Expressions from the South that smell of Provence ...
Expressions from the South and Marseille. Take advantage of your free time to learn to speak like they do in Provence… “With the accent!”, thanks to YES I CAMP!
"This player? He hangs on at every point. He's a real arapède."
Aix : "To have an ass like the Porte d'Aix ": To be very lucky or to have an advantageous posterior…
Anchovies : To be squeezed like anchovies: to be tightly packed.
B is for…
Balthazar : "At random, Balthazar!" The die is cast.
Good Mother : "Oh good mother!": Oh damn! Oh my god! In homage to the Good Mother (Notre-Dame de la Garde) who watches over all the people of Marseille.
Bader : means to stare open-mouthed, to love, to adore, to admire.
"This girl, she beats you. "
Boudie or boudiou : Used for "Good Lord!" "Good Lord, how you've grown!"
C is for…
Cacou : Show-off, braggart – “Hey kid, stop acting like a show-off!”
Cafi : full of money! "He's rolling in it!"
"Con" (idiot) : Often used to punctuate the end of a sentence: "Yesterday I took such a long nap, idiot!" "I still remember that day, idiot!"
"Coquin (de sort) : expresses surprise, dismay: "Oh, you rascal of a lot, you didn't buy bread this morning!"
Fool: Imbecile, idiot – “When they make fools fly, you’ll be squadron leader!”
To give someone a ride on your bicycle, scooter, or motorcycle. "Will you give me a ride?"
Cagole : (pejorative) It's a girl who overdoes it, with a very flashy look, a "bimbo". The word is also used in everyday language to mean silly, scatterbrained.
Capeù : it's a hat and is pronounced "capéou", with the accent!
To go crazy or drive someone crazy : to go mad or to drive someone nuts: "Stop spitting out the olive pits, it's driving me crazy!"
To get into a fight : to grab each other, to be caught, or also to argue and come to blows. "I got caught by the police"; "He annoyed me and we got into a fight."
Cagnard : Very hot summer sun, intense heat. "Beware of the August heatwave here!"
Colleague : In Provence, a colleague is a friend. "Hey! Colleague, are you coming for drinks?"
D is for…
To extricate oneself: to get out of a difficult, annoying situation. "Excuse the delay, I couldn't extricate myself from my boss!"
Dégun : means that there is nobody there. "There was nobody at the Vélodrome tonight!"
The opposite being cafi "It's summer vacationers cafi, here!" "
To be expensive: to cost a lot.
“The restaurant. It socket! I prefer the pizzeria! "
E is for…
Emboucaner : The expression "emboucaner" means to bother, annoy, or bother: "He bothered me all day with his car problems."
To "empéguer" means to have problems that are difficult to overcome, "He is embroiled in a strange affair," or to have received a ticket from the police, "I got embéguer," or to be drunk, "Last night, with your Pastaga, we got seriously embégué!"
Stuffy : Someone who is slow to understand and doesn't react quickly, but also someone who is dazed by the heat, asleep – “Hey, there's that other sluggish guy still in his deckchair!”
Packed like sardines – “Look at all these crazy summer tourists packed like sardines!”
Escagasser : To damage, to ruin, "Don't damage my lavender with your ball!", or also, in the sense of annoying, "You're annoying me, leave me alone!", or even in the sense of tiring, exhausting, "This game of pétanque, it exhausted me!". And also to annoy, to tire, "This music is annoying me."
F is for…
Fada (to be) refers to someone who is idiotic, crazy, deranged "He's crazy to wear a cape like that!"
Also used as punctuation at the beginning of a sentence “Ô fada! What is it raining hard! ";" Are you mad or what? Stay safe, there is a storm ”
Fan : Short for: child. Used as an interjection in all sorts of situations: joy, sorrow, astonishment, dismay, and many other expressions. "Fan of feet! Fan of chichourle! ; Fan of chichoune!"
Fanny : to score no points in pétanque . "Fanny buys drinks": whoever scores no points buys drinks for everyone else!
“A little farigoule gives a little taste of Provence to your dishes.”
Fatche : Figure, face equivalent to "Fan". Very often used in the form "Fatche de", itself simplified to "Atchedeu" or even "Tchedeu": "Fatchede, elle est super ta bagnole!" "Fatche de con" is a more vulgar variant.
Tired : in the south, you're never sick, you're "tired"; " Marius is tired right now, he should go see the doctor." But also, "tear the salad a little!" means "mix the salad a little!"
G is for…
Galéjade : A fabricated or exaggerated story that one wants to make one's audience believe. A Provençal joke told for amusement at someone's expense.
To joke around: "You're joking, you're joking... the sardine didn't block the port of Marseille!"
To act like a goby 🙁 (small fish with bulging eyes ) To wait with your mouth open: "Stop acting like a goby and come help me." To be naive: "You think I'm a goby?"
Gàrri : a term of endearment and affection used for children or colloquially between adults with a friendly nuance: "Oh gàrri, what are you doing here?". Oh my garri, what's up?
H as in…
Hey ! Provençal interjection. "Hey" is the translation of the French "hein." "Can you hear me, hey?" "Hey!" is an expression meaning "ah, well that!" or "ah, well, well!"
"Hasn't he married you yet?" Hey baby! What is this one waiting for! "
Shame: Used instead of: shyness, but also to make someone uncomfortable.
“Oh, you're not wearing that, it's ugly. You put me ashamed, there! "
I as in…
Worry (t'): The verbal expression "t'inquiète" corresponds to the French: "dis-toi bien que…" when one wants to express a warning or caution. "He doesn't want to see you anymore? Don't worry, he'll call you back in less than two days!"
J is for…
Ham : A nouveau riche who shows it too. "At Henri IV school, there are only hams."
Take for a ham, for an idiot: "Stop taking me for a ham!" "
Kéké or cacou: Someone who shows off, who braggarts; "What a show-off, that one!"
Kyrielle : It is used to express a large number, synonymous with the feminine word palanquée:
"Yesterday evening, we took a string of goals ..."
L is for…
To long for: to wait impatiently. "I'm longing for Saturday night!"
Lemonade: not just the fizzy drink. A dirty lemonade is a dirty business. "Avoid this area at night, you might end up in a dirty lemonade."
Words and Expressions from the South of France
M is for…
Mariole : Clever "Don't be a clown, you'll hurt yourself"
Makes a bad impression : "It makes a bad impression": to have an inappropriate, ridiculous attitude or outfit. "Don't talk like that in public: it makes a bad impression!"
To grumble: to complain, to grumble, to be spiteful, to taunt, to make someone envious. "Stop making me grumble about your chocolate ice cream!"
Mefi
This Provençal interjection is one of the most used. It replaces the imperative: Attention! “Mèfi on the road, there are people today! "
N as in…
Noodles: To have one's ass lined with noodles: To be lucky.
Niaï : Idiot, simpleton. "Stop acting like a simpleton!"
O as in
Oaï : chaos, disorder; "They came to the party just to cause chaos,"
An eye (to fall one), (to cost an) : An expression denoting rarity or an exorbitant price. "That vase cost me an eye, be careful not to drop it."
Olives : changing the water for olives is like urinating! "Come on, let's change the water for the olives, we have a long drive ahead of us."
Sea urchins : To have sea urchins in one's pockets: To be stingy; "He's got sea urchins in his pocket, he never buys a round."
P is for…
Pastaga: pastis
And Patin coufin …: to shorten a list, a story: etc., etc., this, that… “She told me all about her life, her travels, her loves and patin coufin…”
The verb "péguer" simply means "to stick", hence the derivative with the adjective "pégueux".
"I'm not kissing you, I'm sweating, I'm all sticky. "
Pécaïre or Peuchère : the poor thing! which expresses compassion. "He is tired, peuchère!"
Pine cone : a pine cone is a pine cone . "Gather some pine cones for the barbecue." It can also express anger: "Stop annoying me, you're making me angry!"
Difficult : A difficult person is someone who is hard to live with. "She's difficult to him, he'll soon get fed up with her."
Square feet : To have square feet. Clumsy, a bad football player. "We have to get rid of that oaf, he's got square feet."
Pitchouns : Pitchouns or pitchounets / pitchounettes: children.
"This pitchoun is his spit father"
Pocket : a plastic or paper bag (for shopping)
"Do you want a pocket for your tomatoes?" "
Q is for…
"Qué" : A very common interjection used in almost every sentence. It can mean "right?" as in this example: "You'll lend me the €50 I asked for, won't you?"
And at the head of the sentence, a threatening nothing: “Qué! You say you paid me back? Think hard ! "
It is also “then” in French: “Qué! what do you mean ! ".
Expressions from the South that smell of Provence ...
Expressions from the South that smell of Provence ...
Expressions from the South and Marseille. Take advantage of your free time to learn to speak like they do in Provence… “With the accent!”, thanks to YES I CAMP!
A is for…
Arapède : A clingy, sticky person. (It's a seashell attached to rocks)
"This player? He hangs on at every point. He's a real arapède."
Aix : "To have an ass like the Porte d'Aix ": To be very lucky or to have an advantageous posterior…
Anchovies : To be squeezed like anchovies: to be tightly packed.
B is for…
Balthazar : "At random, Balthazar!" The die is cast.
Good Mother : "Oh good mother!": Oh damn! Oh my god! In homage to the Good Mother (Notre-Dame de la Garde) who watches over all the people of Marseille.
Bader : means to stare open-mouthed, to love, to adore, to admire.
"This girl, she beats you. "
Boudie or boudiou : Used for "Good Lord!" "Good Lord, how you've grown!"
C is for…
Cacou : Show-off, braggart – “Hey kid, stop acting like a show-off!”
Cafi : full of money! "He's rolling in it!"
"Con" (idiot) : Often used to punctuate the end of a sentence: "Yesterday I took such a long nap, idiot!" "I still remember that day, idiot!"
"Coquin (de sort) : expresses surprise, dismay: "Oh, you rascal of a lot, you didn't buy bread this morning!"
Fool: Imbecile, idiot – “When they make fools fly, you’ll be squadron leader!”
To give someone a ride on your bicycle, scooter, or motorcycle. "Will you give me a ride?"
Cagole : (pejorative) It's a girl who overdoes it, with a very flashy look, a "bimbo". The word is also used in everyday language to mean silly, scatterbrained.
Capeù : it's a hat and is pronounced "capéou", with the accent!
To go crazy or drive someone crazy : to go mad or to drive someone nuts: "Stop spitting out the olive pits, it's driving me crazy!"
To get into a fight : to grab each other, to be caught, or also to argue and come to blows. "I got caught by the police"; "He annoyed me and we got into a fight."
Cagnard : Very hot summer sun, intense heat. "Beware of the August heatwave here!"
Colleague : In Provence, a colleague is a friend. "Hey! Colleague, are you coming for drinks?"
D is for…
To extricate oneself: to get out of a difficult, annoying situation. "Excuse the delay, I couldn't extricate myself from my boss!"
Dégun : means that there is nobody there. "There was nobody at the Vélodrome tonight!"
The opposite being cafi "It's summer vacationers cafi, here!" "
To be expensive: to cost a lot.
“The restaurant. It socket! I prefer the pizzeria! "
E is for…
Emboucaner : The expression "emboucaner" means to bother, annoy, or bother: "He bothered me all day with his car problems."
To "empéguer" means to have problems that are difficult to overcome, "He is embroiled in a strange affair," or to have received a ticket from the police, "I got embéguer," or to be drunk, "Last night, with your Pastaga, we got seriously embégué!"
Stuffy : Someone who is slow to understand and doesn't react quickly, but also someone who is dazed by the heat, asleep – “Hey, there's that other sluggish guy still in his deckchair!”
Packed like sardines – “Look at all these crazy summer tourists packed like sardines!”
Escagasser : To damage, to ruin, "Don't damage my lavender with your ball!", or also, in the sense of annoying, "You're annoying me, leave me alone!", or even in the sense of tiring, exhausting, "This game of pétanque, it exhausted me!". And also to annoy, to tire, "This music is annoying me."
F is for…
Fada (to be) refers to someone who is idiotic, crazy, deranged "He's crazy to wear a cape like that!"
Also used as punctuation at the beginning of a sentence “Ô fada! What is it raining hard! ";" Are you mad or what? Stay safe, there is a storm ”
Fan : Short for: child. Used as an interjection in all sorts of situations: joy, sorrow, astonishment, dismay, and many other expressions. "Fan of feet! Fan of chichourle! ; Fan of chichoune!"
Fanny : to score no points in pétanque . "Fanny buys drinks": whoever scores no points buys drinks for everyone else!
Farigoule or farigoulette: Thyme. Part of the "Herbes de Provence" (Provence herbs).
“A little farigoule gives a little taste of Provence to your dishes.”
Fatche : Figure, face equivalent to "Fan". Very often used in the form "Fatche de", itself simplified to "Atchedeu" or even "Tchedeu": "Fatchede, elle est super ta bagnole!" "Fatche de con" is a more vulgar variant.
Tired : in the south, you're never sick, you're "tired"; " Marius is tired right now, he should go see the doctor." But also, "tear the salad a little!" means "mix the salad a little!"
G is for…
Galéjade : A fabricated or exaggerated story that one wants to make one's audience believe. A Provençal joke told for amusement at someone's expense.
To joke around: "You're joking, you're joking... the sardine didn't block the port of Marseille!"
To act like a goby 🙁 (small fish with bulging eyes ) To wait with your mouth open: "Stop acting like a goby and come help me." To be naive: "You think I'm a goby?"
Gàrri : a term of endearment and affection used for children or colloquially between adults with a friendly nuance: "Oh gàrri, what are you doing here?". Oh my garri, what's up?
H as in…
Hey ! Provençal interjection. "Hey" is the translation of the French "hein." "Can you hear me, hey?" "Hey!" is an expression meaning "ah, well that!" or "ah, well, well!"
"Hasn't he married you yet?" Hey baby! What is this one waiting for! "
Shame: Used instead of: shyness, but also to make someone uncomfortable.
“Oh, you're not wearing that, it's ugly. You put me ashamed, there! "
I as in…
Worry (t'): The verbal expression "t'inquiète" corresponds to the French: "dis-toi bien que…" when one wants to express a warning or caution. "He doesn't want to see you anymore? Don't worry, he'll call you back in less than two days!"
J is for…
Ham : A nouveau riche who shows it too. "At Henri IV school, there are only hams."
Take for a ham, for an idiot: "Stop taking me for a ham!" "
Pastis : "Boss, another pastis, it's on me ! "
K as in…
Kéké or cacou: Someone who shows off, who braggarts; "What a show-off, that one!"
Kyrielle : It is used to express a large number, synonymous with the feminine word palanquée:
"Yesterday evening, we took a string of goals ..."
L is for…
To long for: to wait impatiently. "I'm longing for Saturday night!"
Lemonade: not just the fizzy drink. A dirty lemonade is a dirty business. "Avoid this area at night, you might end up in a dirty lemonade."
M is for…
Mariole : Clever "Don't be a clown, you'll hurt yourself"
Makes a bad impression : "It makes a bad impression": to have an inappropriate, ridiculous attitude or outfit. "Don't talk like that in public: it makes a bad impression!"
To grumble: to complain, to grumble, to be spiteful, to taunt, to make someone envious. "Stop making me grumble about your chocolate ice cream!"
Mefi
This Provençal interjection is one of the most used. It replaces the imperative: Attention! “Mèfi on the road, there are people today! "
N as in…
Noodles: To have one's ass lined with noodles: To be lucky.
Niaï : Idiot, simpleton. "Stop acting like a simpleton!"
O as in
Oaï : chaos, disorder; "They came to the party just to cause chaos,"
An eye (to fall one), (to cost an) : An expression denoting rarity or an exorbitant price. "That vase cost me an eye, be careful not to drop it."
Olives : changing the water for olives is like urinating! "Come on, let's change the water for the olives, we have a long drive ahead of us."
Sea urchins : To have sea urchins in one's pockets: To be stingy; "He's got sea urchins in his pocket, he never buys a round."
P is for…
Pastaga: pastis
And Patin coufin …: to shorten a list, a story: etc., etc., this, that… “She told me all about her life, her travels, her loves and patin coufin…”
The verb "péguer" simply means "to stick", hence the derivative with the adjective "pégueux".
"I'm not kissing you, I'm sweating, I'm all sticky. "
Pécaïre or Peuchère : the poor thing! which expresses compassion. "He is tired, peuchère!"
Pine cone : a pine cone is a pine cone . "Gather some pine cones for the barbecue." It can also express anger: "Stop annoying me, you're making me angry!"
Difficult : A difficult person is someone who is hard to live with. "She's difficult to him, he'll soon get fed up with her."
Square feet : To have square feet. Clumsy, a bad football player. "We have to get rid of that oaf, he's got square feet."
Pitchouns : Pitchouns or pitchounets / pitchounettes: children.
"This pitchoun is his spit father"
Pocket : a plastic or paper bag (for shopping)
"Do you want a pocket for your tomatoes?" "
Q is for…
"Qué" : A very common interjection used in almost every sentence. It can mean "right?" as in this example: "You'll lend me the €50 I asked for, won't you?"
And at the head of the sentence, a threatening nothing: “Qué! You say you paid me back? Think hard ! "
It is also “then” in French: “Qué! what do you mean ! ".
R is for…
Ravi : The simpleton, the naive one. "Look at him, he's always happy, he's like Ravi."
A spanking : a beating, a thrashing. "Stop it, or you'll get a thrashing!"
T is for…
Té : from the Provençal verb *téni*, to hold. Used at the beginning of a sentence:
"Hey, hasn't he left yet?" ";" Té vé, I was right, he bought a new bike "
Tromblon: a girl who is not very graceful, not pretty. "She's a real blunderbuss!"
V is for…
Vé : Look. Often associated with "Té". "Té vé, there's that idiot, that moron, he's late again."
Vé: Is used as an interjection: "Vé, it happens!" "
Viander (se) : To hurt oneself badly, to make a mistake, to fall.
“I got meat on my bike”; "Sorry, I got meat in the accounts"
W is for…
Wagon : a pile, a heap, a large number. "We've made a wagonload of sea urchins, we're going to have a feast!"
Z is for…
Zé : Diminutive of Joseph, used to approach or call out to someone "Oh zé, what are you doing here?".
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