A well-placed “Casse-toi !” definitely gets the message across. It’s definitely not an expression to be used around just anyone, but it can come in handy if you’re being harassed in the street. To say “ Casse-toi !” to someone means, “Get out of here!” or even “Piss off!”
This expression can also be used as a sort of insult. It can also be used as a suggestion: On se casse ? (Should we get out of here?)
This is a very familiar, bordering on rude way to say that you’re leaving somewhere. Il est hyper arrogant ! (I wish he’d stop showing off. Je ne peux pas supporter ton comportement ! (Stop acting like you’re such a big deal. If you want to use a similar expression in mixed company, try using Arrête de te vanter instead.Īrrête de te la péter. The expression is still used in its entirety in Québec.
In the 19th century, holding out one’s suspender and making it pète or snap against one’s chest was a way of punctuating a brag or show-offy comment. The la refers to a noun now forgotten in the general use of the phrase-originally it referred to bretelle or suspender. The clue is in that la that has snuck its way into the expression. You may now be asking yourself why there’s an idiomatic expression in French telling people not to fart on themselves. The reason has a lot to do with the real meaning of the last word: péter means to fart. It’s not all that vulgar, but it’s definitely not for mixed company. This next expression is used to tell someone to stop being a show-off or stop bragging.īefore we delve into this expression, bear one thing in mind: you don’t want to use this one in front of anyone’s grandmother. Everything going okay? - Yeah, it’s going well.) 2. Ça baigne ? - Ouais, ça baigne ! (I haven’t seen you in a long time. Of course, today you don’t need to be swimming in anything in particular to use this expression that means ça va. Ça baigne is often associated with the beach, where not only do people se baignent, go for a dip, but are often themselves baignés (bathed) in oil-tanning oil, that is! Some etymologists believe that this mid-20th century French slang term comes from the idea of bathing in oil-something that’s quite fantastic for potatoes or pommes frites (French fries)-or even another kind of bathing altogether. In fact, that’s likely where the expression comes from. For example: Ça baigne dans de l’huile (It is bathed in oil). Ça baigne uses the verb baigner, meaning to bathe.īaigner is used non-idiomatically to refer to something submerged in a liquid. The expression literally translates to “It goes?” “It goes!” but is used as a form of greeting, similar to, “How are you?” “Good.”Īnd yet, if you really want to sound in-the-know, this other question-answer pair is far more useful. When you first started learning French, you probably picked up quite quickly on that very useful question/answer pair: “ Ça va ? Ça va ! “
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you Memorize as many as you like, and be sure to drop them in front of your French-speaking friends! You can learn some of those French slang expressions right here. It gives you a taste of real French, the authentic language of native speakers! When you’re just starting to learn French, you’ve gotta step up and memorize a lot of vocab.Īrgot, or slang, can make all that memorizing way more fun. Home » French Vocab and Grammar » 25 French Slang Words and Phrases You’ll Never Learn in Schoolīy Michelle Baumgartner and Emily Monaco 25 French Slang Words and Phrases You’ll Never Learn in School