Five French phrases you didn’t learn at school
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If you’re heading to France – or any French-speaking country – this summer, the chances are you’ll be trying to see what you can remember from school. It seems unlikely, however, that the things you’ll most need to say will have been in your textbook. You probably won’t have to declare to anyone that you have a pet dog who is black and white, or that your dad is a teacher (even though he’s really a call centre operative or a consultancy manager, but that wasn’t on the vocab list).
Here are five phrases to learn that’ll get you through the most important sort of emergencies on holiday.
1) “Il y a une connexion WiFi ici?” (pronounced: eel-ee-ya oon con-eck-see-on wee-fee ee-see?)
Means: “Is there wifi here?”. Because let’s face it, it’s not a holiday without it.
2) “C’est quoi, cette chanson?” (pronounced: say kwa, set shan-son?)
Means: “what’s this song?”. Because most French music is great, and if you find out what it is, you can bring it back with you to remind you of your hols.
3) “Casse-toi, connard” (pronounced: cass twa, con-ar)
Means: “Get lost, you twit”. Or a somewhat ruder version. This is perfect for the person hassling you in the pub, or the man eying you up in a creepy way. Less good if you’re in France for a family wedding!
4) “Il y a des escargots, des cuisses de grenouille ou du cheval là-dedans?” (pronounced: eel-ee-ah dez ess-car-go, day kwees deh grun-weey ooh doo shev-al la deh-don?)
Means: “Is there any snails, frogs legs or horse in it?”. Unless your tastes are adventurous, this one speaks for itself.
5)”T’es célibataire?” (pronounced: tay sell-ee-bah-tare?)
Means: “Are you single?”. Depending on the holiday you’re hoping for, this might be a question to ask other people or to look out for (possibly answering it with phrase #3!).
We hope this guide will keep your holidays exactly as you wanted them!