Salut les Frenchies,
This week, I’m back in France and I’m taking you with me. If you follow me on social media, you might have played my little game… Did you guess right?
Anyway, if you didn’t, I was in the region of Les Hauts de France, which is the new region combining the old Picardy and the North. More precisely, I was in the Somme.
Now, I could probably tell you loads about the Somme and its history, but what we are going to look at is its language particularities.
However, if you are curious about what the North of France looks like and what I did during my trip, you can watch this video.
Before we start, let's be clear on something
So you want to blend in the North? Use those words and expressions.
Hein? Hein!
Understanding this will get you VERY far already.
We use ‘Hein’ almost all the time. And it has several meanings.
Depending on its place in a sentence it can be used to:
- Ask to repeat
- Emphasise something you’ve just said
Here’s how to use it:
- Hein? J’ai pas compris.
- Il est pas très intelligent, hein?
- On n’est pas à Paris hein!
The pronunciation is very simple, as it is the same as ‘un’ (in un, deux, trois). But, if you want to add in a bit of authentic picard accent, you are allowed (for once) to use a bit of nasality.
Listen to the pronunciation
Ch'
I promise it’s still somehow French.
In picard, the Ch’ is the principal determinant. It’s not as used as ‘Hein’ but if you converse with old people, chances are, you will hear it.
For example :
- Ch’carette -> La voiture -> The car
- Ch’garenne -> Le lapin -> The rabbit
- Ch’co -> Le chat -> The cat
Those words are actually good exemples of the similarities between picard and English.
- Ch’co -> cat
- Ch’carette -> car
Btw, do you know why English and French have a lot of words in common? Let me know if you would like an article on the subject.
In general, in picard, you’ll find the (ch) sound a bit everywhere.
Listen to the pronunciation
J'te (re)dis quoi
I tend to use this expression a lot. And I sometimes forget that it is a regional expression, which makes for some funny misunderstandings.
So, what does it mean?
It literally means ‘I’ll tell you what’. But, careful, as with most literal translations, it’s no good.
Use it to say ‘I’ll come back to you on this’:
- Je ne sais pas encore si je pourrai venir. Je te dis quoi.
- Tu vois avec Paul et te me dis quoi.
You might also hear ‘je te redis quoi’, which means exactly the same thing.
Listen to the pronunciation
Bélot / Bélotte
It’s also one of those words we still use without realising it’s a northern thing.
Someone is bélot or bélote, when he or she is beautiful or cute.
It’s particularly used for babies and pets.
- Regarde comme il est bélot celui là.
- Elle est bélote!
Listen to the pronunciation
And now a few insults. Because they're hilarious.
Brun (sometimes spelled Bren)
Brun, in ‘global’ French means dark brown, and is used mostly to refer to hair colours.
- Elle est brune.
- Il a des cheveux bruns.
But in picard, it’s not so charming as it means merde, or ‘shit’ in English.
Brun in picard is used as merde is in French.
- Du brun, je vais le faire quand même. (Fuck it, I’m going to do it anyway)
- Brun!
Listen to the pronunciation
Nonoche, Boubours, Babache
Note the syllable repetition.
All those words are used to indicate someone’s not intelligent. They imply that these people don’t have full mental capacities.
Not very nice to be called that, although it can sometimes be used amongst friends to tease each others.
Listen to the pronunciation
Mouc à brun
Listen to the pronunciation
Extra handy words
Making an effort and speaking a few words of patois will make the difference when it comes to blending in.
In the meantime, keep learning, keep laughing, and I’ll see you next week for another video on JustFrenchIt !
A l’arvoïure !
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