“A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini
Mastering a foreign language (especially tricky French) is no small achievement. It is an arduous and frustrating process that can easily take a few years.
And when you finally think that you can ride the alien bull, you are suddenly confronted with a slew of peculiar expressions that leave you totally bewildered.
We are still in the holiday season, so out of compassion, I will try to shed some light on some common French expressions that only make sense to the snail-eating Frogs.
- Les carottes sont cuites – the carrots are cooked (the jig is up)
- Poser un lapin – to put down a rabbit (to stand someone up)
- C’est la fin des haricots – it is the end of the beans (it’s all over)
- Tomber dans les pommes – to fall in the apples (to faint, to pass out)
- Raconter des salades – to tell salads (to tell stories, to lie)
- Avoir les portugaises ensablées – to have sand in the Portuguese oysters (to hear poorly)
- Donner sa langue au chat – to give one’s tongue to the cat (to give up trying to guess something)
- Prendre son pied – to grab his own foot (to greatly enjoy, to reach orgasm)
- Faire les 400 coups – to do the four hundred tricks (to raise hell)
- Triste comme une femme sans fesses – sad as a woman without buttocks
- Un coeur d’artichaut – to have an artichoke heart (to be hopelessly romantic)
- Un mouchodrome – a fly landing strip (a bald person)
- Elle a de la conversation – she has conversation ( a well endowed woman)
Does it make sense? Mais bien sûr…
Now, never utter a French word unless you are absolutely sure of what it means and how to pronounce it.
For instance, “un bras” is not a brassiere, it is an arm. So, don’t put your “bras” in your mouth.
As a general rule (but not always), when a word ends with a consonant, the last letter is not pronounced.
Be careful, the French are not tolerant and are quick to mock.
Often mispronounced words:
- Bon appétit (the last “t” is never not pronounced)
- Coup de grâce (pronounced “coo de grass” and definitely not coo de grah)
- Sauvignon blanc (the last “c” is silent)
- Déjà vu (not voo)
- Cul de sac (silent “l” in cul – surprise, the last “c” is pronounced)
- Double entendre (don’t use this France; it doesn’t mean anything)
Hoping that this little tutorial was helpful.
Bonne année et surtout bonne santé, mectons et gigolettes!
Alain