是個法文字，但你把字拆解過嗎？

'De bon air', of good air. A debonair person has a good disposition, a nice air about them.

De bon air，好氣場。可以用這個字來形容一個人個性好、有風度。

A mortgage is a type of pledge.

抵押貸款是一種擔保。

If the loan can't be paid, the lender gets the property. If the loan is paid off, the property is the borrower's.

如果無法支付貸款，出借人則可以保留抵押物。若款項付清，抵押物就歸還借物人。

When either one of those things happens, the pledge dies; the mortgage is a death pledge, 'mort gage'.

當其中一種情況發生，擔保就會消失殆盡，而貸款則變成「死去的擔保」，也就是 mort gage。

"Mayday!" is a distress signal for when you really need help.

「Mayday！」 是一個你急需協助的求救信號。

It comes from 'venez m'aider!' or "Come help me!"

它源自於 venez m'aider!，也就是「來幫我！」的意思。

And this little tour of French phrases should help you get to know these English words a little bit better.

而今天的法文用語微導覽應該能夠幫助你更加了解這些英文詞彙。