Alright, I'm having trouble with the term "après" in cajun french. I know what it means and its use in international french but can somebody explain its use in cajun french??

Here are some common phrases that I understand, for the most part, but can't really get the mindset.

"Les temps après finir"
"Tout le temps après souffert"
"Il y a quelque chose qu'est après arriver..."
"moi j'suis la après jongler..."
"J'suis après rouler manche à manche"
"J'suis après brailler..."

It is a continuing present verb form and I think it is peculiar to our area. It is usually the verb être + après. Sometimes the être portion is left off. So "après finir" means "finishing" or "ending." One can almost just substitute the "ing" ending to the verb to translate. Après souffert = suffering. Après arriver = happening or arriving. Après jongler = thinking. Après rouler= rolling or roaming. Après brailler = crying. Hope that helps.

There are folks here with more language knowledge than I have and I hope they chime in. I'm curious to know if this form is used in other places. Rural France? Acadie?

One way of directly translating this idea is when we say in English someone is "getting after" something. If my son is really "getting after" his homework it means he's presently and energetically engaged in doing is homework. Perhaps that where this "after" idiom came into our French to show presently engaged activity. It's ironic that to show something in the "present", we say "after!"

(btw--this last paragraph is a personal "wild guess." I haven't heard anyone ever suggest this, it's just something I've wondered about. Maybe someone at UL in the language studies department has an answer on origin. I'd sure like to know.)

I have always understood it, but never heard it explained. That's about as good as it can be done. The part about "getting after it." I've never considered, but it makes sense to me. Kinda like "I like that, me!"

I think I'm understanding it, it is sort replacing the regular present tense.

So you could say phrases in two sorts of ways, like:

Je cours
J'suis après courir

Is this sort of thing only used in the present?

Thanks for the help!

I've the same problem in English :
I walk
I'm walking

Marc.

I think you got it, Brode.

J'apres travailler, apres ça, va apres les betes.

I'm working, after that, go after the animals. The "va apres" part may be a Franglish-ism, Marc, does it work that way in standard French?

It is primarily used in the present.

It is used to convey the same sense when one would say in English "I am ______ing," or "you are ____ing," "he is _______ing."

The other way of the subject and the present tense alone seems to be used more for a general sense--je cours would be understood to mean "I run." in the general sense of running is something I like to do, I run from time to time etc...but to convey the sense that I am running right now (actively engaged in the action and continuing to be engaged in the action)--"Je suis apres courir."

If someone asked "Tu marche a la masion?" --One might answer, "Non, je cours a la maison." But if someone asked you what you were doing while you were actually doing it--"Je suis apres courir a la maision."

This present "etre apres" present is used more often than the present alone where "Je cours" can be interpreted in English as "I run" OR "I am running" ...but of course in English we always make the distinction--and we make the distinction in Louisiana French also, it seems.

Come on other language experts--help me out here. This is just how I understand it...Agree? Disagree?

I agree with your French, but I don't understand your English.

Okay, I think I'm getting it. Does it work in these circumstances? Sorry if they are completely out of the ballpark.

I'm speaking with my mother.
"J'suis après parler avec ma mère."

I will be dancing at the party.
"Je serai après danser a la fete."
(or just.. Je Danserai?)

I'm seeing myself in the mirror.
"Je me suis après voir dans le miroir."

or "Je me suis après regarder dans un miroir."

I don't think I'm fluent enough to answer every one of those examples with authority.

Here's what I feel comfortable about:
Certainly--J'su's apres parler avec ma mere. this will sound more like -
"Sh'apres parler avec ma mere"

I find that "serai" is not as common as "sera"--even in first person...so je sera apres danser a la fete--sounding like sh's'raah-preh danser...or even "va+etre" (for will be or going to be...so j'va et' apres danser--I will be dancing...

The future tense is used, but it does seem to be as common as using sera+infinitive or va etre + infinitive.

I'm not sure about what would sound the most natural way to say the mirror phrase...someone help...

I'm not fluent enough to have any confidence in saying one way or another either, but I agree with what Chris said.

"apres voir" doesn't seem right to me, but that doesn't mean much.

"apres regarder" does seem right. By the way, in La, "voir" is pronounced "'oir", the V is silent, and "regarder" is pronounced "ergarder".

Again, I'm not sure, but to my non fluent mind, "danserai" is "would dance", as in "je danserai avec elle" (I would dance with her). "j'va etre apres danser" or "je sera apres danser" seems better for "I will be dancing".

I'll have to go to higher authority on this. DAD!! Even better, ask this on my dad's website, link #3. Lots of experts there in the Cajun language.

I think that y'all are doing a great job with it.

Dowell

+ The expression can be found in many regional glossaries. Here is one published on Internet (Vendée is a western France province).

http://dico.troospeanet.fr/show.php?id=58

All these words have been heard by the people who added them ("N’hésitez pas à nous proposer des mots nouveaux, POURVU QU'ILS SOIENT ENCORE EN USAGE").

See Jim Leger's blog teaching Cajun French. See the comments sections with posts from both Cajuns and Canadians about their using être après:

http://cajunlanguage.net/2010/07/jsus-toujours-ici-apres-esperer-attendre-et-souhaiter/

Also see Louisiana State University's website on Cajun French: http://appl003.lsu.edu/artsci/frenchweb.nsf/$content/Cajun+French+Glossary?OpenDocument

Guys,

Interesting analysis guys ..

I wish I could help .. but the only dialect that I'm
familiar with with Cudahy-eese.

"Ya dere, hey!"
"Drive on up to Monkey Wards"
"It'll cost you a buck two-fifty."
"How 'bout dem dere Packers, eh?"
"Ya, I seen it too, dere!"

--bn

Ah, Big...takes me back to my yout in the South Side of Milwaukee.

Chuck,

That's funny .. You were able to identify a geographical
location on planet Earth within a few miles, simply
based on a few common colloquialisms!

I'll bet that's possible in SW Louisiana too

--bn

Ya, hey, I lived on South Superior, ya know?

I know this isn't the term he is asking for but après is also a command. Borrowed from the wikibooks (Link #1) on Louisiana French. I helped write the book; so please don't take it as authority.

Va après de l'eau. = Go get some water (now).

Thank you to everyone for helping me understand this!