Cool FrenchWant to show some street cred? Here is our essential guide to young French people's slang by Hakim M'Barek, presenter of BBC beginners' online course French Steps. We've divided up the expressions so you know what to say and what not to say. (* = familiar, ** = very familiar, *** = vulgar, v = Verlan, Lit. = literally) Verlan M/oi becomes oi/m, pronounced ouam Verlan is a form of slang where the syllables of a word are said the other way round. These words are used in everyday French. Verlan is l'envers To make a word Verlan, separate the word into syllables and then put the word back together in reverse. ARGUMENT The French do not always consider having an argument as negative or destructive, particularly for couples. In fact, you can't really say you have a normal relationship if you haven't been through a good old row. Now, breaking the crockery is optional, but using the right line at the right time is absolutely essential. So here's a list of expressions that will enable you to have a pretty decent argument with a French partner or close friend; the perfect come-backs to that provocative Tu me cherches? (*) Are you looking for trouble? Looking for trouble T'as un problme ? (*) Got a problem? Not very original, but you have to find a way to start an argument somehow. C'est quoi, ton problme ? (*) What exactly is your problem? More or less same use as above. C'est moi que tu parles ? / C'est moi que tu causes ? (*) Are you talking to me? Probably originates from Scorcese's Taxi Driver. Remember, there is nothing better than completely ignoring someone, particularly when there are only the two of you in a room. Expect a heated argument. Qu'est-ce que tu racontes ? (*) What are you talking about? Most arguments stem from confusion. Either you genuinely don't know what the other one is talking about, or you pretend you don't. Tu veux ma photo ? (*) What are you looking at? To make someone understand that the way they are looking at you is bothering them. Tu me cherches ? (*) Are you looking for me? Really implies that someone is looking for trouble. Get Lost! When someone is getting too nosy and asking awkward questions, there's always a way to change the subject. T'occupe ! (*) Mind your own business! Lit. Don't worry about that.

The whole expression should be Ne t'occupe pas de a. Q: Tu tais o hier soir ? Where were you last night? A: T'occupe.(*) Fais-moi des vacances ! (*) Give me a break. Lit. Give me a holiday. Q: Tu tais o hier soir ? Where were you last night? A: Fais-moi des vacances ! (*) Lche-moi les baskets ! (**) Give me a break! Lit. Let go of my tennis shoes. Q: Tu tais o hier soir ? Where were you last night? A: Lche-moi les baskets ! (**) Lche-moi la grappe! (**) (same meaning as above) Laisse bton ! (*v = Laisse tomber) (same meaning as above) You're getting on my nerves Sometimes you just can't be bothered to justify yourself because you feel you haven't done anything wrong. Quite legitimately, you have to answer back... Tu m'emmerdes ! (***) You're annoying me. Lit. You're crapping on me. Q: Qui t'a offert ces fleurs ? Who gave you these flowers? A: Tu m'emmerdes avec tes questions. (***) A: Tu me fais chier ! (***) Lit. You make me shit You're a pain in the ass/you're really getting on my nerves/you're really pissing me off. Tu me prends la tte ! (**) You're doing my head in! Lit. You are taking my head. Same use as above. Q: Qui t'a offert ces fleurs ? Who gave you these flowers? A: Tu me prends la tte avec tes questions. (**) Tu me gonfles ! (**) Lit. You're inflating me ... meaning like a balloon. When a balloon gets too inflated, it explodes. So it's a way of saying: Careful, you're just about to go too far. Q: Qui t'a offert ces fleurs ? Who gave you these flowers? A: Tu me gonfles avec tes questions. (**) A: Ta gueule! (***) Shut up! Are you taking the mickey? Tu te fous de ma gueule, ou quoi ? (**) Are you making fun of me, or what? A good way to say: Do you think I'm an idiot? Do you really think I'm going to believe this whopper of a lie? The grammatical construction is a bit difficult here, so the best thing to do is learn this expression by heart. Q: Ce soir, je sors avec ma cousine. Tonight I'm going out with my cousin. A: Tu te fous de ma gueule, ou quoi ? (**) Tu as bu, ou quoi ? (*) You must be joking! Lit. Are you drunk, or what? When someone is accusing you and you can't wriggle out of it, the only option left is to counter-attack and question the other person. It's mean, but sometimes you have no choice. Q: Je t'ai vu embrasser quelqu'un dans un caf. I saw you kiss someone in a caf. A: Tu as bu, ou quoi ? (*) Another way to say "You must be joking!" or "You're crazy" is to advise them to stop smoking drugs. Faut arrter de fumer ! (**) Lit. You must stop smoking.

Tu as trop fum ! (**) Lit. You smoked too much! Tu as trop fum la moquette ! (**) Lit. You smoked the carpet too much (you smoked so much that it made you crazy). Tu as trop tir sur le chichon ! (**) Chichon is a kind of pipe used to smoke drugs. Non, mais, t'es pas bien ! (*) You're really mad! Who do you think I am? Tu me prends pour qui ? / Qu'est-ce qu'il y a marqu, ici ? (*) Who do you think I am? The latter litterally translates as "What does it say here?" Interesting expression as it's combined with a gesture: a finger pointing at your forehead. When your partner takes you for a ride, it's a way to say "Do you think I'm completely stupid?" It's always good to play the victim every now and then. Il n'y a pas marqu [...] ici ! (*) Could be used to say that you are not the expert in something and you don't want to do it - eg: Il n'y a pas marqu taxi ici means "I'm not a taxi driver" if you refuse to drive someone somewhere. I don't believe it! J'hallucine ! (*) I am hallucinating. I can't believe what I am seeing or hearing. C'est l'hallu totale ! (*) It's total hallucination! Hallu sounds cooler than the whole word hallucination. Just because you are angry, it doesn't mean you shouldn't use cool expressions. C'est pas vrai ! (*) It's not true! Je rve ! (*) I'm dreaming J'y crois pas ! (*) I can't believe it! DRINKING The French like eating, but they also love to drink, particularly alcoholic drinks. For centuries they have been producing wine, beer, spirits... and many poets, writers, and artists were famous for writing masterpieces under the influence of alcohol. For instance Alfred de Musset, a 19th-century poet, wrote: Qu'importe le flacon, pourvu qu'on ait l'ivresse, nevermind the bottle, as long as you're intoxicated. All of this contributed to make alcohol a very popular social habit. Things are now changing in France, a country where alcoholism was still a cause for concern not so long ago. So, when you travel through France and sample delicious wines and spirits, it's always worth remembering the slogan Boire ou conduire, il faut choisir, drink or drive, it's your choice. Sant! Booze Boire ou conduire, il faut choisir Drink or drive, it's your choice. La picole (*) Booze. It gives picoler, the verb, and picoleur, picoleuse, the user. Apritif Apro (*) Short for apritif.

Un jaune (*) Lit. a yellow. Used to refer to the famous French aniseed-flavoured aperitif. Ricard or Pastis are two different names that refer to the aniseed-flavoured aperitif. Beers Un demi (*) Lit. A half. Half a pint of beer. Une mousse (*) Lit. A froth. A beer. Une blonde (*) Lit. A glass of ale. Une brune (*) A brown ale. Une rousse (*) A ginger beer. Une pression (*) A draught beer. Une roteuse (**) A beer. Lit. something that makes you roter, belch. French beer is quite bubbly, as a matter of fact. Hence this expression, not exactly elegant but rather explicit. Vins Le pinard, le picrate, le jaja, la bibine (*) Wine of poor quality, cheap wine. All of these are old slang words, but still very popular nowadays. Unfortunately, disgusting wine is also available in France. La gnle, gnole, gniole (*) Hard stuff, seriously hard stuff. Pronounced "nee-all". Refers to all kinds of spirit made from fruit, often produced by farmers, both legally and illegally. Has to be tried once in a lifetime - for tough livers only. An expression that describes it well is a dchire la tte, lit. "It tears your head off". La flotte (*) Water. Lit. The fleet. The French sometimes drink water with their Pastis. Chteau La Pompe Humorous way to say water Chteau is usually the name of French wines and la pompe is a pump (uses as a water pump). Chteau Robinet The same as above. Robinet is a tap. Let's go for a drink Boire un verre, un godet, un coup, un pot (*) When the French go for a drink, they don't refer to what they're drinking, but rather what they drink from, ie the glass, jar, jug, etc. Tu viens boire un coup avec moi ? (*) Fancy coming for a drink with me? On va s'en jeter un ? (*) Lit. Shall we go and pour ourselves one? On va s'en jeter un derrire la cravate ? (*). Lit. Shall we go and pour ourselves one behind the tie? A bit long. Also, not everyone wears a tie. C'est o la "rue de la soif" ? (*) Lit. Where is the thirst street? Looking for a street full of bars. Smashed Je suis bourr, rond, pt, dfonc (*) I'm smashed, drunk, pissed. Too late, you did have that one drink too many. The previous expression could have saved you and helped you retain your dignity. Je suis fait! (*) Lit. I'm made. I'm drunk.

J'ai les dents du fond qui baignent! (*) Lit. My back teeth are soaking. Quite descriptive, this expression can be used when you are just about to have one drink too many. A funny way to decline an offer for another round when you haven't finished your previous drink. J'ai la gueule de bois (*) I have a hangover. Lit. I have the wooden head. Very old expression. It's been, is and will be used and understood by all: the side effects of alcohol never change! Alcolo (*) Short for alcoholic. Pochtron (*) Means drunk or alcoholic. Pochtronne for women. Rade (*) A typical French bar, popular and cheap. CLASS Un richard (*) Loaded geezer, very wealthy man. Un aristo (*) An aristocrat or 'toff'. BCBG = bon chic bon genre (*) A person who dresses smartly and expensively (Parisian slang). Posh in Paris! Bobo or bo-bo = Bourgeois Bohme (*) People who prefer the 'Bohemian' way of life, support environmental issues and have good jobs. Un bourge (*) A bourgeois. A bourgeois or middle-class person. Obviously, people who are antibourgeois can't be bothered to pronounce the whole word. Un prolo (*) 'Prole', 'pleb', working class. Un smicard (*) Somebody who only earns SMIC, Salaire Minimum Interprofessionnel de Croissance, or minimum wage. Un rmiste (*) Pronounced like "remist". Someone who gets RMI, Revenu Minimum d'Insertion, jobseeker's allowance. Un clodo (*) A tramp. Short for a un clochard. FAMILY Ouam (*v=moi) Me. M/oi becomes oi/m, pronounced ouam. Ouate (*v=toi) You. Verlan for toi. T/oi becomes oi/t, pronounced ouate. On va chez ouate ou chez ouam ? (*v=toi) Your place or mine? Ma reum (*v=mre) My mum. Mon reup (*v=pre) My dad. J'habite chez ma reum (*) I live with my mum. Verlan for mre, pre. M/re, p/re in verlan should be re/m, re/p, but the final sounds ugly,

so it's omitted, leaving us with re/m, re/p, pronounced reum, reup. Mon daron (*) My dad. Mon frangin, ma frangine (*) My brother, my sister. Un gamin, un mme, un gosse (*) A kid. La belle-doche, la belle-muche (*) The mother-in-law. Should be la belle-mre, but it's yet another opportunity to ridicule this rather unpopular character with the suffix doche. Le beauf (*) 1. short for beau-frre, brother-in-law. 2. pej. & fig. archetypal lower middle-class Frenchman. According to the Larousse dictionary, beaufs are archetypal ordinary Frenchmen as perceived by the French themselves. The term, which is short for beau-frre (brother-in-law), also suggests conformism and a narrow outlook. Ma meuf, ma nana (*) My girl-friend, my spouse. Mon ex (*) My ex. FOOD The direct translation of 'food' is la nourriture, which comes from nourrir, to feed, and therefore has a rather functional meaning. As a matter of fact, in France you eat for pleasure, not just to feed yourself. So nourriture refers to basic food, the sort of food you eat to keep your body going. For more elaborate dishes, the French are more likely to use the word cuisine. Cooking can be regarded as a sort of human triumph over nature; it is considered an art, a poetic form of expression. This explains the long and complicated, often incomprehensible nature of the names the French give to their dishes, even the most modest ones. For instance, if you think baked potatoes are pommes de terre en robe des champs, lit. potatoes "in their field dress". So good luck, and bon apptit or simply bon app'! Hungry Je mangerais un buf (*) The equivalent of the English expression "I could eat a horse", except in French it's a bull. For some reason, this expression is not so much in fashion these days. J'ai la dalle (*) Lit. I've got the paving-stone. To understand this expression, you have to be hungry, really hungry, and have hunger pangs - to the point where you feel you have a paving-stone in your stomach. Meals Le petit dj (*) Short for petit djeuner, breakfast. Actually pronounced p'ti dj. Une bouffe (**) A meal. An old French slang word. On se fait une bouffe ? (**) Shall we go for a meal? Un casse-dalle (**) Lit. a paving-stone breaker. When you have a paving-stone in your stomach, you have to break it. Logical, isn't it? This word applies to anything that will relieve your hunger, it can be a snack, a sandwich, a quick meal. Food La bouffe (*) Food. Quite logically, the verb bouffer means to eat. See also une bouffe above.

J'adore la bouffe (*) I love food. La graille (**) Another old slang word for food. Just like its equivalent la bouffe, it can become a verb, grailler. La graillave (**) The ending -ave gives the word graille a sort of Bohemian feel. Mainly used by suburban youngsters. On va grailler We're going to eat. La barbaque (**) Bad meat. Old slang word, the origins of which are uncertain. It may come from the Romanian word "berbec", lamb, that French soldiers brought back to France in 1855. But it may also be of Mexican-Caribbean origins, from the word barbecue. Again, French soldiers didn't really appreciate meat cooked that way but they brought the word back from Mexico in 1862. Anyway, whatever the exact origins of this word, nowadays it means meat of very poor quality. La bidoche (**) Equivalent to la barbaque. Comes from the word bidet, which says a lot. Tasty or not tasty Super (*) Just add before an adjective for extra dramatic effect. Bon Good, tasty. Super bon (*)Super good. Dgueulasse, dgueu, super dgueu (*) Disgusting. Je m'en lche les doigts I'm licking my fingers. Obviously recommended for a tasty, finger-licking dish. A nice compliment to make to the chef. Spicy a arrache la gueule (**) Lit. It tears your mouth off. It completely takes the roof off your mouth. Gives an idea of the damage spicy food can cause to a French mouth. a emporte la gueule (**) Lit. It takes your mouth away. It takes the roof off your mouth. Not as strong as the previous one, though. a dmnage Lit. It removes. Obviously, a dish that manages to take the roof off your mouth has to be strong. FRIENDS Un mec, un keum (*v=mec) A bloke. Ma nana, ma gonzesse, ma meuf, ma louloutte (*v) A girl, a bird. Meuf is verlan for femme. Un pote, une pote, un poteau (*) A friend, a mate. Mon jules, mon mec, mon keum (*v) My boyfriend. In old-fashioned slang, jules used to mean pimp. Mon loulou My boyfriend. Loulou is short for mon loubard, which means yob, ma louloutte being the feminine. Ma nnette (**) My bird

Mon frre (*) My brother - for a friend. Ma sur (*) My sister - for a friend. Mon cousin (*) My brother - someone with the same ethnic background. GOING OUT A notorious night-bird wrote a book in which he tells of the restless nights he used to spend wandering around Paris. Nowadays, urban heroes sleep and rest during daytime. It's only in the evening that they come back to life. If you are tempted to try la vie nocturne, here is a list of expressions that should help you answer the usual question: Qu'est-ce qu'on fait ce soir ? Places to go Un restau, un resto: short for un restaurant. Qu'est-ce qu'on fait ce soir ? Where shall we go tonight? On se fait un restau ? (*) Shall we eat out? Un bistrot (*) A bar or caf. Linguists can't agree on the origins of this old word. What matters is that it has survived and that it's still very popular. Une bote (de nuit): Lit. A (night) box. A (night) club. On va en bote ? (*) Fancy going clubbing? Une teuf (*v=fte) A party F/te became te/f. The final was taken out, leaving us with te/f, pronounced teuf. On fait une teuf la "son-mai" ? (*) Shall we do a party at home? Son-mai is verlan of maison, house. Un cinoche (*) Slang for un cinma. On se fait un cinoche ? (*) Fancy seeing a film? La tloche (*) Slang for la tlvision. You don't always want to go out every night. But this shouldn't prevent you from sounding cool when telling your friends about it the next day. Hier soir, j'ai mat la tloche. (*) Last night, I watched the telly. Une bouffe entre potes (*) A nosh-up with friends. This is how most evenings start. Une soire cool dans mon caleon (*) Lit. A cool evening in my underpants. An evening bumming around at home. Hier soir, j'ai pass une soire cool dans mon caleon. (*) Last night, I just bummed around at home. Une soire pyjama (*) For girls - staying at home. A plan Un plan (*) Lit. A plan. This small word can mean different things. It can mean your plans for the evening: Pour ce soir, j'ai un super-plan. (*) I have a great evening planned. It can also mean a situation in general: Cette fte, c'est un plan pourri. (*) This party sucks. Lit. This party, it's a rotten plan. It can also designate a hint, a tip, a piece of advice: Laurent m'a donn un bon plan-resto. (*) Laurent told me about a great restaurant. Lit. Laurent

gave me a good restaurant plan. Un plan d'enfer (*) Lit. A plan from hell. A great idea/plan. Un plan pourave - un plan galre (*) Lit. A rotten plan. Pourave comes from pourri, rotten. The suffix -ave gives it an edge. Anyway, if it's rotten, it's rubbish. Un plan moisi (*) Lit. A mouldy plan. Same meaning as pourave. All these expressions, d'enfer, pourave, moisi can also apply to anything else (things, situations, etc.) The day after J'ai la gueule de bois (*) Lit. I have the wooden head. I have a hangover. Very old expression. It's been, is and will be used and understood by all: the side effects of alcohol never change! J'ai la tte dans le seau (**) Lit. I've got my head in the bucket. The morning after your body sometimes rejects the liquids that you weren't sensible enough to refuse the night before. J'ai la tte dans le cul (***) I'm feeling upside down. Lit. I've got my head in my bum. No matter what this phrase actually means, it expresses rather well how unpleasant the morning after can sometimes be. On se fait un "after" ? (*) Lit. Shall we make an after. To carry on (drinking) until the early morning HEALTH It is sometimes difficult to stay cool when you are ill. Nevertheless here is a list of words and expressions that should help you talk about your aches and still remain dignified. Some of the expressions may be a bit strong, but remember that when you are ill, in search of comfort or sympathy, what matters is not how much you are actually suffering but how much others think you are suffering. Where to go when you're ill Le toubib (*) The doctor. From Arabic for doctor. One of the words that the French imported from Algeria. L'hosto, l'hosteau (*) L'hpital The hospital. This is an example of related words where a vowel with a ^ in one word corresponds to vowel + s in another, e.g. fte and festin, got and gustatif. Le gynco (*) (le gyncologue) Gynaecologist. Le psy (*) (le psychologue) Psychologist. Le kin (*) (le kinsythrapeute) Physiotherapist. Parts of the body Le pif (*) The nose. La tronche The face. La gueule (*) The face. Les chicots (*) The teeth. Lit. the stumps, the stubs... Understood by all, although not very flattering.

Le bide The belly, the tummy. My ... is sore J'ai mal au/ la + [any of the aforementioned body parts]: I have a sore [body part that's sore]. J'ai mal au bide I have a tummy ache. J'ai mal is a rather conventional way of expressing your pain. If no other expression comes to mind, at least make sure you use a cool word to designate the painful body part. I am so ill Je ne suis pas bien ! Je vais mal ! (*) I'm really bad. J'ai la crve (**) I have a cold. Je vais gerber (*) I'm going to be sick. Je suis en morceaux (*) I'm in pieces. Je vais tomber dans les pommes ! (*) Lit. I'm going to fall into the apples. Never mind the origin of that very usual expression, you'll never remember it if you do happen to pass out. Je vais tomber dans les vapes ! (*) I am going to pass out. INTERJECTIONS It's a fact that the French language can sometimes seem tricky or obscure to foreigners. It's also a fact that the French are very proud of it. Although they may make grammatical mistakes themselves, they always assess a foreign person's command of French by the quality of their grammar and vocabulary. However, communicating with French people doesn't just mean repeating grammar rules tediously. The French spoken language is full of these peculiar words that punctuate every other sentence, one of the most famous being Oh l l ! Here is a list of these interjections that should help you impress your French friends in various situations. Annoying situations Ae ! Ouch ! Pronounced like "eye". Oue ! Ouille ! Ouch! Pronounced "oo-y". Just because you've hurt yourself, it doesn't mean you shouldn't vary your expressions. Hol ! Hey! Whoa! As in "Whoa! Hold your horses, be careful, etc." Ouf ! Phew! Sometimes you escape annoying situations, just about. Ouf can also be used in another expression: Je n'ai pas eu le temps de dire ouf. I didn't even have time to catch my breath. Oups ! Oops! Probably comes from its English equivalent, only the spelling has changed. Zut ! (*) Blast! A classic. Although very old and very "proper", zut is still very popular.

Merde ! (***) Shit! Noises Et toc ! C'est bien fait pour toi ! (*) Serves you right! Toc, toc ! Knock knock! Can also be used in a totally different context as above. Boum ! Boom! Bang! Very handy as it designates heartbeats as well as explosions, slammed doors and many other loud noises. Pan ! Bang! Even French guns have an accent. Food Miam miam ! (*) Yum yum! A must in "ze" country of food. Beurk ! Berk ! (*) Yuk! Unfortunately, you may come across terrible food as well. Handy words that mean nothing Ho ! 1. Wow! (admiration) 2. Hey! (calling somebody). Amazing how such a small word can express different things. H ! Same use as Ho ! Hein ? (*) Eh? What? Hein ? punctuates a lot of sentences and is often the equivalent of English question-tags. C'est chouette, hein ? (*) Great, isn't it? Bon ! Right, so, well, etc. Often acts as a transition between two sentences. Ben...euh... Well, er... Probably the most famous French interjection. Particularly useful when you hesitate or when you don't have anything particular to say but don't want to say nothing. MONEY The French have a peculiar relationship with money. Although they need it just like everyone else on earth, there is often the idea that when someone is really rich, it could be for dodgy reasons. In the country of intellectuals and philosophers, money does have a bit of a dubious reputation. Money Le fric, la thune, le pze, le pognon, l'oseille (*) Dough, dosh, etc. T'as pas dix balles ? (*) Do you have ten Euros? (meaning 'can you lend them to me?'). a ne vaut pas une thune ! (*) That's not worth a single penny! Une thune was originally, a fivefranc coin (more or less 50p). Nowadays, the word has lost its original meaning and has become slang for money in general. Cette bagnole, elle vaut de la thune. (*) This car is worth a lot of money. Une brique (*) Lit. A brick. It also used to be the equivalent of un million anciens Francs. But in 1960, the French adopted le

nouveau Franc. 1 nouveau Franc = 100 anciens Francs = around 10 pence. Therefore 1 million old francs was worth 10 000 new Francs. But the expression remained, so now une brique = 1500 Euros. Too expensive C'est super reuch (*v = cher) Reuch is verlan for cher. Che/r became r/ch. The final was taken out, leaving us with r/ch, pronounced reuch. a douille (*) It's expensive. Expression understood by all, despite its uncertain origins. a cote bonbon (*) It's dear. Never mind the origins of this expression, it's a bit old-fashioned now, anyway. a cote les yeux de la tte (*) Lit. It costs the eyes in your head. In French, an arm and a leg are worth two eyes... but not only that! This expression has another variation a cote la peau des fesses (*) It costs the skin of your bottom. Now, there's something precious! C'est le coup de bambou (*) Lit. It's a bamboo stroke. It means something is painfully expensive. The notion of pain is recurrent when talking about something expensive. For instance, after a nice meal at the restaurant, customers know they are going to have to face la douloureuse, the painful one, i.e. the bill. Broke, rich, stingy Je suis fauch (comme les bls) (*) I'm broke. Faucher means to mow. Once you mow the wheat, les bls, there is not much left in the field. Je suis sec (*) Lit. I'm dry. I'm broke. Je suis raide (*) I'm skint, I'm penniless. J'ai une galre de thune (*) Une galre, a galley, is a word often used for un problme. So this expression could mean something like "I'm currently experiencing severe difficulties due to an obvious lack of cash". Warning! Whenever someone uses this expression, the next minute they are very likely to ask if you could lend them something. Je suis plein aux as (*) Officially translated as "I've got bags of lolly". But anyway you don't have to worry about the origins of the expression when you've got plenty of money. Un radin, un rapiat, un pingre (*) A stingy man. Une radine, une rapiat, une pingre (**) A stingy woman. MOODS I feel exhausted Je suis cass(e) (*) Lit. I'm broken. Je suis vann(e) (*) I'm shattered. Je suis H.S. (*) Lit. out of action. The initials for hors-service. Je suis nase (*) I'm knackered.

Like its opposite la pche, it's found in dictionaries and therefore used and understood by all. Je suis nase-broque (*) The origin and therefore the spelling of the suffix broque is rather uncertain - it may well come from "broke/broken" - but what it actually means is not important, it sounds good. Je suis dcalqu(e) (*) Lit. I'm traced. Je suis explos(e) (*) Lit. I'm exploded. Je suis fracass(e) (*) Lit. I'm smashed. Astonished Je suis sci (*) It bowled me over. It staggered me. Il m'a sci (*) Same meaning as above. a me tue! (*) Lit. It kills me! I feel upset J'ai le cafard (*) Lit. Cafard is a cockroach. Means to feel depressed - I'm down in the dumps. J'ai le blues (*) Same meaning as above. J'ai le spleen (*) Originates from the title of a poem by French writer Baudelaire where he wrote about his melancholy and depression. J'ai les glandes (**) French people feel anger swell in them through some glands that they have in the back of their throat. J'ai les boules ! (**) Lit. I've got the balls. Same meaning as j'ai les glandes, which are often also called les boules. This expression can be completed by an appropriate gesture: Hold two imaginary ptanque balls, one in each hand. Then repetitively shake your hands in front of your neck, as if enormously swollen glands were growing out of your throat. J'ai super les boules (**) Je suis vert(e) ! (*) Lit. I'm green! Traditionally, red is the colour associated with anger. Green is probably the next stage up, the colour that your face turns to when you reach a level of utmost anger and consternation. So much so that it makes you feel sick, hence the other expression: Je suis cur(e) (*). J'ai les nerfs (*) I'm getting angry. Je suis vnre (*v = Je suis nerv) I'm angry. J'ai la haine ! (**) Lit. I've got hatred. I feel hatred within me. Definitely stronger than j'ai les boules. With this expression, it's impossible for your friends not to take you seriously. They'll get the message that today is not the right day to mess with you. I feel good J'ai la pche ! (**) Lit. I've got the peach! Officially translated as "I'm full of get-up-and-go!" or "I'm on form!". The fact that this expression can be found in dictionaries means that it is understood by absolutely everyone. But as a result, it loses a tiny bit of its coolness. J'ai la patate ! (*) Lit. I've got the potato! Patate here has exactly the same function as pche. This expression is not in dictionaries... yet.

J'ai la frite ! (*) Lit. I've got the chip/french fry! Again, there is no point in trying to figure out the link between the word and its meaning... After all, France is the country of food. Anyway, dictionaries translate it as "I'm on top form!". J'ai la banane (*) Lit. I've got the banana. Finally, an expression that has a rational explanation! What does the shape of a banana refers to? The shape of your lips smiling, of course. Perfectly describes euphoria, doesn't it? MUSIC Listening to music can sometimes be hard work. Buying the right records is one thing, but being able to talk about them is another. Here is a glossary that should hopefully help you have a decent conversation about music. Positive comments a tue ! (*) It's a killer! C'est mortel ! (*) It's lethal! Lit. Deadly. Cet album, il est trop mortel ! (*) This album is a right killer! C'est une vraie bombe ! (*) It's a real bomb! The ultimate compliment, it can be used to describe a wicked tune, riff, song, album, band... Good vibe These phrases mainly apply to certain types of music, those with an appropriate beat i.e le rap, le fonk (funk), le hip-hop, la techno, le reggae, le raggamuffin, etc. a dmnage ! (*) It moves! a groove ! (*) Same meaning as above. a pulse ! (*) It's pumping! a tourne ! (*) It's running! (like an engine) Positive power a envoie la pure ! (*) It's throwing/spitting pure, literally... It's particularly appropriate for funky music. J'ai pris une claque ! (*) I was gobsmacked. J'ai pris une bonne / une grosse claque ! (*) I was flabbergasted. Une claque is a smack. These expressions are usually used to describe really powerful records or gigs. Of course, the strength of the smack is proportional to the energy released by the music. Rubbish C'est de la daube (*) It's rubbish. La daube is a sort of stew made with meat and leftovers. C'est de la soupe (*) It's too soft, too middle of the road. La soupe is soup. C'est nase (**) It's boring, terrible. According to dictionaries, nase is the equivalent of knackered, exhausted (person), or kaputt (machine). In music, as well as in every kind of art, it means a waste of time. C'est grave (**) Even stronger than nase. Grave is the equivalent of serious, grave, solemn... Can be used with other expressions + grave:

C'est de la soupe grave (**) a envoie la pure grave (**) a pulse grave (**) Placed after any of the above mentioned expressions, grave emphasizes and amplifies the meaning, positive or negative. Grave de chez grave In case grave on its own is not enough to describe your reaction to terrible or excellent music, grave de chez grave stresses your point even more. It is constructed as if grave was a trademark (like N5 de chez Chanel, N5 from Chanel). Again it can be used on its own, in which case it means boring, sad, awful: Les boy bands, c'est grave de chez grave. Also after another expression: J'ai pris une claque grave de chez grave. PLAY UP/PLAY DOWN Il est beauf de chez beauf (**) Beauf pej. & fig. archetypal lower middle-class Frenchman. According to the Larousse dictionary, beaufs are archetypal ordinary Frenchmen as perceived by the French themselves. The term, which is short for beau-frre (brother-in-law), also suggests conformism and a narrow outlook. "Something ... de chez... something" means "really" or "completely". It is constructed as if it was a trademark (like N5 de chez Chanel, N5 from Chanel). Stupide de chez stupide (**) = really stupid Ways to say how something is great and to express enthusiasm: C'est de la balle ! (*) C'est gnial ! (*) C'est gant ! (*) C'est top ! (*) C'est super ! (*) C'est d'enfer (**) Any of these expressions + d'enfer... means from hell! Unlike in English, this emphasizes how good something is. J'ai un boulot d'enfer I have a really good job. J'ai une pche d'enfer I feel really good. Il a achet une voiture d'enfer He bought a beautiful car. Super has been around for decades, experiencing ups and downs in terms of popularity. Now it is cool again - so much so that it has, in many cases, replaced the traditional vachement. It is used as an adverb or adjective, just after the verb. J'ai super les boules (*) I'm furious! J'ai super la pche ! (*) I feel really good! J'ai un super boulot (*) I have a very good job. Il a achet une super voiture He bought a beautiful car. Mega - hyper - giga (*) same use as super. J'ai grave les nerfs (**) I'm getting angry. Grave emphasizes and amplifies the meaning, positive or negative. Grave de chez grave (**) In case grave on its own is not enough to describe your reaction to something terrible or excellent, grave de chez grave stresses your point even more. J'ai les nerfs grave de chez grave (**) POLITICS

The French love politics and are often very passionate about it. This could be due to France's centuries-old tradition of philosophical and political thought, with the likes of Rousseau, Robespierre, Napolon, Charles de Gaulle or Jean-Paul Sartre enjoying international renown. On the other hand, it could be down to the natural tendency of the French to argue about anything... or both. In France, everything you do, from shopping to reading, has a political meaning. But strangely this French obsession with politics and political ideas is matched by a real hatred of politicians... another of those French paradoxes. For various reasons, in the last few years French politicians have managed to gain a terrible reputation. Deservedly or not, they are now often characterised as a bunch of liars, parasites and control freaks. Ironically this hasn't prevented the French from voting for them. Political affiliations Un anar (*) An anarchist. Short for un anarchiste. Un coco (*) A communist. Short for un communiste. Un socialo (*) A socialist. Short for un socialiste. Un colo (*) An ecologist. Short for un cologiste. Un rac (*) A reactionary. Short for un ractionnaire. Un facho (*) A fascist. Short for un fasciste. Un politicard (*) A politician. The suffix -ard gives the original word politicien a rather pejorative connotation. Un lphant (*) An old member of a political party. No matter which political party they belong to, elephants are often accused of being conservative and against reform. Politics as usual La langue de bois (*) Lit. the wooden language. This old expression refers to the clichs politicians come out with, which they sometimes use when they don't want to answer a journalist's tricky questions. Des promesses, toujours des promesses ! (*) Promises, promises! Before an election, you get to hear this expression a lot amongst voters. No matter what promises political candidates may make, people are usually sceptical about them. Bidon (*) Phoney. Originally, the word bidon is a noun meaning "bottle" or "can". Although it is still used as a noun (with its original meaning) it also has become an invariable adjective meaning "phoney" or "fake". This probably comes from the fact that when you look at a bottle or a can, you can't always tell whether it's full or empty. Appearances are sometimes deceptive. C'est une promesse bidon (*) This is a phoney promise. Du vent (*) Hot air. Lit. wind. Sometimes when politicians speak, all they actually manage to come out with is a lot of hot air... Ce discours, c'est que du vent (*) This speech is just hot air. Un pipeau (*) A fib, a lie. Lit. pipe, flute. Same meaning as above. The flute is the instrument snake charmers use to hypnotise snakes. Un baratin, baratiner (*) Flannel, to flannel. This word comes from Old French but is still needed.

Faux jeton (*) Lit. False token. Two-faced, hypocritical. Unfortunately, politicians don't always tell the truth. PROFESSIONS Un intello (*) An intellectual. Short for un intellectuel, of which there are many in France. Un proprio (*) A landlord. Short for un propritaire. Universally hated. Un musicos (*) It's cool to pronounce the '-s', both in the singular and plural, des musicos. Un Keuf (***v = flic) A policeman. Don't use it if you meet French policemen! Un gyneco (*) Short for un gyncologue, a gynecologist. Un psy (*) Short for un psychologue, a psychologist. Un toubib (*) A doctor. Un kin (*) Short for un kinsithrapeute, a physiotherapist PULLING When it comes to seduction, the French do have a bit of a reputation. But is it because of their actual conquest? Or simply because they know how to talk about them, whether they're successful or not? Anyway, here is a little glossary you'll be able to learn and practise on French beaches... Girls Une nana, une nnette (*) A girl, a bird. These words are rather neutral and therefore quite handy. Une minette (*) This word is an affectionate term for cat, i.e. puss or pussy cat and has a masculine equivalent. Cats are famous for being seductive animals, aren't they? Une meuf (*v = femme) A woman. Une gonzesse (**) A woman. Boys Un mec, un keum (*v = mec) A bloke, a neutral, handy word. Un gars, un type, un bonhomme (*) A guy, a man. Funnily enough, there seems to be a lack of vocabulary when it comes to giving boys cool names. Un minet (**) This word is a masculine equivalent of une minette, an affecionate term for cat, i.e. puss or pussy cat. A Nice-Looking Girl Un canon (*) An extremely attractive girl or boy.

Seduction is sometimes like war, you have to use your sense of strategy, etc. Une bombe, un missile (*) An extremely attractive girl. No wonder, some of the vocabulary includes words like these. It all depends on the level of difficulty of the conquest. More or less the equivalent of "a sex bomb". An Ugly Person Un thon (***) A tuna fish. Obscure origins but efficient, who would want to seduce a tuna fish? Un boudin (***) Originally black pudding. For a long time, this word was mainly used to describe unattractive women. It is now unisex. Also available in verlan un dimbou. Une mochet, une personne moche (*) An ugly person. Un pou (***) Lit. A louse. A User's Guide Step One Mater (*) To watch, to check something out. A very important verb given the fact that this is where everything starts, because seduction is also about how you look at the other person. Verlan for this word tma is also very popular. Mate cette meuf, c'est un vrai canon ! (*) Watch this woman, she's a real sex bomb! Step Two Brancher (*) To seduce... or at least to try. The original meaning is "to plug in", "to switch on"... After assessing the situation, which consists of mater, to watch out, it's time to take the initiative: brancher i.e try some kind of approach. Je l'ai branch/e grave (*) I really seduced him/her. Step Three Se faire jeter (*) Lit. To be thrown out. At least when you're blown up you can use a cool expression to tell your friends about your defeat. Even better se faire tj, verlan for this expression. Se prendre une veste (*) Lit. To get a jacket. Same meaning as above. When someone refuses to respond to your declarations, you get to see the jacket (or the back of it) of the person turning around to run away from you... Hence the expression. Se prendre un rteau (*) Lit. To get a rake. Same meaning as above. Choper (*) Lit. To grab. Your attempts will sometimes be rewarded. Emballer (*) Lit. To wrap up (food, presents, etc.). Same meaning as above. Embarquer (*) Lit. To ship, to embark (people or goods). Same meaning as above. Step Four Une capote, (*) une poteca (*v = capote) A hood - a condom. Being cool shouldn't prevent anyone from being careful and safe. Un chapeau (*) Lit. A hat. A very nice way to say "a condom".

Un gant (*) Lit. A glove. Same as above.