Every weekday, The Local publishes a French word or phrase of the day. The emphasis is on slang, colloquialisms and occasional swearing. Our aim is to introduce readers to the words and phrases that they probably won’t learn in French class, but they definitely will hear during the course of everyday life in France.

We’ve been publishing a daily word since 2018, so by now we have a fairly hefty back catalogue – you can find it HERE.

Members of The Local can also sign up to our Word of the Day mailing list and get each day’s word or phrase delivered straight to your mailbox.

Here are some of our recent favourites:

Je me casse

It was the title of Malta’s 2021 Eurovision entry.

But that’s not why we included je me casse here. It’s also a casual term – so not in front of your in-laws – for a casual exit. Think “I’m getting out of here,” or “I’m making a break for it”, and you won’t be far wrong. There’s also a sweary variant…

Find out more, here.

Mettre du beurre dans les épinards

Yes. Butter on your spinach is good… it’s a foodie metaphor the French use for ‘making more money’ or ‘improving one’s way of life’.

We explain, here

Phare

The dictionary will tell you this is ‘a lighthouse’, but what do dictionaries know? It also has multiple other meanings encompassing driving, shopping, artwork or advertising.

As we reveal, here.

Choper

This innocent looking verb, that officially means ‘to catch’, also has more illicit definitions. And one involving relationships of a sort. 

We guide you through that verbal minefield here.

Assister

French is full of ‘false friends’ with English – words that look like they should mean one thing, but actually don’t. This is one. This can mean ‘to help out’ just as it does in English, but it also has several other meaning that can make talking about crime or weddings quite confusing.

Find out more here.

Féminin 

The masculine word that means feminine and that changes spelling when describing something feminine needs explanation. 

So we have, here

Avoir la dalle

Feeling hungry? J’ai faim doesn’t cover it? Looking for a term similar to ‘my stomach feels like my throat’s been cut’? 

We’ve got you covered…

T’as vu?

Aww, shucks… If you’re looking for a suitably modest response to a compliment, this is the phrase for you. It means ‘you noticed’?

For a full explanation, click here.

And finally… extra homework. The Rugby World Cup is almost upon us. So, here are a few French rugby words and phrases to help you through the tournament, whether you’re new to the game or a diehard fan.

Beer, balls and tackles: French vocab you’ll need for the Rugby World Cup