jayarrdee (corrigez-moi 🙏)

[whole pond]

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.

[jovial wave]

To you

My logic here is that the thing after « Attention ! » is always the thing to look out for, not the person to whom said word was said

« Attention les chaises ! »
I'm not talking to actual chairs but rather that there were chairs being waved about (solid ref)

[limber shard]

Hearing/seeing 'Careful, kids!' is not uncommon at all, so in this case I'm inclined to say the opposite.

'Attention aux voitures/chaises' is just as quick but clearly points out the danger.

We also don't know if @karmic lotus is a child and if other children were also present.

To me, the parents spoke to their kids.

[karmic lotus]

elle m’a dit comme ça

i don’t know lol this has been lingering in my head since ive last went to paris long ago

[limber shard]

While we'll never know for sure, I'm fairly confident that a parent would want to grab the attention of their children. Especially if they said 'les enfants' and not 'aux enfants'.

[karmic lotus]

okay merci

[jovial wave]

That's a fair interpretation. I originally wanted to say that it could be either one but I thought about the moments I've heard or read « Attention ! » and chose what I said. I also think it's equally valid that the parent could be telling OP to pay attention since there's children around.

[limber shard]

I'd be interested in knowing how a native sees it. Maybe there's a subtlety we're not aware of?

Now that I think about it, 'Attention aux enfants' would be pretty ambiguous if there are two groups of children.

@karmic lotus@jovial wave I asked a native friend who says that there's no doubt that the parents were talking to their own children. The comma seemed to be the convincing part.

[rigid seal]

Their parents, their guardians or their teachers.

If you wanted to warn someone about the children, you'd use aux.