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say la vi

English translation: that's life

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
French term or phrase:c'est la vie
English translation:that's life
Entered by: Refugio
Options:
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05:33 Dec 3, 2002
French to English translations [Non-PRO]
French term or phrase: say la vi
French/goodbye
tricia pelletier
It's not goodbye. It's "c'est la vie," meaning, "that's life."
Explanation:
If someone said it to you while walking away, it could be a final commentary on a conversation you had been having with that person.
Selected response from:

Refugio
Local time: 20:44
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +61It's not goodbye. It's "c'est la vie," meaning, "that's life."Refugio
5 +5au revoirJane Lamb-Ruiz
5 +3such is life
lauravienna
5 +3Say, la vee?
Christopher Crockett
5 -2"That's is life"
Rusinterp


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +61
It's not goodbye. It's "c'est la vie," meaning, "that's life."


Explanation:
If someone said it to you while walking away, it could be a final commentary on a conversation you had been having with that person.

Refugio
Local time: 20:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 8
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Teresa Reinhardt
13 mins
  -> Thanks, Teresa
agree  Gayle Wallimann
21 mins
  -> Thanks, Gayle
agree  Nina Engberg
45 mins
  -> Thanks, Nina
agree  xxxEDLING
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Edling
agree  Jacqueline van der Spek
1 hr
  -> Merci, Jacqueline
agree  Kaori Myatt
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Kaori
agree  Yelena.
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Yelena
agree  cillegio
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Orhan
agree  airmailrpl
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Airmail
agree  Kardi Kho: absolutely
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, K
agree  Swaiyam
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Swaiyam
agree  Terry Thatcher Waltz, Ph.D.: Plausible explanation for someone thinking it might be "goodbye", too...
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Terry
agree  GingerR
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Ginger
agree  Piotr Kurek
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Piotr
agree  A Hayes
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Munchkin
agree  Sue Goldian
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Sue
agree  Amy Williams
3 hrs
agree  Henrique Serra
4 hrs
agree  Said Kaljanac a.k.a. SARAJ
4 hrs
agree  Florence B
4 hrs
agree  Catherine Johnstone
4 hrs
agree  jerrie
4 hrs
agree  luskie: c'est kudoZ :)
4 hrs
  -> Bien sur.
agree  EJP
5 hrs
agree  Steffen Walter: ...that's how life goes...
5 hrs
  -> Reminds me of that famous Simone Signoret walking-away scene
agree  zebung
5 hrs
agree  Ioana Bostan
5 hrs
agree  Louise Dupont
6 hrs
agree  sjpereira
7 hrs
agree  JCEC
7 hrs
agree  Simon Oliver: could be a final goodbye
7 hrs
  -> C'est vrai.
agree  apancake
9 hrs
agree  Arthur Borges: As they say in Brooklynese "That's the way the mop flops."
10 hrs
  -> And the cookie crumbles.
agree  Enza Longo
10 hrs
agree  Bill Greendyk
11 hrs
  -> Are we trying for a new record here? Enough already, as they say in Brooklyn
agree  Nikita Kobrin: One more for a collection...
11 hrs
  -> The best things in life are free.
agree  mirta
11 hrs
agree  Gabor Kiss
11 hrs
agree  Thierry LOTTE: dont'want to be the last one...
12 hrs
  -> Pas de probleme.
agree  AhmedAMS
12 hrs
agree  xxxOso: New World Record of Agrees...to... Ruth Henderson! !¶:^)
12 hrs
  -> So, does anyone remember that movie? It might have been Room at the Top with Laurence Harvey. She never says, C'est la vie, except with her whole body.
agree  Emilia Carneiro
13 hrs
agree  Janet Rubin: [my French is rusty but I've known this one from day 1!]
15 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
16 hrs
agree  Michèle Gervais
16 hrs
agree  Paula Ibbotson
20 hrs
agree  writeaway: ok guys, you've convinced me
1 day1 hr
agree  Krokodil: After 47 agrees, I'm beginning to get convinced myself too .....
1 day3 hrs
neutral  Christopher Crockett: You're probably right, but I think that we should keep our options open, while waiting for more context.
1 day8 hrs
agree  Therese Nichols: ABSOLUTELY! (FROM A FRENCH GIRL!)
1 day14 hrs
  -> Merci, Thérèse
agree  chinoiseau: Je suis un peu en retard! c'est la vie
237 days
agree  Jean-Marie Le Ray: les derniers seront les premiers ! Ciao, Jean-Marie
238 days
agree  Uldis Liepkalns: :)))
238 days
agree  Andrzej Lejman: 53rd :-)
238 days
agree  xxxCHENOUMI: I'm the 54th peer grader as of 7/29/03, adding to the ever-increasing stats. :^)
238 days
agree  Sylvain Leray: Pourquoi pas 55 ?
240 days
agree  Will Matter
245 days
agree  Oleg Sollogub: To help you beat your own record...
289 days
agree  Pablo Cañamares: I'll join the agreeing party! xD
336 days
agree  NobleSavage: Yes, this is the most likely explanation :)
2206 days
agree  Alejandro Moreno-Ramos
2340 days
agree  texjax DDS PhD: agree #61 :))
2824 days
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -2
"That's is life"


Explanation:
or, literally, "such is life" - it's not really a farewell, it's an expression of resignation in front of the world that's crazy and unfair. The original expression is in French.

Rusinterp
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  eldira
1 hr
agree  cillegio: that's life
1 hr
disagree  airmailrpl: "That's => that is, thus you have - that is is life
2 hrs
disagree  Swaiyam: ? new world english
2 hrs
disagree  lauravienna: That's life...or...that is life
12 hrs
neutral  Jane Lamb-Ruiz: disagree with airmailrpl, that agrammatical in English
14 hrs
disagree  NancyLynn: I do believe airmailrpl was explaiing it to Rusiterp
16 hrs
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Say, la vee?


Explanation:
Alternate spelling and emphesis, sometimes heard in the hills of Southern Indianer.
I've never really understood what it meant.

Christopher Crockett
Local time: 23:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 338

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nikita Kobrin: Or perhaps it's imperative - "Say: 'la vie'." :-)
37 mins
  -> Well, maybe in Lithuania it is, but the aborigines of Southern Indiana are more inquisitive by nature than Lithuanians, apparently. Or, more ignorant.
agree  Jane Lamb-Ruiz: No, you guys,s it's " Say, lovee", :)
3 hrs
  -> Whatever.
agree  Refugio: Or perhaps an abrupt turnaround by a yacht (sail a vee)
20 hrs
  -> Maybe, but we can't be sure without more context.
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
such is life


Explanation:
or... that's life

lauravienna
Local time: 04:44
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nikita Kobrin: I remember my French friends never said "c'est la vie", all I heard from them was "c'est la merde". It was in Soviet Ukraine.
4 hrs
agree  Christopher Crockett: Proving, once again, that context is everything, Nikita.
19 hrs
agree  xxxCHENOUMI
238 days
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
au revoir


Explanation:
goodbye

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-03 20:41:57 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Ha Ha

Jane Lamb-Ruiz
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 8576

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nikita Kobrin: Exactly to the contect... Hi Hi
1 hr
agree  NancyLynn: I like your "Say, lovey" best.
1 hr
agree  writeaway: chow-chow Jane!
10 hrs
  -> Now, would that bee a doggy farewell? :)
agree  Steffen Walter: ...for good :-)
14 hrs
agree  Refugio: speaking of dogs, are we getting a little bit Goofy here?
23 hrs
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