Spoken French in Films - Les Poupées Russes
The French film every language learner needs to watch
This week, I watched the film Les Poupées Russes again, the sequel to L’Auberge Espagnole, directed by Cédric Klapisch. While I really love the first installment, I think I prefer this one. And above all, it’s a goldmine for French learners. If you could only choose one film to analyze, choose this one. Your French will thank you!
All the scenes are great, but I chose this one, one of my favorites. Xavier wants to introduce his girlfriend to his grandfather, but he doesn’t have one. He decides to ask his roommate. But she isn’t really the perfect choice and has to play a role. The result is very funny and also touching. There are 4 short scenes in total, to work on 4 different things.
Watch it a first time without subtitles. Try to understand what is happening.
If you have time, you can watch it again without subtitles and try to take notes. This step is important if you want to improve your listening comprehension.
Then compare by watching it again, this time with subtitles.
After studying the subtitles, it’s time for Shadowing, where you can repeat what is being said to work on your pronunciation and fluency.
L’embrouille
In this first scene, Xavier witnesses a couple’s argument while he was hoping to ask his girlfriend to put him up. It’s perfect for analyzing a typical French argument and learning some really useful slang words.
If you can’t turn on subtitles, click “Watch on YouTube”.
Analyse :
Tout ce qui a une chatte → Literally “everything that has a p*ssy” — a vulgar way of saying every woman/girl around. Used in an argument to accuse someone of being attracted to any woman they see.
Tu mates toutes les meufs qui traînent → “You eye up every girl hanging around.” Mater = to stare/ogle, meuf = girl/woman (verlan slang, reversed from femme). Very common in everyday French slang.
Tu me zappes → Literally “you zap me” (like changing TV channels) — meaning you ignore me / you blank me. Borrowed from the TV remote concept, used to say someone is being dismissed or overlooked.
Je suis emmerdé → “I’m in a tricky situation / I’ve got a problem.” From merde, slightly vulgar but extremely common. Softer than the next expression.
Je suis un peu dans la merde → “I’m a bit in deep trouble / in a mess.” More emphatic than the previous one. Both are very frequently used in casual French.
Thomas s’est fait larguer → “Thomas got dumped.” Se faire larguer = to be broken up with. Very common and natural way to talk about a breakup.
Il débarque demain → “He’s showing up / arriving tomorrow.” Débarquer literally means “to disembark,” but colloquially it means someone is turning up, often unexpectedly.
Tu fais chier → “You’re a pain in the ass / you’re really annoying me.” Vulgar but extremely common in spoken French. A stronger version of tu m’ennuies.
Prendre la tête → “To drive someone crazy / to be a headache.” Tu me prends la tête = you’re doing my head in. One of the most useful and frequently heard expressions in everyday French.
Mon pote → “My mate / my buddy / my pal.” A very common and friendly term for a close friend, used across all age groups in informal French.
La demande indirecte
In the next scene, Xavier wants to introduce his non-existent girlfriend to his grandfather. He decides to ask his new roommate for help. Pay close attention to the way he goes about making his request, with the use of the conditional tense.
If you can’t turn on subtitles, click “Watch on YouTube”.
Analyse
Tes fringues → “Your clothes.” Fringues is a very common slang word for clothes, used constantly in everyday informal French. The standard word would be vêtements, but you’ll hear fringues far more often in casual conversation.
Laisse tomber → Literally “let it fall” — meaning forget it / drop it / never mind. One of the most useful and frequently used expressions in French. It can be said dismissively in an argument or more gently when giving up on an idea.
Une galère → “A nightmare / a hassle / a real struggle.” Originally a galère was a galley ship, rowed by slaves or prisoners — so the idea is something exhausting and painful. In modern slang it describes any situation that is complicated, frustrating or difficult. You’ll also hear the verb form galérer — je galère = “I’m struggling / it’s a real pain.”
t’as, t’aurais pas → In spoken French, “tu” almost always becomes “t’” and the “ne” in negatives is almost always dropped, so “tu n’aurais pas” naturally becomes “t’aurais pas.”
Le jeu
In the following scene, Isabelle has finally put on the dress to pass herself off as Xavier’s girlfriend. They have fun playing the role of a couple. Notice the shift in register, from formal (in front of the neighbors) to informal (between themselves).