Thom 🌈

[grim hound]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[rich river]

copain typically refers to a boyfriend (though "des copains" would typically just be friends, though it kinda gives a specific... tone? to the friendship)
ami typically refers to a friend, the most generic term for a friend

[heady sand]

what about "mes copines" ? would that give the "tone" you're talking about as well

i said something like "je suis allé à Los Angeles pour voir mes copines" in a call once and feel like i remember the other person smirking so i wondered if it came off weird lmao

(i was visiting two friends who are women)

[gentle cloak]

That's what I figured. Duolingo is teaching like petite amie for girlfriend and I was really head scratchy about that one...

[floral chasm]

No

From what I know, it's up to the possessive

« des copains à moi » sounds like really close friends
« mes copains » sounds amorous

[rich river]

It works, but I'd say petit(e)-ami(e) generally sounds a bit borderline childish, I'd mostly think of adolescents (though it's not exclusively used in that context)

[rich river]

I'm sure context will add extra nuance to it, but I'd agree that the possessive tends to be a big indicator

especially in the singular, but people will often still ask for clarification if you use it in the plural

[heady sand]

lmaoo welp ive got something to clarify
thank you!

[gentle cloak]

Thank you for the clarification! I had a feeling it was something along those lines but I wanted to double check

[rich river]

I'm fairly certain "mes copines" is fine if said by a woman (iirc one of my gfs used to use this)

but for men it would be odd

[heady sand]

makes sense. i thought it was fine because i heard it in a podcast, but almost all the podcasters i listen to are women loool rip

[floral chasm]

I mean even in English you have women using the word 'girlfriend' in a non-amorous and close-friends way

[rich river]

kinda like english "girlfriend"

[visual osprey]

Is this tone like, close friends or what

[rich river]

I'm honestly not sure how to describe it? It's extra tricky bc my dialect of french doesn't generally use it
The best I can come up with is "familiar but not necessarily close"