French France

tant mieux

Expression USED Frequently BY Everybody

(so much better) • Expression used to express a positive surprised emotion when something unexpected happens (works with positive and negative events).

"Ma femme a décidé de changer de travail. Tant mieux ! Elle se sentira utile et va rayonner." "Mon mec m'a quitté pour une greluche. Tant mieux ! Il commençait à me gonfler de toutes façons."

“My wife has decided to change jobs. So much the better! She will feel useful and will shine.” "My boyfriend left me for a girl. So much the better! He was starting to piss me off anyway."

French France

chauffe Marcel

Expression USED On Occasion BY Older generation

(heat up Marcel) • Go ahead, give the best of yourself, and surpass yourself.

"Mon frère Robert n’a jamais aimé chanter." "Allez, vas-y Robert, tu peux le faire ! Chauffe Marcel !"

“My brother Robert never liked singing.” “Come on, go Robert, you can do it! Heat up, Marcel!”

French France

péter plus haut que son cul

Expression USED On Occasion BY French people on the older side

(to fart higher than one’s ass) • It means reaching for something higher than you're capable of or should reach for acting like you are better than you are.

"Trump pete plus haut que son cul a tout moment!"

"Trump always farts higher than his ass!"

French France

Les anglais ont débarqué

Expression USED On Rare Occasion BY Older generation

(the English have landed) • To menstruate

Je ne me sens pas bien, les anglais ont débarqué

I am not feeling well, the English have landed

French France

poireauter

Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

(to leek) • Waiting motionless for a long time, like a leek planted in the ground.

"Il y avait tellement de monde au magasin, le vendeur m'a fait poireauter pendant une heure."

"There were so many people at the store, the salesman made me leek for one hour."

French France

avoir la gueule de bois

Standard Phrase USED Very frequently BY Everyone

(to have a wooden mouth) • To have a hangover or to feel hungover after a heavy night of drinking alcohol.

"J'ai une affreuse gueule de bois."

"I have an awful wooden mouth."

French France

dépaysement

Word USED On Occasion BY Everyone

(noun) • When you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings either purposely, for a change of scenery on a holiday or because you feel homesick.

"Pour un vrai dépaysement, allez passer une semaine à Bali!"

"For a real change of scenery, go and spend a week in Bali!"

French France

dépaysement

Word USED On Occasion BY Everyone

(adj.) • When you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings either purposely, for a change of scenery on a holiday or because you feel homesick.

"Pour un vrai dépaysement, allez passer une semaine à Bali!"

"For a real dépaysement, go and spend a week in Bali!"

French France

le dépaysement

Word USED On Occasion BY Anyone talking about travel

(noun) • (discountriment) • Refers to the culture shock and/or the feeling of being lost one may feel when visiting a foreign country. Can be used in either the positive or the negative sense.

“J'étais au Japon la semaine dernière. Le dépaysement total !”

“I was in Japan last week. It was a total discountriment!”

French France

meuf

Slang USED Very frequently BY Young People

This means woman or can often mean girlfriend.

"J'ai vue une belle meuf hier!"

"I saw a pretty woman yesterday!"

French France

un pied-à-terre

Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

(a foot on the ground) • A small house or apartment in a city you do not live in, and where you stay when visiting that city for a short time

"Vivre à Paris ne m'empêche pas d'aller souvent à Rome, j'y ai un petit pied-à-terre."

"Living in Paris does not prevent me from going to Rome. I have a small pied-à-terre there""

French France

péter plus haut que son cul

Idiom USED Frequently BY Everyone

(to fart higher than one's arse) • To be conceited.

Les étrangers disent souvent que les Français pètent plus haut que leur cul.

Foreigners often say that French people fart higher than their arse.

French France

un avion de chasse

Expression USED Frequently BY Everyone

(fighter plane) • Used to describe someone that is very beautiful or attractive.

"Woah, la nouvelle serveuse est un avion de chasse!"

"Wow, the new waitress is a fighter plane!"

French France

la poêle qui se moque du chaudron

Expression USED On Occasion BY Everyone

(the pan mocking the cauldron) • Used to point out hypocrisy towards another in a joking manner.

"Il est vraiment pas doué de ses mains." "C'est la poêle qui se moque du chaudron!"

"He's really not good with his hands." "It's the pan mocking the cauldron!"

French France

passer l'arme à gauche

Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(to pass the weapon to the left) • To die.

"Elle a passé l'arme à gauche."

"She passed the weapon to the left."

French France

passez l'arme à gauche

Expression USED On Occasion BY Almost Everyone

(to pass the weapon to the left) • To Die.

Elle a passé l'arme à gauche.

She passed the weapon to the left.

French France

kikou

Slang USED On Occasion BY Young people

Very unfamiliar and childish way to say hello. When you want to say hi to your friends in a cute way, comes from “coucou” which means something like "hey".

"Kikou!"

"Hi!"

Breton | Breton West Bretagne, France

Va doue benniget!

Interjection USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone

(my blessed god) • It literally means "my blessed god." Even though "benniget" isn't a common word to say "blessed," everyone around me (in Bretagne) uses it from time to time. It's used like "oh my god !" Older people, who speak more Breton than French use it often. The younger generation, however, sometimes use it in a funny or ironic way because there isn't a lot of breton speakers nowadays.

"Jean a eu un 20/20 en maths!" -"Va doue benniget! C'est un génie."

"Jean has a 20/20 in maths!" -"Oh my blessed god! He's a genius."

French | Breton Bretagne, France

restachoú

Idiom USED Frequently BY Almost Everyone from northwest France

(n.) • (leftovers ) • It is mostly used by old people who still know Breton, but can be used by younger people as a funny way to say that there is nothing to eat, or when you don't remember something well, or when there are only some traces of something left.

"Je n'ai plus que des restachoú, allons manger au restaurant." "Je n'ai pas parlé anglais depuis longtemps, je n'ai que des restachoú de grammaire." "Ma grand-mère est mal à l'aise quand elle entend de l'allemand, des restachoú de l'occupation probablement."

"There's only leftovers at home, let's eat at the restaurant instead." "I haven't spoken English for a while, I only remember leftover grammar." "My grandmother is uncomfortable when she hears German, probably some leftovers of the occupation."

French France

gros

Word USED Very frequently BY Some People

(n.) • (fat) • Similar to the French words mec (M.) and meuf (F.), this pair, gros and grosse, mean dude. It's very informal, it can only be used with friends, and the literal meaning, fat, is not relevant at all here.

"Salut gros, ça fait longtemps ! Ça va toi?" "bah ouais grosse ! J'étais en vacances dans le sud et toi?"

"Hi fat, it's been a while! How are you doing?" "yeah fat ! I was in the south for the holiday and you?"