What To NEVER Say in French
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- Are you making these common spoken French mistakes? Let’s find out...
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Does that French word really mean what you think it means? That’s what we’ll explore in today’s lesson. I’m sure that you’ve heard or seen these French words and phrases before, and they DO belong in French vocabulary… but they are often misused by non-native speakers in everyday French conversation.
In this compilation of some of my most popular videos, I’ll introduce you to 5 words that are commonly misused in French and explain why you should NEVER say them when speaking yourself. Let’s dive in!
Take care and stay safe.
😘 from Grenoble, France.
Géraldine
J'aime vos objets d'art mexicains!
Geraldine, je t'aime!
13:01 make fewer mistakes....
Mistakes are countable therefore use fewer not less.
In Hercule Poirot serious series of British productions, Poirot says "mon ami" all the time to different people.
Gonzesse is like the 70s term "bird" or "tart" in British English or "broad" in American English.
Bravo et merci!
Interesting. "Bien fait" is exactly like the Portuguese "bem feito", word by word, literally it means well done but it is not used much in this literal way but in an idiomatic way meaning it serves you well (for having done something bad/wrong now you are suffering the consequences).
It's called Sarcasm,
Merci pour les explications, ils sont claires et utiles.
Excellent video, every minute of it. We can all handle longer videos since they go more in depth, which a lot of us like!
tbh, 30 mins to explain 3 phrases :) ...but I loved the explanation :)
Short is better. When video is too long you get distracted.
Great advice. Thank you very much.
0:55. Oops. If you misuse "bien fait," you don't "fall into a classical trap" (as she states); you fall into a CLASSIC trap.
"Classical" refers to ancient times or, in the arts, the 18th century (approx). Mozart was the apotheosis of "classical music;" Jacques Louis David is the greatest "classical" painter of the age.
"Classic" refers to anything that is a "prime illustrative example" of something: a low-level tennis player might fall into the CLASSIC trap of being drawn into the net only to be passed by his opponent's shot. A movie that is a "classic" is one that has stood the test of time and still retains its admirable qualities. Orwell's "1984" is a classic, but it is not classical.
We all know language is full of traps! I appreciate the energy Mme Lepère brings to these lessons.
Una buena explicación Géraldine...¡gracias!👋🇬🇧
Google also translates Well done! to Bien Fait! (Go figure/ allez comprendre!?)
Thank you so much for the french lesson.
thank u very much.... tres bien....
i love your videos
I was sitting in an office waiting room and a man entered asking me a bunch of questions in French.😳
I asked if he spoke English.
He said, "non."
We both laughed for awhile.
That we understood. 👍😌
I had to correct a friend recently who was proudly using "de rien" in conversation.
Unfortunately he was not saying "de rien" but "derrière".
He was recieving some strange looks.
Back in the 1930's my father then living in Texas would go to Mexico with his friends where they made use of the Spanish they had learned. And when in doubt, just use the English word with an "O" at the end. So, when the weather is rather cool, he was saying "Mucho culo." Later he learned he was saying "big butt."
Decades ago we went to a performance by an Irish band. When they played the Londonderry Air (the music to "Danny Boy") they made sure to call it the "London Derrière."
You should have slapped him!
To get his attention,,,,tu aurais lui donné une claque pour lui faire comprendre,,,,that's ol school french 🥖
So useful!!
Trop tard je l'ai dit.
"Rude even in French standards".... Lol.... That made my day....
Excellent video. I would describe the narrator as chic and gamine - are these expressions still used? My French is really rusty. Great wardrobe as well!
Thank you so very much. I learned many things from this video
Thank you so much for such an amazing video.
Très informative, Super!
I used bien fait while visiting French friends. They broke out laughing shaking their heads telling me no, no, no. After their laughter subsided their suggestion for what I wanted to say was: Bien joué (praying that's the correct spelling) "well played" for "well done". I will rewatch this video because it is full of useful tips. Merci!
seems like an awful lot of guffawing over a little slip ... are you sure they're your friends?
I learned that from Tintin. "Bien joué, mon brave Milou."
wonderful video. thank you.
Outdated words. Again from my German experience, I went into a stationary store in order to buy a pen, "eine Feder" (literally "une plume"). They had no idea what I wanted and, assuming I was French (there was a French Army base nearby) even suggested "un crayon." When I spotted one on my way out, I learned it was called a "Kugelschreiber" (a "ball writer"), en français "un stylo". And yet a standard pattern sentence in learning French is still "La plume de ma tante est sur la table."
When we learn a foreign language, we are learning a version at the time that our textbook was written ... at best. Languages change constantly. We're trying to learn a moving target.
I love the David Sedaris story of never being able to get it straight if an object is masculine or feminine. "Is it un stylo or une stylo?" He was able to bypass that in a way that I thought was hilarious: "Deux stylos, s'il vous plaît."
@@jd3422 So then the strategy is: when you don't know what you're doing, double down!
Merci beaucoup Géraldine !!
my ex told me to never say "tu et bonne" to say "you're attractive". still don't quite know what it connotes... and you just explained why, bonne is for food. lol no wonder my ex didn't want me to say "you are delicious" lol.
Gambit said "mon ami" an absolute ton in the X-Men animated series from the 80's.
I have two questions:
1. “Nous/On” - is it more common to use “on” in spoken French rather than “nous”, or is it ok to use both interchangeably?
2. I learned once that “je t’en pris” means “you’re welcome” but many times I’ve heard it used to say “please.” Is “s’il vous plâit” an outdated way of saying please in spoken French, or are both acceptable?
« Je t’en prie. » means indeed you’re welcome, you may also hear French people say « De rien! » it is more colloquial than « Je t’en prie ».
« Je t’en prie! » /« Je t’en supplie! » can be used to beg but not to say please in a normal conversation: Je t’en prie, aide moi! / Please, I beg you, help me!
« S’il vous plaît » / « S’il te plaît » is absolutely not outdated, it’s basic politeness. If you never use it, you will be seen as a rude person.
Je te prie ( different from je t’en prie) can be used to sort of say please in a formal way: Je te prie de trouver ci-joint… / Please see attached… though in a formal context one would more likely use « vous » and not « te » : Je vous prie de trouver ci-joint… (if you don’t already use « tutoiement » with that person)
Hope this helps!
The French never use nous when talking, it’s always ‘on’. But I believe nous would be used in written french.
@@arriesone1 Or if you're just getting started on learning French and your teacher wants you to learn the basic/formal/written French before you take on the informal, colloquial French.
Word for word
It's like "Good job!" in English. It depends, but it can sound insincere or condescending. It is often used talking to children.
It's not even a matter of condescension here; 'bien fait' literally means 'serves you right!' Lmao
Oh just noticed she actually explains it in the vid lmao i left my comment before watching it
@@EliMardirossian No it doesn't literally mean it, it depends on the tone and context like every language.
What a pretty collar! And thank you for the information.
Moi qui ne faisais pas des prouesses à la fac (d’anglais à Rennes), en traduction, je trouve vos cours très instructifs pour comprendre certaines subtilités des deux langues et comment les expliquer. Merci 🙏
HAHAHA pepe le pew! magnifique!
PRODIGIOUS !
Merci
Merci beaucoup
Bien fait. In Dutch we have a similar expression "net goed", it means, you got what you deserved...it's not very nice to say.
Bien fait ! means Serves You Right ! in Ireland!!
Bien joué (Well played), Beau travail (Nice Job), Joli ! (Nice!), T'as fait ça comme un chef (You mastered it), Nickel ! (... untranslatable), ...
I often heard, “Bien fait pour ta gueule!” in France.
How would you like your steak?
I said "bien fait".
I wondered why the serveur looked worried/confused.
I thought one used Bien Fait to describe how one wanted their steak cooked.
Non on dit "bien cuit" ou " à point" ou " saignant"
Will LIKE first, and then WATCH!
Because I know I will LOVE it. ☺️
J'adore! (I hope I've used this appropriately.)
The direct translation of bien fait to well done is actually quite accurate, considering the phrase "well done" is often used sarcastically, meaning the opposite (similar to "good job"/bon travail).
E.g You ate too many sweets, and now you're sick? Well (bloody) done.
Thats what came into my head when she was talking about it
Its not “quite accurate” in the sense everyone else outside of you would understand it so dont say it’s “quite accurate”. You then go on to clarify what you mean and put it in context (👍) but dont say “its quite accurate”.
Dont assume other people who speak one or two of hundreds of languages around the world would find it “quite accurate” at first glance.
@@crease205 what are you moaning about? There's plenty of Brits that know perfectly well that a certain tone on "well done" means they're being sarcastic. Jeez.
@@kerryh3833 Youre so disconnected from the world arent you darling? I dont dispute anything of what you said in your reply. I stand behind you on that sentiment (means I agree). I meant dont assume that because the concept in the op (original post) is clear to you, it’ll be clear to speakers of hundreds other langs that may have watched this vid. I merely challenged calling it “quite accurate” Get it? Got it. 👍🏻
Or “way to go!” 🙄 (eye roll is important) lol
Drop it = laisse tomber
Merci beaucoup pour cette video.
Merci pour les recommandations!
This has in what shared to know for while! Merci d’avoir pour partagér
Really like your enthusiasm, thank you. I once said "Pas terrible" to someone and offended them. I thought it meant not bad ... just the opposite.
There’s a store called Madewell that sold a sweater that said Bien Fait. Hopefully they’re in on the joke.
Plus de vingt anees derniere, j' etais en Alsace pour le premiere fois. En Wissenbourg ( Weißenburg) je regarde un homme , ou on peut acheter des saucisses . Moi, l' ami de Britta, allemand, veut acheter et manguer cettes saucisses et dit: Je veut acheter deux saucisses. Il me regarde et dit: Wellet se' s mit Senf? ( Avec mustsrde?) Il sait, que je suis allemand, et parlait en allemand alsasienn. Si allemand alsacien et mon allemand souabe est tres simiair, je compris.
Doesn't bien fait describe the softness or age of cheese?
'Bien fait' c'est la meme chose en portugais. Très intéressant.
C’est drôle, parce que 'bravo' en espagnol (en Mexique quand même ) peut être utilisé comme 'bien fait' pour dire 'serves you right'.
En français aussi "Ah ben bravo!" is negative...
So "bien fait" is sarcastic? In English, sarcasm is often dependent on tone.
In French too, but some expressions are never used in a non-sarcastic context.
Thank you. I didn't know that "vedette" was outdated. Is "Il y a belle lurette" outdated?
Merci Madame Géraldine !
Merci 😊
Bonjour Mme G. Video, c'est super. Subscribed. I'm very pleased that you are offering this without charge. I'm familiar with very outdated expressions. This video was on point.
I believe I was taught to say 'plus de pain' as 'plu de pain' , not pronouncing the 's'.
If you want more bread, when you say « plus de pain », the S must be pronounced :
For exemple « je voudrais plus de pain ».
If there is no bread left, the S is silent « plu de pain » :
For instance : « il n’y a plus de pain » is pronounced il n’y a plu de pain
@@milie7200 Merci. Je suivee.
Bien joué is another way of saying well done.
i only use it with regards to playing a sport
But isn't life itself the ultimate sport...? 🤔
@@LubaFan no
I live in France and I still hear people say, "une gonzesse" *a lot* . Of course, a lot of people say, " une nana" but I don't think "une gonzesse" isn't as rare or outdated as reported in this video.
It is sexist.
@@aasenprivate5199 If you say so, but I've also heard lots of French women use it as well so ....
Hello Christopher Dieudonné, I am Franco-American living in France and have been for 20 years this time around! I am also a Cajun I speak French from the Napoleonic era meaning out of date for France but not on the Bayou and my nickname in Cajun French is a swear word in French! Back in the day when the British soldiers, the Redcoats ruled their call us those names because anyone stupid enough to live on the Bayou got this nickname! The Cajuns or AKA Acadians were not allowed to have or own land and the only thing left other than water was the Bayou If you're asking, it's the "C" word in both English and French it is about women in the most insulting way! I was given this nickname by a true blooded Cajun because he believes my mother is a witch of white magic she gave him a health tip, and it worked on him so white magic and no one touches a witch of white or black magic or a gater would eat you, so I was given this nickname in honor to my mother because he believes she saved his life, and he owes her his life and he would give up his life to protect her! I am talking about the lower Bayou, the wild side of the Bayou the one place on the Bayou you will not find a Redcoat walking check out the movie Southern Comfort with Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe a great movie the Cajuns are fun people but don't take their food away from them! Check out Acadians history, many women and children die at the hands of the Redcoats!
You do know your last name Dieudonné is French, meaning "God given" in English!
Here is a deeper description of "Gonzesse": In 1864, gonzesse, a "chick" designates a prostitute or the wife of a pimp. The Treasury of the French language specifies that the term can also be used to speak of a "girl of light manners" but also, to characterize a "coward, cowardly man". Yes a lot of French use gonzesse and the value of the word has slipped some, but it is still considered insulting on some level by most people even by very that use the word gonzesse! I never did go to French school but I hear most French school teach you what bad words are in French and to use them or sometimes a teacher could hit you over the hand with a twig or a wooden ruler! My mother was in a French Christian boarding schools for orphans and the nuns were mean and tough because no one like orphans and no one miss an orphan! In France, there are two levels or classes of the French language the low class French speakers vulgar French slang (argot in English it is slang) unofficial French and then the right way, the holy way or god's way of speaking! The French lady here trying to be nice, and polite, (French school training) however I am not! To help you understand the value of gonzesse it would be like saying a woman is a bitch! Just to help confuse you even more, there is a town here in France called Bitche France, no that is how it is spelled in French, Google it, and you will see for yourself! The French language is said to be among one of the hardest language in the world, to learn even for the French people! Just so you understand, I know nothing of my French verbs or conjugation or the use of gender nouns (la and le male and female) and yet many French think I do know correct French because I do speak real good French my mother is French, and I was born in Paris but as a Swamp-rat kid on the bayou we did not care because when a gater is after you the one thing we don't say is the male gater or female gater is about to eat me what you do is run but you don't run in a straight line you zig and zag as you run but kind of slowly and the gater cannot see you!
If it helps you any, I do know in the video a few small mistakes were made when she spoke in English, (who is French) but the video is done now, and I don't know her so will she care now; who knows she may never even see this her email most be full all the time now!
PS I gave you a thumbs up because your half right unofficially! This is the land of exception to everything and anything at anytime, just about when ever you want it!
In Quebec we dont use gonzesse
Does copain/copine have the same implication as ami/amie?
Bonne. Bravo!
Now that you mention it, even in English, if used in a sarcastic context, "Well done" kind of means something like 'you deserved it" or "what did you expect?"
I think her point was that in France it may be taken as sarcasm regardless of context or tone.
Can you use for well done?
... bon *boulot
Yes, but it's informal. (bon boulot)
pour bien fait, en anglais, on dirait "he had it coming". on dit, des fois, "looks good on you" et aussi, "couldn't happen to a nicer person".
Bravo Géraldine,cette video sera très utile à nos amis anglophones. Si je peux me le permettre, je dirais qu'on peut aussi dire "Bien joué !" pour "Well done !", même si on n'est pas en train de jouer. Quant à "Bonjour,mon ami !", si un Français me le disait je trouverais ça,en effet, un peu condescendant ; en revanche un "Bonjour,mon ami !" dit avec un accent étranger ne me choquerait pas du tout, j'y verrais même une intention d'être aimable.
I get the feeling "mon vieux" or simply "vieux" is (surprisingly) still relatively _au courant_ in France. And, for congratulations, "chapeau"... They both seem like expressions which would have a short shelf life.
Perhaps one or both is a bit like "cool" in Anglo Saxon countries, which is hardly ever considered dated.
I used to say “C’est bien accompli!” to mean someone did a good job.
Well, a french person will understand what you mean by that but we don't use that. 'Beau Travail!', 'Parfait!', 'C'est très bien!' are some you can use instead.
Intouchables is such a great film!
thank you very much give me and us more actual conversation between two people who are native please to acquire the actual accent and idiom of french it is my opinion thank you very much
You can get that kind of thing from Easy French videos. They ask questions of French people on the street. But Geraldine is wonderful with her kind of teaching. Elle est super, fantastique, etc.!
In Spanish we say "bien hecho", but not necessarily to congratulate someone for a job "well done" An example would be, " I reprimanded him for being late to the meeting". "Oh? "Bien hecho" In the case of a job well done we're more likely to say "Hiciste un buen trabajo, te felicito" ("You've done a good job, I congratulate you"
Your outfit....très chic!😉
I didn't know the facts about 'bien fait', but I never heard of the other phrases. I learned French 1967 - 1972, but it was mostly book French and I didn't travel at that time except back & forth to college.
Can you say 'trés bien' for something well done? Thanks for this video.
*très
@@manfredneilmann4305 Bonne réponse à la question. Bien fait. 😜
@Raquel C
Where I come from (Canada) we use "très bien" that way. Same usage as the English "very good", or "well done."
Très bien, or c’est très bien/c’est parfait/c’est super… are acceptable answers.
@@LubaFan Merci, thank you :)
@@iparipaitegianiparipaitegi4643 Thank you :)
I was surprised to see "on est allees" with the extra "es" for feminine plural. I didn't realize you make the agreement with the subject "on" depending on who "on" is referring to.
Well, I assume you already know these rules: with the verb "être" the participle past has to agree with the subject. Meanwhile "we" is "nous" , you're not supposed to use "on" as an equivalent when writing French (a rule we ignore wonderfully). So officialy you have to make the agreement but officialy "on" is not supposed to be plural. So you can basically make the agreement or not, it's up to you :)
Geraldine, bonjour. What books would you recommend to start reading as a beginner in French? Please
I don't know what Geraldine woujd recommend but when we holiday in Brittany I always pick up some younger children's books in the supermarkets or French markets , I find these helpful as they have everyday , interactive language. Also they are short enough to keep me on board ( with Google translate & a pencil !) Might not suit everyone I accept but works for me.😅
French, for all the praise it gets for being poetic and pretty, can be quite brutal 😆
Mon Viande du vache est bien fait garçon ! Pas en bleue
Brown: Is it "brun" or "marron?"
En France, dans le langage courant, le mot « marron » est utilisé pour indiquer les couleurs brunes : « des chaussures marron », « des yeux marron ». Le mot « brun » étant réservé pour les fourrures « ours brun », et les chevelures.
Fabien
Comme Une Française Team
So Bien Fait is a sarcastic Well Done. We do that in English to.
Laisse tomber = leave/let it be. You seem to use laisse more in places English use the word Leave (obviously not the "leave" associated with physically leaving)
Indeed. We also say "laisse-moi tranquille" for "leave me alone".
loll so funny because in quebec bien fait is well done so it all depend in wicth country you are so pleaseee ,les francais de france ce prenne trop aux serieux lollll
Happy Birthday Day. haha
Bien fait actually means the same thing in Portuguese, when we want to say "You deserved it" we say "Bem feito!"
Here i Brazil we say "Bien fait" ("Bem feito" in portuguese) in the similar way as in French, we use it with a ironic sense of congrats.
Pour "bien fait" tu peux aussi dire "bien joué !"
Une fille
Ça a le cœur tout rempli de chansons
Qui refleurissent à toutes les saisons
Pour l’amour d’un garçon.
Lumière has a French accent in the version française. The rolled R used to be more common (even in Paris) and is also still used in some French accents.
That much of a roll wouldn't be Parisien. Perhaps in the Southwest, and among people who speak Occitan, Catalan, or Spanish. I lived in Paris '69-'75, Didn't hear heavily rolled r's, except in Provence.
i really like the ideas she has for teaching but she goes through it all very fast and I have to rewind a lot, so many subjects in such a short time, I think maybe I am not ready to learn with her, I think she is teaching a super advanced class,
Very helpful lessons, but I kept getting distracted by the evolving bangs.
Hello, thank you for this useful video. Is Mademoiselle still commonly used as a title for unmarried women in French? Or are all women referred to as Madame, like all men are referred to as Monsieur?
I am also curious about this.
@@stuartdryer1352 I lived in Paris for 4 and a half years and people always called me madame. Mademoiselle is used for actual girls not for women in their 20s or 30's.
@@bridgetleonard6702 That's what I would have expected now. I just wanted to be sure.. Thanks for this!!!!!!!!
It depends on the age of the woman.
Madoiselle is often used. But mainly towards teen agers or very young women. After 25-30 years old, a woman should be called Madame, being married or not.
It's too late for me to learn French language today!!
Wonderful lesson.
Never too late, if you've learned the words to songs you can learn 100 French sentences commonly used, no need to worry about the feared French grammar it's all contained.
An English tip for you: “classical” is not used how you said it... a “classical” trap. It’s a “classic” trap. “Classical” generally refers to thinks like Roman or Hellenistic art and history, or Western Art Music which is colloquially (and technically erroneously) referred to as Classical music in English.
Also, English speakers never say “my friend” either so I’m not sure why they put it on French people. Middle Easterners and Arabs in general are the people I know who say “my friend” in English. And the Mexicans when you go down to Mexico and they’re trying to sell you stuff. Though I don’t hear them say “mi amigo” in Spanish so that’s curious.
But the video is great and I always learn a lot when I watch you! Thanks!
Actually in La Guajira ( A Colombian region), bien fait also has that meaning!
even calling the waiter "serveur" is condescending... just say "S'il vous plait !" or don't call him if your not in an hurry... She just said after, i didn't heard it yet.
I have found the Geneva Swiss say "Bonjour" in that heavy duty way with an emphasis on the "Bon".