A true friend
Un bon ami
is willing to tell you the truth no matter how much it may disappoint you.
loyal and trustworthy
Way to be completely rude
who changes you for the better.
who is always there for you
who is both drinking buddy and therapist.
who is loyal and understanding when a friend is in trouble.
who is willing to come over when you're crying at two in the morning.
who stands up for you, who is honest and open with you
who stays with you when youre having a hard time, and puts you in front of her individual plans when you really need it.
who takes in interest in your beliefs and plans for the future.
who tells the truth.
who truly cares about another's well-being
who will always be there for you.
who will always hear you out even if they think differently
who you can be vulnerable around. She/he makes sacrifices for you and is not opportunistic.
who you know is always there for you, no matter what.
who's love is unconditional.
you can trust, you can tell anything to, will accept you for who you are no matter what.
avec qui j'aimerai partager tout ce que je vie: mes joies et mes peines
avec qui je peux parler de tout.
c'est ce qui reste quand on a tout perdu
est là quand on a besoin de lui
ne vous juge pas, vous écoute,est pésent dans les moments de crise
qui ecoute.
qui est à l'écoute, monte des projets
qui est là quand on en a besoin, quand on n'en a pas besoin, mais qui attend la même chose.
qui est présent
qui est toujours open pour une petite binouze ou fiesta
qui fait attention à vous,qui vous aime bien
qui ne te laisse pas tomber quand tu as besoin de lui
qui pense à vous, qui vous comprend
qui sait écouter
qui sait être à l'écoute
qui sait quand on a besoin d'aide
qui s'inquiète pour nous, qui est là pour nous
qui t'aide dans les moments les plus durs, qui n'a pas besoin qu'on lui dise pourquoi on se sent mal
reste malgrès l'incompréhension
sur qui je peut compter, qui peut compter sur moi, qui partage mes idéaux, qui me connaît et me comprends
sur qui l'on peut compter, à qui l'on peut parler, de disponible, qui fait attention à nous.
sur qui on peut compter
te connaît bien
Discussion
It seemed like this topic was one of the topics where the French and American responses corresponded very closely. We both seem to have the same ideas of what it means to be a good friend. I really liked this response: "c'est ce qui reste quand on a tout perdu."
I agree. The American and French responses were very similar; both groups of students define "a true friend" as someone who is present during times of need, someone who makes sacrifices for a friend, and someone whose friendship is without conditions. It seems as though there is some sort of litmus test that a friend must pass--a shared moment of hardship, "une crise", incomprehénsion--in order to qualify as a true friend. Perhaps we define friendship in this way because there aren't many other ways of separating our close friends from our casual friends--"nos amis" vs. "nos copains".
One thing that I noticed was the fact that many Brown students picked up on the unconditional ("no matter what") and eternal ("always") nature of a true friend.
Something else that I found interesting was the fact that Brown students associated a true friend as someone who will tell you the truth when you don't want to hear it or you don't agree with it or when others aren't necessarily telling you the truth. In essence, someone who will take the risk of you being upset with them in order to be honest with you. Do you think that this is a reflection of American culture in that our acquaintances or "untrue" friends aren't always honest with us and tend to sugarcoat things? and are we perhaps generally more sensitive to blatant honesty from those that aren't very close to us whereas the French are generally more blunt? Or do you think that we just honed into the "true" aspect of a "true friend"?
Je pense que c'est effectivement à l'ami de dire la vérité parcequ'il prend moins de rique qu'un copain. D'une part la personne en question écoutera plus facilement et d'autre part, il est plus difficile de perdre un vrai ami qu'un copain. Même si il y a désacord, comme on tient plus a l'autre, on coupe moins facilement les relations.
What would you say is the difference between 'un ami' and 'un copain'?
Un ami est quelqu'un de plus intime... Par exemple, tu parleras plus facilement de tes soucis de coeur (déceptions amoureuses) à tes amis qu'à tes copains.
un ami est plus intime qu'un copain, qui est plus intime qu'un camarade (de classe par exemple).
Je dirai qu'au-dessus du terme "ami", on peut trouver "confident" (celui à qui on dit tout).