Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French expression of the day: Eh bé

If you think French people make weird sounds when they speak, read on.

Published: 17 June 2021 13:09 CEST
French expression of the day: Eh bé
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know eh bé?

Because you may have noticed French people saying this when they’re surprised.

What does it mean?

This expression comes from the south, specifically from the Occitan expression e ben (eh bien in standard French) but is used all over France. Wiktionnaire has recordings of different pronunciations from different regions you can listen to here.

Eh bé is similar to filler words like hein, enfin or quoi that make you sound more French.

It’s used to express surprise or to draw attention to a remark, and may be translated as “well, well” or “I say”.

You may also see it spelled in various different ways: hé bé, é bé, eh ben, or even eh bhe like Aya Nakamura in this Twitter post:

Use it like this

Eh ben dis donc! – Well, well, well!

Eh bé, on aurait pas cru! – Well, well, who would have thought!

Synonyms

ça alors! – my goodness!

tiens donc – fancy that

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French Phrase of the Day: Les carottes sont cuites

This French expression can be used in the kitchen, as an important coded message during war-time, and when the end is near.

Published: 20 September 2024 10:59 CEST
French Phrase of the Day: Les carottes sont cuites

Why do I need to know les carottes sont cuites?

Because this expression might signal the end of something.

What does it mean?

Les carottes sont cuites – roughly pronounced lay ca-rote sohn queet – translates as ‘the carrots are cooked’.

While you might use this literally when preparing a meal, the phrase is also an old-fashioned idiom.

Figuratively, it means ‘the situation is hopeless’ or ‘the decision is final’. The expression is very similar to ‘your goose is cooked’ or ‘your tea is out’ in English. It can also just mean ‘it’s over’.

Generally it has a negative connotation, which might be explained by the phrase’s origins.

There are a few guesses – the first involves the word carrotte having a close pronunciation to crotte (poop). The second evokes a phrase used in the 18th and 19th centuries.

At the time, avoir ses carottes cuites meant ‘to be dying’ or close to death. It was a bit of gallows humour – carrots were usually accompanied by meat dishes, so the joke is that the dying person would soon be meat themselves, ready to be eaten alongside some carrots. 

Over time, les carottes sont cuites went on to describe hopeless or unchangeable situations. 

That said, it has been used for some optimistic moments, notably during the D-Day landings, when les carottes sont cuites was a coded message from Radio Londres announcing the imminent landings  to their listeners.

Use it like this

Les carottes sont cuites. L’homme d’affaires a déjà décidé de le licencier. – It’s over. The businessman already decided to sack him.

Maman a déjà décidé de te punir ! Les carottes sont cuites. – Mummy already decided to punish you! Your goose is cooked.

C’est terminé. Les carottes sont cuites. Il a fait son choix. – It’s over, my goose is cooked. He made his choice.

SHOW COMMENTS