Merde! The Real French You Were Never Taught at School

by Geneviève, Michael Heath (Illustrator)

1995, trade paperback reprint edition (of a work first published in 1986), later printing, Fireside Books / Simon & Schuster, NY. 102 pages. Humorous illustrations by Michael Heath. When we had our high school French classes, we learned "proper French." And, of course, we wanted the real stuff, the dirty words, the street slang, the wild phrases that had nothing to do with "proper." Finally, we have it here, with a focus the body / love / sex / food and drink / money matters / and a few things none of us ever talk about (except in private, of course). Not for the faint of heart.

Genres: France, Language, Reference, Nonfiction, Travel, Humor, Paris

102 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1984

Reviews

[ALLEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance, this 1960 classic may look seriously out of date what with all the changes in the French language -- including its slang expressions and obscenities -- over the last nearly sixty years. Nonetheless I prefer this volume to some of its more recent competitors: it makes the student of French perform the right grammar to insult the right persons(s) in the right way, and it speaks to the appropriateness of doing so. This makes it much more useful and flexible than some of the Jacques-come-latelies. Any "Junior year abroad" student or serious tourist/traveler to any Francophone country can benefit from MERDE!, and it would make a great gift to such a person.

[eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

somewhat misogynistic, but that's slang for you. this book has helped me understand conversational french SO much better, because every-day french is much more vulgar than your professor would have you know.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is utterly hilarious and totally indispensable if you are going to spend any time in France (or indeed other francophone countries). It gives you the gen on all the profanities on offer in la belle langue. What really makes this a little gem is that the words are starred helping you to judge the severity of each insult; this is helpful because often there are no direct translations and usage is very different. We have had much fun bringing this out with French friends and now that my son is at secondary school in France, it is coming into its own.

[Alexander Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool language book...french slang, bad language. A great self-defense book for french travel.

[Mandy Conant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha, soooo funny.

[J.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny little book that compiles together in one place all French insults, curses, and slang. I would've loved a copy in high school.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

You wanna know dirty words and slang? This is the book for you. More information than I could absorb my first time through for sure.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un petit peu vieillot, mais toujours utile .

[Alan Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a copy of this when I arrived in France in the late 80's, as an adult. It made a huge difference to my ability to understand everyday French, which so different from what is taught at school. It feels silly to still be recommending this decades-old book, but I have not found a more modern replacement (recommendations welcome). I especially like the Michelin star system for the rudeness of different expressions. Three star words should only be used between foul-mouthed friends. One star is OK in everyday life.

An invaluable guide to make the transition from grammatically correct to sounding like someone French, and understanding everyday speech.

[Anne Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's just what it says it is: a book a French slang, some of it witty, some of it risqué, some of it witty and risqué. Yes, I'm learning Spanish now, but I intend once I'm done with that course to bone up on my French. This book should supplement those studies nicely. And yes, I am grinning when I say that.

[Rick McClure · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative. I originally got this book in order to understand movies and books better. I’m not sure how old some of these terms are, but from what I can tell – 50% of the phrases are still pretty common. I skimmed the book, and plan to add little bits to my vocabulary based on how often I see the phrases used in regular conversations.

[Fran]

extremely helpful if a bit out of date. some of these i've actually seen in the wild already so it's helpful to know that i read them correctly! i almost wish though that there was like. a website where one could look this stuff up rather than books which are bound to be out of date as soon as they're printed...

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très sympa et utile !

[Frederic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny, with great illustrations enhancing the anarchistic tone.

[sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I can curse like a Frenchman!

[johnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

oui!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merde: The Real French You Were Never Taught at School by Genevieve (1986)

[Carrie]

humor

[Elian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cool!

[Nicole]

FFS: the last thing americans abroad in France need is to be EVEN LESS POLITE.

[Enid Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned all my dirty French from it, even quoted a sentence or two from it for my steamy stories.