talking to dogs...coucher/couché/couche-toi??? :/

[Sarah]

Hello

 

I didn't learn much in French class at school, but, until recently, I felt quite safe in the knowledge that I could tutoyer a dog. Now my world has been thrown into disarray upon hearing my French in-laws addressing their dog thus; coucher/couché :o

 

Can anybody enlighten me as to why (or indeed, what) French people are saying to their dogs? :)  

 

Merci beaucoup!

 

[Neil Coffey]

The word is "couché!" literally meaning "lying down!", rather than literally being an imperative grammatically speaking.

[Erwan]

I think this expression comes from "Reste couché !". But it was a bit too long for giving an order to a dog. Thus the imperative verb "reste" has been removed.

[Sarah]

Thanks Erwan - it's a relief to discover I don't need to start vouvoying dogs :)

 

[Sarah]

Okay thanks, Neil. Seems sort of strange to use a past participle to give an order when that's what the imperative form was invented for, but then who am I to argue with the entire poodle-owning population of France? :)

 

A plus!

 

Sarah