vientito Senior Member Canada Joined 6336 days ago 212 posts - 281 votes
| Message 1 of 9 01 July 2010 at 8:01pm | IP Logged |
At first, I thought I heard wrong but indeed I've managed to dig out a few french articles where "au toilette" is employed. Technically, toilette is feminine so I wonder aloud if this is a typical error for french folks or maybe there is another story to that
For reference, check this:
http://sante-az.aufeminin.com/forum/f839/__f349_f839-Boulimi e-et-temps-passer-au-toilette.html
http://espace.canoe.ca/group/salutbonjour/video/view/62065
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diabolo menthe Diglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5971 days ago 68 posts - 70 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Italian, Swedish, Japanese
| Message 2 of 9 01 July 2010 at 11:20pm | IP Logged |
My first instinct would be to say they mean "aux toilettes" but are being lazy in their typing, or mistaking the one
for the other.
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Spiderkat Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5810 days ago 175 posts - 248 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Russian
| Message 3 of 9 02 July 2010 at 12:11am | IP Logged |
The word "toilette" when used to describe the place is always plurial so it will be "les toilettes", "aux toilettes" and so on.
It should give you a clue about the spelling rules if you have a quick closer look at the discussion. You'll realize that the spelling there is a complete disaster, nothing but mistakes made deliberately and SMS style. It's not being lazy, it's simply not giving a cr@p about the spelling.
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vientito Senior Member Canada Joined 6336 days ago 212 posts - 281 votes
| Message 4 of 9 02 July 2010 at 12:20am | IP Logged |
But even so with "aux toilettes", is it common to refer to that in plural form? and what's wrong with simply "à la toilette"? I have kept googling and actually found numerous instances where "au toilette" appears. It really seems to me a very frequent error.
Most french natives do not mix up gender that often, especially for common and daily words.
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Hello Diglot Groupie Canada Joined 5418 days ago 40 posts - 45 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Spanish
| Message 5 of 9 02 July 2010 at 2:54am | IP Logged |
I don't really know what people from France say, but here in Quebec, people will most likely ALWAYS say '' Aux toilettes '' and most likely NEVER say '' à la toilette ''.
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Spiderkat Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5810 days ago 175 posts - 248 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Russian
| Message 6 of 9 02 July 2010 at 4:42am | IP Logged |
vientito wrote:
But even so with "aux toilettes", is it common to refer to that in plural form? and what's wrong with simply "à la toilette"? I have kept googling and actually found numerous instances where "au toilette" appears. It really seems to me a very frequent error.
Most french natives do not mix up gender that often, especially for common and daily words. |
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Those are two differents things. When you say "aux toilettes" (always plurial) you refer to the place where you use the toilet and "à la toilette" (always singular) refers to the use of the shower/sink/bathtub.
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voulomla Diglot Newbie France Joined 5255 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: Mandarin
| Message 7 of 9 05 July 2010 at 9:53am | IP Logged |
vientito wrote:
At first, I thought I heard wrong but indeed I've managed to dig out a few french articles where "au toilette" is employed. Technically, toilette is feminine so I wonder aloud if this is a typical error for french folks or maybe there is another story to that
For reference, check this:
http://sante-az.aufeminin.com/forum/f839/__f349_f839-Boulimi e-et-temps-passer-au-toilette.html
http://espace.canoe.ca/group/salutbonjour/video/view/62065 |
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"Au toilette" should never be used. Be careful with your resources. In this link : http://sante-az.aufeminin.com/forum/f839/__f349_f839-Boulimi e-et-temps-passer-au-toilette.html, there are at least 5 orthographic mistakes per line.
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vientito Senior Member Canada Joined 6336 days ago 212 posts - 281 votes
| Message 8 of 9 05 July 2010 at 7:38pm | IP Logged |
Thanks for the explanation. I am sorry for quoting a bad article while in a rush.
I do manage to find a relevant paragraph on wiki
Le terme « toilettes » peut désigner soit les appareils sanitaires, soit la pièce dans laquelle ils sont installés.
En France, on dit plutôt les toilettes (au pluriel), alors qu'en Belgique francophone on dit plutôt la toilette (au singulier). On dit aussi les « cabinets », les « latrines », les WC, les « vécés » (prononcé bien évidement « wécés » en Belgique francophone). En argot, on parle de chiottes. L'expression « cabinet de toilette » désigne en revanche la salle de bains. "WC" signifie "water closets", mais cette expression est inusitée dans les pays anglophones où l'on parle avec euphémisme de rest rooms.
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