"Oh bon Dieu" (or just "Bon Dieu") is a French exclamation meaning "Oh, good God!" or "Oh my God!", used to express surprise, shock, dismay, or awe, similar to English phrases like "Good heavens!" or "Jeez!". While it literally means "Good God," it's a common, relatively polite way to show strong emotion without cursing in French.
Bon Dieu ! : Good God! For God's sake!
Sacré in French means “sacred,” so taken together sacrebleu, literally means “Holy blue!” instead of sacré Dieu (“Holy God!”) Ball Memes. By 1805, sacrebleu, written variously as sacré bleu or sacre bleu in English, was used in writings by the British about French people.
Yes, the French say "je ne sais quoi," but it's less common in casual speech than in English, where it's used to describe an indescribable, special quality; in France, it often sounds formal or a bit old-fashioned, and they'd more likely use phrases like "un certain charme" (a certain charm) or "un petit truc en plus" (a little something extra) for that meaning. While it literally means "I don't know what," its use as a noun for a mysterious allure is largely an English adoption, though French speakers understand it and might use it in specific contexts, sometimes as a hyphenated noun "un je-ne-sais-quoi".
1) Sacrebleu
It used to be a mild swear word for surprise or disappointment, a euphemism for Sacré Dieu (= “Holy God” or “Dear God!”). French people stopped using it around the 18th century, and you'll never hear it in spoken French.
To respond to "Je t'aime" (I love you), use "Je t'aime aussi" or "Moi aussi, je t'aime" for "I love you too," add emphasis with "tellement" (so much) or "beaucoup" (a lot), or clarify it's platonic with "Je t'aime bien" (I like you as a friend), depending on your feelings and relationship.
Just take it as a chunk: "qu'est-ce que" means "what" as an object, and "qu'est-ce qui" means "what" as a subject. '
The 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) in French learning means focusing on the 20% of vocabulary, grammar, and phrases that handle 80% of everyday conversations, allowing for rapid progress and practical communication by prioritizing high-frequency words, common sentence structures, and essential situations like the bakery or doctor. Instead of learning everything, you learn the right things (like "je," "il," "elle," common verbs) to quickly become functional and build confidence in real-life French.
Yes, the French absolutely say "je voudrais" (I would like), and it's the standard, polite way to order or make requests, especially in shops and restaurants, though native speakers often use alternatives like "je vais prendre" or "je prendrai" for ordering food to sound more natural, while "je veux" (I want) is considered too direct or demanding.
phrase. the good Lord. See full dictionary entry for dieu below. Collins French-English Dictionary © by HarperCollins Publishers.
"Please daddy" in French is most commonly "S'il te plaît, papa", using the familiar "tu" form for "you," or "Je t'en prie, papa" for emphasis, while "S'il vous plaît, papa" is more formal.
You can combine merci with adverbs such as beaucoup, mille fois, infiniment to form expressions such as merci beaucoup (thank you very much), merci bien (thanks a lot), merci mille fois (thank you a thousand times) and the strongest, merci infiniment translating to “thanks infinitely”.
It shows love and affection
Don't be scared, it's actually something really nice! Indeed, the "X" stands for a kiss and the "O" means a hug. This is due to the fact that the letters look like the stylized version of two mouths kissing and a pair of arms connecting into a hug.
You can also say the word bisous when messaging with someone or when you are saying bye. The community has this tradition from the Roman empire. The Romans used to use kisses as greeting and it ended up sticking around to present day. This tradition is connected to the environment.
Je t'aime
This is the most commonly used way to say “I love you” in French to a loved one, family member or friend!
First and foremost, the equivalent of flirting in French is Draguer.
French people say "voilà" because it's a versatile, common expression derived from "vois là" (see there), meaning "here it is," "there you go," or "ta-da," used to present something, conclude a thought, confirm an agreement, or introduce a person/idea, functioning like a verbal pointer or summary in everyday speech. It literally means "see there," but its usage is much broader, functioning as a presentative to introduce things or show completion.
To respond to "Ça va?", use simple, context-dependent answers like "Ça va bien, merci, et toi/vous?" (Very well, thanks, and you?) for positive, polite replies, or "Pas mal" (Not bad), "Bof" (Meh/So-so), or even "Ça va mal" (Not well) for more nuanced feelings, often followed by asking back "Et toi?" (informal) or "Et vous?" (formal).
Putain de merde / Bordel de merde / Putain de bordel de merde. These are three very common combinations of the swear words explained above. All of them can be expressions of anger or frustration and can be translated as 'for fuck's sake', 'goddammit' or 'bloody hell'.
Sacrebleu! Sacrebleu is a very old fashioned French curse, which is rarely used by the French these days. An English equivalent would be “My Goodness!” or “Golly Gosh!” It was once considered very offensive.
Ce n'est pas la mer à boire.
Translation: “It's not as if you have to drink the sea.” Actual meaning: “It's not that difficult” or “it's not a big deal”.