10 french phrases using péter in contexts you may not expect

FROM EXPRESSING ANGER TO CALMNESS - TO BREAKING WIND - PÉTER CHANGES MEANING DEPENDING ON CONTEXT _Péter_ is one of those French words that has an array of meanings depending on the context

in which it is used. It can mean to break wind, to pop, to burst or to break, however there are many everyday phrases using _péter_ which the meaning is not obvious. You should note that

when conjugating _péter_ in the present tense, the acute accent on the é changes to a grave accent (è) in the _je/tu/il/elle/on/ils/elles _forms. However, it remains an acute accent in

_nous_ and _vous_ forms. _PÉTER UN CABLE_ - TO BE REALLY ANNOYED/LOSE YOUR TEMPER You might hear this phrase if you have really wound someone up - it is a very familiar way to say to go

berserk or to lose your temper. _Péter les plombs_ and _péter une durite_ also portray the same sense of losing your cool and flipping out. _Plomb_ means fuse in French so this is literally

to blow a fuse. Meanwhile, _une durite _is a word linked to cars and means a radiator hose, but with _péter_ it relates to the idea of anger. _MANGER À S'EN FAIRE PÉTER LE BIDE_ - TO

EAT UNTIL YOU BURST This is a good one for the Christmas period when we are all likely to make the most of the festive feasts. _Le bide_ is a familiar word for the stomach, often known as_

le ventre_, and is our equivalent to tummy. It can also mean a flop or a failure in some contexts. _FAIRE PÉTER LE CHRONO_ - TO SMASH A RECORD When watching the Paris 2024 Olympics, you may

well hear the French commentators use this during certain athletic competitions. _Le chrono_ means the stopwatch or the time, so this literally means to smash the time and is used in the

context of breaking records. _N’EN AVOIR RIEN À PÉTER_ - TO NOT CARE The French language has a seemingly endless number of ways to express indifference or the idea that you couldn’t care

less. _N’en avoir rien à péter_ falls into this category, and is a very familiar phrase to be used around people you are comfortable with. It offers the same sense as je_ m’en fiche_ or_ je

m’en fou_, which both also mean I don’t care. READ ALSO: WIDEN YOUR VOCABULARY WITH THESE ALTERNATIVES TO COMMON FRENCH EXPRESSIONS _PÉTER LA FORME/PÉTER LE FEU_ - TO BE IN GREAT SHAPE/TOP

FORM/HAVE LOTS OF ENERGY This is a phrase that is often applicable to children on Christmas morning. _Péter la forme_ and _péter le feu _both mean to have lots of energy or to be on top

form. It suggests the idea that someone has lots of energy, is in a good place physically and mentally and is ultimately just feeling really good in themselves. Similarly, _péter la santé_

signifies to be in good health physically; a literal translation would be “to be smashing health”. _PÉTER UN COUP_ - TO CALM DOWN While with certain words _péter_ is used to express the idea

of anger, when paired with _un coup_ it means to calm down or to destress. _SE LA PÉTER_ - TO SHOW OFF/TO BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET _Se la péter_ means to show off or to blow your own trumpet,

and is most often used in a negative sense. For example,_ ma soeur, elle se la pète et ça m'énerve_ means my sister shows off and it annoys me. _PÉTER PLUS HAUT QUE TON CUL_ - TO THINK

YOU’RE THE DOG’S BOLLOCKS The literal translation of this is a little strange, however it ultimately means to think you are the dog’s bollocks or the cat’s whiskers. _PÉTER LES COUILLES À

QUELQU'UN_ - TO BUST SOMEBODY’S BALLS _Couilles_ is used in many French phrases, and usually translates as balls, as the familiar form of testicles. In this context, it means to break

someone’s balls, or to annoy and wind up someone. PÉTER LA GUEULE À QUELQU'UN - TO SMASH SOMEONE’S FACE IN _La gueule_ means mouth or face, and when you hear someone use it with _péter

_it is probably best to steer clear as it means to smash someone’s face in. RELATED ARTICLES 13 SHORTENED PHRASES YOU WILL HEAR IN SPOKEN FRENCH 10 FRENCH WORDS AND PHRASES THAT ARE

UNTRANSLATABLE IN ENGLISH