{"id":31553,"date":"2019-08-28T21:58:10","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T19:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=31553"},"modified":"2019-08-28T21:58:10","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T19:58:10","slug":"see-you-later-french-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/see-you-later-french-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"See You Soon On The Bus – Saying Goodbye With A French Expression"},"content":{"rendered":"

Idioms showing up when you least expect them is one the best parts of becoming un francophone<\/strong> (a French speaker). The shift from finding something completely incomprehensible to clearly identifiable<\/a> is an incredible feeling for anyone learning le fran\u00e7ais<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Image<\/a> from Pixabay. Licensed under CC0.<\/p><\/div>\n

Of the many expressions I’ve misunderstood over the years, there is one that recently came up that particularly stands out. L’expression<\/strong> itself is actually easier to understand than others that are dripped in metaphors<\/a> or tied to specific cultural references:<\/p>\n

\u00c0 plus dans le bus!<\/strong>
\nSee you later on the bus!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Even though the dans le bus<\/strong> (on the bus)<\/em> part makes absolutely no sense when you’re unfamiliar with l’expression<\/strong>, it’s easy to accept that it’s just une blague<\/strong> (a joke). Pushing the limits of le second degr\u00e9<\/strong><\/a> (sarcasm) even makes some sense in a dry humor kind of way.<\/p>\n

This saying came up while I was talking with un coll\u00e8gue<\/strong> (a coworker) the other day. After our brief exchange, they said what was for me\u00a0une nouvelle phrase<\/strong><\/a> (a new sentence): \u00e0 plus dans le bus<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Bien s\u00fbr<\/strong> (of course), I didn’t understand<\/a> it and immediately gave a puzzled \u00ab quoi \u00bb<\/strong> (“what?”<\/em>) as a response. However, unlike what usually happens with les nouvelles expressions<\/strong>, once mon coll\u00e8gue<\/strong> repeated it, I understand what it meant and how it was tied to l’humour<\/strong> (humor).<\/p>\n

Satisfied with a basic understanding of l’expression<\/strong>, I gave a quick smile and returned to mon bureau<\/strong> (my desk).<\/p>\n

After sitting down though, I suddenly realized why something absolutely nonsensical made so much sense to me. Growing up, I often used a similar joke with ma m\u00e8re<\/strong><\/a> (my mother) all the time:<\/p>\n

See ya later alligator!<\/em>
\nAfter a while crocodile!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Remembering the silly saying, I immediately got up and asked mon coll\u00e8gue<\/strong><\/a> about it to see if my childhood expression also exists en fran\u00e7ais<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Salut !<\/strong>
\nSalut John !<\/strong>
\nTu te souviens de ce que tu viens de dire ?<\/strong>
\nNon ?<\/strong>
\n\u00c0 plus dans le bus<\/a> !<\/strong>
\nAh oui ! Tu ne comprends toujours pas qu’est-ce que \u00e7a veut dire ?<\/strong>
\nNon, non, ce n’est pas \u00e7a.<\/strong>
\nAlors, qu’est-ce qu’il y a ?<\/strong>
\nJe viens de me rendre compte d’une expression similaire en anglais !<\/strong>
\nOuais ?<\/strong>
\n\u00c0 plus l\u2019alligator ! \u00c0 bient\u00f4t le crocodile !<\/strong>
\nQuoi ?<\/strong>
\nEst-ce qu’on a la m\u00e8me expression en fran\u00e7ais ?<\/strong>
\nHaha ! Non, pas du tout !<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hi!<\/em>
\nHi John!<\/em>
\nYou remember what you just said?<\/em>
\nNo?<\/em>
\nSee you soon on the bus!<\/em>
\nAh yes! You still don’t understand what it means?<\/em>
\nNo, no, that’s not it.<\/em>
\nThen what is it?<\/em>
\nI just realized that there’s a similar expression in English!<\/em>
\nYeah?<\/em>
\nSee ya later alligator! After a while crocodile!<\/em>
\nWhat?<\/em>
\nDo you have the same expression in French?<\/em>
\nHaha! No, not at all!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While it turns out there isn’t an equivalent French idiom involving les alligators<\/a> et les crocodiles<\/strong>, a lot of laughs were shared as we both struggled to understand new expressions.<\/p>\n

I was still curious about l’expression fran\u00e7aise<\/strong> and why it mentions le bus<\/strong> <\/em>so I decided to look it up once I had the time. I couldn’t find l\u2019origine<\/strong><\/a> (the origin), but I did learn something better.<\/p>\n

\u00c0 plus dans le bus<\/strong><\/em> is actually part of many similar sayings that take on the same format:<\/p>\n

A plus dans le bus !<\/strong>
\nA bient\u00f4t dans le m\u00e9tro<\/a> !<\/strong>
\nA demain dans le train !<\/strong><\/p>\n

See you soon on the bus!<\/em>
\nSee you later on the subway!<\/em>
\nSee you tomorrow on the train!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s even one for when you’ll never meet again:<\/p>\n

\u00c0 jamais sous le tramway !<\/strong>
\nNever again on the tramway!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Le jeu<\/strong><\/a> (the game) is all about finding some form of transportation that rhymes with a unit of time. The joke and the fun from rhyming two unrelated words is completely lost when translated into English, but remembering the equally nonsensical see ya later alligator<\/em> makes it easy to appreciate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There are more variations that involve rhyming les pr\u00e9noms<\/strong><\/a> (first names) or referencing les pubs<\/strong> (advertisements), but the main goal is always the same:<\/p>\n

Dire au revoir avec humour.<\/strong>
\nSaying goodbye with humor.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Idioms showing up when you least expect them is one the best parts of becoming un francophone (a French speaker). The shift from finding something completely incomprehensible to clearly identifiable is an incredible feeling for anyone learning le fran\u00e7ais. Of the many expressions I’ve misunderstood over the years, there is one that recently came up…<\/p>\n

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