Pourquoi? Des question : Des réponses!

December 12, 2005 9:10 AM

Pourquoi?"Les petites enigmes de tous les jours" - Interesting site akin to AskMe, "en Français."
posted by AllesKlar (21 comments total)

Dear pourquoi,

I can't understand your site. Could you please explain the French language to me? I took Spanish in high school.

Thanks,

item
posted by Item at 9:18 AM on December 12, 2005

small everyday mysteries. I wish I knew French better, 'cause that sounds like a good time.
posted by carsonb at 9:20 AM on December 12, 2005

It never dawned on me that "Mayday! Mayday!" is actually from the French "M'aider! M'aider!" (Help me! Help me!)

I like how the categories are broken down on this site.
posted by furtive at 9:20 AM on December 12, 2005

Merci Googelle!

"The purpose of Pourquois.com is to answer these small questions that we are posed all on various occasions....The most childish pourquois with the enigmas metaphysics, I will try, with you, to count here a maximum of questions... and answers!"
posted by tpl1212 at 9:24 AM on December 12, 2005

Metafilter: stroll quietly with the liking of the headings by selecting the categories using the button-images located in top of page
posted by tpl1212 at 9:26 AM on December 12, 2005

J'aime également la conception. C'est simple, et une bonne excuse pour pratiquer français.
posted by moonbird at 9:28 AM on December 12, 2005

Mercy bow cups, mon ami. Though, I must say I find it amusing that a german username ("everything clearly") posted this link. We've certainly come a long way from the Champs-Elysees of June 1940.
posted by shoepal at 9:30 AM on December 12, 2005

You can't, apparently, on Pourquoi, ask "who," what," "when," where" or anything other than "why." So here's a challenge for AskMeFi: declare a "Pourquoi" day, on which every question must begin with "Why".
posted by beagle at 9:30 AM on December 12, 2005

(almost fits the "eponysterical" requirements...)
posted by shoepal at 9:33 AM on December 12, 2005

They seem like fairly simple science questions compared to your average Transgendered-cd-rom-burning-divorce-related-cat question on AskMe... Examples:

Why are precious stones colored?
Why doesn't alcohol freeze?
Why are diamonds hard?
Why do planes fly so high?
Why don't electrons and protons stick together if they attract?
Why static electricity?
posted by blue_beetle at 9:55 AM on December 12, 2005

The answer, of course, to all of them is: Pourquoi pas? (why not?)
posted by blue_beetle at 9:56 AM on December 12, 2005

Why can't the talk American like normal humans?
posted by Postroad at 10:23 AM on December 12, 2005

"It never dawned on me that "Mayday! Mayday!" is actually from the French "M'aider! M'aider!" (Help me! Help me!)"

That's interesting. Except isn't the command form aidez-moi, or aide-moi? Yes I speak French pretty well, but no, I'm not sûr...
posted by ParisParamus at 10:37 AM on December 12, 2005

"M'aider! M'aider!"
posted by beagle at 11:11 AM on December 12, 2005

Why don't electrons and protons stick together if they attract?

That makes a good physics question. Or rather: whats the difference between a Neutron and a Hydrogen atom?
posted by vacapinta at 11:11 AM on December 12, 2005

Except isn't the command form aidez-moi, or aide-moi?

Since when has the correct use of source language been a barrier to usage in English, especially to the Brits? I was about to throw in the word bimbo as an example but it has an interesting history so I'll have to think of another one.
posted by ceri richard at 12:06 PM on December 12, 2005

whats the difference between a Neutron and a Hydrogen atom?

Um, everything.
posted by knave at 12:58 PM on December 12, 2005

whats the difference between a Neutron and a Hydrogen atom?

Um, everything.

Really?

Neutron=electron+proton (you can do this in a collider, also a neutrino is needed)
Hydrogen atom=electron+proton
posted by vacapinta at 1:07 PM on December 12, 2005

Oh sweet. That's news to me. (Neutron = Electron + Proton)
posted by knave at 1:25 PM on December 12, 2005

The answer, of course, to all of them is: Pourquoi pas?
No, it's not, it is a shrug.
posted by Joeforking at 3:32 PM on December 12, 2005

vacapinta: so I guess the answer is one neutrino, then.
posted by monocyte at 4:33 PM on December 12, 2005