Untranslatable French words
(Be careful, these are casual expressions you can use with your friends but do NOT write them in essays!)
PutainÂ
We use this word for literally anything: when weâre happy, amazed, annoyed, disgustedâŠÂ Examples: âCâest gĂ©nial putain!â, âPutain, ça me fait chier!â, âMais bouge-lĂ ta caisse putain!â. We also use it in front of nouns: âCette putain de machineâ
OufÂ
When something is great, amazing. Itâs the âverlanâ (reverse) of the word âfouâ, which means crazy. Examples: âCe match est ouf!â, âCâest un ouf lui!â, âCâest un truc de ouf!â We also use it when something bad or scary happened but we finally made it, itâs a word of relief. Examples: âOuf, on sâen est sorti!â, âOuf, on a eu chaudâ
De oufÂ
This expression uses the same words as before but means something different. We use âde oufâ to mean that something is extra, too much. Itâs usually a reply to agree with someone. Examples: â- Il Ă©tait tellement bourrĂ© hier soir! - De ouf!â
La flemmeÂ
The closer translation to âavoir la flemmeâ would be âto be lazyâ. But I donât think that there is any word in English that comes close to the concept of âflemmeâ. You can have âla flemmeâ to do basically anything. Examples: â -Tu viens Ă la soirĂ©e ce soir? -Non, jâai trop la flemmeâ , âJâai la flemme de la faire la vaisselleâ
Ras-le-bolÂ
It literally means âat the edge of the bowlâ, we use this expression when weâre over something, when we canât stand it anymore, when itâs annoying us. It can be used for a thing or for a person. Examples: âJâen ai ras-le-bol de mes voisinsâ, âJâen ai ras-le-bol de rĂ©pĂ©ter tout le temps la mĂȘme choseâ
FlĂąnerÂ
Probably the only word of this list which is not a slang but actually a word that you would find in books and that you can use in essays etc. âFlĂąnerâ means to walk slowly, to enjoy your time, to wander aimlessly just for the pleasure to walk and to enjoy your environment. Example: âElle a flĂąnĂ© dans les rues de Lille tout lâaprĂšs-midiâ, âIls aiment flĂąner dans les allĂ©es du magasinâ
RingardÂ
When something is out, when itâs not trending anymore and itâs a bit shameful to like it or wear it. Example: âCette chanson est trop ringardeâ, âPorter des pantalons pattes dâeph câest ringardâ
RelouÂ
This is the âverlanâ (reverse) of the word âlourdâ, which means heavy. âRelouâ means that something or someone is annoying you or that itâs boring or annoying. Example: âLe bus a 15 minutes de retard, câest relouâ, âCe mec est tellement relouâÂ
PĂȘter un cableÂ
To go crazy, to burn out Example: âSi ça continue comme ça je vais pĂ©ter un cableâ, âIl a pĂ©tĂ© un cable au bar hier soirâ
Un beaufÂ
Someone who wears old or ridiculous clothes such as socks with flip-flops. The stereotype is that these persons are white, not very educated, live in the countryside, are quite poor, like drinking alcohol, listen to bad music, have bad hair etc⊠Iâll join a picture so that you can portray better what is means
The man from the picture is actually âJeff Tucheâ, a character from a popular movie in France called âLes Tucheâ which is the story of a beauf family who wins the lottery. Examples: âCâest un camping de beaufâ, âPatrick SĂ©bastien ne fait que des chansons de beaufâ
Avoir le seumÂ
To be mad, to be petty about something. We mainly use it when weâre annoyed because we lost or when we wanted something to happen but itâs not happening. Examples: âMa mĂšre veut pas que je sorte ce soir, jâai le seumâ, âLes belges ont le seum dâavoir perdu contre les françaisâÂ
Bric Ă brac
A mix of random objects Examples: âCâest un vrai bric Ă brac ta voitureâ, âJe nâarrive plus Ă retrouver mon briquet dans ce bric Ă bracâ
And the last one: Pouloulou, itâs not a word, itâs a feelingÂ
