As I approach 1 month and 2 weeks in France, I have come to pick up on certain aspects of French culture. Culture is a nebulous term, but I like to view it as the everyday things that seem inherent to someone living in that culture but are less obvious and even surprising to an outside observer.
Mayo with Fries?
Fries are (perhaps) unsurprisingly, extremely popular in France. Almost every single restaurant/food truck I have been to/seen usually offers fries as a side option. One of the main condiments used with fries aside from tomato ketchup is mayonnaise. I had to try fries with mayo given that it kept appearing as an option, and it was surprisingly delicious. The mayo used as a fries condiment in France is quite distinct from the mayo you would find in the US, however. For one, French mayo is tangy and sour (which I loved, since I like sour foods. Some people aren't such big fans though). French mayo is also thicker, creamier, and closer in consistency to sour cream. Sometimes you can tell that they added some kind of relish or mustard to the mayo, as it becomes colored a very light pastel yellow.
OH la la, not ooh la la
French people do say "ooh la la" but it sounds closer to the American "oh" [əʊ] than the stereotypical French "ooh" [u]. I hear this phrase daily and is used as an expression of exasperation, surprise, excitement, or sarcasm (depending on the intonation).
Common French phrases
There are some common French phrases or expressions that I never really learned in school. One is "ça marche," which roughly translates to that works/OK. I hear this phrase at least 20 times daily, and people of all ages and backgrounds use it. My teachers use that phrase as much as my French college-aged classmates. This expression is super versatile and appropriate for a lot of situations. If that someone wants to do something, in affirmation, someone might respond "ça marche !" For example, you suggest a place to eat:
Person 1: "Doit-on manger à Le Duo?"
(Should we eat at Le Duo?)
Person 2: "Ça marche !
(That works!)
Another expression that I had not heard before arriving was "pas de souci." It means "no worries." You would see this in response to someone who apologizes for causing a perceived inconvenience when in reality it was not a big deal at all. Another term would be "inquiète pas !" This is a shortening of the imperative "ne t'inquiète pas !" which means "don't worry (about)" or "don't trouble (yourself)". Although this is not "proper" French people do this to shorten phrases that can be wordy or take more effort to say.
Verlan and French slang
Among young people (think teenagers and young adults), it is common to use verlan, which is a type of French slang which inverts words through syllables/sounds. Verlan is also pretty present in a lot of French language songs, from what I have heard.
For example, une femme might become une meuf (a girl/young woman). Une meuf, though not vulgar, wouldn't be used in a formal setting. Nevertheless, I've heard the word often used in place of femme (woman) when walking around the Rennes School of Business campus and the city, so I thought that it was worth mentioning. In my observations, both men and women use this term, especially among friends, so it isn't exclusive to anyone specific.
The word verlan is in itself an example of verlan, as it is the inverse of l'envers.
I find this video by the YouTube channel StreetFrench.org to be a pretty good overview of this linguistic phenomenon:
Comentarios