If most of us desis have Hinglish on the tips of our tongues, the French can definitely be said to have a penchant for Frenglish or Franglais. As an Anglophone living in the country of romance (a.k.a. the Eiffel Tower), exotic cheeses and perfectly-baked baguettes, I don’t need to conduct a survey to declare that while a certain section of the local population is strictly anti-English, most people love using the following words. With an undeniable French accent, of course:
Top: To describe something in the superlative, a common Frenglish expression is “c’est top” (with a soft “t”, which literally translates to “that’s top”, and is supposed to mean “that’s great”). Of course, it’s another thing altogether that most native English speakers wouldn’t be caught dead praising something as “top”.
Must: Very similar to “top” is this one. When locals say: “C’est le must”, it’s something they can’t do without.
Level: “Il y a du level” (that’s some “level” there!) is a term oft used sarcastically or teasingly… as a response to a cheesy joke, for instance.
Tilt: To say “That didn’t occur to me” or “I didn’t think about that”, the French often say “Je n’ai pas tilté” which could literally translate to “I didn’t tilt towards it”. Sidey.
Chewing gum: The first time a local asked me if I wanted some “shooing geum”, it took me about a minute to react. Nowadays, I even catch myself saying it the French way. Eeek.
Fast food: For the French, “un fast fud” is not what you eat but where you eat. “Ce fast fud, il est top!” means “This fast food joint is great”.
Brownie: Brownie points for pronunciation here. “Brooni” (think Carla Bruni) is the way to go.
Smoothie: If you’re eating out, remember… a “smooozie” is what you must call for.
Cocktail: The accent extends to alcoholic drinks too. So, if you wish to be understood at the bar, you’d be better off saying something like “coketell” (with a soft “t” for the word “tell”).
Barman: Who’s the man of the moment when you’re in the mood for a coketell? The “barmaaaan”.
Businessman: On the same lines, someone you do “affaires” with is a “businessmaaaan”.
Brainstorming: And what do you do if you’re a “businessmaaaan”? A “brrrainstorrrming”, of courrrse.
Snowboarding: All work and no play makes Pierre a dull boy. So, when you’re done with brrrainstorrrming and being a businessmaaaan, you go snowboarrrdeeng.
Footing: Or you could go for nice long foooteeng. (jog)
Jogging: When you go for a foooteeng, don’t forget your “joggeeng”… (track suit)
Basket: … and your baskets. (sneakers).
Fashion: Sportswear, casuals, formals or partywear, it’s très important to be “très fasheun”. (very fashion)
Duffel coat: That’s why a duffel coat (soft “d”, soft “t”) is a “must” in winter. It’s top.
Red carpet: If you’re très fasheun indeed, you might just get to walk the “rrred caaarrrpet”.
Like: “To like or not to like?” is indeed the question for social networking generation. For the French, j’ai liké” is the past tense of “I liked” on FB. Like, whatever.
Image courtesy: Reuters
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