5 modern English expressions in French 🍑

Have you ever experienced this?
 
You’re saying something perfectly normal, and all of a sudden, either people look at you weirdly or they start laughing their heads off.
 
At first you don’t understand, you might laugh along with them, but then you realise they are laughing at you 😞 
 
“Did I say something funny?”
 
Yes, you did.
 
You’ve just translated an expression. Literally. And believe me, you don’t realise the number of English expressions you’re using in a day until you are speaking another language all day long.
 
 
Learning the expressions of another language is fun. But, they don’t always match.
 
How can you express things like ‘that’s a no brainer’ in French then? Because you are so USED to using it, you NEED an alternative.
 
Let me help you and let’s take a look at 5 common modern english expressions in French, so you never have to feel that way again (even if IT IS funny).
 

Peachy 🍑

It’s such a cute word. And, as a French native, I had a hard time understanding what it means.
 
Because the english expression ‘peachy’ seems to have two meanings, right? And they contradict each other.
 
But then, I realised. It’s not that there are two meanings. It’s just that the word is often used more sarcastically.
 
And it is that characteristic that is important. More than the fact that ‘peachy’ is a cute word and refers to a peach.
 
In French, you can use ‘super’ or ‘gĂ©nial’, but only as is, and NOT as adjectives if you want to be sarcastic. 
 
– Oh, j’ai oubliĂ© de te dire. On est invitĂ© chez mes parents Dimanche midi.
– Oh gĂ©nial


Smart cookie đŸȘ

Yes, I like cute expressions. Peaches and cookies? I’m all in.
 
A smart cookie is someone, smart right? 
 
You use it within sentences.
 
He’s such a smart cookie.
 
What a smart cookie!
 
But in French, it’s hard to find an equivalent:
  • Il est tellement intelligent – doesn’t cut it. You’re missing the fun part of the sentence.
  • Comment tu es malin (maligne) – is an ok version, but still not exactly THAT.
 
So here’s what I suggest you use instead: gĂ©nie.
 
Because not only you can use it in pretty much all the place you would use smart cookie, but also, it’s conveying the same idea with a sense of fun.
 
Minus the origins of the word ‘cookie’ here
 
C’est un gĂ©nie.
 
Quel génie!

A go-getter đŸƒâ€â™€ïž

This is a typical example of a word that only makes REAL sense in English, and especially in American English.
 
Achieving is something that is HUGE in American culture, but not as important in French culture.
 
We like to take things slow, and achieving something is not really the goal. 
 
So a go-getter can’t have an exact translation

 
There’s similar equivalents, but nothing quite the same:
  • Une personne qui rĂ©ussit : is too long and not complete enough to really be a translation. We’re missing the action driven part of a go-getter.
  • Un fonceur / Une fonceuse : is someone who quite literally charges at something. But that’s only one notion of the word go-getter, right? Un fonceur does not necessarily succeed.
 
However, I think un fonceur is probably the closest you could get from the word go-getter.
 
Il part en Australie? Quel fonceur.

When life gives you lemons 🍋

If you saying ‘quand la vie te donne des citrons
’ to a French person, I guarantee you’ll make a confused person out of him or her.
 
But it’s such a handy phrase to say right? 
 
A bit like ‘C’est la vie’.
 
Although, it’s impossible to translate if you want to keep the bitter part

 
The only equivalent I could think about is ‘Contre mauvaise fortune, bon coeur’ (lit. Against bad luck, good heart).

You down? đŸ”„

One of the particularities of the English language that I love is the use of small words like down, out, off, up,

 
It makes the language alive.
 
But it also makes is tricky to translate sometimes.
 
You down? is short, to the point, and does not come with details, but could:
 
You down for a cinema tonight?
 
So in French, we also need to use a short term.
 
And the best one is partant (lit. Leaving or Keen).
 
You can use it in a sentence or on its own:
 
Partant?
Partant pour un cinéma ce soir?

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