If you’re like me, you probably, at some point in your life, took a foreign language class, and if your foreign language class was anything like mine, you probably learned about grammar, conjugation, and other dull syntax rules. However, what your teacher didn't teach you is even if you can form a perfect sentence (and even if you speak like you’re straight out of the 19th century), you still end up looking weird.
But don’t worry! If you planned on coming to France and want to sound like any other young French, I wrote you a little list of expressions!
(Warning: this article contains swear words... in two languages!)
1. "You’re pissing me off."
“Tu me cassses les couilles” (which translates into “you’re breaking my testicles”) implies the person bothers you so much that it’s physically painful... Some of you may ask what the girls say, and while most of the time, we say the same thing, we sometimes also say, “Tu me cases les ovaires” or "You’re breaking my ovaries”.
2. "It’s boring."
“Il/Elle/C’est relou" or "He/She/It's boring."
This one comes from a particular slang, the verlan, in which you take words, and you say them backward. Therefore, “relou” comes from “lourd” which literally means “heavy”. However, it can all mean “it’s boring”, depending on the context.
3. "I don’t give a damn."
“Je m’en bat les couilles.”
This one is close to the first one, but it doesn’t mean “you’re breaking my testicles”. Instead, it means “I’m hitting my testicles”. (Why do we say that particular phrase? I don’t know.)
4. "I agree."
“J’avoue” or “I confess” in French.
(As if we're always interrogated by FBI agents, or if we all have something to be guilty about.)
5. "Shut up."
This one always comes in handy. We say, “Ta gueule”. “Gueule” is the word we use to talk about an animal’s mouth, so here, it just means “your mouth” or maybe “your muzzle”.
6. "I swear to God."
“Sur la tête de ma mère” or “On my mother’s head” in French.
This one implies if you’re lying, your mother will die, and thus, it shows you’re really serious and telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
7. "Screw you."
“Nique ta mère” literally means “go f**k your mother”. Obviously, this one is really rude, though most millennials use it between friends, so just make sure you’re close before you drop it.
Now, you have some basic phrases to talk to young French, but if you want more expressions, please say so in the comments!
