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WORD OF DAY

French expression of the day: Casser les pieds

Although this at first sounds like a medical issue, it actually has nothing to do with broken feet.

Published: 25 September 2020 10:59 CEST
French expression of the day: Casser les pieds
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know casser les pieds?

Because it’s one of those expressions that is not what it sounds like. 

What does it mean?

The verb casser means to break while les pieds are feet, but this popular expression actually means getting on somebody’s nerves.

When you hear, je ne peux plus voir Jean, il me casse constamment les pieds, it means “I can’t stand Jean anymore, he is constantly annoying me.”

According to French dictionary website L’Internaute, the expression comes from the 19th century where casser was understood as écraser (stepping on), which is, indeed, super annoying.

The expression can also be turned into a noun or an adjective. A case-pieds is someone who’s very annoying, we could even say it’s someone who is a pain in the neck.

It's a familiar and slightly slangy expression so probably inappropriate for your next work presentation, but certainly not offensive.

READ ALSO: 11 phrases that will let you complain like the French

Use it like this

Tu me casses les pieds à toujours vouloir avoir raison – The fact that you always want to be right is getting on my nerves.

Cet enfant est un vrai casse-pieds ! – This child is such a pain in the neck!

Faire la vaisselle me casse les pieds – Doing the dishes annoys me much.  

Synonyms

Casser les couilles (vulgar) – Bust somebody’s balls

Pomper l’air (familiar) – Getting on somebody’s nerves

Soûler (familiar) – To be sick of something (careful this one can also mean 'get drunk')

Agacer – To annoy

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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French word of the Day: Jours ouvrés

You'll need to check the calendar carefully when you see this.

Published: 17 May 2024 12:36 CEST
French word of the Day: Jours ouvrés

Why do I need to know jours ouvrés?

Because you need an accurate time estimate.

What does it mean?

As most French learners will know, jours means days, while in this context ouvrés means ‘working’. Therefore jours ouvrés – roughly pronounced jzoor-ouv-ray – means ‘working days’. You may also see jours ouvrables, which means the same thing.

You’re most likely to come across this in the context of estimates on how long things will take – for example a delivery or the processing of an official task or perhaps the results for a test or exam.

And this is where the calendar comes in – ‘working days’ doesn’t include the weekends, but also excluded are public holidays, of which France has quite a lot. So an estimate for livraison dans les cinq jours ouvrés – might actually take almost two weeks to reach you, if there are weekend days and public holidays in between.

Days on either side of public holidays (known as ‘pont‘ days) are technically working days, but don’t be too surprised if things don’t happen on these days either. 

Although ouvrés looks similar to ouvrir (to open) the root of the work is actually ouvrer – an archaic verb meaning to work or to labour.

This word was gradually supplanted by travailler in around the 16th century, but some derivatives of it are still used – most commonly ouvrier (or ouvrière for women) which means a worker – it can be used for all types of salaried workers, but is more commonly used for people who do manual labour or work with their hands. 

It’s often used in a political sense too – one of France’s leftist political parties is Lutte ouvrière, which translates as Worker’s struggle. 

Use it like this

La livraison est estimée à trois jours ouvrés – Delivery is estimated within three working days

Les résultats seront communiqués sous 48 hours (jours ouvrés) – the results will be sent within 48 hours (on working days)

Not to be confused with 

If you want to talk about ‘open days’ – days when institutions including schools, the military or artists workshops open up to the public – in France these are known as portes ouvertes (literally ‘open doors’).

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