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Glite Dictionary
Parley-vous English

Parley-vous English

9.9
A joking question that asks if someone can speak English
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : ¿habla inglés?
  • After hearing my accent, she asked, 'Parley-vous English?' with a mischievous grin.

Examples

  • Whenever tourists seem lost, someone inevitably says 'Parley-vous English?' as a joke.

  • Confused by the instructions, he joked, 'Parley-vous English?'

  • Do you parley-vous English?

  • I asked him if he parley-vous English.

  • While trying to communicate with the lost traveler, she playfully asked, 'Parley-vous English?'

  • At the busy market, I overheard someone humorously say to a foreigner, 'Parley-vous English?'

  • Faced with a language barrier, he smiled and asked, 'Parley-vous English?'

Synonyms

to comprende
vsParley-vous English
  • Informal
4 9.4

To ask someone if they understand often for emphasis

is a joking question asking if someone can speak the language rather than emphasize

Surface Forms

Parley-vous English main

Morphology

Parley-vous + English

This is a humorous mock-French calque of 'Parlez-vous English?', combining the English-rooted 'parley' (to discuss) with French 'vous' and 'English'. The intended meaning 'Do you speak English?' can be guessed from the resemblance and the discussion/speaking sense, but it depends on noticing the French pattern and the pun, so it is only partially predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Parley-vous English is a joking mix of French and English. It comes from the French question Parlez-vous ('do you speak') but uses English instead, so people say it playfully to ask if someone understands or can use 'English'.