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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Word of the Day: divulgâcher

If you want to speak French with the full approval of the country's language guardians, you'll want to add this word to your vocabulary list.

French Word of the Day: divulgâcher
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Why do I need to know divulgâcher?
 
 
Many of the words we cover in our French Word of the Day series are the ones your teachers don't want you to say, often because they're considered slang, swearing or abbreviations. 
 
But if someone from the Academie Francaise is in the vicinity when you break out this word, you'll probably be given an official award for services to the French language right there on the spot. 
 
So, what does it mean?
 
Divulgâcher is a combination of the words divulguer ('to divulge') and gâcher ('to ruin'). 
 
It is a new word created in a bid to stop the French from using the word spoiler, taken from the English noun used to describe something that ruins a story/film etc. 
 
In French, spoiler is used as a verb but the Academie Francaise – the notoriously conservative organisation which deplores nothing more than the French adopting English words – hopes that divulgâcher will replace it. 
 
 
 

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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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