- •About the Authors
- •Dedication
- •Acknowledgments
- •Table of Contents
- •Introduction
- •About This Book
- •Conventions Used in This Book
- •Foolish Assumptions
- •How This Book Is Organized
- •Icons Used in This Book
- •Where to Go from Here
- •The French You’re Familiar With
- •Idioms and Popular Expressions
- •Key Parts of Speech
- •Cavorting with Verbs
- •Forming Sentences and Questions
- •The French Alphabet
- •Uttering Vowel and Consonant Sounds
- •Greetings: Formal and Friendly
- •Asking Questions to Get to Know People
- •Counting Your Lucky Stars: Numbers
- •Using the Calendar and Dates
- •Telling Time in French
- •Discussing Where You Live with the Verb “Habiter”
- •Discussing Daily Routine with Reflexive Verbs
- •Using Possessive Adjectives to Introduce Your Family Members
- •Basic Questions and Polite Expressions
- •Stating Your Preferences
- •Talking about Your Livelihood
- •Chatting about the Weather
- •Deciding to Keep in Touch
- •Getting Direction about Directions
- •Dining Out
- •Going to the Market
- •Going Shopping
- •Going Out with the Verb “Sortir”
- •Having Fun with the Verb “S’amuser”
- •Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
- •Making Plans with Friends
- •Making a Phone Call
- •Livin’ in the Past: Using the Past Tense
- •Playing Sports and Games
- •Going to the Beach
- •Setting Up Camp
- •Enjoying Quieter Pursuits
- •Where Do You Want to Go?
- •Getting Ready for Your Trip
- •Getting Current with Currency
- •Going to the Bank
- •Using Credit Cards and ATMs
- •Getting through the Airport
- •Navigating Buses, Trains, and Subways
- •Getting Around by Car
- •Finding Accommodations
- •Checking In to a Hotel
- •Checking Out of a Hotel
- •Getting Help Fast
- •Getting Medical Help
- •Handling Legal Matters
- •Label the Things in Your House
- •Write Your Shopping Lists in French
- •Listen to French Music
- •Watch French Movies
- •Tune in to TV5
- •Read French Publications
- •Take a Class
- •Join a French Association
- •Join an Online Chat or Pen Pal Forum
- •Using “Tu” When You Mean “Vous”
- •Using “Bonne nuit!” for Good-Bye
- •Using “Garçon” or “Porteur” to Address Service Staff
- •Saying “Je suis excité(e)” to Indicate Excitement
- •Saying “Je suis chaud(e)/froid(e)” to Say You’re Hot or Cold
- •Saying “Je suis plein/e” to Mean You’re Full
- •Using “de la glace” to Request Ice
- •Using “Je suis . . . ans” to Tell Your Age
- •Asking for Change with “J’ai besoin de change”
- •Using the Verb “Visiter” in Reference to People
- •“À mon avis”
- •“C’est pas vrai”
- •“Avec plaisir”
- •“C’est génial”
- •“À votre santé”
- •“À vos souhaits”
- •“Quelle horreur!”
- •“À bientôt”
- •“Passez-moi un coup de fil!”
- •“On y va!” or “Allons-y!”
- •“Je n’en sais rien”
- •“Je n’en reviens pas”
- •“Ça vaut la peine”
- •“C’est pas grave”
- •“N’importe”
- •“Tu cherches midi à 14h”
- •“Prenons un pot!”
- •Regular French Verbs
- •Auxiliary French Verbs
- •Track Listing
- •Customer Care
- •Index
Chapter 20
Ten Favorite French Expressions
After you get tuned into French a little, you may suddenly hear people use very French expressions that seem to just sort of slip out at any
given occasion. You may even have heard some of these already; now it’s time to casually use them yourself.
“À mon avis”
If you want to express your opinion in French, you use this handy phrase. À mon avis (ah mohN-nah-vee) means in my opinion. You can use the expression before or after you state your opinion.
“C’est pas vrai”
If you hear something that is hard to believe, you say C’est pas vrai (seh pah vreh) (No way!, You don’t say!) This expression’s literal meaning is It is not true. Note that, grammatically, this expression should be Ce n’est pas vrai (suh neh pah vreh); however, in oral French, the ne is often omitted, and you only hear the pas.
“Avec plaisir”
Avec plaisir (ah-vehk pleh-zeer) means with pleasure, and it’s a great way to accept an invitation to lunch or to see a film, for example. You can also use this expression to show that you are willing and happy to do a favor for someone.
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“Bon appétit!”
Bon appétit! (bohN-nah-pey-tee!) literally means Good appetite! However, it certainly is not commenting on anyone’s good or bad appetite. You use this phrase when you begin to eat or when you see someone eating and want to express your desire that that person enjoy the meal. Bon appétit! is much like the English Enjoy! except that the French say Bon appétit! much more freely.
“C’est génial”
Use C’est génial (seh zhey-nyahl) to convey excitement about something. It means It’s fantastic! or It’s great! It can also suggest that something is really clever or, as the British say, It’s brilliant.
“À votre santé”
When the French raise their glasses, they say À votre santé (ah vohh-truh sahN-tey) in the singular formal or plural, or À ta santé (ah tah sahN-tey) in the familiar form. These phrases literally mean to your health, but their general meaning is the same as their English counterpart: Cheers!
“À vos souhaits”
When someone sneezes, in English you say Bless you. In French, you say À vos souhaits (ah voh sweh) (to your wishes), which is more formal, or À tes souhaits (ah tey sweh), which is more familiar or informal. Both expressions mean that you hope the sneezer’s wishes come true.
“Quelle horreur!”
Quelle horreur! (kehl oh-ruhr!) means What a horror! You use it not only for real horrors but also to express any kind of disgust, as in these expressions:
What a terrible thought! How nasty! and I can’t believe it! You also use this expression when something looks, sounds, or smells terrible.
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“À bientôt”
The literal translation of À bientôt (ah byaN-toh) is Until soon. You use this expression when you expect to see the departing person within a reasonable time frame.
“Pas mal”
Use pas mal (pah mahl) (not bad) when you want to express that something isn’t great, but it’s not terrible either; instead it’s in-between. Generally, you use this phrase in response to someone asking you how you are feeling or how things are going.
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