{"id":3028,"date":"2019-06-17T07:49:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T07:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.frenchtutorsurrey.co.uk\/?p=3028"},"modified":"2019-07-29T06:31:28","modified_gmt":"2019-07-29T06:31:28","slug":"11-french-words-and-phrases-that-french-people-actually-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frenchtutorsurrey.co.uk\/?p=3028","title":{"rendered":"11 French Words and Phrases that French People Actually Use"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The dream: jet off to France, find some chic\u00a0ao\u00fbtien(ne)s<\/em>, pick up on their slang, speak flawless French\u2026.hmmmm<\/p>

The reality, unfortunately, is more like googling \u201chow to get better at French without going to France.\u201d Don\u2019t worry, I can help you on your journey to fluency.\u00a0 Here\u2019s our list of 11 French words and phrases to learn, straight from the mouths of the French themselves, so you can be one step closer to the fluent dream.<\/p>

  1. Jamais deux sans trois<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

    Simple, this phrase means \u201cnever two without three.\u201d It\u2019s like the American saying that things come in threes, or the rule of threes. If two of your friends broke up with their boyfriends on Friday and a third friend has a breakup on Saturday, you can wisely say, \u201cjamais deux sans trois.\u201d<\/p>

    1. Croustillant(e)<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

      Literally meaning \u201ccrusty,\u201d it\u2019s actually more like how Americans say that something is juicy, like details or a good story. It\u2019s something dramatic, maybe a secret or scandal, a twist in the story. In response to an American saying \u201ctell us all the juicy details,\u201d a French person would discuss the\u00a0croustillant<\/em>\u00a0details. Ex: \u201cC\u2019est croustillant\u201d (it\u2019s juicy); \u201cce d\u00e9tail est croustillant\u201d (it\u2019s a juicy detail); \u201ccette histoire est croustillante\u201d (it\u2019s a juicy story).<\/p>

      1. Prendre mon vendredi<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

        A useful phrase for the summer months, this means \u201cto take my Friday off.\u201d Going on a quick weekend getaway to the nearest beach town two hours away? A coworker might advise you, \u201cprends ton vendredi\u201d so you can enjoy an extra day in the sun.<\/p>

        1. Ap\u00e9ro<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

          \u201cAp\u00e9ro\u201d isn\u2019t just happy hour. American happy hour is for discounted alcohol after work.\u00a0Un ap\u00e9ro\u00a0<\/em>is for slowing down, socializing (maybe philosophizing), and cheersing drinks, likely over food. Sometimes an\u00a0ap\u00e9ro<\/em>\u00a0with enough food will become a dinner (un ap\u00e9ro dinatoire<\/em>).<\/p>

          1. J\u2019essaie de m\u2019en sortir<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

            \u201cI\u2019m trying to get myself out\u201d is the literal translation, but it\u2019s the equivalent of \u201cI\u2019m getting by\u201d or \u201cit\u2019s tough but I\u2019m managing.\u201d When your French friend calls to ask how you\u2019ve been doing since you got fired from your job last week, you\u2019ll say, \u201cj\u2019essaie de m\u2019en sortir.\u201d<\/p>

            1. Effectivement\u00a0<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

              One of those French words that gets used all the time yet you\u2019re not really sure what it means, \u201ceffectivement\u201d literally translates to \u201ceffectively,\u201d but it\u2019s definition is different in France. In French, \u201ceffectivement\u201d is a describer for something that is supposed to happen that\u2019s happening. You could say, \u201cmy boss promised to send me to Paris for fashion week, and\u00a0effectivement,\u00a0<\/em>he bought my plane ticket yesterday.\u201d You can also use \u201ceffectivement\u201d on its own to say, \u201cI agree with you\u201d or \u201cyou\u2019re right.\u201d Tell your French coworker there\u2019s no point going to Times Square because it\u2019s overrun with tourists, and he\u2019ll respond \u201ceffectivement<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>

              1. Nickel<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

                \u201cNickel\u201d is a masculine adjective meaning great, excellent, or awesome. It also means impeccably clean. The most common way it\u2019s used is just \u201cc\u2019est nickel!\u201d, and not so much after a noun.<\/p>

                1. Trop bien<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

                  \u201cTrop bien\u201d is used more than you think it is. It\u2019s not just another word on a list of words meaning \u201cgreat\u201d or \u201cexcellent\u201d that you learned in \u201cAllez-viens!\u201d. \u201cTrop Bien\u201d is quite common. How\u2019s your new apartment? \u201cIl est trop bien.\u201d Your coworker has a Hawaiian vacation planned for the holiday break? \u201cTrop bien!\u201d<\/p>

                  1. Chanter en yaourt<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

                    \u201cChanter en yaourt\u201d is the verb for when you sing along to a song that you don\u2019t know the words to, so it comes out sounding not like words (as though you\u2019re singing into yogurt). For example, you know the chorus of \u201cMMMbop\u201d by Hanson, but when it comes to the verses\u00a0tu chantes en yaourt<\/em>: \u201cYou have so many\u2026 [mumbling] strife\u2026 [mumbling] so fast\u2026 [mumbling] really care\u2026 [mumbling] losing your hair\u2026 MMMBOP BA DUBA DOP, BA DU BOP, BA DUBA DOP [etc].\u201d<\/p>

                    1. CB<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

                      Easy enough, \u201cCB\u201d is \u201ccarte bancaire\u201d or \u201cbank card\u201d (i.e., debit or credit card). Really \u201cCB\u201d is a certain kind of bank card part of a national French interbanking system. 90% of cards in France are \u201cCB\u201d cards. So why do you need to know \u201cCB\u201d? Because sometimes you need to know if a restaurant takes card (\u201cPaiement par CB accept\u00e9\u201d), or you need to tell a friend not to make a needless stop at an ATM for cash.<\/p>

                      1. Perdre une miette<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>

                        \u201cPerdre une miette,\u201d or \u201cto miss a crumb,\u201d is like \u201cmiss a second\u201d in the US, though really it\u2019s used in the context of \u201cwon\u2019t<\/em>\u00a0miss a second,\u201d as in not miss even a second of something. For example, if you and a friend stake out a spot at 3pm for a popular 9pm fireworks display, you can say \u201con est s\u00fbr de ne pas en perdre une miette\u201d (we definitely won\u2019t miss a second).<\/p>

                        This article was actually taken from FrenchMorning.com<\/p>

                        \u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        The dream: jet off to France, find some chic\u00a0ao\u00fbtien(ne)s, pick up on their slang, speak flawless French\u2026.hmmmm The reality, unfortunately, is more like googling \u201chow to get better at French without going to France.\u201d Don\u2019t worry, I can help you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n11 French Words and Phrases that French People Actually Use - French Tutor Surrey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frenchtutorsurrey.co.uk\/?p=3028\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"11 French Words and Phrases that French People Actually Use - 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