Coucou !
Today’s episode was very funny to write because I had to search into the French I use everyday.
Not necessarly the most elegant one.
But the real French you’ll hear me and millions of others use everyday.
French expressions that don’t exist in dictionnaries and textbooks.
French you’ll hear in the metro, in the street, in cafes.
The French expressions that will make French eyebrows raise when you use them.
Trust me. ????
Today, I’ll give you the inside track on 5 of my favourite colloquial French expressions.
Click to watch « My 5 favourite French expressions (in slang) »:
Et toi ?
Have you heard of these expressions? Which one is your favourite?
Let me know ONE French expression that still remains a mystery to you.
Share them below so we can all enjoy your story and help you unravel the mystery.
Bisous,
Géraldine
What does this mean: c’est parti en histoire sentimentale ? Does this mean that a romance is beginning or ending?
Oui, Danielle.
It means it turned out/became a romance.
Fabien
Comme une Française Team
Ca Plane Pour Moi!
What does “J’te fais un plan” mean?
Bonjour @LARZ GUSTAFSSON,
“Faire un plan” means to make or create a plan. I suppose in the sense of “J’te fais un plan”, “I will create something (a plan/an itinerary, etc.) for you.
I hope this helps.
Belle journée à toi,
Fabien
Comme une Française Team
What does tu me mends la tete (Ben) mean? It was on a wool cap I bought in France about 20 some years ago, thank you
Bonjour @Sandi Russell,
I am not sure about this expression. A close one is “tu me prends la tête”, which means “someone is giving you grief.”
I hope this helps.
Belle journée,
Fabien
Comme une Française Team
What does ” et ta soeur” mean?
Bonjour Peter,
It means “and your sister.” It can take on other meanings based on the context. If you have a particular example, I would be happy to translate.
Bonne journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
What does ‘les coeurs de beurre’ mean?
Bonjour Alli,
Les cœurs de beurre sont des petits biscuits au beurre salé au cœur de crème de Salidou. C’est également un coeur tendre, qui fond facilement, qui se laisse facilement émouvoir.
Au plaisir,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
What does this mean?
Le sang de ces morts que tu va bouffer le Joe de ces morts
I like saying ‘ce sont des conneries’ ( bollocks or bulls**t). A bit rude though, sorry!
This does not apply to French language in Canada at all lol they would look at you and say : what the f….k did you just say. The are France expressions.
What is the other/double meaning of “Il fait beau et chaud” ?
Je mets ma vie à répondre tout le temps
What does it mean?
Merci
Bonjour Alex,
This may mean the person is always spending a great deal of time to respond.
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Bonjour,
What do you think this saying means en Français?
: Le cuché
Are the expressions “Ca chauffe?” (rèponse…”Charbon”) and “Ca baigne?” still used?
Bonjour Nicolas,
Oui, these two expressions are still used.
ça chauffe = il y a de la dispute, de l’orage dans l’air ; ça va barder
ça baigne = tout va bien
Belle journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Merci, Fabien. Je me souviens à la fin des années 1970/début des années 1980 à Paris, l’expression “ça chauffe?” a été utilisé entre les gars pour dire “ca va?” et la réponse était “charbon” (comme du feu). J’ai toujours été fasciné par l’expressivité de l’argot français.
On est bien tintin?
What does it mean?
Thanks
Bonjour Jacque,
This simply means “How are you doing?” – more of an everyday/colloquial form as the “bien” rhymes with “tintin”.
Belle journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
It was a well-known expression of French Pascal Sevran in his musical show La France aux Chansons, speaking to one of his collaborators. That became very popular.
My father in law used to say ‘trois cloches’ to describe something clever, well said or well done. It translates to ‘three bells’. Is this a common usage or something unique to him?
Bonjour Hugh,
I know of a few expressions with “cloches” but I am not familiar with the expression about the “trois cloches” … only the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVuKLxx-ETY
Quite to the contrary, there is an expression “être (une) cloche” which has a the opposite meaning of “being clever” – Personne stupide, incapable et maladroite : Quelle cloche !
I hope this helps. Bonne journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Just read this in an English spy thriller written in 1938 … children taunting a man …
Bonjour Tonton , Bonjour Tintin , Pige ce vieux radin…!
Bonjour,
What’s does Ne t’inquiète pas petit chat mean in English terms?
Bonjour Diana,
Do not worry sweety/sweetheart/honey (whichever term is more colloquial to you – lit. “small cat”).
Belle journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
The ‘a’ in cradled is long not short and is pronounced like the a in ape.
I bought a water glass in France a few years ago with this inscription on it… je mets l’eau à la bouche. Two French friends tell me they’ve never heard of it as an idiom, although I know what “l’eau à la bouche” insinuates in Serge Gainsbourg’s song. But literally on a water glass is it really “I put water in my mouth” or is it something deeper?
Bonjour Sharon,
“Mettre l’eau à la bouche” is a popular idiom to say that “make one’s mouth water.”
I hope this helps.
Bonne journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Bonjour Adam,
I am not sure I know this expression. Do you happen to have the full expression?
Merci,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
How would you use ‘je te dis’? I heard it in a podcast recently but didn’t understand. Ca roule i’ve heard before but not the other ones. Merci. The most common thing i hear when i watch French films is ‘chez pas’ for ‘je ne sais pas’. I love it.
Bonjour Shania,
“Je te dis” means “I am telling you”.
For instance, “Je te dis, ce n’est pas ouvert avant 10h” = I am telling you, they do not open until 10.
I hope this helps.
Bonne journée,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Please, what does it mean when someone says:”Son père”, of course it has nothing to do with “his father” , many thanks!
Bonjour Tintin,
“Son père” indeed means “his or her father”. I am not sure if you are referring to a particular example.
Merci,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Bonjour Geraldine. I understand all of the c’est vs il est rules, but on Laurent Ruquier – Les Grosses Têtes – RTL.frhttps://www.rtl.fr, du lundi au vendredi de 15h30 à 18h, Laurent describes a person and the Grosses Têtes ask ”C’est Français?” or ”C’est français?”, which of course doesn’t follow any of the rules!! He then answers ”Oui, c’est F(f)rançais”. Please are you able to explain how this can be said??!! Merci d’avance, Rachel 🙂
Bonjour Rachel,
If referring to a thing, you will indeed use “c’est français” but if it refers to a person “il/elle est français.e”.
Merci bien,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
What c’est pas fait pour les chiens means?
Thx
Hello, bonjour,
Ce n’est pas fait pour les chiens = Exister pour une bonne raison et être tout à fait utile.
I hope this helps.
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Comment dit-on ‘ dame de son homme’ et ‘machalla dame’ en anglais ? Je pense que les phrases viennent du Sénégal ? Merci pour m’aider
Bonjour Janet,
Je ne suis pas trop sûr, Machalla est un prénom et “dame” est tout simplement “lady”, donc “dame de son homme” = his lady (?).
Merci,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
que veux dire” mange mon cou?
mange mon cou.
que veux dire ” msnge mon cou
How do you say”what goes around comes around”
Bonjour,
It depends on the context, but here is one expression you can use: “On récolte ce que l’on sème.”
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
hi, what does “tu me pose une colle mean” pls 🙂
Bonjour Martha,
« Poser une colle » is a colloquial expression that means to stump someone.
Merci,
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
What does mon cœur de beurre mean
Bonjour,
Alors, Le Coeur de Beurre est un savoureux mariage d’une recette originale d’un sablé breton pur beurre et de la fameuse crème de Salidou au beurre frais salé.
Dans ce contexte, ça se réfère à un coeur tendre, qui fond facilement, qui se laisse facilement émouvoir.
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
What does chaenn son jour mean? I am wanting to buy a picture that has this written at the bottom.
what does”ma bouchette” mean ? Used from a man in an sms to his ex-wife
Bonjour Jane,
C’est un peu vieilli et familier. Bouchette veut dire petite bouche.
En parlant d’une personne, on peut l’utiliser par affection pour parler d’un enfant ou par mignardise dans un contexte amoureux pour parler d’une femme.
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
Est ce ques les femmes parles de leurs amies comes mes pots?
Hi Pamela!
You can say “une pote” (feminine of “un pote”) or “des potes” (for feminine or masculine or both), and French women do call their female friends “mes potes” sometimes. But using “mes copines” is more common.
But it depends on the social circle – each group of friends have their own favorite slang.
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
In the 1970’s I spent a summer in France and French-speaking friend used to say “vachement” or “vachement bien.” Is that out of date?
Hi Robert!
“Vachement” and “vachement bien” are still widely used in colloquial French.
Say “Hi!” to your friend from us 🙂
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Is there a double meaning for les trois poules Francaises et le vieux couvent?
Hi Babette!
I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t get the reference…
At least it’s not a common expression in France.
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
I have noticed that the French use “Allez” a lot even when they are speaking with someone they use “tu” with. Apparently, it is used a lot and is not just used to say “Go”. Can someone explain when to use Allez?
Hi Neil ! “Allez” is a word we use in many situations – and very different ones, what makes it difficult to get.
First, it’s often used as an very affirmative assent or an encouragement, and the meaning is very close to “let’s go” : “J’irai bien au ciné ce soir, pas toi ?” “- Allez !” (“I’d like to see a movie tonight, don’t you ?” “- OK, let’s go !”) or : “Allez les Bleus !” (“Go, Blues, go !”).
Second, you can use it for an insistent “please” (or “come on”), that people say after someone refused something : “Tu me donnes une de tes frites ?” “- Nan !” “- Oh, allez !” (“Shall you give me one of your fries ?” “- Nope !” “- Oh, come on !”).
Third, you can say it when you think someone’s kidding you, the same way you’d use “come on” in that circumstance.
Everything is in the tone you use to say it. Assertive tone is for the first meaning ; pleading for the second one ; and disdainful for the third one. But to roughly summarize, you can use it the same way you’d use “let’s go” or “come on”.
Thank you, Leduc! Votre réponse ma beaucoup aidé à comprendre l’usage de “Allez”!
Thanks for that thoughtful reply, Leduc, you’re absolutely right!
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Hi Neil!
Leduc below gave you a great answer.
I’ll just add that you might enjoy checking out our full lessons on the mysterious use of “Allez” in French as well:
https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/the-mysterious-use-of-allez-in-french
https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/french-vocabulary-allez-in-french
(The second one is all in French)
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Coucou salut c’est Géraldine
1. et ta soeur. (elle bat la beurre ou elle pisse bleu)
2. Tant pis
3. Ca fait que dalle
Hi Capi !
1. “Et ta soeur ?” (“so your sister”) is an vulgar expression (a bit outdated today) used when you want to say that you don’t believe something (similar to “are you kidding me ?”, but more contemptuous), or that you don’t want to do something someone’s asking you because you think it’s an abusive request. It means a definitive “no way”.
“Elle bat le beurre” (“she beats (or mixes) the butter”) was often add because it rhymes, and to to enhance the offensive and contemptuous aspect of the expression, as well as “Elle pisse bleu” (“she pisses in blue”), which doesn’t rhyme but involves family in the classic, filthy, offensive way.
2. “Tant pis” means “never mind”, “so much for that”, used to answer someone who tells you that you can’t have something you wanted : “Désolé, il n’y a plus de cacahuètes, je les ai toutes mangées.” “- Bon, tant pis…” (“Sorry, there are no peanuts left, I ate them all.” “- Well, never mind…”).
There is often – but not always – a connotation of disappointment, and often comes along with a sigh. It’s a very common expression, and you can use it in whatever context.
3. “Que dalle” means “nothing”. It’s not really vulgar, but is a little bit more than colloquial. Sometimes it means just “no” or “never” when someone ask you something (mostly something you can quantify : “Tu peux me donner un peu d’argent ?” “- Que dalle !” “Can you give me some money ?” “- Never !”).
“Ca fait que dalle” (=”It does nothing”) often means “I don’t feel anything” (when something is supposed to do something to you : “Alors, cette herbe ?” “- C’est nul, ça fait que dalle” / “So, how’s the weed ?” “- Too bad, I don’t feel anything”) or “It doesn’t work” (when something you do has no effect : “Appuie sur le bouton !” “- C’est ce que je fais mais il se passe que dalle !” / “Press the button !” “- That’s what I do, but nothing happens !”).
Hope this helped 🙂
You’re completely right! Thanks for helping 🙂
Have a fantastic day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Bonjour, Arthur. Si quelqu’un dit “n’est-ce pas” à la fin d’une phrase, est-ce que la personne à qui on le dit répond OUI ou SI if the answer is yes? Merci d’avance! Neil
Im parle français où arabe engle un peu
Bonjour la visite!
Hi guys. My in-laws are watching a French TV series and we were debating what is the meaning of something that sounded like “gent merci”, spoke fairly quickly in one fluid utterance. The subtitles simply put “thanks”… but the actor was definitely not just saying “merci”. I was suggesting it was a truncated, slang version of “merci, c’est tres gentil.” Anyone?
Hi Michael !
I have… no idea.
Maybe “Grand merci” (= great thanks), or “Je te remercie” (= pronounced “J’te r’merci” in fast spoken French.)
Or, now that I think of it, it might be: “Chouette, merci !” (= Cool, thanks!)
If you can find the name of the show / episode / timestamp we can get more precise. (You might also find the original script in the Internet, they can be quite useful. And/or turn the subtitles to French?)
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
I am reading a wonderful French novel (translated to English) titled Fresh Water for Flowers. At the end of one chapter one character says to another “Irene Fayolle, I am going to empty your pockets.”
Without giving away any of the story line, canvyou please explain the use of that phrase? I assume it has sexual overtones, but I’d rather understand the meaning of you could help.
Thank you.
Hi Cathy!
In French, the book is “Changer l’eau des fleurs,” by Valérie Perrin.
I don’t have it so I can’t say for sure, especially without context.
I’d say the sentence is the translation for “Irène Fayolle, je vais vous faire les poches.” = “I’m going to rob you blind” so I don’t see sexual overtones – only a warning for material revenge.
But, I mean, almost everything can have sexual overtones in the right context, so it depends on the story.
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Felicitations, bien joué, Yannick Besthaven!
How would you translate the expression “I smell a rat” into French? I thought you had to translate that literally I’m sure he’s amies francaises would be quite alarmed
Hi Robert!
I’d say “Il y a anguille sous roche” – Something’s not quite as it seems, it’s too good to be true.
Otherwise, you can use:
– “Il y a quelque chose qui cloche” = “Something’s not quite right here.”
– “C’est suspect” = “That’s suspicious.”
– “Je ne lui fais pas confiance.” = I don’t trust him / her.
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Ca me chiffron. That bothers me. Chiffron is to rub
‘To rub [one] the wrong way,’ would be the context, I suppose.
to rub someone the wrong way = prendre à rebrousse-poil
Please some translate “se danq ça” my French husband is purposefully not telling me the translation for over a year just to mess with me and it’s driving me crazy lol!
C’est donc ça: means: Oh, that’s what it means.
Hi Amy!
What your husband is saying is “C’est donc ça !” = “That’s what it is!” / “I understand now!”
Have a great day 🙂
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
It means ‘that’s crazy’ or it can also mean ‘no way!’
Quick question – a friend of mine always uses an expression that sounds something like “too tam samble” or something like that. He’ll say it’s tough to find love @ all levels – physically, mentally, sexually, etc & then he’ll say that in French they describe it as the “too tam samble”…. Anyone know what “phrase” he’s referring to & exactly how to write/spell this in French? Thanks!
tout ensemble = all together
The phrase is “tout ensembles” means all together
Hi Miguel!
He’s saying “tout ensemble” (= the whole thing together). There’s “la liaison” between “tout” and “ensemble.”
I wouldn’t say French people often describe love at all levels as “tout ensemble,” but it might depend on the subculture. It’s immediately understandable, though.
Another common French expression is “Tous ensemble” (= [too sam samble]) = Everybody together / All together.
You might learn more in these lessons :
La Liaison : https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/la-liaison
Tout / Tous : https://www.commeunefrancaise.com/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-tout
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
I’ve heard tout ca pour ca. What does it mean?
All of this (effort, work, time, stress, investment) for this (little result/ small outcome/ etc….)
What does on š’en paie une bonne tranche mean? I saw it on a humorous (but clean) drawing.
Hi Judy!
Great question 🙂
It’s an expression that’s quite old-fashioned (like, from the 70s) but everyone would still understand.
Literally, it means “We’re buying ourselves a good slice of it” – implictly, of “une tranche de rigolade” = a slice of laughter. (which is also an outdated expression)
So it means “We’re having fun, we’re having funny moments.”
Have a great day!
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Fin fin es fav
a friend of mine always said to her little children what sounded like ‘Ti ti bon jour, Ann’? my name is ann. What was she saying? something like ‘petite petite bon jour’?
Hi Ann!
I don’t know 🙂
But each family is their own culture, in a way. So I’m thinking it was their own expression in “talking to a child” language (= “hypocoristique,” in savant French). Or maybe it’s a Quebécois / Cajun / Créole expression that we don’t know much about, here in France.
Ti ti bonne journée !
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Salut, Arthur
Can there be a derogatory meaning to the expression “petites gens”? “Il et un des petites gens”, for example? [meaning, as I have understood it, “he is a “little person” in regards to intelligence, compassion, generosity, etc.]
Hi Kim!
I don’t think that expression is used in France. (Maybe in other French-speaking cultures)
We don’t really use “gens” (= people in general) with adjective before the word, either, and it’s a masculine word anyway. “Petites gens” sound like a pseudo-medieval word like “smallfolk” / “peasants” or something like it.
We can say “C’est petit” / “C’est bas” for an action or sentence that’s too “small” (metaphorically) = “beneath you” / “underhanded.”
I guess that with the right tone (very formal anger) one could say “Vous êtes quelqu’un de petit.” = “You’re a small person” for “you’re small-minded, you’re the opposite of a noble mind”… but I wouldn’t recommend it, as it would mostly likely be understood as “you’re physically small.”
The adjective “mesquin” (= mean, small-minded, paltry… the opposite of “noble, generous, high-minded”) comes to mind as well.
“Vous êtes mesquin” / “Ils sont mesquins” / “Ce sont des gens mequins” is unambiguous.
Have a great day!
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
“Les petites gens”, ce sont des personnes simples, dans le sens de la façon de vivre, des richesses, intelligence moyenne, les gens de conditions modestes. C’est une vieille expression, utilisée principalement dans des villages aujourd’hui ou par les vieilles personnes. C’était mes grands parents et les gens de leur age qui disaient ça surtout (nés vers les années 30 pour donner un contexte). Ce n’est plus vraiment utilisé aujourd’hui.
“Les petites gens”, litterally “The little people”, is used to talk about simple people, with a simple life, simple mind, not a lot of money but not too poor neither, just enought to live without struggle. It’s a pretty old expression, not very used anymore nowadays, we can hear it in small country town still or elders. My grand parents and their friends used it, they were born in the 30’s.
Tu est très belle pas que et trop chique
Can someone tell me what this mean? “ ca va elle?? t’as pas trop pris la tete“
Hi Mariela!
“Il me prend la tête” = “He’s taking my head” (literally) = He’s being knowingly obtuse, he’s intentionnally annoying, it’s frustrating dealing with him as it takes time I don’t want to spend on him… [I can’t find a good translation, but I hope you get the point]
“Elle t’a pas trop pris la tete” = “she didn’t take your head too much?” = “It wasn’t so difficult and frustrating dealing with her?”
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
What does as qune ne aego mean?
Votre jupon dépasse ….what is the equivalent English expression
Bonjour, Géraldine! Qu’est ce que ça veut dire: parler dans le nez (à quelqu’un)?
Bonjour Sara !
I don’t think I’ve ever heard this expression before, in France. Intuitively, I’d say it means something like “talking while being too close physically to someone.”
Related expression:
– Parler du nez (talking out of the nose) = to snuffle
– Souffler dans les bronches (to blow into one’s air tubes) = to scold someone (older expression)
Bonne journée,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Need your help please for my grandaughter. How do you say in Cajun French – “Get out of here” and also “Go away”? Her 10th grade French teacher said there is no such words hiw I taught her. HELP Please. Trying to keep our Cajun speech Alive❤️✝️🙏
Hi Melanie!
In Parisian French slang, we’d say “Dégage !” (= get out / get lost / go away). I don’t know enough about Cajun speech to answer your question, I’m sorry!
Have a great day,
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Va t’en
Vas tant. Go away (go there)
‘je voulais parler des rouge’ what does it mean in English ?
Hi Bill!
It depends on the context, it could be “I wanted to talk about the red” or more probably: “I meant, the red ones.”
But it’s not a common slang expression, so the meaning depends on the context. Could be about white / red wines?
– Arthur, writer for Comme une Française
Que signifie ” petit jour ?”
early morning
Tu me palisseras beaucoup juste comme tu es.
Je suis heureuse avec la langue.
Love your videos! 73 and still learning French…
Welcome, Les!
Ont n est pas a Versailles
Il est a l ouest
Ahahah, oui !
My grandmother from Quebec said something that sounded like eee moo tassi. I’m guessing it’s “et moi aussi”.
Ma go sûre What does this mean or how is it used
Bonjour, je suis prof de français aux Etats-Unis. La chanson <> , que veut dire le tître? Je connais l’expression <> mais à ta tête?
Bon jour, Geraldine. J’aime votre channel. J’ai une question de le mot Relou. Est-ce que vous l’expliquez?
Bonjour Antar,
Relou = Lourd = heavy/unbearable/annoying
Salut..what does ‘rien a dire’ mean? I know it’s nothing to say but is there another meaning?! Merci
Bonjour,
I don’t see any.
je t’aime gros comme chat?
My father was born and raised in the French town of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
When I was growing up he used to call me “Mon Petite Choux”. He did not learn American English until he attended elementary school.
I understand that it is an endearment that translates into “my little cabbage”. But how and why did that BECOME something you would say father to daughter???
Regarde,
Annemarie (Vachon Hinton)
Merci
my dad always did the same with me 🙂
My dad was French. He used to call me “petit”. Not “petite”, though I’m a female.
Yetlie, the word is often used without any feminine ending when it means in general ” little one”.
Annemarie, the word chou was used to indicate the head, but also as an adjective meaning stupid.Does the expression of endearment therefore mean ” my little silly”, or ” my dear, little head”.I don’t know, but it’s still in use. Jason
It refers to a french little pastry filled with cream. I guess it’s sweet and cute
My niece in France (She’s 6 years old) constantly says to me phrases when we speak on the phone thar are strange to me like Ooopla, tonton, la vache, pas grave and decu, I understand in some way these phrases but don’t know what exactly mean each and one of them… help
Tu parles….. what does that exactly mean?
Bonjour Hilary,
it means “Seriously?” or “you must be joking”.
What does, Je suits a court de temps mean
I have little time or I am out of time.
I’ve just heard a woman speaking to her daughter and say “Le Fanny” is this really what I think it means?
Bonjour, I am new to the discussion.
le son de ter. What does it mean?
Just a little suggestion: since you know what you’re saying, your brain will of course hear your words clearly. But the listener? with even just a bit of room echo it becomes difficult. So the tech tip is to have the mic as close to your as possible. More voice / less echo.
Bom sang
Hot fois
Hot fois (possibly Cajun French)
Autre fois?
An other time
tranquille is the same in Rio de Janeiro, nous parlons, tout le temp: TRANQUILO (tranks)
Super !
And like the rest of Spanish central and South America.
“Un rat bleu” is French navy slang. What does it mean ?
Bonjour Richard,
I don’t know this expression. Please have a look at wordreference. It might help.
Bonjour Richard! I actually just learned this in a class of mine! It just means the person is a rookie, from the verb bleuillir(I think this is the correct spelling) which means to haze. And I’m assuming ‘rat’ is just a French term for people in the Navy? In the states we use it to reference a snitch or tattletale. I hope this helped!
A bleu is a newbie. “A new guy”
Je suis bidon? il y a une vieille chanson avec cette phrase.
Bonjour Randall,
Oui, c’est une chanson de Alain Souchon.
Can someone help me with this phrase?…Est-ce qu’on pourrait avoir un singe? Merci!
Je suis passee de plein d’amis a plein de vide. What does that mean?
Bonjour Bar,
As-tu du contexte ?
It was an article about renting apartments by students, sharing space, advantages and disadvantages of such solution. One renter mentioned that she likes to have people around and this is where the phrase was taken from.
Ok, I get it.
She went from being surrounded by friends to being surrounded by emptiness.
Thanks! 🙂
Everything is right in this video and I’m “explosé” or “mort de rire” rien qu’à penser à toutes nos expressions. Great work Geraldine, continue it 🙂
Bonjour,
I’m trying to find meaning of “bisou(s) sur ta fesse gauche/droite” in the colloquial sense, bien sûr – would appreciate some “lumière” ????
Je n’en vois aucun, au delà de la blague… 🙂
Hello ! I’m french so it’s “lumière” time. It’s definitely a sentence you can say when you know intimately the person in front of you. Don’t say it to someone you don’t know or it may cause some problem like… a slap in your face or a police call.
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Not sure if it counts as an expression but an informal phrase that I love is ´pas dé soucis’ 🙂
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TROP is indeed now very extremely used but this is also very wrong. Avoid it as much as you can whether it is an adjective or an adverb and I think you should stick to your english instead:
This girl is very pretty
Cette fille est très belle
“This girl is Too much pretty for cette fille est trop belle”
Je vais très bien: I m very well
“I m too good for I m too much good’
TROP should be used only for depreciation such as in:
Il fait trop froid pour un bébé
It s too cold for a baby there
En espérant avoir aidé!
It’s too
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J’aime beaucoup cette phrases. Merci! Question: what do you say after “Ca roule ma poule?” You say “It means …” Sorry, can’t make out what you say. Thanks!
She says “Okay, chick.” ‘Poule’ means ‘hen’ in French. What sounds oddly dated in some English-speaking countries is still slang in others. In the US, we don’t think of ‘chick’ as a current term of endearment, whereas in parts of the UK and Australia you still hear ‘chook’ (chick) used frequently to say ‘honey’ or ‘darlin”. (Forgive me, I’m from the Southern US, so those two sound natural to me – meaning it’s a friendly way for me to greet someone, ‘Hey darlin’!’) When translated into US English, “Ça roule, ma poule” sounds to me like 70’s ‘Jive’ – the kind of phrase that Snoop Dogg could pull off, while the rest of us would sound like idiots impersonating a character in ‘Shaft’. (Or from the famous scene in “Airplane!”) I don’t know if it sounds dated in French, or just cheeky.
Bonjour Claire,
“Ma poule” ou “poulette” is outdated, and mostly only as a joke in this kind of expression. 🙂
Bonjour Geraldine,
Un question qui me tourmente depuis longtemps: Si on remplace “nous” avec “on,” qu’est-ce qu’on fait avec “notre/nos”? Par exemple: Est-ce que “Nous allons rencontrer nos amis plus tard” devient “On va rencontrer ses amis plus tard?” ou est-ce que ça reste “On va rencontrer nos amis plus tard?”
Merci d’avance!!!
Bonjour Jobi,
Excellente question !
On utilise on + nos/notre.
Ici, ce serait “On va retrouver nos amis au restaurant, ce soir.”
What does: oui je veux juste avoir Des amis…..mean?
I juste want to have friends. 🙂
I want to say that some place is friendly cosy sweat. how to describe it in French?
Bonjour El,
On peut dire “C’est un endroit où sent bien” ?
Alors! ils sont très amusants, ces postes. Si rafraîchissant d’apprendre de nouvelles façons! Merci Geraldine.
Et, de plus, j’ai lu quelque part récemment qu’il y a un espace avant un point d’exclamation en français écrit. Est-ce que vrai aussi pour les points d’interrogation?
Bonjour Therese,
Oui, tout à fait. 🙂
I have been living in France for about 9 months and am conversational in French – a miracle since I didn’t speak a word of it before arriving – but there are a few sayings that not one french person can explain to me how to use! Maybe with your expertise you can explain how and when to use “comme meme”….??
Bonjour Nicki,
We don’t use “comme meme”, it’s “quand même”. 🙂
It’s very difficult to use, so don’t worry if you can’t.
We use to say “this can’t possibly happen”, in a way…
“On ne va pas partir sans payer, quand même.” for example.
Salut Géraldine
J’aime bien ton blog et les videos!!
J’entends suivant les trois expressions que je ne suis pas sûre de la signification ni la façon d’utiliser. Sont-elles:
1- T’en pie
2- C’est n’import quoi
3- ça m’emmerde (ça semble un peu forte cette là… )
Tu peux clarifier l’utilisation de ces expressions??!
Merci!!
Bonjour Milena,
1- Tant pis = doesn’t matter
2- C’est n’importe quoi = it’s nonesense
3- ça m’emmerde = I don’t like it/don’t want to do it.
🙂
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…. And the word ” Loulous” I hear a lot. Does this mean boyfriend/girlfriend or can it apply to just friends? Is there an English equivalent? Merci 🙂
Bonjour Rachel,
It’s an affectionate word, used differently according to who’s using it.
it can be to talk about a boyfriend/girlfriend, friends, children…
C’est trop amusantes, led expressions que tu as choissit ici. Je les avais entendu, (souvent des mon neveues et niece francaise) mais ne utilize jamais, sauf merde! Merci!
At the end of a meal or a course, most servers simply said “Il y a?” to mean “Have you terminated/Can I remove your plates”. Is this correct? What is implied to make sense of this?
Bonjour Richard,
I never heard that… Do you have any other ideas of what they could have said? 🙂
Servers have to say “Il y aura autre chose ?” or “Ce sera tout ?”. It’s a way to be polite, so when a server don’t say that, he’s maybe not polite or angry.
I heard the expression “un couche de finition” and I know that literally means a “finishing coat” (like when painting) … but could it also refer to a finishing lie down at the end of a big night out (because couch is bed) or even a finishing off drink like “one for the road” ??? And is it common ??? Thanks 🙂
Bonjour Rachel,
Yes, I can imagine that “une couche de finition” exists for paint and such works.
For the rest, I never heard of it. 🙂
You are right, but be carefull when you use it because it can be misinterpreted. But it’s common now.
on utilise ces mots dans notre vie quotidienne XD 😀 ..j’utilise toujours ‘c’est bon ‘, ‘ça marche ‘,”ça roule ‘,’ tranquille’ ,..
Back in the early 70’s, the ‘in’ expression was everything to do with ‘vaches!’ Oh, la vache! , etc. It was also a rather modern thing to say ‘c’est chouette!’ But, I am dating myself……….they are passe now, I am sure!
No worries Julie, “Vachement” is still very much used. 😀
Salut! Tu dis que “avoir un coup dans le nez” veut dire “saoul”. J’ai aussi entendu “rond comme un coup de pelle” (je ne sais pas si cela est bien ecrit). Est-ce que ca veut dire la meme chose?
Bonjour Ralph,
Oui, tout à fait ! C’est la même chose.
Attention, c’est “Rond comme une queue de pelle” 🙂
Ah! Merci Geraldine.
Ca Roule ma Poule. C’est trop bien
Bonjour, Geraldine
Juste un petit mot, l’expression “ça roule” dans la Suisse-Romande est réservée strictement aux ados. Les adultes utilisent encore “ça marche”. La langue français parlait en Suisse n’est pas exactement la même comme en France. Par exemple, ici, on adore “volontier” et tous les serveurs disent “service!”
Bonjour Riki,
Génial ! Merci de l’info. 😀
J’adorerais faire des épisodes sur les français dans les régions et pays francophones.
I love the website! Thank you so much. Please explain La classe a Dallas.
Bonjour Mary,
La classe à Dallas, ça veut pas dire grand chose. Un peu comme “A plus dans le bus”.
La classe = élégant.
“A Dallas” est juste là pour que ça rime.
Le Président Sarkozy etait fâché avec un homne dans la rue, et le Président lui a dit: ta gueule ! Shut your gob !
J’adore cette video! Ca serait amusant aussi de faire un cours sur les expressions bien beauf qui font rire tout le monde, genre “J’y gigot d’agneau”; “la classe a dallas” lol qu’en penses-tu?
“La classe à Dallas” : j’adore.
“A plus dans l’bus !”
Your little video was SO well presented and explained. I teach old people here who will love these “slang” exptressions.
Merci beaucoup Madame!
How nice to finally understand all those expressions. Thank you so much for that. I have 1 question: somebody said to me several times) ‘tu es terrible’. I know he means it in a very positive way but I don’t really get it what he means. Can you help me out?
Hi Suzanne,
“Terrible” has a double meaning.
It is a positive word in slang. It stands for “terrific” in French.
But also a bad one. “C’est une terrible nouvelle” = It’s bad news.
It depends on the context.
I assume here, he (she) meant “you are awesome/terrific”. 😀
More here: http://www.wordreference.co…
I love ca roule ma poule
J’ai entendu plusieurs fois dans mon dernier voyage en France “ma foi”.
J’aime “Tu l’as dit bouffi.”
😀 I LOVE this “tu l’as dit bouffi” too, Jean. 🙂
C’est dans 3 mois, on est large. What it means? Thank u.
It’s in 3 months, we still have a lot of time.
Cette site envoie du pâté! I really enjoy the insider tips! This one especially- I lived in the South of France as a teenage foreign exchange student and learned all sorts of argot that I still use today at work. When you can sling slang, you’ll have the listener’s attention. C’est trop bien!
I was sitting outside a lovely bistro in my village of Marseillan when my friend said “c’est le pied”. I understood that was a compliment, is that correct?
Yes, Gavin! “C’est le pied” = “C’est chouette !”
Le mot “déconner”, ce n’est pas considérer comme un assez gros mot?
C’est très familier. Les enfants ne l’utiliseront pas, mais les adultes, si, entre amis.
Il y a une expression pour dire que tu aimes trop quelque chose…
Ça me c—-… je vous assure qu’elle m’est completement sorti de la tête! Est-ce que vous pouvez m’aider SVP?? Merci bien 🙂
Pas de deux???
When someone compliments my French, I like to show my modesty, so my response is: Merci, mais je comprends avec un Métro du retard.
😀 Nice !
Oh my … this video got tons of comments. It took me forever to scroll through them. Now I have more questions.
1. Regarding ‘Laisse tomber’ and Oublie’, are they flippant for ‘forget it/never mind’ or polite? If the cashier is giving you change, but it’s only pennies, would you use these terms? Or is this what your teenager would say to you if they didn’t want to hear what you had to say?
2. Same with n’importe quoi.
3. How would one use ‘faire chou blanc’?
thanks
Bonjour Diana,
Great questions!
1. Yes, it’s more teenager speech. For the cashier situation, use “C’est bon”. It’s the same you’d use when you give a taxi 25€ instead of 23€ and want to give him the remaining 2. See what I mean?
2. Yes, same.
3. “Faire chou blanc” is elegant, a little bit formal. It means “to fail”.
For example: “J’ai cherché mon téléphone toute la matinée mais j’ai fait chou blanc.”
“- Marc a réussi réussi son concours ?
– Non, il a fait chou blanc.”
So, with regard to “fait chou blanc”, is the conjugation:
J’ai fais chou blanc? (my thinking) or
Je l’ai fait chou blanc. (Google translate) or
neither?
Faire chou blanc : you just conjugate faire (and add “chou blanc”).
Il fait chou blanc / Il fera chou blanc / Il a fait chou blanc / Il faisait chou blanc…
Easy!
Salut, Charlotte,
“All of a sudden” veut dire “tout d’un coup”.
– T’as réussi ton exam ?
– Tranquille.
On l’écrit au féminin dans ce contexte ?
Je pense qu’il n’y a pas de genre, ici.
How would you say, “true” in a slang term? Let’s say someone is describing something, and you respond back with, “true.” My friend told me once as “se pa fo” but I’m not familiar with the spelling.
He said : C’est pas faux. = It’s not wrong. 🙂
Someone told me his little dog was his “meilleur pot” (?)
I assumed he meant his best loyal friend…
“Meilleur pote”, where pote = buddy. 🙂
Bon, ben c’est pas tout, mais j’vais aller mettre la viande dans l’torchon… (je vais aller me coucher)
Et puis… Faut pas prendre des vessies pour des lanternes (être crédule, naïf-be naive) ni mélanger les torchons et les serviettes (mix apples and oranges)!
Bonjour Geraldine et à tous.
I have been a student of French for a long time and spend my summers here, where I am now, and I find the language is always changing and evolving, as it should. Loved this video about expressions. I’ve heard a few of these before, but not all. Especially love Ca envoie du paté. It’s awesome. Something we anglophones say all the time! I have a question about a few of these you used and a few to add that i’ve heard recently using the verb filer. I carry a notebook with me when in France and write them down when I hear them. Alors…
When you say Ca roule ma poule, would that only be to a woman? Or could you use it as a general expression to anyone, and it’s just because it rhymes that you use ma poule?
When you say, sans déc is it in the sense of suprise as we would say in English for example if someone said, “They are giving away free iPhones at the Apple store.” “No kidding?!” Or is it in the sense of confirmation as in “The professor was such a jerk to the entire class today.” “No Kidding.” That’s how we’d use it to confirm something.
A couple of expressions I”ve heard in my last week in France have to do with the verb Filer, which is very useful.
Filer à l’anglaise. to sneak away? Though I don’t really understand the context. But though it was funny .
Ca me file la gerbe: makes me want to throw up.
Not very appealing but useful in certain contexts, non? Such as politics. ;>)
Alors, bonne journée et merci Geraldine.
Bizzzzzzzzzzz
Bonjour Kimberley.
Ca roule ma poule : men or women. It’s just for the rhyme.
Sans dec: both. Exactly the same as in English.
Filer à l’anglaise : leave discreatly without saying goodbye or anyone seeing.
Great job Kimberley!
Hello!
I’m 13 and I’m typically french person, I live in belgium but I learn English at school in English immersion (all of my courses excepted math and,of course, French, are in english) so, I’ve got a good level. I love read manga and comics, and I’ve an app where there’s in English, but there’s an expression that I can’t understand, what “all of a sudden” does mean?
Thanks for tour help guys!
I want to tell you too that certainly of your translations french to English are false or not totally right, for example, “être chaud” means ’’be in heat’’, not just ’’be motivated ’’, in fact, yes, it’s be motivated but to go do something on the bed, lol.
Also, the word “sinon” is used to say if the first idea will not be realise, we can do the second . For example in french we can say “je cuisinerai des pâtes SI j’en ai, SINON, j’irai acheter des pizzas.”
So, The “sinon” means that’s the second possibility, and the first is always started by a “si” . That’s never at the present time, cause it’s “options that we will can do”
In reality, it’s not too much far from the “if” of English; if I translate my example that’s : “If (=si) I’ve some pastas,I will cook it but if I don’t have (=sinon) , I will go to buy pizzas.
That’s all, very simple in fact,no? ~~
another thing too, for mariel, “salut” means hi and goodbye, so, if somebody tell you at the end of a journey ’’salut,cetait cool’’ that’s means that he liked the thing that he have done with u and tell you goodbye. 😉
Dear Geraldine, I like your blog, and that’s a really funny idea to do that. 😉
My personal favourites french expressions are:
*Mdr -mort De Rire- (=death of laught ) we use that more than “lol” on Internet, that’s like “xD”
*minute papillon, – that’s what we say when somebody is too much speed and don’t wait that you’ve finished you’re work before ask you something, when we tell that, we compare this people with a butterfly who want to go on the next flower ans also the next without enjoy a little bit what he already have, I think that’s cute to compare a people with a butterfly. :3
That’s all,
Kiss,
Charlotte. ;*
At the last sentence, I’ve make a fault : that’s “what he already HAS…” 😉
Salut,
“All of a sudden” = Entirely without warning, abruptly, very quickly. It is the standard idiom, but you may here “all of the sudden” in different regions of the English speaking world as “a sudden” & “the sudden” have been around since the 1500s.
Cheers!
Kim
bon chat, bon rat.
mon expression favori…..
Bonjour Paul,
Cette expression est très jolie mais presque jamais utilisée en France… Désolée !
Chère Géraldine je me permets une petite remarque :
Le français ne se résume pas à l’oral et certaines expression sont couramment employées à l’écrit (même contemporain). “à bon chat bon rat” est toujours utile à connaitre. explication : un combat est juste quand les adversaires sont de forces équivalentes.
J’aime l’expression: <> Je suis américain, mais j’enseigne le français au lycée. Mes élèves disent <> tous les temps. Ils s’amusent comme ça…
It means good cat, good rat. But in what kinds of situations would it be used in French?
Merci!
Paul
We listen to podcasts to help us learn french, and we keep hearing the word ‘sinon’ being used when people want to change from one subject to another. It doesn’t seem to mean ‘otherwise’ or ‘if not’, it seems (in context) to mean ‘OK, let’s move on’ or ‘Anyway, to change the subject..’. We can’t find it in any dictionary, and even french people we’ve asked don’t know the answer. Can you help please?
Hi Kate,
My favourite website to explore the meaning of a word/expression is wordreference. Check this page: http://www.wordreference.co…
Hope it helps. 🙂
You are quite correct Kate, “sinon” is sometimes used to denote a (slight) change of topic, as in the example below where a person is speaking of his health:
“…Mais cela va mieux, je me suis mis à me nourrir et je me sens mieux. Sinon, je sors peu, mais plus souvent ces derniers jours pour me faire du bien.”
Bonjour Géraldine! Je suis nouvelle ici, mais j’adore votre site!
J’ai une questions si on utilisé la phrase “Belle affaire!”
Merci,
Katya
Bonjour Katya,
Je ne l’ai pas entendue récemment, donc je dirais “non”. 🙂
I wanna know the meaning of “salut c’est cool”, is a french band name but I found the expression in many blogs. Can anyone help me? I usually speak spanish and I know a little of french.
It means “Hi it’s great”, Mariel. 🙂
I Love the slang expression Sans dec no kidding.
There is an expression for someone who is a little mad but I cannot remember it, can you help.
Merci beaucoup (:
Salut! Cette expression ‘ah bah oui mais bon’ ça veut dire quoi ?
comment on utilise cette expression?
Bonjour Aayushi,
It means: “Yes that’s true but what are we going to do anyway?” 🙂
Salut! Merci beaucoup pour le vidéo. J’ai une question. Quand je visite un magasin français si je dis ‘salut’ au lieu de ‘Bonjour’ est-ce que ça marche? Ou est-ce que c’est impoli?
Bonjour Aayushi,
Non, je te conseille d’utiliser “Bonjour”.
“Salut” est beaucoup trop familier.
Merci beaucoup (:
Merci beaucoup pour tous tes videos Geraldine! E’est la premiere fois que j’ecris ici mais je veux dire que j’apprende beaucoup avec ton site. Merci!
Ravie que ça te plaise, Andrew!
T’es super. Tu m’as deja appris qch. J’ai etudie le fc toute ma vie, mais il semble qu’il y a toujours un petit trou qu’il faut reparer. (find me an expression for that). Et – by the by – ton accent en anglais est super cool et chic. A la prochaine. Bises.
Amadis
Merci Amadis!
Les doigts dans le nez !
😀
Hi Dear Géraldine and all viewers,
I wanna share one of my favorate expression( Avoir le cafard )
Salut! Comment dit-on “Twitter” en francais? J’ai une classe des etudiants qui me demande. Merci!
My favorite is “à chaque oiseau, son nid est beau.” Do you know any more like this?
Ah, oui, c’est vraiment mignon cette expression. J’aime aussi “petit à petit, l’oiseau fait son nid” (meaning “every little bit helps” or something to that effect). J’aime bien l’image d’une petit oiseau, fier de son nid! 😀
J’adore, “C’est chouette”
Que veut-dire “punaise”? C’est vulgaire?
It means “Damn!”
Please translate into English
“je domne le Ton
I am in Paris foe Christmas and I purchased an artist pouch with this on it!
Merci!
Is it incorrect to say “C’est si bon”? I thought this means very good, however I had a funny look from my waiter when I said this in France.
Bonjour Ann,
It is not incorrect but no one would say it. It’s half a cliché, half a bad direct translation of the “It’s so good” in English.
Try “C’est très bon” or “C’est délicieux” or “C’est excellent”.
In case you wish to try a more familiar/slang French, use “C’est trop bon”
On my first day teaching English in Evreux, I spent a couple of minutes introducing myself and talking about my life in the US. I made the atrocious mistake of telling students at the collège level that I had two cats. As both of my cats were females, I said, “J’ai deux chattes.” Students reacted with gasps and giggles and NO ONE would explain what I said that was worthy of their reaction. I remembered the phrase and avoided it thereafter, but I had to ask someone and was quite horrified at what I learned.
😀
Pourquoi?? What’s wrong with ‘chattes’?!
Merci beaucoup pour cette video ! 😀 J’ai aurais cherche pour lec videos comme ca ,pars ce que ils m’aident parler conversations plus amicable!! Ca envoi du pate!!
Bonjour!
Mon grandpere a toujours utilise l’expression <> qui veux dire <> est-ce que ca roule?
Bonjour,
Est-ce qu’on peut dire “ça roule ma poule” a un homme?
“Ça roule ma poule” is mainly a joke so yes.
Not your father in law or your doctor, however. 😉
Salut Geraldine,
J’ai une amie qui a écrit une livre de vielles expressions françaises <> (ISBN 979-10-93076-00-3). Mon expression favorite dans cette livre est <>. Se dit d’une personne très économe qui économise en particulier sur les achats alimentaires et en cuisine. Mais, après avoir vu votre vidéo je veux dire quand-même ça roule ma poule au boucher quand je ferrai les courses.
Merci et à bientôt
James
Mon ordinateur a volé les mots. La livre s’appelle Ca veut dire quoi? et l’expression est ne pas attacher son chien avec des saucisses
I Love it!!!
Salut Cat,
Oui, ça roule! “Qui veut dire” marche aussi bien que “That is to say” en anglais. D’habitude, on l’utilise pour redire quelque chose ou l’exprimer avec clarté.
What does faire chou blanc mean?
It means “Draw a blank”. 🙂
J’adore le expression “Le chaud lapin”….Je l’ecoute dans un diner..
Oui, “un chaud lapin”, literally “hot rabbit” is someones who’s very horny. 🙂
Chére Geraldine,
félicitacions pour tes émissions !! Ils sont génial !! Cest exactement ca, qu´avait manqué. Cést fantastique pour les payies de l´ Éurope de l ´est , d´ou ils est expectée des gens a parler des langues des l´Europe occidentales, mais cest tres difficile par ce que les gens ne savent pas comment entammer.
Avec les sentiments les plus distinguée
Zoltan Paul Jeney
Merci Zoltan Paul Jeney !
Bienvenue chez Comme une Française.
J’aime “ah bon?” = “really?” et aussi, “nickel” = “perfect”
C’est correct n’est pas?
Tout à fait Rebecca !
J’ai bien tes vidéos! Elles sont très simples et practiques avec une bonne quantité de bon vocabulaire dans chacune. Les expressions d’argot sont géniales. J’aime trop “ca roule ma poule”! Maintenant il faut simplement que je trouve un moyen de les retenir tous…!
Une ‘tite chose en ce qui concerne l’anglais…le verbe c’est “put something into practice” donc je pense que ce n’est pas faux de dire “put into practice what you’ve learned” mais c’est mieux de dire “put what you’ve learned…into practice”. Ca aurait l’air beaucoup plus naturel (à mon avis en tout cas mais j’ai peut-etre tort!)
Bonne continuation!
*J’aime
Bonjour Nek,
Je note. Comme tu le vois, mon anglais n’est pas parfait et j’apprécie toutes les façons de l’améliorer ! 😉
Merci !
Bonjour!
Ici dans le sud on ne dit pas ‘ca roule’… On dit ‘tout baigne dans l’huile’. L’huile d’olive bien sûr!
C’est super mignon, Petra !
Pourriez-vous expliquer “Je suis une patate quasi-Parisienne” et “Lachez vous”
These are the beginning and end of an online bio I just found. Are they slang or typos? Merçi!
I knew: ca roule, trop bien, tranquille. I also have heard: Tomber dans les pommes, un coup bar (barre?), Il etait lourde hier soir, J’etait larguer , vous etes juste trops chaud, le mec est un fleur bleue,…. that’s all I can remember at the moment!
Super, Jennifer!
Oui, on dit :
Tomber dans les pommes (to faint)
Un coup de barre (feel tired all of a sudden)
Etre lourd (To be a bore)
Etre largué (To be a bit at see)
Etre chaud (To be motivated)
Etre fleur bleue (be sentimental)
C’est une tuerie ! So good! It’s a killer!
😀 J’adore cette expression aussi, Christophe !
Quand j’étais au Québec, j’ai entendu trop « voyons » qui veut dire « oh come on! » ou « really??? » anglais. Est-ce qu’on dit ça en France?
De plus, j’ai de la misère à utiliser le mot « ailleurs » en contexte…est-ce que tu as des suggestions ? Je dis « ailleurs » ou « d’ailleurs » quand je veux dire « also » ou « by the way » quand les deux choses n’ont aucun rapport. Est-ce que ça roule ? 😉
Bonjour Krysta,
Oui, “Voyons” est utilisé.
C’est très simple. “Ailleurs” means “somewhere else” and “D’ailleurs” means “by the way”.
Ça roule !
I love the expression “il n’y a pas photo!” It is pretty much the only one I seem able to remember.
Oui David, c’est très mignon comme expression.
What is the best way to say “nevermind”? As in, forget about it.
I would use “C’est pas grave” 🙂
Tout à fait David !
Bonjour Katherine,
I’d say “Laisse tomber” or “Oublie”. 🙂
I would use “n’y pense pas/plus” (;
Vachement!
Géraldine: Merci beaucoup pour la vidéo, c’était impecc! Est-ce qu’on se sert toujours du verlan?
Fana de Renaud,
A plus,
Cynthia
Bonjour Cynthia,
Oui tout à fait. 🙂
Like ” c’est relou” or ” t’es relou” ( c’est chiant/ t’es chiant)
” une réssoi” ( party)
Etc
Hi Geraldine
Is it wrong to use the word quoi after a sentence? I noticed you used it above, jokingly, I hear it a lot, even on the radio but a French friend says she doesn’t know anyone who uses it, as if it was not quite nice to say it ! Is it slang ?
I am by no means an expert, but I recall reading some books by Marcel Pagnol (Fanny, Marius), and “quoi” appeared after many sentences or phrases. I think it’s a manner of speaking, to just add it at the end, quoi. It doesn’t really have a true meaning. I think, too, it might be considered “less polished” or less elegant French–colloquial maybe. Just like in the US, people sometimes add “you know?” at the end of a sentence. They don’t really want to know if “you know”… it’s just there. I heard “quoi” a lot when I was staying in Marseille. I think it is also something more regional. I await Geraldine’s confirmation….or critique!
JB
Hi
Thankyou for that. Yes, I realised it was something like ‘you know’ but I would love to be able to incorporate it into my speech, to sound more fluent, but I just wondered whether it was considered ‘common’ or something !
My advice on this would be to listen carefully how it’s used on the radio, TV and around you. And then try to copy.
It’s sounds rough but this is how I do to incorporate new expressions to my English.
Let me know how it works for you as I’m VERY interested in this.
Tout à fait JB!
Bravo. 🙂
Bonjour Yvonne,
It’s popular. Not vulgar.
If overused, it tends to be annoying. Just like ” You know” in English. 🙂
I liked these five expressions, but there is one which I liked most.
I would like to know more about “trop” which means more than très. Can I use it for the first singular person: je.
I am looking forward to knowing more about that.
Thanks for the tips which I have been appreciating a lot.
Merci.
Bonjour Soraya,
For example, instead of “Cette musique est très bien” we say “Cette musique est trop bien”.
The expression that confused me when I first came was
“C’est pas terrible”
which sounds like it means something was not terrible…. but in fact, usually seems to mean that it was really bad.
“T’as vu le film?”
“Oui, mais c’était pas terrible…”
Confused?!!!
Bonjour Liza,
It means “Pretty bad”. 🙂
coucou! i totally love this video! its amazing…but can you tell me what ca roule ma poule means? you said it very fast and i couldn’t understand 😀
Hello Geraldine,
Please can you tell me what “ca roule ma poule” means. I couldn’t hear what you said on the video. Thank you.
Yeah me too
Hi Nicola and Laura,
“Ça roule ma poule” means “Ok Chick”.
The trick is that “roule” rimes with “poule”.
Merci Geraldine
Je n’ai jamais ecoute ces expressions ,ils seront tres utile
Barbara
Merci ! Ces expressions me seront trop utiles. 😉
Trop bien, Erick !
Since it’s been over 20 years since I’ve been to France, I’m not sure they still say, “o.k., d’ac”, but it was my favourite.
Bonjour Carolyn,
It’s bit old fashioned but still works.
I like “Ça me gonfle!” I always visualize a blowfish when someone says that.
Yes Sylvia ! I use this one too a LOT.
We also have “Ça me gave” and “Ça me saoûle”.
Pourriez-vous expliquer “Ça me gonfle!” « Ça me gave » et « Ça me saoûle » aussi? Merci encore.
Bonjour Chi-Town,
Les 3 veulent dire “ça m’embête” / “j’en ai marre”.
Really enjoy your “clips,” Géraldine. I speak French well but “street French” is the hardest to learn. I like the expression “c’est nickel,” like “c’est top” or “impec.”
Super, Mary! Well done catching those!
j’entends aussi “C’est Nickel” en France. J’avais pensé que c’était quelquechose de nouveau et “shiny” ou brilliant, comme un cinq sous fait de nickel.
Je suis duc. Sans déc! D´acc? 🙂
🙂
Bonjour, mais, pourriez vous me expliquer ‘je suis duc’, merci bien d’avance
Tu est trop mignonne! “Trop” me plait beaucoup. Les francais utilisent “trop” comme les americains utilisent “too.” Par exemple, you are too cute!
Merci Hannah pour cette précision !
I really like :
c’est parti mon kiki 🙂
Bis et merci!
Kasia
Oh yes! I love this one!
We also have “En voiture Simone”. 🙂
Pourriez-vous expliquer “C’est parti mon kiki?” Merci bien.
“C’est parti mon kiki” veut dire “Let’s go” / “C’est parti”.
“Mon kiki” est juste une blague qui rime.
a bit like “easy peasy lemon squeezzy”!
I like the (teenage) expression ‘voilà quoi’ – ‘whatever’
You are awesome girl. I’ve heard c’est trop cool but not the other ones. love em!
when i lived in paris, i used “dis donc!!” on an old gent who was mildly but continuously bothering me in the park as i was reading…he laughed & moved on…….it’s antique, but he got it!
“Dis-donc” is indeed used in many different contexts.
Well done Lulu!
Je ne comprends toujours pas “large” (Ex: les vacances, c’est dans 3 mois. On est large—-l’exemple de GL) Pourriez-vous l’expliquer. Merci bien.
Moi, j’étais perdue aussi.
Three of my favorites are:
Tu parles! (No kidding)
C’est limite. (I have a hard time translating this into English because it depends on the context. )
C’est pas évident (It’s tricky)
Great adds JB! Merci !
Merci Geraldine. Es ce qu’il y a une emission a la tele, comme ‘a soap opera’ en anglais, laquelle serait bien pour ecouter et apprendre les phrases comme ça?
Bonjour Mark,
Oh oui, plein ! Je te conseille de jeter un oeil à “Fais pas ci Fais pas ça”, “Le Petit Journal” et “Kaamelott” à la télé. Et sur internet “Golden Moustache”, “Norman fait des vidéos” et “PV Nova”.
Je kiffe trooop les videos “Golden Moustache” et “Norman fait des vidéos.” Les videos de Cyprien sur YouTube sont marrant aussi.
My favorite expression has always been: “N’importe quoi!”
super cette vidéo!! très très utile. Merci bien, Géraldine.
Super, Mercedes. J’ai hâte de que tu utilises ces expressions !
Merci! I learned trop from some little kids when I was living in France — we were eating melon with prosciutto wrapped around it and they kept saying “C’est trop bon!” I use it all the time now. I love your website! Merci beaucoup!
Merci Teresa !
Yes, “C’est trop bon” is VERY used. You got it right.
I often say
“Je parle le Francais comme une vache Espagnole”
The French are perverse as saying this makes them think I speak Fench WELL.
I’m sure you speak French better than you think, Steve!
very helpful indeed!
je conais “ça cout la peau des fesse”, that is too expensive.
Yes Ana,
We say “Ça coûte la peau des fesses” : literally “it costs the skin of your bottom” – It’s very expensive.
And “Ça coûte un bras” is (a little) more elegant.
But “Ça coûte la peau du cul” is worse. 😉
I may be backing things up, but when do you end a meeting/phrase with “Allez”? Is that young or something to use with people of all ages? And a phrase I love for the sound and the ubiquity of it is: ah bah oui, which comes out in one long “word”.
“Allez” means “come on”. It can be used by people of all ages.
For example: “Allez, Maman, s’il te plaît” to beg.
Ahah, you can also use “Ah bah oui mais bon” said in one “word”.
But don’t you also use “allez” as sort of a sign-off, as in au revoir?
Merci! Il faut dire que je trouve vos films beaucoup plus efficaces – and more entertaining! – que mes livres!
Bonjour Harriet,
Je ne vois pas cet usage. Mais ça va peut-être me revenir. 🙂
Super !
Hi Harriet,
Some people I know say “allez” right before saying goodbye to someone they know on the phone – they come to the end of the conversation and say something like, “Bon, allez, je te laisse. Bise! Ciao.” Is that what you’re thinking of?
– Ah bon?
– Ah bah oui!
J’adore ça!
I love the expression “laisser béton”. On l’utilise souvent? :))
Bonjour Artiome,
It’s a little bit old-fashioned now. It’s more from the 90’s.
Il y a une phrase que j’utilise quand je rencontre quelqu’un pour la première fois:
Excusez-moi mais je parle français comme une vache espagnole
Ahh oui la vache espagnole, J’aime bien cette expression! 😉
C’est super mignon, Richard !
Origine
Les Basques espagnols auraient eu plus de difficultés à parler français que les autres. Vrai ou faux, quoi qu’il en soit, est née vers les années 1850 l’expression « parler français comme un basque espagnol », devenue plus tard, « parler français comme une vache espagnole ».
Super ! Je savais pas. 🙂
On n’est pas encore sortit de l’auberge – our problems have only just begun
Il est con comme un balai – he’s as daft as a brush
Tu te fous de ma gueule ? – are you taking the piss ?
Se mettre le doigt dans l’oeil jusqu’au coude – Be entirely mistaken. 🙂
Et au Quebec on dit un doigt dans l’oeil et l’autre dans cul!
😀 Merci Marie, tu as fait ma journée avec cette expression.
I think I offended someone when I repeated to him what I thought was a compliment / comment about them from a third party; this guy was called ‘une vedette’ . In english it would mean they were great at getting things sorted for you, but I think not the case in french!
Bonjour Susie !
“Une vedette” means “A star” (Une vedette de cinéma). But it is not very used anymore.
Not sure there’s any offense in telling someone they’re “a vedette”. 🙂
hi, i’m french, so please be kind with my english ;). when you told the guy he was a vedette, you probably offended him because it can be used in a way to laugh at someone that is very heavy and has a too much of self esteem. vedette can be used also for has been stars.
Coucou
Merci beaucoup Geraldine. Cettes phrases sont très utiles.
Je vis en France depuis 9 mois et Il y a une expression ce qui me trouble trop et ce que j’entends le plus beaucoup.
C’est <>!!
Pourriez-vous m’expliquer de quels sens on utilise cette expression?
(Every time I hear this expression, it has different meanings such as anyway, but, all the same, …. but I still don’t quite understand quand même lol)
Merci beaucoup
Hi Paul,
Je ne sais pas si le logiciel a supprimé ton texte, où si tu l’as fait exprès pour indiquer les mais je ne vois pas de quoi il s’agit. Quelle expression entends-tu le plus souvent? Si c’est une expression un peu vulgaire, peut-être que tu peux mettre un symbole au mileu, ou une * pour une des lettres (tout ça si c’est le logiciel qui a supprimé le texte)? Sinon, veux-tu dire “parentheses?” Je suis perplexe!! (Je suis une personne qui veut tout savoir, heh heh)
Merci,
JB
Hi!
Seems that my French needed to be improved a lot.
The expression that I heard every single day in France is “quand même” where I find its meaning changes every time I hear it. It can be “anyway, all the same, though, etc…” But I still do not fully understand all the usages.
Thank you
Paul
Bonjour Paul,
Yes you are right… Unfortunately.
“Quand même” as lots of different meanings depending on the context. The wonderful website WordReference has referenced a lot of meanings here: http://www.wordreference.co… This should help!
Bien que je n’ai pas trouvé cette traduction chez word reference.com, je crois qu’on peut, quand même, le traduire comme “nevertheless” or “nonetheless.”
Bonjour,
Sans déconner c’était trop bien! I know of all of these expressions now it is really interesting and you certainly get the French people looking very pleased that we have understood. Merci encore Géraldine j’apprends toujours.
Ravie que ça te serve au quotidien !
Les expressions sont trop utiles! ‘Sans déc’ me plaît beaucoup.
‘Quoi’ à la fin d’une phrase me rend perplexe.
Opal
Bah oui, quoi. 😉
Bonjour! Qu’est que c’est le “quoi” ‘a la fin de la phrase ? =) Merci!
Bonjour Viviane,
Ça ne veut rien dire en particulier, c’est un peu comme “You know”.
ça dépend, dans le nord de la France, ça peut avoir une signification. Si tu organises quelque chose avec quelqu’un mais qu’il faut vérifier certaines choses et qu’il te dit “Je te rappelle et je te dis quoi”, c’est qu’il te dira les informations manquantes à votre conversation.
Oui !!! Je ne connaissais pas cette expression il y a quelques années et j’ai été surprise quand quelqu’un l’a utilisé au téléphone. 🙂
This is exactly what I have been looking for, the explanation of the word Quoi when used at the end of a sentence. When I was in the univ and learning French I worked at an Alliance Francaise and the boss at the time was a grumpy man who seemed to end a lot of his sentences with that word. Coincidentally, in my native language, when a sentence is ended like that, the speaker is usually upset about something (more ‘angry’ than ‘sad’ kind of upset). While he did not direct that to me, whenever he started to go around talking like that, I hid behind my desk.
et est-ce que vous dites ‘…….. ou quoi?’ en francisais comme en anglais ‘……. or what?’
i.e.
‘Why do you asking me to check it out? Is it something really interesting or what?’
— the ”or what” in the end of the sentence
Yes Ieo, we do. 🙂
Its like English Canadians saying “hey” slang not proper speaking!
🙂
I always love learning slang, I think it helps a lot when speaking with the french to know expressions like this. It’s not that I need to use it myself but more to understand what the other person is saying.
Tout à fait Eva!
Lorsque j’habitais a Maresille dans les annees 80, au lieu de dire “put*in”, on disait “punaise”. Est-ce que ca se dit toujours?
Bonjour Ralph,
Tout à fait. Tu peux dire punaise à la place de putain. 🙂
I like ‘laisse tomber la neige’ (let the snow fall) or just ‘laisse tomber’. It’s used to say let it be, let it happen, in the sense of let’s not worry about it.
Thanks for that extra addition, all these phrases are really helpful.
I remember there being a very popular song in France when I lived there called “Laisse tomber”! Was a great party song!!
Yes Jo. We use “Laisse tomber” or even “Oublie” (forget about it). In the 90, the singer Renaud wrote a song called “Laisse béton” (béton = tomber) but this expression is not very used at the moment.
Ah, ça roule ma poule! Trop bon et trop cool! Merci pour tes avis – ça va m’aider ici au Canada enseigner le français langue seconde!
De rien, Maureen!
ça roule ma poule is not used at all in french Canada. Il is like using British expressions with speaking to an American he won’t understand a thing.
Using any of those expression in Canada you will look more stupid and macho!
Using any Canadia French expression in Europe, no one will understand a word of it.
I know but funny how Quebecers do understands the French people but not the other way around! We call this “paresseux” Lazy !
Not quite sure if it is lazyness. E.g. some 7 millions Canadians speak French, compared to some 67 millions of French. Among French speakers the Canadians are a minority.
Besides, I’m not French but I watched many French movies in French but have seen perhaps just two movies in Quebecois. Not exactly a large base to learn some slang. So maybe you should do something about it and make more and better movies, which would eventually land in Europe. Canadian cinematography is quite unknown (unheard of) here in Europe.
Same thing with music. Lately you hear Cœur de pirate few times a year and that’s it.
Your fault you don’t make yourself known. We actually find Canadian accent quite nice so don’t be shy and start sending stuff.
Many movies and singers and songs are made in Quebec do some research and you will have months on your computers to watch and listen. It’s like many countries only the one with the marketing goes beyond the original country!
And remember like you are saying 7 millions speak French in America where it’s surrounded by English so it’s not that bad when you think that in 1608 when Quebec was establish there were less than 100 persons from France!
But like I said it’s all about marketing for singers and movies but there are a lot out there!
But in general French are lazy to understand Quebecers if you take their accent now they suddenly understand!