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FRENCH WORD OF THE DAY

French phrase of the Day: Faire barrage

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Published: 17 September 2021 14:51 CEST

French phrase of the Day: Faire barrage

Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Why do I need to know faire barrage?

Because it’s a neat little expression that crops up all the time in news articles and political statements.

What does it mean?

A barrage is a dam or a barricade, so the verbal construction faire barrage literally means ‘to make a barrier’. If you try to faire barrage à quelque chose, you are attempting to obstruct, block, or counter something.

The phrase is often seen in political discourse, especially when it comes to uniting against the extreme right in France. Many people voted for Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the 2017 presidential elections in order to faire barrage à Marine Le Pen and block her chances of becoming president (also known as the Front républicain).

Faire barrage also crops up throughout the French news and in all kinds of texts, from adverts for products to prevent insect infestations, to charity organisations seeking to counter poverty.

Use it like this

Il faut faire barrage à de telles propositions – These proposals must be stopped.

L’éducation est un outil important pour faire barrage à la radicalisation et à l’extrémisme – Education is an important tool to counter radicalisation and extremism.

Synonyms

Contrer – to counter

Bloquer – to block

Empêcher – to prevent

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French Expression of the Day: Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille

Why do I need to know avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille?

Because every so often we all have outlandish things to say.

What does it mean?

Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille – roughly pronounced ah-veck day see ohn met-tray Par-ee ahn boo-tie – translates as ‘with ifs we could put Paris in a bottle’.

As you might’ve guessed, this French expression is not a literal one. In reality, avec des si… is more of a proverb than something you would say in everyday conversation, though don’t be surprised if an older French person uses it to temper your expectations.

People have been speaking this French phrase since at least the 18th century, and it is meant to be a warning against unnecessary or irrelevant speculation and doubt.

The expression basically means if the impossible were possible (e.g. putting the entire city of Paris into a bottle), then reality would be different, but there is no point in worrying or fantasising about unrealistic things.

A similar English expression might be “if ‘its’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas every day”.

You might use this French expression if your friend has a habit of imagining the worst case scenario all the time.

Someone might also add it after describing an unlikely hypothetical situation – for example ‘if I were president…’ or ‘if I were the wealthiest person in the world…’

Use it like this

Si je dirigeais le monde, je mettrais fin à la faim dans le monde, mais avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille. – If I ruled the world, then I’d end global hunger, but no point in fantasising about the impossible.

Si j’étais maire de Paris, j’exigerais que tous les habitants nettoient les déjections de leurs chiens, mais bon. Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille. – If I was the mayor of Paris, I’d make everyone clean up after their dogs, but whatever. That’s a pipe dream.

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