French Language Blog

Disiz la Peste dedicates this song to “tous les beaux gosses et les belles gosses” (“all the handsome kids and the beautiful girls”)—No doubt an “inspirational hymn” for the “bogossitude” movement headed by its founder, Mickaël Vendetta

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If you read the title and haven’t yet come to understand how “Chui un bo gosse” can mean “I’m a handsome kid“, then please, ne panique pas (don’t panic) already. Now you know it, the Transparent French Blog is always here to help

So here’s how it’s “deciphered”:

• “Chui“ is a slang or very informal way to say ”je suis“, meaning “I am“, as in the well-known Cartesian motto “Je pense, donc je suis” (“I think therefore I am.”)

• “Bo” is also a very informal way to say the word “beau“, meaning “beautiful”, or in this case “handsome.”
• “Gosse” is a word we’ve already encountered here on the The French Blog (remember “‘G’ French Slang words” ), meaning a “kid“, or a “child.”

Now all you have to do is just combine the separate meanings, and you’ve got it: “fastoche” (“easy”)!

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Part of his 2006 album “Les Histoires extraordinaires d’un jeune de banlieue” (“The Extraordinary Stories of a Young Suburbanite”), Disiz sings “Bo Gosse“

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This chanson de rap (rap song) is actually too long to fit in just one day’s post, and some parts of the lyrics are anyways not exactly rated “PG-13“, so you probably won’t listen to them when your parents are around—That is, if your parents are actually fluent in French, and French slang, bien sûr (of course)!

But since we’d hate to see you “complètement largués” (a French slang way to say “totally lost”), you’ll be indulged with a number of selective translations of les paroles (the lyrics).

* Voici quelques exemples (Here are a few examples):

- The Intro says: “On a tous un beau gosse en nous …  Si si, même toi, t’inquiète” (“We’ve all got a handsome kid in us… Yes, even you, don’t worry”), “C’est ta voix de beau gosse intérieure qui te parle” (“It’s your voice of the inner handome kid that’s talking to you”)

- “C’est pour tous les beaux gosses et les belles gosses” (“It’s for all the handsome kids and the beautiful girls”)

- “Moi j’suis un beau gosse, évidemment qu’je m’aime, moi, c’est tout dans la sape, tout dans la caisse” (“I’m a handsome kid, so obviously I like myself, it’s all about the the clothes, all about the wheels”)

- “Ouais, ouais, j’vis encore chez mes parents, et alors, ça fait quoi, d’toutes façons, j’ai qu’trente ans” (“Yeah, yeah, I still live at my parent’s, so what, I’m only 30 anyways”)

- “Le net est un océan à thons, faut savoir y pêcher” (“The Web is an ocean full of ugly chicks in which you’ve got to know how to fish”)

- “Même désarmé, j’ai plus d’un tour dans ma poche, jamais bredouille c’est la devise du beau gosse” (“Even disarmed, I’ve got more tricks up my sleeves, never go back empty-handed, that’s the motto of the handsome kid”)

- “Cette année, c’est chaud. Mission: les vacances, Saint-Tropez, Ibiza. Nan, c’est même pas là ! Dans le sud de la France. Faut qu’j'économise, j’ai d’jà deux crédits. Un pour la caisse et un autre pour mon permis!” (“This year, it’s hot. Mission: Holidays in Saint-Tropez, Ibiza. Nah, it’s not even there! In the South of France. I’ve got to save money, already got two credits on my car and my license!”)

- “Ok, c’est le retour de la voix du beau gosse: Leçon numéro°1, quand tu te regardes dans la glace, aie envie d’toi, désire-toi, et chante avec moi ce refrain: Allez, on y va” (“Ok, the voice of the handsome kid is back: Lesson Number One, when you look at yourself in the mirror, aie envy yourself, desire yourself, and sing with me this tune: Come on, let’s go!”)

- ”Chui Un Bo Gosse” (“I’m a Handsome Kid”)

“La plume de ma tante” (“My Aunt’s Pen”)

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For the now-graying baby boomer generation, the title of “la plume de ma tante” often evokes some fond and vivid early childhood memories; whereas for the progeny of the “Generation X” and above (Generation Y and Z), it most likely reminds them of a rather ghastly scene of le film d’horreur (horror movie) “l’Exorciste“, which premiered in the movie theaters around the same time as the avènement (advent) in the world of their own generation!

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So what on Earth is “la Plume de Ma Tante“?

Well, the word “plume” means “feather”, which in French refers to a “pen” in general, or a “quill” in particular.

Une plume et une feuille (A quill and a paper)

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In fact, “la plume de ma tante“, as mysterious or plain random as it may sound, is nothing more than a musical!

It was written and directed by Robert Dhery, translated in English by Ross Parker, and set to music by Gérard Calvi, who is mostly known for his work in several Astérix et Obélix movies.

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“Obélix Samba”, by Gérard Calvi

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The duo cousins Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, known as “Hugo and Luigi” sing ”La plume de ma tante” (“My Aunt’s Pen”)

*”La plume de ma tante” (“My Aunt’s Pen”):

La plume de ma tante

My aunt’s pen

Est sur le bureau de mon oncle

Is on the bureau of my uncle

Le papier de mon oncle

The paper of my uncle

Est sur le bureau de ma tante.

Is on the bureau of my aunt

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The pen of my aunt

Is on the bureau of my uncle,

The paper of my uncle

Is on the bureau of my aunt.

If you don’t parlez vous franais

Then this will be Greek to you,

If you can’t figure out what the words are all about

Just sing la la la la loo

La la la La plume de ma tante

The pen of my aunt

Est sur le bureau de mon oncle,

Is on the bureau of my uncle

Le papier de mon oncle

The paper of my uncle

Est sur la bureau de ma tante

Is on the bureau of my aunt

Oyez, oyez, lovers of the French language! We have a few exciting announcements today:

- D’abord (First), there is a special offer of (5) coupons at the Transparent Language Store that you probably want to check out. These are definitely affordable and effective language software pour tous les niveaux et les styles (for all learning levels and styles.) Don’t miss your chance—before they are all gone!

- Also, we have a new vidéo blogeur who just joined The French Blog, to whom we all say bienvenu a bord (welcome aboard)!

- A worthy spot of the French blogosphère that you should discover is the Blog of Arash, un étudiant (a student) who is learning French and lives in Toulouse, France. You can take a look at his Blog and leave your impressions and remarques.

- Finally, if you haven’t already joined our Facebook page, then il est grand temps de le faire (it’s high time you do it)!

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Now, in today’s post, we’ll go through the special type of adjectives called “les adjectifs irréguliers.”

They are named as such because -you’ve guessed it- they are pretty much the “rebellious type”; ils ne suivent aucune règle particulière (they do not follow any particular rule), and you therefore have to memorize them par cœur (by heart)!

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A few illustrated French adjectifs—Can you guess their féminin form?

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- Notice that for some nouns that begin with a vowel sound, a special form of the adjective is used with them. For example, vieux (meaning “old”, and whose féminin is “vieille“) becomes “vieil“, as in “un vieil homme” (“an old man.”)

- The same remark applies for other adjectives, such as beau (“beautiful”, or “handsome”), which in this case turns into bel (for example “un bel homme“), and whose féminin is belle (as in “une belle femme“)

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* Quelques adjectifs irréguliers communs, et d’autres du “type rebel” (Some common irregular adjectives, and others of the rebelious type):