Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: I'm Eric.
Yasmine: And I'm Yasmine!
Eric: Expressions Using Words Related To The Body. In this lesson, you'll learn Expressions Using Words Related To The Body.
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: baisser les bras
Yasmine: avoir des fourmis dans les jambes
Yasmine: coûter la peau des fesses
Yasmine: casser les pieds
Eric: Yasmine, what's our first expression?
Yasmine: baisser les bras
Eric: literally meaning "lower the arms." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "throw in the towel."
Yasmine: [SLOW] baisser les bras [NORMAL] baisser les bras
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: baisser les bras
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to say "to give up".
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ce n'est pas le moment de baisser les bras! [SLOW] Ce n'est pas le moment de baisser les bras!
Eric: "Now is not the time to throw in the towel!"
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ce n'est pas le moment de baisser les bras!
Eric: Okay, what's the next expression?
Yasmine: avoir des fourmis dans les jambes
Eric: literally meaning "to have ants in the legs." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "to have pins and needles in your legs."
Yasmine: [SLOW] avoir des fourmis dans les jambes [NORMAL] avoir des fourmis dans les jambes
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: avoir des fourmis dans les jambes
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you were sitting in a bad position for too long and your limb falls asleep. For French people, it doesn't feel like pins and needles, but an army of ants that you have in your limbs.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] J'ai des fourmis dans les doigts. [SLOW] J'ai des fourmis dans les doigts.
Eric: "I have pins and needles in my fingers."
Yasmine: [NORMAL] J'ai des fourmis dans les doigts.
Eric: Okay, what's our next expression?
Yasmine: coûter la peau des fesses
Eric: literally meaning "cost the skin of the butt." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "cost an arm and a leg."
Yasmine: [SLOW] coûter la peau des fesses [NORMAL] coûter la peau des fesses
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: coûter la peau des fesses
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you want to express your surprise about how expensive something is.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ces chaussettes m'ont coûté la peau des fesses! [SLOW] Ces chaussettes m'ont coûté la peau des fesses!
Eric: "Those socks cost me an arm and a leg!"
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ces chaussettes m'ont coûté la peau des fesses!
Eric: Okay, what's the last expression?
Yasmine: casser les pieds
Eric: literally meaning "break the feet." But when it's used as a slang expression it means "get on someone's nerves."
Yasmine: [SLOW] casser les pieds [NORMAL] casser les pieds
Eric: Listeners, please repeat.
Yasmine: casser les pieds
[pause - 5 sec.]
Eric: Use this slang expression when you are annoyed by something or someone.
Eric : Now let's hear an example sentence.
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ma soeur me casse les pieds. [SLOW] Ma soeur me casse les pieds.
Eric: "My sister is getting on my nerves."
Yasmine: [NORMAL] Ma soeur me casse les pieds.
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: You can’t get up because you were sitting in a bad position for too long.
Yasmine: avoir des fourmis dans les jambes
Eric: "to have pins and needles in your legs"
Eric: Something is really hard and you want to give up.
Yasmine: baisser les bras
Eric: "throw in the towel"
Eric: Your parents keep annoying you about something.
Yasmine: casser les pieds
Eric: "get on someone's nerves"
Eric: You see something extremely expensive.
Yasmine: coûter la peau des fesses
Eric: "cost an arm and a leg"

Outro

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

Comments

Hide