Learn French Slang: "Pas Grand-Chose" and the French Art of Keeping It Low-Key

Vous apprenez le français. Bravo ! Continuez. Bienvenue in this third episode of our restaurant adventure. I created this series because ordering at the restaurant in French is NOT for beginners, and I'm hoping to help everyone discover and learn the everyday French idioms and vocabulary for dining out in France. In this chapter, Étienne, Sandra and Noah finally open the menus — and discover exactly how far the new chef is willing to go : Velouté Trois Tommes, Salade contée au comté des Pyrénées, Poulet au Maroilles fort-en-gueule. Sandra, it turns out, knows her cheeses. Noah knows there are microscopic insects living in the rinds, and says so at the table. Étienne orders a Bouillon de la Pastourelle without the faintest idea of what it contains, simply because the name sounded poetic. Then the family manages to order starters and main courses for everyone — everyone except their own son, who has to remind them he is still sitting there. And after an hour of waiting, counting the bottles behind the bar and settling a thumb war, everything arrives at once. Three starters, three main courses, a basket of fries and one very tall soufflé, all landing on forty centimetres of counter.

Bienvenue ! In this second episode of our restaurant adventure, Étienne, Sandra and Noah finally arrive at La Cucina for their anniversary dinner. There’s just one small problem: Étienne reserved for two… and they are now three. After a hungry wait at the entrance, the family is eventually squeezed onto three stools at the very end of the counter — conveniently located right next to the toilets. Romantique, non ? Then the menus arrive. Margarita infusée à la cancoillotte. Spritz au comté. Negroni parfumé à la mimolette.

Bienvenue ! In this French learning episode, you’ll follow Étienne through the end of an ordinary workday in Paris — until he realizes that this evening is anything but ordinary. Hungry after skipping lunch, Étienne leaves the office, takes the métro home, walks past the neighborhood restaurants, and arrives at his apartment expecting a quiet moment to himself.

Bienvenue ! In this French learning episode, you’ll explore one of the most useful expressions in everyday French: Ça fait du bien. We use it when something feels good, brings relief, helps us recover, or simply makes life a little better. A sauna after exercise. A quiet weekend in the countryside. Going back to the swimming pool. Taking time off when life feels heavy. But this episode goes further: you’ll hear ça fait du bien across several tenses and moods, so you can use it naturally in many different situations.

Bonjour, bonjour ! In this French learning episode, we focus on one of the most common shortcuts in everyday spoken French: Y a qu’à. It’s the contracted form of Il n’y a qu’à and is used when someone wants to suggest a simple solution: