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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French expression of the day: C’est pas la peine

Although it may sound like it, this expression has nothing to do with pain.

Published: 28 November 2019 17:27 CET

French expression of the day: C'est pas la peine

Why do I need to know c’est pas la peine?

Well, for one you will be able to say in French if reading this article is worth it or not.

What does it mean?

C’est pas la peine is a way of saying ‘it’s not worth it’, ‘don’t bother’ or 'there's no point'.

The more formal (and correctly spelled) version is ce n’est pas la peine, which means the same. In both cases you may use it to state that something isn't worth the effort.

Bringing an umbrella to the store a couple of blocks away?

C’est pas la peine. S’il commence à pleuvoir, on court. – Don’t bother. If it starts raining we’ll just make a run for it.

Forgot to pick up the cake for your buddy's birthday?

C'est pas la peine d'en faire tout un plat! No use in making such a fuss out of it! (Check out faire tout un plat here)

Trying to get tickets to the next football World Cup?

C'est meme pas la peine d'essayer. Les billets se vendent beaucoup trop vite – Don't even bother trying. Tickets sell out way too quickly.

Other options?

Vue que vous avez lu jusqu'a ici j'imagine que vous avez compris et que ce n'est pas la peine de vous faire d'autres exemples. – Since you've read this far, I reckon you've gotten the hang of it and that there's no need to give further examples.

READ ALSO: For more French Expressions and French Words of the Day you can CLICK HERE to see our full list

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French Word of the Day: Flipper

Why do I need to know flipper?

Because this anglicism is used a bit differently in French than it would be in English.

What does it mean?

Flipper – roughly pronounced flea-pay – is a colloquial French term and these days it means to be upset or overly anxious. People often use it similarly to the English expression ‘to freak out’.

As you may have expected, the term is an anglicism, and it comes from the English word ‘to flip’.

However, in French it does not mean to literally flip something over – you would use renverser for that. It comes from a different usage of the word ‘flip’, more in line with ‘losing one’s head’.

The word started being popular in France in the 1970s, and at that time it was almost exclusively used to describe the experience of ‘freaking out’ or having a bad trip after taking LSD or other hallucinogenic drugs, according to Le Figaro.

Over time, it started to refer to the period of depression many people experience after feelings of euphoria when high, as well as the anxiety that one might feel due to withdrawal.

Nowadays, people mainly use it to refer to any irrational response. You can also call something flippant (shocking).

A more formal synonym for flipper might be paniquer.

And if you find yourself in an arcade, you may hear the word a few times, as flipper is also the French term for a pinball machine.

Use it like this

Arrête de flipper, on va être à l’heure. – Stop freaking out, we’re going to be on time.

Les résultats des élections m’ont vraiment fait flipper. Mes amis n’ont pas été surpris pour autant. – The results of the election really freaked me out. My friends weren’t surprised though.

J’ai flippé en regardant le film d’horreur. – I freaked out when I was watching the horror movie.

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