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Merde!: The Real French You Were Never Taught at School (Sexy Slang Series) Paperback – December 9, 1998

by Genevieve (Author), Michael Heath (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 46 customer reviews
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Frequently Bought Together

  • Merde!: The Real French You Were Never Taught at School (Sexy Slang Series)
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  • Merde Encore!: More of the Real French You Were Never Taught at School (Sexy Slang Series)
  • +
  • French Slang: Do you speak the real French?: The essentials of French Slang
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Product Details

  • Series: Sexy Slang Series
  • Paperback: 112 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone (December 9, 1998)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0684854279
  • ISBN-13: 978-0684854274
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #475,772 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsGoing to France to enjoy yourself? You need this book!
By Timo Elliott on July 22, 1999
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
When I first moved to Paris, I could barely speak a word of French (and had no job, and nowhere to stay, but that's another story), apart from a heavily-accented "une baguette de pain s'il vous plait Madame". And I can honestly say that this book was THE most useful thing I read -- indeed, it's the only book I pored over and learnt sections of by heart. Yes, speaking proper sentences and being polite and all that is all very useful, but if you really want to enjoy yourself, and get on with the locals, then this is the motherlode. Even if you only know two words of French, slipping a few well-chosen words like "bagnole", "boulot", and "flingue" (and the choicer swear words) into your conversation will break the ice, and impress your hosts, a LOT more than knowing the subjective pluperfect ever could. I eventually took "proper" French lessons at the Sorbonne, and had many arguments with my teacher about the relative merits of "correct" and "colloquial" French. For me, learning a language is about communicating, not about grammar, and this is the perfect place to start. To this day, I make sure that none of my friends or colleagues goes off to France for any period of time without a copy of this under their arm...
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5.0 out of 5 starsUn truc d' ouf!
By Esquire on September 26, 2001
Format: Paperback
Despite some serious misgivings about perhaps in some way contributing to the sin of French slang spoken with an American accent, I must nevertheless praise Genevieve for her entertaining "p'tit bouquin." From my close contact with the Frenchies I've noticed that two ways to make an impression are: (1) achieve a perfect French accent, and (2) (easier) learn some slang. Even people fluent in school-taught French, who have read Moliere, Balzac and Proust in the original, cannot and will not understand much in French Films, TV etc. without a basic knowledge of French slang. It is much more present than in American English or in German. From the few books on this topic that I've come across, Genevieve's remains the best. She covers all the basics and throws in some witty remarks on French culture as well. Of course, one must first have a good background in French in order to eventually use the expressions here, especially since phonetic pronuciations are not given; without a certain level of proficiency one runs the risk of sounding like a foreign fool. But this book is also good precisely for figuring out when you've been called a fool (or something worse!) For those interested in expressions past the essentials, check out her other book: Merde Encore.
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5.0 out of 5 starstres utile!
By tjfox@clam.rutgers.edu on April 23, 1999
Format: Paperback
This book is an excellent source of words and expressions, of varying degrees of vulgarity, that are used all the time by french speakers. I used it often during the first of my two years in France. Its real value is not for those in French 101 but for those who already speak decent french and want to learn the expressions used every day by the young and some of the french media (magazines, movies etc). Translated literally many of these words might seem offensive (e.g., connard, encule, putain), yet as the book points out, many times these are the phrases you hear the most in the metro or cafes of France. It is important to realize that even though these words do not carry the same force as their English translations, one must still pay attention to the social context in order to aviod disrespectful "faux pas"!
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5.0 out of 5 starsQuelle Joie!
By Renaaah on August 18, 2000
Format: Paperback
Ooh-la-la. This is a delightful gift for the friend who has a decent elementary grasp on the French language and a rolicking sense of humour. Written with great lingusitic dexterity, both in French aan in English, it will be treasured for years to come.
Excerpt: <<So you think that suffixes are just another boring little grammatical item? Not in French, where some are invested with great power. The French, with their superiority complex, make much use of suffixes to express contempt and belittlement. Here are the basic ones, with a few examples of each... (EXAMPLES FOLLOW)>>
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3.0 out of 5 starsAn Outsider's "Look" into the French Psyche?
By Laure-Madeleine on December 23, 2000
Format: Paperback
In "Merde Encore!," author Geneviève recommends that one should have looked over her previous book, "Merde!," because she "shall at times . . . assume knowledge acquired in the first." Thus, she says, "What I offer here is further exploration of colloquial vocabulary and idioms and, through them, deeper insights into the French psyche." So, while the layout of "Merde Encore!" is similar to "Merde!," there is a difference in tone between the two books. "Merde!" presents a colloquial and idiomatic French glossary, and "Merde Encore!" attempts to offer an outsider's view on the French psyche (in particular, on the Frenchman's psyche) in a rather sarcastic commentary interspersed with additional vocabulary. Here, Geneviève extends her thesis from "Merde!" (see the chapter on "Xenophobia and Racism") on the "innate French feeling of superiority" by indulging in lots of name-calling and stereotyping. In the interests of free speech, a glossary, dictionary, or phrasebook may offer "politically incorrect" terminology and usage. However, it is up to the reader to decide if a line has been crossed when an author chooses to perpetuate xenophobic stereotypes by using the words "Frog," "Froggie," and "Frog Pathology," and by offering undocumented commentary on the hygiene of the French, for example. Sometimes it is difficult to determine what is humour and what is not. (The foregoing remarks are offered by this reviewer as a disclaimer.)
"Merde Encore!" has thirteen short chapters: "Verbs" (i.e.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsUseful and fun!

A must if you plan to understand how people really talk. I thought I was familiar with French argots but I was wrong.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsEssential for sounding as french as possible

I've had the paperback versions of these (two) books for years. Now I've got them on my Kindle. Great! I live in France and have found Merde! Read more

Published 4 months ago by Kit Wells
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

best french you'll ever learn.

Published 6 months ago by Sacha Aponte
5.0 out of 5 starsProbably what you'd like to know when speaking to close friends

All the French slang you wouldn't want to speak in polite society. Probably what you'd like to know when speaking to close friends...or enemies.

Published 8 months ago by Stanley C. Scott
5.0 out of 5 starsProbably what you'd like to know when speaking to close friends

More of the French slang you wouldn't want to speak in polite society. Probably what you'd like to know when speaking to close friends...or enemies.

Published 8 months ago by Stanley C. Scott
1.0 out of 5 starsOne Star

Mieux d'étudier dans un milieu francophone que de traduire tout le temps...

Published 10 months ago by Bradley
1.0 out of 5 starsOne Star

Mieux d'étudier dans un milieu francophone que de traduire tout le temps...

Published 10 months ago by Bradley
3.0 out of 5 starsThe book is fun and there are lots of new words that I ...

The book is fun and there are lots of new words that I learned, but there are a few phrases that were not translated and because they are expressions, its very hard to understand... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Joseline Roque
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book. I bought this 20 years ago

Great book. I bought this 20 years ago, lent it to someone and never got it back. Salope!!! Found it again and now it is being pored over for great additions to my French... Read more

Published 16 months ago by FM
4.0 out of 5 starsall the naughty bits...

piqued his interest in going further with French....

Published 20 months ago by Kathy L Harrig

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