Today’s Word: ça m’amuse
: I find it amusing
Pronunciation: (sa ma-MUZ)
Example Sentence:
Au lieu de râler, je choisis de voir la situation autrement en me disant : “Ça m’amuse.”
Instead of grumbling, I choose to see the situation differently by telling myself, “Ça m’amuse.”
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE by Kristi Espinasse
The day began at 5 a.m. when Jean-Marc slipped quietly out of bed. “I’m going to see the bees,” he whispered. A moment later, I heard him heading down the stairs.
Pfff…I pulled the covers over my shoulders and tried to drift back to sleep. But by 5:48 the cicadas had launched into their summer chorus, loud enough to convince me that sleep was no longer part of the morning’s plan.
Even Ricci groaned.
I lay there, somewhere between drowsy and annoyed, tempted to grumble about being awake before sunrise. Then I remembered something our friend Pascale says whenever life hands her an inconvenience. She doesn’t complain. She smiles and says simply,
Ça m’amuse. “It amuses me.”
A summer feast for 30? Ça m’amuse de décorer la table! A home in need of renovation? Ça m’amuse de dessiner. One could argue it’s easy for Pascale because she genuinely enjoys these things. But ça m’amuse means more than that. It’s less about enjoying the task than choosing your attitude toward it. What use is it to complain? You might as well have fun with whatever challenge you’re facing.
As I stared up at the ceiling fan, mumbling ça m’amuse!—I’m so amused to be wide awake!—my thoughts began whirling back to the week we’d just shared with Jackie and Vincent. Suddenly, instead of counting the lost minutes of sleep, I was counting blessings.
Here’s my chance to share several of those blessings with you now. And while I usually dread getting my thoughts down on paper, today, in honor of Pascale I’ll simply say… ça m’amuse!
There was Jean-Marc’s ambitious plan to cycle up Mont Ventoux with Vin—two and a half hours of climbing in the Provençal heat, with Jean-Marc encouraging him to the summit. Afterwards, they rewarded themselves with pastis at a brasserie in the village of Sault. One of the day’s specialties happened to be andouillette. Vin had never encountered this famous French sausage before and was game to try it. Though it tasted awful, he was so hungry he ate it all before discovering what he’d just eaten.
“Pig’s guts!” he explained when the two finishers arrived home later that afternoon.
“Beurk!” We sympathized. (Jackie and I kept quiet about our lunch: a delicious loup at restaurant St. Jean.)
The week flew by with more laughter, barbecues in the garden, refreshing swims, a boat ride from Sormiou to Port d’Alon, a pampering session with Grandma, the scramble to take a family portrait, and our favorite: simply hanging out together here at home.
One scene, though, rose above all the others.
Jean-Marc had recruited Vin for an unusual mission. Armed with pots from the kitchen, the duo headed onto the terrace to harvest honey from our ruche—a colony that has had its share of ups and downs over the years. The men’s job was to scrape the honeycomb, carry it back inside, gently warm it, and strain the golden honey into a jar.
Meanwhile, Jackie, Ricci, and I remained safely on the couch while one indignant abeille buzzed angrily around the honey thieves as they hurried between the patio and the kitchen. It was comical!
“I bet the other bees are out there right now,” Jackie mused, “drawing up a WANTED poster with what’s left of their honey.”
I burst out laughing.
“Exactly!” I said. “I can just picture your dad!”
“And beside him,” Jackie added, “his accidental accomplice, Vinny.”
There they were in my imagination: two smiling faces on a giant bee bulletin board, with WANTED printed in bold letters beneath them.
The two of us laughed so hard we made ourselves hungry… just in time to sample the golden harvest (all of one small, precious jar).
That last day together seemed to stretch itself, thanks to our resident beekeeper, who had us all making memories before sunrise.
Thinking about it now…
Ça m’amuse.
FRENCH VOCABULARY
Pfff… = Pfff…; “Give me a break!”
ça m’amuse = it amuses me; I find it amusing
décorer la table = to decorate the table
dessiner = to draw
le Mont Ventoux = Mount Ventoux
le pastis = an anise-flavored aperitif from southern France
la brasserie = café, restaurant
l’andouillette (f.) = sausage made from pork intestines
beurk = yuck
le loup de mer= sea bass
la ruche = beehive
une abeille = bee
Une coquille is just a little typo—if you spot one, don’t hesitate to point it out. Merci beaucoup for helping me keep things polished!
REMERCIEMENTS
Thank you to the following readers for your donation this past week to this journal!
Gail L.
Jean P.
Trisha A.
Morton B.
Love, care, and reader support—that’s what has sustained this journal for nearly 25 years. Week after week, and now with the help of my daughter Jackie, we continue sharing French words, culture, and everyday life with readers around the world. If you look forward to these letters and would like to help keep French Word-A-Day going, please consider making a contribution.
🌿 Zelle – to Kristin.espinasse@gmail.com
🌿 PayPal – Click here
🌿 Credit card – Click here
Current and forthcoming books. Click here to see all five books based on this blog. Thank you for your book reviews at Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere. They really help!
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I find it amusing, myself? It’s a reflexive verb. N’est pas?
LOVE your portrait…Couch Queen and the sweet Ricci. That’s a keeper, along with all the others, of course. My stepdaughter and 12 others arrive over different days for two weeks and my kitchen is arranging vegan, vegetarian and whatever else comes up for those hot days…ca m’amuse……
All hail the conquerors of Mont Ventoux! Love the group photo.
Your writing captivates & draws us into the warmth of your family circle. Your photos are the cherries on the cake. The commentaries you add to your photos are part of the sharing. You hold out hands to my loneliness & dry my tears. What is this magic you weave? It is the caring power of love.
Love this post, especially the bees 🐝 and the bikes 🚲 !!!
Our dear Kristi,
Thank you for this absolutely wonderful post and wonderful pictures! How beautiful you all are(!) ,though I admit I am incredibly drawn to you gorgeous ladies( you and Ricci elegantly color coordinated!) and loving family joie de vivre wrapping itself around our hearts.
A citation from St Exupery in Le Petit Prince just comes to mind ( told to him by the Fox): ” Voici mon secret: Il est tres simple: on ne voir bien qu’avec le coeur l’essientiel est invisible par les yeux”.
Arms around you tight mes cheres.
Blessings always
Love
Natalia
What a beautiful post and wonderful way of looking at those things life puts in our path! It does no good to complain. Moving forward is the best option and to do it with a splash of amusement is a perfect way to begin that action. Fun pictures of your times together. Cherish them and make the most of each of those moments. Lovely photo of you and Ricci. Looks like the time you had was filled with joy.
Excellent reminder! It does us good not to grumble, but to think on what is good, right, lovely. Love the video too!
I can’t imagine dealing with so many of life’s problems without looking for the humor. Mmm. Raiding a bee hive and a long uphill bike ride. Oh, my. 😂 Andouille is, um, innards? I thought it was sort of a Euro hot dog. 🥴🤪 Well, what I’ve had was probably “adapted” because it wasn’t awful. French via Louisiana. Still… eww. Loved the pix. And now, off I go to update my household tech. Ca m’amuse. Right. Sure.
Hello from Abilene, KS. I have been following your blog for about 2 years. I love France and like yourself studied French young -all through high school and some college. I enjoy trying to remember how to pronounce the words in each blog and of course listen to them. I have bought 2 books and requested the others for presents. The pictures bring me so much happiness. I have not visited south of France. I have been to Loire valley Paris and around northern France. Cant remember as I am older and say 4 times maybe. Please continue to write your column as it is a fabulous thing
Best wishes to everyone
Pamela Crossley
I saw a chef on American tv that said she worked in France and and made Horse meat tartare. Said it is delicious! I don’t approve, but has your husband ever tried it?
The photo of you with Ricci is fantastic, putting me in mind of some of the grand portraits of women through the ages that hang in the French museums. And the video of y’all preparing to pose is delightful, bringing to mind one of our pastimes in France: watching a group arrive at a restaurant and settle into places at a table – always a great production. Thanks for sharing.
Thank goodness Le Tour de France didn’t need Mt Ventoux this year. Your family is adorable.
Totally love that wonderful photo of you & Ricci! And, today’s blog about your week with Jackie & Vin. Oh, mon Dieu, I think I’ve been reading your blog for at least 20 years!😱 But, I love each one! Continues, s’il te plait!
wonderful pics and what fun with the family. Love seeing all you are doing. Give Jules a hug from me. Love to all
I love your writing and your beautiful family. I find my self looking at all the details in your photos. It’s a great way to teleport myself. I’ve been to Provence and I long to go again. Merci Kristi!
Such joy! It is so refreshing and uplifting to have savored each post for so many years. Thank you for sharing your life! Love the blissful photo of both you and Ricci, and the radiant Jules! Ooh la la!
I am a painter/poet/writer, also a huge fan of your entire family.
Ca m’amuse – love this expression! It is important to reframe our perspectives. I hosted 10 for dinner last night when I was expecting 7. Everyone thought the time was 5:30 pm, when I thought it was 5 pm. People arrived at 5:45, and one person forgot ice cream for dessert. Ca m’amuse! That’s because I did have plenty of food, and I had not started the salmon, yet! Plus we had a delightful and fun evening full of laughter and dinner on our deck and doggy play sessions in the yard. Memories.
I always love what you do, K. Merci. I learn every time. Today, a subtlety. le loup = the wolf. le loup de mer = sea bass. And enjoyed best with tomatoes, black olives, olive oil, and herbs du Provence. À la tienne.