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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French phrase of the day: Ca se fait pas

If somebody tells you this, it’s probably best to apologise.

Published: 7 July 2021 12:17 CEST
French phrase of the day: Ca se fait pas
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know ça se fait pas?

There are many rules of etiquette in France that differ from other cultures, and learning to recognise this phrase will help you to know when you’ve got something wrong.

What does it mean?

Technically it should be ça ne se fait pas, but since this expression is mostly used in spoken conversation, the ne is usually omitted.

Literally “that isn’t done”, ça se fait pas can be translated as “it isn’t the done thing”. It’s used when referring to an action that goes against how the speaker feels people ought to act or when you are being scolded for getting a piece of French etiquette wrong.

It can be a lot stronger than the direct English translation, however, referring to something that’s deemed unacceptable or incredibly rude. Think of someone incredulously saying, “You can’t do that!”, or “That’s not on.”

While ça se fait pas is the negative form, it can also be used in the positive by dropping the final word. For example, in the sentence, ça se fait de moins en moins (It’s less and less common).

Or in the expression, Comment ça se fait ? (How come?)

Use it like this

On ne peut pas juste partir sans payer, ça se fait pas – We can’t just leave without paying, it’s not right.

Mon coloc a mangé mes céréales sans me le demander. Ca se fait pas, quoi ! – My flatmate ate my cereal without asking. I mean, that’s unacceptable!

Qui compare sa meuf à son ex ? Ca se fait pas ! – Who compares their girl to their ex? That’s not on!

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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Expression of the Day: T’as la ref?

This French expression might come up a few times as you try to fill in the holes about French culture and history.

Published: 18 April 2024 10:59 CEST
French Expression of the Day: T’as la ref?

Why do I need to know t’as la ref?

Because if you look a bit confused, you might be asked this.

What does it mean?

T’as la ref – roughly pronounced tah lah ref – technically means ‘do you have the reference?’ In reality, it’s a way of asking someone if they are following what you are saying.

In English, one might say ‘got it?’ or ‘you following?’

This phrase is very colloquial and primarily used by young French people. You might hear it after someone makes a joke that invokes a niche aspect of French culture, or perhaps the bar is playing a French song and people start to talk about the artist. Your friend might turn to you and say t’as la ref? to ask if you understand the context of the conversation.

As you might expect, this phrase comes up often when discussing music, film, comedy and other conversation topics that are highly referential. 

You can also say j’ai pas la ref to tell your French friends that you are not familiar with the topic of the conversation or that you did not get the joke. A synonym for this would be j’ai pas capté (I did not get it).

It can also be used to say something is ‘an inside joke’. For example, your French friend sends a confusing message in your group chat and everyone else starts laughing. 

They might just respond t’as pas la ref to tell you that the joke is referencing an event or topic you are not privy to.

Use it like this

T’as bien rigolé à sa blague sur le film français. T’as la réf, t’inquiète pas. – You laughed a lot at his joke about the French film. You are following along, don’t worry.

J’ai pas du tout compris son commentaire. Je suppose que j’ai pas la ref.  – I did not understand his comment at all. I guess I’m not familiar with the topic.

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