Random observations of differences between my two main languages

In French there’s no different word for “batter” and “dough”. And the word used for both actually translates as “paste” (pâte).

There’s no specific word for “bat”. Instead, the word literally translates as “bald mouse” (chauve-souris).

While “dandelion” is supposed to come from the Old French “dent-de-lion” (lion’s teeth), the French word for it is actually “pissenlit.”

In French no one would ever say “we’re pregnant”. This has always sounded incredibly strange to me. Because, no, sorry man, you’re not pregnant.

In French you “win” money, rather than “earn” it. Which is more often than not untrue, and a weird way of looking at things.

There is no direct equivalent of the English verb “to expect”. If you’re talking about expecting visitors or a promotion, you say you’re “waiting for them/it;” if you’re talking about an impeding birth, you would rather say that “you’re going to have a baby soon”.

However, French has two different verbs for “to live”: “vivre” and “habiter” (it’s the same in German, where “to live” translates as both “leben” and “wohnen”). You use “vivre” when talking about life in general, as in “living a full life,” and for the place where you live when taken in a larger context such as your continent or your country. You use “habiter” for where you live in a more specific context, such as your home, neighborhood or city.

In French, inhabitants of a country and things coming from this country are called the same. So, needless to say, I’ve made many insulting mistakes by referring to someone as say a “Spanish”, “Polish”, or “Scottish” (as opposed to “Spaniard”, “Pole” or “Scot”).