Dumb question please ..

Is saying "Bon Rêves" equivalent to wishing someone "sweet dreams"?

Or does Bon Rêve simply mean good dream?

Merci beaucoup!

--Big

All the above. Direct translations are almost impossible in any language.

Thanks Bryan ..

--bn

I always thought the French word for " sweet " was doux ( m ) or douce ( f ). Sweet potato = palate douce.

It is Jude, and if you used that, the American French speaker would know what you meant, but like I said, not everything directly translates from one language to another.

More examples:

http://villemin.gerard.free.fr/Langue/AnglExp1.htm#couleur

The expression "Bons rêves" can be used as a contraction for "Fais de bons rêves" (Sweet dreams or Have sweet dream)… Say when you're putting kids to bed.

The word "sweet" typically means "sucré", but can also mean "doux" in some context. However the the direct translation for the word "doux" is "soft". It is common in Canadian Acadian to call "douceurs" to refer to sweets like in "des petites douceurs" for pastries sweet desserts for example.

For sweet potatoes, we normally call them "patates sucrées" in French Canada.

Maz

Thanks, Christian, that's an interesting site. And thanks for the Canadian perspective, Maz. Another "sweet" that doesn't translate well is "l'eau douce", for fresh water instead of sweet water.