Informal French Expressions

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Learn some common expressions and sayings in informal French, with free audio recording by a native speaker

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Buy Informal and Spoken French as an e-book! Informal and Spoken French includes more than 200 pages of informal speech, slang vocabulary, spontaneous listening resources with transcripts and exercises, and authentic French-language realia images from Europe. This e-book also comes with 91 mp3s recorded by several native speakers and FREE lifetime updates. Download a sample of Informal and Spoken French (including the table of contents). The companion e-book, French Language Tutorial, is also available. Buy the two French e-books together at a discounted price!

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Informal Expressions

Je n'en reviens pas - I can't believe it
C'est du gâteau ! - It's a piece of cake!
Revenons à nos moutons - Let's get back to the subject
Ça saute aux yeux - That's obvious
C'est dans la poche - It's a sure thing
Quand les poules auront des dents - When pigs fly
Ça ne tourne pas rond - Something's wrong
C'est pas vrai ! - You're kidding!
Ce n'est pas la mer à boire - It's not the end of the world
C'est pas sorcier - It's not rocket science
Je vais jeter un œil - I'll take a look
Ça n'a rien à voir avec... - That has nothing to do with...
Ça vaut le coup - It's worth it
On voit que dalle - You can't see anything
Ça va être chaud ! It's going to be tough!
Tu dois me tirer de là ! - You gotta help me out!
Ç'est parti ! Here we go / we're off !
Ça gaze ? How are things? What's up?
Oh purée ! Oh my goodness!
Ça fait un bail ! It's been a long time !
Ça craint ! / C'est nul ! - That sucks!
Fais voir - Show me / Let me see
Je suis prems ! - I'm first!
Rien que d’en parler... - Just talking about it...

 

If you can't remember the name of a thing, you can use ce truc, ce machin, ce bidule or cet engin similarly to the English thingy, thingamajig, whatchamacallit, etc.

What's-his-name is Monsieur Untel and what's-her-name is Madame Unetelle. You can also use Machin but it has a more derogative meaning, as if you are saying the person is merely an object.

 

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