Hi I was just wondering if you could give me a few more examples of sarcastic/ironic phrases? Because that's how I speak so often in English that it feels weird to speak a language without my personality (if that makes sense) đđđ
Hello,
Youâre opening Pandoraâs box here! Here are a few:
When someone has achieved something meaningless: Tâes un as, un champion, un gĂ©nie⊠Si tu nâexistais pas ça, il faudrait tâinventer (If you didnât exist, weâd have to invent you); Câest pas sorcier (Itâs not witchcraft): You donât need to be a magician to know how to do that,
When someone isnât too bright: Il nâa pas inventĂ© lâeau chaude/le fil Ă couper le beurre/la poudre (He hasnât invented warm water / butterwire / powder), Il nâa pas la lumiĂšre Ă tous les Ă©tages (He doesnât have the light on at every floor),
When someone tells you about something you donât care about: Ăa me fait une belle jambe (It makes my leg look good) ; (Ferme) ta gueule, pour voir? Câest mieux (Letâs see: try to shut the fuck up? (silence) Thatâs better),
Ce nâest pas demain la veille: Itâs not tomorrow the day before (Itâs not about to happen) ex: Maybe one day weâll all live in peace but câest pas demain la veille,
When someone is being fussy: Tu vas pas en chier une pendule?! (Youâre not going to shit a clock, arenât you?); Câest la fin des haricots! (Thatâs the end of the beans) : We all gonna die; Câest pas tout mais je vais y aller (Thatâs not all but iâm going to go): Iâm bored to death, Iâm off; Pleure, tu pisseras moins (Cry about it, youâll have less to pee).
When someone gives you unpleasant news: Câest la meilleure de lâannĂ©e (âitâs the best of the yearâ): thatâs the dumbest/worst thing iâve ever heard; Tu te fous de ma gueule?: youâre shitting me,Â
When someone presses you to go to an event you donât care for: Ah bah ça serait dommage de rater ça (Thatâs be a shame to miss that),
- Is that you? - Non, câest le pape (Itâs the pope),
Something called antiphrase ironique, very popular : saying âWhat a great dayâ when itâs raining, âFantasticâ when something breaksâŠ,
And many more! All of my expressions posts.
Hope this helps! xÂ
do u have any advice for ppl who want to study linguistics and languages but couldnt afford to study it at school?? thanks if you answer this, have a great day
yeah! you can easily download textbooks online and study from them AND I do have a dropbox full of linguistics textbooks!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qm7x5dz8fu4bdlp/AADshTfRGZG5JZALkDV6wFlwa?dl=0Â
it includes phonetics/phonology, sociolinguistics, language acquisition, psycholinguistics, morphology, and etymology.Â
I also have another dropbox folder full of language textbooks:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tdm26h60ccl9pe1/AABg0B3mOGaWLG9Kfyuvut6wa?dl=0
As of November 6: Includes 83 textbooks including Arabic, ASL, Chinese (Mandarin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovene, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Welsh :)
TO BE HAPPY
ĂȘtre content(e)
ĂȘtre de bonne humeur
ĂȘtre en liesse - to be jubilant
ĂȘtre heureux/heureuse - to be happy
déborder de bonheur - to be overjoyed
ĂȘtre satisfait(e) - to be satisfied
ĂȘtre repu(e) - to be full/satiated/satisfied (food)
TO BE EXCITED
ĂȘtre emballĂ© par - to be excited about sth (to be enthused by sth thatâs happening)
ĂȘtre enthousiasmĂ© - to be excited/enthused
ĂȘtre enthousiaste - to be excited
ĂȘtre en verve - to be entusiastic/excited about sth
ĂȘtre excitĂ© comme une puce - to be really excited
TO BE IN LOVE
Ăpris - lovestruck
Ătre amoureux de - to be in love with
Fou/follement amoureux de - head over heels in love with s.o
Ătre fou/folle de qqn - to be nuts for s.o
TO BE RELAXED
En prendre à son aise (avec) - to take things easy (péjoratif)
ĂȘtre dĂ©tendu(e) - to be relaxed
TO BE SAD/UNHAPPY
ĂȘtre triste
ĂȘtre insatisfait(e) - to be unsatisfied
ĂȘtre mĂ©content(e) de/que - to be unsatisfied about/be unhappy about
TO BE ANGRY/FRUSTRATED
ĂȘtre fĂąchĂ©(e) - to be angry
ĂȘtre furieux/furieuse - to be furious
ĂȘtre de mauvaise humeur - to be in a bad mood
en avoir marre de - to have had enough of
avoir les boules - to be pissed off
ĂȘtre furax - to be furious/hopping mad
se fĂącher tout rouge - to see red
se mettre en colĂšre - to get angry
se mettre/foutre en pétard - to blow your top
se mettre en rogne - to get very angry
TO BE ANNOYED/IRRITATED
ĂȘtre agacĂ©(e) - to be irritated/annoyedÂ
ĂȘtre Ă©nervĂ©(e) - to be annoyed/irritated
ĂȘtre irritĂ©(e) - to be irritated
ĂȘtre gĂȘnĂ©(e) - (in this case) to feel annoyed - softer/gentler than agacer
Avoir les nerfs â to be irritated/annoyed/cross
Avoir les nerfs Ă vif â to be at your witâs end
Avoir les nerfs en pelote â to be on edge
TO BE BORED (OR FEELING LAZY)
ĂȘtre ennuyĂ©(e) - to be bored
ĂȘtre mort dâennui - to be bored to death
avoir la flemme (de faire qch) - canât be bothered doing sth
TO BE TIRED
ĂȘtre fatiguĂ©(e) - to be tired
ĂȘtre Ă©crasĂ©(e) - to be stuffed
ĂȘtre Ă©puisĂ©(e) - to be exhausted
ĂȘtre crevĂ©(e) - to be dead tired
ĂȘtre vannĂ©(e) - to be ready to drop
ĂȘtre claquĂ©(e) - to be bushed/beat
TO BE STRESSED
ĂȘtre stressĂ©(e) - to be stressed
Ătre sur les nerfs - to be strung out
Ătre surmenĂ©/dĂ©bordĂ© - to be stressed/overworked
Ătre tendu - to be stressed
TO FEEL SICK (TO DO WITH ILLNESS)
se sentir mal - to feel sick
se sentir mieux - to feel better
avoir mal - to be in pain
Avoir des courbatures - to feel stiff
TO BE SCARED
avoir peur (de) - to be scared (of)
avoir les jetons - to be scared stiff
avoir une peur bleue (de qch) - to be scared out of your wits (by sth)
avoir le trac - to be nervous
ĂȘtre effrayĂ©(e) par - to be frightened by
ĂȘtre mort de peur - to be dead scared
TO BE SURPRISED/SHOCKED
ĂȘtre surpris(e) (par) - to be surprised
ĂȘtre stupĂ©fait(e) - to be stunned
les bras mâen tombent - I am speechless
ĂȘtre choquĂ©(e) (par) - to be shocked (by)
en ĂȘtre baba - to be gobsmacked (due to admiration)
ĂȘtre Ă©bahi(e) - to be astonished
TO BE CONFUSED
ça mâembrouille - Iâm confused - lit. this confuses me
Jâai du mal Ă suivre - Iâm confused - Iâm having trouble following
Je suis perdu(e) - Iâm confused (lost)Â
Je ne sais plus oĂč jâen suis - Iâm confused - in the sense that you donât know where you are in something (figurative)
Je nây comprends rien (or: jây comprends rien - to be more colloquial) - Iâm confused - I donât get it
Je ne comprends pas - I donât understand/Iâm confused
Jâte suis pas - Iâm confused (I donât follow you)
TO BE PROUD
Ătre fier de (note: feminine= fiĂšre) - to be proud of
Ătre orgueilleux - to be proud (to be a proud [as in haughty] as a person)
TO BE SMUG
Ătre hautain - to be proud (snobby/up yourself)
Ătre fiĂ©rot (fem= fiĂ©rote) - to be a proud person
Faire le fiérot - to be smug/pleased with yourself
TO BE JEALOUS
Crever de jalousie - to be eaten up with jealousy
Ătre jaloux de - to be jealous
Ătre envieux de (plus formel/soutenu) - to be envious
Jalouser - to envy/be jealous of
TO FEEL DESPAIR
ĂȘtre au comble du dĂ©sespoir - to be in the depths of despair
Se désespérer - to despair/lose hope
TO BE GRATEFUL
ĂȘtre reconnaissant(e) - to be grateful
savoir gré à qqn de qch - to be grateful to s.o for sth e.g. je te sais gré de ton aide
TO FEEL SAFE
se sentir Ă lâabri - to feel safe
TO BE HURT/BROKEN-HEARTED/UPSET
avoir le cĆur brisĂ©(e) - to be broken-hearted/broken up by something
en ĂȘtre malade - to be cut up/gutted by sth
ĂȘtre affectĂ©(e) - to be cut up about something
ĂȘtre blessĂ©(e) - to be hurt by sth
ĂȘtre bouleversĂ©(e) - to be upset
ĂȘtre dans tous ses Ă©tats - to be in a state
ĂȘtre dĂ©semparĂ©(e) - to be distraught
ĂȘtre peinĂ©(e) - to be hurt by sth
ĂȘtre accablĂ© par le chagrin - to be grief-stricken
en ĂȘtre tout retournĂ© - to be bowled over/to be devastated~shocked by
ĂȘtre anĂ©anti - to be torn in two
avoir mal au cĆur - to be very sad/heartbroken (can also mean to feel sick/nauseated) avoir un gros chagrin - to be grief-stricken/heartbroken
TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE
ĂȘtre dans ses petits souliers - to feel uncomfortable
ĂȘtre mal Ă lâaise - to be uncomfortable
ĂȘtre mal Ă son aise - to be ill at ease
se trouver mal - to be uncomfortable (uncomfortable position - e.g. sitting)
TO FEEL HUMILIATED
ĂȘtre humiliĂ©(e) - to be humiliated
ĂȘtre mortifiĂ©(e) - to be mortified
We donât use the negation ne. We say Je sais pas (I donât know) or On a pas Ă le faire (we donât have to do it),
Speaking of which, we prefer using on rather than the pompous nous : On est arrivĂ©-es (weâve arrived), On y va? (shall we go)
Speaking of which, our questions are often affirmative sentences ending with a question mark (i.e. : a high-pitched tone) : Tu viens? (are you coming), Tâen veux un-e? (do you want one).
Speaking of which, we chew words. When followed by words starting with a consonant, personal pronouns can lose their final letter : Jâte lâdis! rather than Je te le dis (Iâm telling you).
Speaking of which, weâre lazy : Je can be Che (chais pas), Il can be Y (râgarde, yâa un chat!) and grunt : many euh (uh), ah, bah (hum), ben (well), hein (tf?) and rhooo/rhaaa (ffs). We often start sentences with but : Mais tu saoules! (youâre annoying) to express displeasure.
Speaking of which, on top of dropping nĂ©gations, we drop pronouns : Youâre being a pain in my ass should be Tu me fais chier but can be Tu fais chier - maybe to make it universal or dramatic.
Speaking of which, we thrive on sarcasm and irony. To someone whoâs babbling, weâll answer It makes my leg look good.
Speaking of which, we repeat (personal) pronouns at the beginning or end of sentences. Weâre likely to ask Quâest-ce quâil en dit, lui? and answer Moi, je veux bien (tonic pronouns, careful!).
Speaking of which, we like to use the conditional mode to indicate a wish or hypothesis : lots of Si jâavais su, jâaurais dit oui (had i known, iâd have said yes), Jâaimerais bien pouvoir- (I wish I could-), etc.
Speaking of which, we add useless words : Bien (jâirais bien), Petit (un petit peu), TrĂšs (trĂšs vrai), Trop (je ne sais pas trop), ça (Câest quoi, ça?)âŠ
Speaking of which, letâs stop before you all get disgusted and unfollow me. Remember this is spoken, private french and doesnât apply to formal situations!
- you can talk about how your day was - this is a great opportunity to apply your knowledge of past tenses.Â
jâai passĂ© une trĂšs bonne journĂ©e
jâai passĂ© une excellente journĂ©e
jâai passĂ© une belle journĂ©e
jâai eu une merveilleuse journĂ©e
jâai passĂ© une journĂ©e fantastique
Je nâai pas eu une bonne journĂ©e
jâai eu une journĂ©e affreuse - a really bad day
jâai eu une mauvaise journĂ©e
jâai passĂ© une journĂ©e difficileÂ
jâai eu une journĂ©e des plus occupĂ©s
jâai eu une journĂ©e chargĂ©e
la journĂ©e dâaujourdâhui sâest avĂ©rĂ©e fort occupĂ©e
jâai eu une journĂ©e tranquille
jâai passĂ© une journĂ©e tranquille
jâai profitĂ© dâune journĂ©e de dĂ©tente
hier - yesterday
hier soir - last night
hier matin - yesterday morning
hier aprĂšs-midi - yesterday afternoon
demain - tomorrow
demain matin - tomorrow morning
demain aprĂšs-midi - tomorrow afternoon
demain soir - tomorrow evening
le lendemain - the next day
cette semaine - this week
la semaine derniĂšre - last week
la semaine prochaine - next week
ce mois-ci - this month
le mois dernier - last month
le mois prochain - next month
cette année - this year
lâannĂ©e derniĂšre - last year
lâannĂ©e prochaine - next year
when talking about a coming day e.g. next saturday = samedi prochain/le samedi suivant
et mon cul, câest du poulet ? - yeah right!
faire du cinéma - to be a drama queen
jâai du mal Ă croire que - I canât believe that
jai vraiment foiré sur ce coup là - I really stuffed up!
je nâarrive pas Ă y croire ! - I canât believe it
je nâen crois pas mes yeux - I canât believe my eyes
je nâen reviens pas ! - I canât believe it!
mon cul ! - my arse! (when you donât believe someone, say if theyâve been lying to you)
Let me know if there is anything that you think I should add or if there are any corrections:)
french person: 80
me, an intellectual: blaze it
Writer Beware makes posts on which publishing houses to avoid at all costs, which words to look for and which words to watch out for in contracts, and several other things that will keep you in control and knowledgeable about the publishing process. Iâd suggest reading through the website if you want to avoid getting ripped off, cheated, or scammed.
Rayon (nm.) - aisle, department
TĂȘte de gondole (nf.) - aisle-end display
ĂtagĂšre (nf.) - shelf
Caddie (nm.) - cart
Panier (nm.) - basket
Faire les courses (fixed exp.) - to do the groceries
Frigo vitrine (nm.)Â - Â Refrigerated display case
Ăpicerie (nf.) - grocery store
Commerce (nm.) - store, trade
Supermarché, hypermarché (nm.) - supermarket
Ticket de caisse (nm.) - receipt
Code-barres (nm.) - bar code
Lecteur optique (nm.) - scanner
Caissier, caissiĂšre (nm./f.) - cash register
Rendre la monnaie (fixed exp.) - to give change
Tapis roulant (nm.) - conveyor belt
Caisse (nf.) - cashier
EspĂšces (nfp.) - cash
Produits alimentaires (nmp.) - food products
Produits dâentretien (fixed exp.) - household/cleaning products
Crémerie (nf.) - dairy section
ĂlectromĂ©nager (nm.) - electrical goods
Produits surgelés (fixed exp.) - frozen products
Conserves (nfp.) - canned/tinned food
Plat préparé (nm.) - ready-made dishes
Ă deux pas d'ici - Nearby
Ă nous deux - En garde
Ă quatre pattes - On all fours
Ă six pieds sous terre - Buried
Ă un de ces quatre - See you soon (casual)
Attendre cent-sept ans - Waiting forever
Aux quatre coins du monde - All over the world
Avoir deux mains gauches - Being very clumsy
Avoir deux mots Ă dire Ă qqun - Having someone to scold
Avoir du mal Ă joindre les deux bouts - Struggling to earn enough
Avoir la boule à zéro - Being bald/shaved
Avoir le cul entre deux chaises - Not knowing what to do (casual)
Avoir le moral à zéro - Being depressed
Avoir les deux pieds sur terre - Being realistic
Avoir un cheveu sur la langue - Having a lisp
Avoir un poil dans la main - Being lazy
Avoir zéro défaut - Being flawless
Blague Ă deux balles, f - Crappy joke
Brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts - Spending too much
Ăa fait deux - It's incompatible (Moi et les maths, ça fait deux)
C'est reparti comme en quatorze - Here we go again
C'était moins une - It was almost too late
Chercher Ă midi Ă quatorze heures - Complicating things
CinquiĂšme roue du carosse, f - Third wheel
Comme pas deux - Better than anyone (casual)
Compter deux par deux - Skip count by twos
Couper la poire en deux - Finding a compromise
Couper les cheveux en quatre - Being very/too meticulous
De deux choses l'une - Here are the options
De mes deux - useless (Voiture de mes deux!)
De premiÚre nécessité - Absolutely essential
De seconde main - Secondhand
Deux fois, ça va, trois fois, bonjour les dégùts - It will be a mess
Deux-piĂšces, m - Two-roomed flat, Bikini
Deux-roues, m - Two-wheeled vehicle
Deux-temps, m - Two-stroke
Dire à qqun ses quatre vérités - Telling smn a few home truths
Dire qqc cent fois - Repeating oneself
Dormir sur ses deux oreilles - Being at peace with oneself
Durer trois plombes - Taking a long time (casual)
En deux coups de cuillĂšre Ă pot - Very quickly
En deux temps trois mouvements - very quickly
En huit - Of next week (Jeudi en huit)
En quinze - In two weeks
En un mot comme en mille - In a nutshell
Entre les deux mon coeur balance - I don't know what to pick
Ătat second, m - Trance (after medication, drug, illness)
Ătre Ă deux doigts de - Being very close to
Ătre au septiĂšme ciel - Being very happy
Ătre haut-e comme trois pommes - Being little (for a child)
Ătre pliĂ©-e en deux - Laughing very hard
Ătre tirĂ©-e Ă quatre Ă©pingles - Being very well dressed
Ătre uni-es comme les doigts de la main - Being very good friends
Faire deux poids deux mesures - Having double standards
Faire d'une pierre deux coups - Killing two birds with one stone
Faire les cent pas - Pacing
Faire les quatre cents coups - Being up to mischief
Faire les trois-huit - Having an eight hour shift
Freiner des quatre fers - Digging in heels
Grand huit, m - Rollercoaster
Jamais deux sans trois - All things come in threes
Je te le donne en mille - You'll never guess
Le mot de cinq lettres - Shit (Merde)
Les deux font la paire - They are two of a kind
Les deux mon capitaine - Both options are reasonable
Les quatre fers en l'air - Flat on the back
Manger comme quatre - Eating a lot
Ménage à trois - Love triangle
Merci mille fois - Thank you so much
Mille-feuilles, m - Cream slice
Mille-pattes, m - Centipede
Mouton Ă cinq pattes, m - Something exceptional
Ne faire ni une ni deux - Deciding without hesitating
Ne faire qu'un (avec) - Being one with
Ne pas avoir un radis/rond - Being broke (casual)
Ne pas gagner des mille et des cent - Not earning much
Ne pas se le faire dire deux fois - Not having to be told twice
Ne pas y aller par quatre chemins - Going straight to the point
Ne rien savoir faire de ses dix doigts - Being lazy, uncapable
Neuf fois sur dix - Nine times out of ten
Nombre premier, m - Prime number
Paris ne s'est pas fait en un jour - Rome wasn't built in a day
Prendre son courage Ă deux mains - Plucking up courage
Quatre Ă quatre - Very quickly
Quatre-heures, m - Snack
Quatre-quarts, m - Pound cake
Recevoir cinq sur cinq - Understanding stg perfectly
Remettre les compteurs à zéro - Starting over
Repartir à zéro - Starting over
Semaine des quatre jeudi, f - The month of Sundays
Se mettre en quatre (pour qqun) - Doing a lot to give a favour
Se mettre sur son trente-et-un - Dressing up to the nines
S'en moquer comme de l'an quarante - Not caring (casual)
Se parler entre quatre z'yeux - Talking face to face
Se ressembler comme deux gouttes d'eau - Looking identical
Se saigner aux quatre veines - Depriving oneself
Tomber sur un os - Hitting a snag
Tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche (avant de parler) - Thinking before speaking
Tous les trente-six du mois - Once in a blue moon
Treize Ă la douzaine - In large quantities
Trente-trois tours, m - Long-playing record
TroisiĂšme Ăąge, m - Senior citizens
Un Ă la fois - One at a time
Un-e de perdu-e, dix de retrouvé-es - Plenty more fish in the sea
Un homme averti en vaut deux - Forewarned is forearmed
Un jour ou l'autre - Some day
Vingt dieux - Holy crap (casual/old)
Vingt-quatre heures sur vingt-quatre - 24/7
Voir trente-six chandelles - Seeing stars
Y regarder Ă deux fois - Thinking before making a decision
*Qqun/Quelqu'un - Someone; Qqch/Quelque chose - Something