words
- mama
- papa
- buh (Bones,or any 4-legged animal)
- bye-bye
- bath
- hat
- hi
- marcher (walk, pronounced "mash")
- porte (door, pronounced "pote")
- balle, ball (pronounced "ba")
- boire (drink, pronounced "bwa")
- boite, box (pronounced "bah")
- fromage (cheese, pronounced "fo-ahj," "fmahj," or "mahj")
- dance (pronounced "dant" with more of an American accent than a French one)
- par terre (on the ground, on the floor, pronounced "pah teh")
- banane (banana, pronounced "bamam")
- monkey (pronounced "Maggie")
- truck (pronounced in a way that might embarrass us; later pronounced "tuh" … much better)
- sac (bag)
- paille (drinking straw, said while signing)
- merci (thank you, prounced "eh-see" and said while signing)
- feuilles (leaves, pronounced "fuh!")
- à tes (said when someone sneezes, this is the first part of à tes souhaits, "bless you")
- thank you (said while signing)
- book
- nez (nose, said while pointing to his nose)
- pied (foot, heard twice)
- pois (peas)
- pâtes (pasta, noodles)
- change (as in diapers, said while signing)
- fleurs (flowers)
- froid (cold, said mostly about ice cubes or papa's ice cube-filled carafe)
- baton (stick, pronounced "bah-tay," usually with a stick in hand)
- partout (everywhere, said in combination with par terre, pronounced "pah too pah tay")
- chaussures (shoes)
- chaussettes (socks)
- shoes
- cheveux (hair, said while holding his hair)
- poubelle (trash, prounced "bell")
- tête (head)
- cheese (pronounced "sheesh")
- please (pronounced "peesh," and said while signing)
- sucette, 'cette (pacifier, pronounced "shet")
- clefs (keys, pronounced "clay")
- zizi (penis, pronounced "sizz" or "sizzi," and said while, um, pulling)
- bébé (baby)
- wawa (apparently baby French for "dog": think WOOF WOOF.)
- tractor
- dodo (baby French for "sleep")
- bateau (boat)
- bol (bowl)
- pots (as in "pots and pans")
- cintre (hanger, pronounced "san")
- bottle
- cracker
- Moon (by which he means not the celestial body but the book Goodnight Moon)
- peepee (scatological)
- popo (scatological)
- poot (scatological)
- ça (this, as in "What's this? Tell me what this is.")
- non ("no" — said all the time)
- assis (seated)
- dessin (drawing, said when he wanted to color)
- balloon
- coin-coin (French for "quack quack," baby French for duck, pronounced "kwan-kwan" [sort of])
- tchin-tchin (French for "cheers," said when toasting)
- orteil (toe, especially the big toe, pronounced "or-tay" or sometimes just "tay")
- balai (broom)
- bottes (boots)
- qu'est-ce que c'est? (French for "what is this?" pronounced "essay-say?")
- bouton (button)
- moustique (French for mosquito, pronounced "oo-teek" and said while signing)
- sale (dirty)
- slide
- pain (bread)
- pluie ("rain")
- tartine (toast)
- house (pronounced "ash")
- patate (potato)
- Sam (pronounced "Sa!" and referring to Samantha Fay Capehart)
- music
- tasse (cup)
- choo choo
- penguin
- moto (motorcycle)
- bubble bath (pronounced "bubba bath")
- minute (sometimes even "one minute")
- cils (eyelashes)
- socks
- popcorn
- pancakes
- more
- manteau (coat)
- singe (monkey)
- peas
- prise (plug)
- melon (melon)
- Lucia (Benjamin's playmate, pronounced "see ya!")
- okay (pronounced "'kay")
- oopsy (said when spilling things)
- pique (sting, prick, or spear)
- Tess (short for Lutece, his favorite feline)
- phone (pronounced "shown")
- outside (pronounced "aside")
- pumpkin (pronounced "punkin")
- anneau (ring, pronounced "nano")
- medicine
- gant (glove)
- cassé (broken)
- cane (cane)
- poisson (fish)
- cake
- pencil
- tour (tower)
- Angel (as in his beloved next-door neighbor, Miss Angel)
- Ben-ben (his own nickname)
- prince (as in Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
- shampoo (pronounced shanshu)
- airplane (said while signing)
- bacon
- rouleau (roll, scroll)
- Louis (one of his dolls, named for Louis Armstrong)
- Maisy (as in Maisy Mouse)
- pretzel
- crochet (hook)
- peinture (paint)
- pizza
- couche (diaper)
- rateau (rake)
- vacuum
- dinosaur (as in How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? — pronounced "die-show")
- voiture (car)
- bouchon (cork)
- cork (yes, both French and English!)
- débarbouiller (to clean off one's face, pronounced "Bobby")
- Andrew (Miss Angel's older son; Miss Kayla's younger brother)
- popper
- Mamie (Maman's maman)
- main (hand)
- riz (rice)
- doux (gentle, said while petting or caressing instead of hitting)
- turtle
- peau (skin)
- brush
- puzzle
- croa-croa (French for "ribbit"; Benbenese for "frog")
- café (coffee)
- bonjour
- painting
- hot
- bobo (French for boo-boo)
- dinde/dindon (turkey)
- juice
- jus (juice)
- rake
- placard (closet, cabinet)
- monsieur (sir, mister, man)
- bagel (pronounced more like "boggle")
- ketchup
- papier (paper)
- ça (this, that, as in "mo' ça!" — meaning "give me more of that")
- Josh (Miss Angel's husband)
- Mick (Miss Angel's youngest)
- apple
- coucou (peakaboo, pronounced like the cuckoo bird)
- couvercle (cover)
- tache (stain)
- ceiling (pronounced "see" or "seal" and referring only to ceiling fans)
- mouche (fly)
- bounce
- baiser (kiss)
- douche (shower)
- picture (as in photo)
- dehors (outside)
- keys
- packing
- clock (pronounced without the L, unfortunately)
- nounours (teddy beard, pronounced "noorsh")
- piano
- poireau (leek)
- computer (pronounced 'puter)
- concombre (cucumber)
- salad (pronounced "sasa")
- baguettes (chopsticks, pronounced "bagack")
- Gumby
- pomme (apple)
- hurt
- ours (bear)
- gâteau (cake)
- marteau (hammer)
- hammer
- fourchette (fork)
- again
- dessin (drawing)
- mitten
- crème (cream)
- crayon (the English word, not the French word for pencil)
- BC (meaning the alphabet song, as in "mo' BC!")
- narine (nostril; he has a cold, 1-Dec-07)
- cuillère (spoon)
- Kayla (Miss Angel's daughter and Benjamin's regular babysitter)
- caillou (pebble)
- plus (more)
- jean (blue jeans)
- jazz (we think he uses this word for all instrumental music)
- Bach (we think he uses this name for all organ music)
- oiseau (bird)
- two
- miettes (crumbs)
- chanson (song)
- ceinture (belt)
- Mickey (Mouse)
- autre (other; Benjamin uses it to mean un autre, "another.")
- video
- queue (tail)
- yeah
- coffee
- tree (pointing to a Chritmas tree)
- lapin (rabbit)
- autruche (ostrich)
- moose
- voir (see)
- morceau (piece)
- pouce (thumb)
- araignée (spider, pronounced "ahnyay")
- boots
- cow (the one that jumped over the moon)
- hair
- blocks
- bowl (as in "bowl full of mush" from Goodnight Moon)
- mush (as in "bowl full of mush" from Goodnight Moon)
- couteau (knife)
- stylo (pen, pronounced "eelo")
- girl (usually referring to Monster Girl)
- montre (watch)
- aide (help, said while signing)
- toes
- shake it
- bathmat
- croquettes (kibble)
- ordinateur (computer, pronounced "orteur")
- casser (to break; cassé: broken)
- poupée (girl doll)
- tame (pronounced "top"; short for hippopotame, hippopotamus)
- salt
potentials (repeated aloud but not yet applied)
- doctor
onomatopoeia
- achoo (he says this when papa sneezes)
- baaah (like a sheep)
- meow (said like "my" but with 2 syllables, very high pitched; to real cats and pictures of cats)
- splash splash splash (said while splashing bathtub water)
- beep (pronounced witout the P)
- ding-dong (said more like "dygong")
- vroom-vroom (pronounced "vuh-vuh" and said while playing with toy trucks)
- gobble gobble (learned just before Thanksgiving)
- psht-psht (refers to his nasal spray; he has a cold, 1-Dec-07)
exclamations
- yay! (when clapping)
- aye! (French for "ouch!" … said in imitation of his mother)
- boom! (when he falls down)
- boo! (said when peeking out from beneath a towel)
- wow!
- uh oh!
made-up words
- bithe? (What's this? Tell me what this is called. (But he now says "ça?" to ask this.))
Last updated: Sunday, December 30, 2007
(See Sign Language)
