Aéroport

According to the Rosetta Stone pronunciation lesson, I don't pronounce aéroport right. I can't argue with this. It's true. It's a very difficult word to say in french. The vowels are all over the place. My tongue gets itself all worked up and confused.

The other night I was doing a lesson in the living room. I was repeating what I was told to repeat, or reading what I needed to read. And doing just great, I might add, until the word aéroport. Rosetta Stone doesn't let you proceed until you get things right, so I was repeating aéroport over and over. Increasing my volume and irritation level with every try. Each time, a patronizing "errrp" sound buzzed. After about the 20th repeat, Jacqueline, my Swiss roommate who grew up speaking french, was suddenly in the room laughing at me.

"What's going on?" She asked. I asked her how to say aéroport. She said it and I swear, "that's what I said!" I tried a few more times while she was explaining to me how I wasn't doing it right. Finally exasperated, I asked her to say it to Rosetta Stone for me. Which she did and it immediately accepted.

I cheated. Cheated just like those people who have breathalyzers hooked up to their cars and have someone else blow into them so they can continue on driving.

Whatever. I'll take the train.