Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: I'm Eric.
Yasmine: And I'm Yasmine!
Eric: Expressions That Don't Make Any Sense, Part 2. In this lesson, you'll learn the second set of Expressions That Don't Make Any Sense.
Eric: These are very old expressions that are still used nowadays, but when they are translated literally, they don't make a lot of sense, which can be confusing for French learners sometimes.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
Eric: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Yasmine: filer à l'anglaise
Yasmine: faire la grasse matinée
Yasmine: ne pas être sorti de l'auberge
Yasmine: ne pas faire long feu
Eric: Yasmine, what's our first expression?
Yasmine: filer à l'anglaise
Eric: literally meaning "dash off British style." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "take French leave."
Yasmine: [SLOW] filer à l'anglaise [NORMAL] filer à l'anglaise
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: filer à l'anglaise
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you talk about leaving in a hurry without saying goodbye, going away unnoticed. It has a negative connotation.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ils ont filé à l'anglaise. [SLOW] Ils ont filé à l'anglaise.
Eric: "They took French leave."
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ils ont filé à l'anglaise.
Eric: Okay, what's the next expression?
Yasmine: faire la grasse matinée
Eric: literally meaning "make the fat morning." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "to sleep in."
Yasmine: [SLOW] faire la grasse matinée [NORMAL] faire la grasse matinée
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: faire la grasse matinée
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you sleep for all the time you want, without setting an alarm. Even if the expression contains
Yasmine: matinée
Eric: meaning "morning," it also works for very long sleepers who wake up in the afternoon.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Hier je ne devais pas travailler donc j'ai fait la grasse matinée. [SLOW] Hier je ne devais pas travailler donc j'ai fait la grasse matinée.
Eric: "Yesterday I didn't have to work, so I slept in."
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Hier je ne devais pas travailler donc j'ai fait la grasse matinée.
Eric: Okay, what's our next expression?
Yasmine: ne pas être sorti de l'auberge
Eric: literally meaning "not be out of the hostel." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "not be out of the woods, not in the clear."
Yasmine: [SLOW] ne pas être sorti de l'auberge [NORMAL] ne pas être sorti de l'auberge
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: ne pas être sorti de l'auberge
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you feel like your problems aren't over, and you still have a lot to deal with.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] C'est lui qui s'en occupe? Eh ben, on n'est pas sortis de l'auberge... [SLOW] C'est lui qui s'en occupe? Eh ben, on n'est pas sortis de l'auberge...
Eric: "He is the one taking care of it? Well, we're not out of the woods..."
Yasmine: [NORMAL] C'est lui qui s'en occupe? Eh ben, on n'est pas sortis de l'auberge...
Eric: Okay, what's the last expression?
Yasmine: ne pas faire long feu
Eric: literally meaning "not make long fire." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "not last long."
Yasmine: [SLOW] ne pas faire long feu [NORMAL] ne pas faire long feu
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: ne pas faire long feu
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you talk about something that doesn't last very long, or something that ends quickly. It is often used when someone is about to go to bed, to insist that this person is so tired that she won't make it much longer if she doesn't go to bed ASAP.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Je suis fatiguée, je ne vais pas faire long feu. [SLOW] Je suis fatiguée, je ne vais pas faire long feu.
Eric: "I am tired. I won't last much longer."
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Je suis fatiguée, je ne vais pas faire long feu.
QUIZ
Eric: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
Eric: It’s Sunday, and you want to sleep as much as you can because you need it.
Yasmine: faire la grasse matinée
Eric: "to sleep in"
Eric: You are leaving a boring party early and unnoticed.
Yasmine: filer à l'anglaise
Eric: "take French leave"
Eric: Your plastic bag is about to break because of the heavy groceries, so you should hurry home.
Yasmine: ne pas faire long feu
Eric: "not last long"
Eric: You are in a very complicated situation and don’t see how to get out of it.
Yasmine: ne pas être sorti de l'auberge
Eric: "not be out of the woods, not in the clear"

Outro
Eric: There you have it; you have mastered four French Slang Expressions! Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Yasmine: Au revoir!

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