Widen your vocabulary with 10 alternatives to common french phrases

IF YOU FIND YOURSELF USING THE SAME OLD PHRASES YOU LEARNED AT SCHOOL, HERE IS HOW TO ELEVATE YOUR LANGUAGE It is completely normal when learning a language to find yourself repeating the

same phrases over and over again, but sometimes this can feel frustrating. Speaking a new language often involves a lot of problem-solving and figuring out how to say what you want with the

vocabulary you already have. Someone once told me that you are truly fluent in a language when you have multiple means of expressing the same opinion. Whether this is true or not, it is

sound thinking and will generally make your life a little bit simpler. Here are some ways to mix up your most frequently used French phrases… 1. _‘JE VOUDRAIS’ - ‘JE PRENDS [...] S’IL VOUS

PLAÎT’_ This is a school classic, it is one of the first things every child learns in their early French classes and always gets whipped out on holiday when you inevitably find yourself in a

boulangerie ordering a baguette. A very simple alternative and one you are more likely to hear Francophones actually use is “_Je prends_ [insert bakery item of choice here], _s’il vous

plait_”. This literally translates to “I’ll take [boulangerie item of choice], please.” 2. _‘IL FAIT FROID’ - ‘ÇA CAILLE’_ If how to order a baguette is the first thing we learn at school,

how to talk about the weather is a close second - especially if you are British! When the weather turns and your native urge to express this to other people overcomes you, replace _“il fait

froid”_ with _“ça caille”_. This comes from the verb _“cailler”_, which translates as “to be freezing/frozen” in this context. 3. _‘__JE SUIS PARESSEUX (EUSSE)’ - ‘J’AI LA FLEMME’_ We all

have days where we cannot be bothered. Obviously, honesty is the best policy, so when you want to own up to your laziness, you can explain that you “_avoir la flemme_”, which translates as

“to have the laziness”. Read also: 14 words that change dependent on where you are in France 4. _‘__C’EST TRÈS DIFFICILE’ - ‘C’EST GALÈRE’_ Whether it is learning a new language or trying to

understand the French bureaucratic system, sometimes starting a new life in another country can be _très difficile_. If this is a phrase you find yourself uttering daily, mix it up with

“_c’est galère_”, which translates to “it is a struggle” or “it is a pain”. 5._ ‘__C’EST INUTILE’ - ‘ÇA SERT À RIEN’_ While we are on a roll with the less optimistic expressions together

(sunny positivity up next), _“__c’est inutile__”_ (it is useless) is a phrase I have found myself using whenever I try to renew my visa (_c’est galere_). If you, like me, need a new way to

express your frustration, “ça sert à rien” literally translates to “it serves for nothing” but means “it is pointless” or “it is useless.” 6. _‘__COMPRENDRE’ - ‘CAPTER/PIGER’_ It is a great

feeling when you start to understand French and the people around you. If you really want to show just how much you understand, you can use “_capter_” or “_piger_” instead of “_comprendre_”

which both in this context mean to understand. 7. _‘__ÇA ME CONVIENT’ - ‘ÇA ME VA’_ _“Ça me convient__”_ is quite a formal way of saying “that suits me”. Instead, “_ça me va_” is a much

simpler way of telling someone the plan sounds good. You can also flip it and use it as a question if you want someone’s thoughts on a proposal - _“__ça te va?” “Oui, ça me va.”_ _8.

‘COMPLÈTEMENT’ - ‘CARRÉMENT’_ Sometimes the hardest thing about speaking a new language is realising you do not have a wide vocabulary range for the little agreements you make when listening

to someone’s story. In this context, _carrément_ means “totally” or “for sure”. READ ALSO: 12 PHRASES TO SHOW WHY ‘CUL’ IS A PILLAR OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE 9. _‘__JE ME SUIS TROMPÉ(E)’ -‘JE

ME SUIS PLANTÉ(E)’_ Learning a language means making mistakes so “_je me suis trompé(e)_” might be a frequent phrase in your vocabulary. To mix it up, you can employ “_je me suis planté(e)_”

which comes from the verb se planter, meaning “to get it wrong” or “to mess up”. 10. _‘__JE SUIS FATIGUÉ(E)’ - ‘JE SUIS CREVÉ(E) / JE SUIS MORT(E)’_ After a long day of trying to change up

your French vocabulary, you will likely find yourself _“__très fatigué(e)__”_. If you really want to hammer home the point of just how tired you are, “_je suis crevé(e)_” translates to “I’m

shattered” or “I’m knackered”, while “_je suis mort(e)_” takes it up a notch and means “I’m dead”. RELATED ARTICLES SEVEN ALTERNATIVE FRENCH WORDS TO MAKE YOU SOUND MORE NATIVE GAMES TO PLAY

WITH CHILDREN TO HELP IMPROVE THEIR FRENCH