Pari Roller and words about skating

[mgm]

This may not come as a surprise to folks here, but France is pretty much the center of the skating universe - both inline (aka “Rollerblades”) and quads (aka “regular skates”).

Every week in Paris, for example, there are two big skate events: the Pari Roller on Friday night, and the more casual Rollers et Coquillage on Sunday afternoons. I did the Sunday skate with my wife and kids a few years ago, and it was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. I recommend it! (Short video here; lots of words here)

Do you skate? What are some words/slang/idioms one should know?

[Amandine]

Thanks for this article @mgm, it brings back memories!
I almost corrected the title by adding an “s” to Pari (I always thought it was “Paris roller”) but I realised it was a pun! Pari without the “s” means a bet, a challenge
My brother was a big fan of those skate rides in the capital, once he even did a special one in the empty Disneyland park! I wasn’t too sure about rollerblading in such a big city so I only did it in our more rural area.
The first thing that comes to my mind in terms of vocabulary is the equipment used to protect oneself.
Il y a le casque (helmet) bien sûr , les genouillères pour protéger les genoux (knees) , les coudières pour les coudes (elbows) et les protège-poignets (wrists) .
On dit : faire du roller, ou faire du patin (à roulettes). En général on utilise plutôt “patin (à roulettes)” pour le modèle originel (quads) et “roller” pour les roues en ligne (rollerblades). On peut aussi faire du patin à glace (ice skating) !

[27sp.sandra]

Hi @mgm Thanks for sharing. I had no idea of this event, and although I don’t skate I find it interesting. It actually reminds me of how Sundays in Bogotá are. We have something call “ciclovia”, streets are closed for people to skate, run, walk or just go with the bikes. About the vocabulary I learned in fact with your article some. Thank you for sharing!

[mgm]

Woah, merci beaucoup @Amandine! Ceci est incroyable!!

I thought that the “Pari” spelling was just for style - I had no idea that pari meant a challenge. That completely makes sense and brings new meaning for me! Doing the Friday night skate, which I hope to do next year, will be a challenge for me!

Thank you for all of the vocabulary! It’s interesting to see the *- ères suffix on genouillères et coudières, but that it doesn’t apply to poignets.

This is also the first time I’m learning protège - knowing that means “protect” immediately gave me new insight into the English use of the word protégé. I had just never considered it! This is perhaps my favorite part of learning French - it reveals whole new insights about my native language. It’s like discovering a secret layer to the world around you. It blows my mind.

[mgm]

The ciclovia sounds amazing @27sp.sandra! I wish the streets around me were car-free on Sundays! (Je souhaite les rues sont sans voiture à dimanche?)

Skating is big in South America as well - particularly Brazil, but I think all over, too! Definitely worth trying - it’ll put a big smile on your face.

[Amandine]

I’m super happy that my answer made you discover something!! I also find it fascinating to make etymological connections between languages.
Speaking of the “-ère” suffix, I think it just didn’t sound as good with poignet : “poignettières” would be hard to pronounce But “protège” is also used for other body parts (and other sports) like protège-tibia, protège-dents,…
And indeed, you do find this idea of protection in the word “protégé”

[Amandine]

Nice try @mgm! To translate your sentence more accurately, you need to use the conditional for the first verb and the subjunctive for the second (because of the “que”) :
Je souhaiterais que les rues soient sans voiture le dimanche.