Quick French translation question
 

I made a dinner reservation in Paris by email and the reply back said they could seat us at a slightly different time than I had requested, ending with the following line:

"Merci de me confirmer la veille salutations."

My college French isn't quite doing the trick for me. I was just going to respond now saying that the new time is fine, but does this mean they want me to confirm the reservation the day before?

Hi

That's right, you have to confirm a day before.


Marie

Merci beaucoup, Marie!

My French is rusty, but the e-mail from the restaurant does not mention anything that you must confirm the reservation the day before..

The restaurant wants you to confirm that the new seating is all right with you..

Also something is missing from the e-mail ..or is a odd way of speaking french..

"Merci de confirmer.."is all right
but ending the e-mail with , "La veille salutations?It does not make sense..
Veille= old

Kismet, veille usually means eve (sometimes day) before. You are thinking of vieille (or vieux).

One of the most common usages of "veille" that I've come across is the notice on chain hair salons like Jean Louis David, Biguines, etc. These chains (in France and Belgium) offer cheaper rates for clients who come in Monday-Thursday than for week-ends except for "veilles de fêtes", that is the day before holidays.

I think there's a period after "veille" (which means the day before).

Salutations is just a way of signing off the e-mail -- like best regards.

So the translation by hausfrau is perfectly correct.

la veille = the day before :-)

Thanks everyone,now I can see my mistake in translating Veille..:)

Totally off topic - - but has anyone heard any of the albums by Amélie Veille?

A lovely-voiced young chanteuse...

...though the lyrics of the songs on her newest album, Un Moment Ma Folie, are a little bit repetitive... the fine lines between love and madness, the angst and self-instrospection of youth...

Best wishes,

Rex

veille = eve
vieille = old

I think the main cause of the confusion is that the e-mailer neglected to put a period after "veille" (eve) and to capitalize "salutations" and instead made this look like all one sentence. But anyway, confirm the day before.

How many Fodor's posters does it take to change a light bulb?

Eight: one to put it in correctly the first time, one to disagree, three to discuss the disagreement, one to talk about the pretty colors the light bulb reminds him of, one to repeat the content of the discussion, and one to explain why the discussion took place in the first place.

And, I suppose, a ninth, to smile and enjoy the process.

The only reason for my intervention was all of the people saying "the day before" as though the word "eve" had been removed from the English language.

kerouac, pretty sure I mentioned eve in my post.

Oh, I love you guys. I knew I might be opening a can of worms! See, I posted at noon in Germany hoping I'd get a response from someone in France before all the Americans woke up. (Just kidding!!!! :-) )

I understand, kismet - I originally got veille and vieille confused too.

111op and cmt are right, the restaurant's response did not have a period after veille and Salutations was not capitalized, which added to my confusion.

Needless to say, I WILL confirm the day before! (The restaurant is La Bastide Odeon, by the way.)

<< ...a ninth, to smile and enjoy the process... >>

...and one more to cite a singer with a name the same as the word in question, surrounding the posting in the first place...

;)