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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Expression of the Day: Plus ça change

As you're no doubt aware, the French can be a pessimistic bunch and that's when they tend to crack out this famous expression.

French Expression of the Day: Plus ça change

Why do I need to know plus ça change?

When you're sitting in a cafe in France with French friends the mood can turn pessimistic quite quickly and if it does then it's highly likely this expression will be used. 

What does it mean?

Plus ça change literally means 'more it changes' which understandably won't make much sense to you if this is the first time you've come across it.

In fact, this is a very common way to shorten the longer expression plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose which means 'the more things change, the more they stay the same'.

And you may well have heard it said in English too.

In both languages the expression means the person who has used it is experiencing a certain kind of disillusionment or resignation. 

For example it could be down to the fact that even though they have a new boss, the same old problems still exist in the team or that they have been visiting a psychologist but are still suffering from whatever it was that led them to book the appointments in the first place. 

The expression is used on its own and is not considered to be slang. 

Alternatives

Plus ça change, plus c'est pareil – The more it changes, the more it's the same

 

Plus ça change (et) moins ça change – The more it changes (and) the less it changes
 
 

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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: C’est-à-dire

This is a handy little phrase to give your French more of a local feel.

French Word of the Day: C’est-à-dire

Why do I need to know c’est-à-dire?

Because you may want to use an example to explain something, or to request a clarification of some sort.

What does it mean?

C’est-à-dire – roughly pronounced set a deer – literally means ‘that is to say’ but it’s used to introduce an explanation, or clarification, to a concept you’re trying to explain.

In English you might say ‘in other words’, or  ‘ie’ before your clarification.

You could also use the following phrases in much the same manner: à savoir, disons, entendez, je veux dire, seulement, simplement, or surtout.

READ ALSO 16 phrases to make your French sound more authentically local

You can also use it as a question to ask someone to elaborate or explain something in more detail – you’ll often hear it in celebrity interviews when the journalist says ‘C’est à dire ?‘ to mean something like ‘how so?’ or ‘please go on’.

Use it like this

Je ne souhaite pas participer à la pièce de théâtre. C’est à dire que je ne me sens pas à l’aise pour parler en public – I don’t want to be in the play. That is, I don’t feel comfortable speaking in public.

Je suis passionnée, c’est-à-dire pas capable de m’arrêter – I’m passionate, which means I can’t stop!

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