la langue française

Bodily Functions and Other Gross Words You Don’t Learn in French Class

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It’s an impolite topic, but it’s still necessary. Even now, after almost seven years of learning/speaking French, this particular set of vocabulary often escapes me…because what professor is going to dedicate an entire unit to body sounds? Who’s really going to pull out a dictionary to find out how to tell someone they’re gross for farting?

So I’ll excuse the grossness by saying that even if the subject is strange, it’s still important to know how to talk about it!

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VIDEO: Maple Leaves and Fleurs de lis, Québécois French and French French

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I can’t say I know much about Québec, let alone have any authority on their distinct brand of français. Then only real personal account I can talk about is when I used to have a Québécoise neighbor. She was so sweet, but I really couldn’t understand her. I loved when she knocked on our door, but every single time she did I just stood there doing the nod-and-smile until she walked away…so I could ask my boyfriend what the hell she was talking about. Continue reading →

Deconstruct a French Word: archi

https://flic.kr/p/bcE9tx
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archi | “ahr-shee” | adv. | super; very; “hella”

Add archi before any adjective to add emphasis and, basically, sound like the cool middle schoolers I taught a year ago in Alfortville.

Ex., Le nouveau kebab près de chez moi…c’est archi-bon. Je l’ai mangé trois fois cette semaine!

C’est archi-bon, la nouvelle saison d’Orange is the New Black

While it’s normally found in front of the word “bon,” archi can precede adjective you want, really. It only makes it that much more intense.

Mon emploi de temps est archi-fou ce semestre. 20 heures de cours par semaine, plus 20 heures de travail et du baby-sitting à côté…je ne me repose jamais.

Featured image of the Dictionnaire Larousse from Camilla Hoel on flickr.

Deconstruct a French Word: Machin

https://flic.kr/p/bcE9tx
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machin | “mah-shun” |  n. m. : thingy; thingamajig; whatever

Not to be confused with “machine” which is also a word in French, you say machin when you’ve forgotten the name of something/someone or – more commonly – when you don’t feel like naming that thing/person. “Machin” has a mocking tone to it, so people use it because they want to poke a little fun at the “thing” they’re (not really) naming.

Ex.: Cheri, donne-moi la chose, le…machin. Sur la table…j’ai oublié le mot!

C’est quoi, ce machin complique? Je voulais juste appeler mon ami et j’ai ouvert une dizaine d’applications!

Est-ce qu’il faut inviter machin…la petite amie de Paul? Elle est agaçante, elle sait pas parler aux gens.

Tout machin is a great phrase, too. When you “literally can’t even,” use this phrase to cap off your sentence and show your exasperation in one fell swoop.

C’est fatiguant! Pour encaisser ce cheque, il faut que je cherche une banque ouverte le samedi, que je me lève tôt pour y aller et tout machin…

Featured image of the Dictionnaire Larousse from Camilla Hoel on flickr.