Holiday like a local with these french sayings...
Bonjour (means hello), many of us are incredibly excited about the prospect of a European trip away now that borders have been opened. Us Brits have a bit of a reputation for just speaking English with a French accent or worse just saying the English repetitively but changing the speed at which we annunciate and getting more and more frustrated. Well, this summer let's change that. At Virtuo, we are a pan-European company and so amongst our ranks, we have some resources that can help. We have spoken with the team and put together 21 french phrases that will help you blend in like a local; they may not be what you expect!
- Je suis tombé(e) dans les pommes
- Literally: I fell into the apples
Means: I fainted - Il a un poil dans la main
- Literally: he has a hair on the palm of his hand
Means: he is very lazy - Je lui ai posé un lapin
- Literally: I laid down a rabbit
Means: I stood them up - Tu me casses les pieds
- Literally: you are breaking my feet
Means: You are being a pain - Je suis au bout du rouleau
- Literally: I’m at the end of the roll
Means: I am exhausted - Elle est restée bouche bée
- Literally: She was gaping
Means: she was speechless - Quand on parle du loup…
- Literally: when you talk about the wolf, his tail appears
Means: When the person you were just talking about comes in - Il rit jaune
- Literally: he laughs yellow
Means: he is fake laughing / forcing himself to laugh - Il a séché les cours
- Literally: he dried classes
Means: he skipped school
- En douce / En loucedé / En soumsoum
- Means : discreetly
- Elle a un fou rire
- Means: she is laughing uncontrollably
- Je suis vénère
- Means: I’m angry
- Il/elle est canon, c’est une bombe, c’est un missile, c’est un avion de chasse
- All of them mean good-looking
- fric, thune, maille, biff, lovés, moula
- Sayings to talk about money
- Meuf, Zouz, gadji
- girl, woman
- Mec, Gars, gadjo
- guy, man
- J’ai le seum
- Means: I am disappointed / I am annoyed
- Askip
- Means: apparently / as they say
- C’est chelou
- Means: This is shady
- Je suis en PLS
- Means: I am not feeling well / I am sad
- C’est stylé
- Means: it looks good
So, there we have it a list of interesting and quirky French sayings that you can use and sound like a true French person! Perhaps you need to know what to take with you for your trip, we've put together a rundown of everything you might need to know here. Now all you need is a car to get there, well, you will never guess what; we can help you out in this department as well!
