french

stage (nm)

internship

se bouger

to move, to hustle

réclamer

to demand, to beg (for)

chômage (nm)

unemployment

argent de poche (nm)

allowance, pocket money

louper

to miss

truc (nm)

thing, stuff (plural)

bouton (nm)

pimple

se crêper le chignon

to scratch each other’s eyes out (literally, “to frizz each other’s hair buns”)

oser

to dare

en liquide

in cash

j’en ai marre

I’m fed up; (the infinitive is “en avoir marre”)

chiottes (nfpl)

toilet (informal)

feuille d’imposition (nf)

tax statement

raclure

scumbag

le fisc

the IRS

bêtise (nf)

stupidity, mistake

les impôts

taxes

fais gaffe!

look out!

type (nm)

a guy

poilu(e) (adj)

hairy

couper la parole

to interrupt someone

flic (nm)

the police (informal)

vol (nm)

theft

PEL

plan épargne logement, a type of savings account

s’en foutre

to not care; “ils s’en foutent” → “they couldn’t care less” (informal/vulgar)

moche (adj)

ugly

pourri(e) (adj)

rotten

épreuve (nf)

ordeal, hardship

ils me pompent jusqu’aux trognons

they’re bleeding me dry

se démerder

to manage, to cope

fric (nm)

money (informal)

rôder

to prowl, to roam, to hang around

mal garé(e)

parked in the wrong spot, illegally parked

maquette (nf)

model, mock-up

se fâcher

to get mad

enfant gâté

spoiled child

priver

to deprive, to go without

redressement fiscal

tax adjustment, tax audit

tant mieux

so much the better

poule (nf)

hen

renard (nm)

fox

ado (nm)

teenager

piger

to understand, to get

au quart de tour

immediately, right away

coucher

to sleep with someone

prime (nf)

bonus

tricher

to cheat

par acquit de conscience

for peace of mind

la règle de trois

cross-multiplication (literally, “the rule of 3”)

journal intime (nm)

diary

SIDA

AIDS

cauchemar (nm)

nightmare

préservatif (nm)

condom

nu(e) (adj)

naked

c’est pas la peine

it’s not worth it, it’s not worth the time

ça ne sert à rien

there’s no point (literally, “it serves nothing”)

en vouloir [à quelqu’un]

to be angry/annoyed/upset [with someone] (as in, “tu m’en veux?”/“Are you mad at me?”)

déplacé(e) (adj)

inappropriate, uncalled for

gâchis (nm)

waste

les restes (nmpl)

leftovers

faire la tête

to sulk, to be in a huff, to be in a bad mood

malentendu (nm)

misunderstanding

faire popo

to poop

racler

to scrape, to scrub

Qu’est-ce qui t’a pris?

What came over you?

honte (nf)

shame

décarcasser

to work one’s fingers to the bone (literally, “to remove the carcass from”)

immonde (adj)

vile, filthy

poids (nm)

weight

événementiel (nm)

events, event planning

vedette (nf)

star (celebrity)

grossier/grossière (adj)

rude, impolite

la rentrée (des classes)

back to school (literally, “the return”)

prendre les devants

to take action, to get ahead of something

le jour-J

D-Day, or more generally, the day something important begins.

RTT

réduction du temps de travail, or a day off

galère (nf)

a difficult task, a struggle; literally, “a galley”, meaning the task described is not unlike having to slave away rowing in a Roman galley.

tout le tintouin

all the rest, all the rest of the stuff, all the hoopla

pourri(e) (adj)

rotten, rubbish

cirque (nm)

circus

bulletin (nm)

report card

cartable (nm)

book bag

redoubler

to repeat a school year

prendre le relais

to take the reins, to take over

être au bout du rouleau

to be at the end of one’s tether, at the end of one’s rope

De quoi tu te plains ?

What are you complaining about?

faire le tri

to sort out, to clear out (literally, to do triage)

date limite (nf)

deadline

la veille (nf)

the day/night before

bosser

to work (informal synonym of travailler)

le bac

le baccalauréat (an exam like the SAT)

CAP

certificat d’aptitude professionelle (a technical degree; Christophe is joking with his father about getting a CAP de plombier–a plumber’s license–instead of going to university.)

être plié en quatre

to be doubled over (with laughter, in this case)

les interros surprises (nfpl)

pop quizzes

claque (nf)

slap, smack

aplanir la route

to smooth the road ahead (literally, to flatten the road)

s’endurcir

to toughen up

baffe (nf)

slap, smack

dégâts (nmpl)

damage