Transcription

There's no way you'd know all those words in French, unless you're a French speaker and got lost on YouTube.

Welcome to our new French course video.

I'm warning you, today we're going to see very, very advanced French words.

Let me explain 20 words and give you examples so that you can understand them in context, and so that you too can use them to shine with your French friends.

As usual, you can download the free vocabulary sheet for this lesson by clicking on the link in the video description.

Perennial
This word is an adjective that designates something that will last for a very long time, even indefinitely, forever.

• A lasting love is one that doesn't fade with time, like that of my grandparents who have been married for 60 years.
• An oak is a perennial tree.

Idleness
Idleness is a word that has nothing to do with birds. If you'd tried to guess, you might have thought that, but no, it's simply a word for the state of doing nothing, of being inactive.

• When it's hot, idleness can be restful.
• During her vacations, Lisa has chosen idleness. She spends her days sunbathing and reading in the sun.

The verb to guess
You may have heard this one before, but it's a little more common than the other two. Suppose, we use it to say that we're going to make assumptions when, of course, we don't have all the information in our hands. We're going to assume things. We're trying to guess something with the available information. You'll understand better with examples.

• Without watching the match, Marc guessed that France had lost when he heard his neighbors complaining.
• I assume he's not married because he's not wearing a wedding ring.

Versatile
You can be a fickle person. It's an adjective used to refer to someone who changes opinion or mood easily, for example, he or she can easily change his or her mind about the same thing.

• Hugo is so versatile that he can go from happy to sad in a matter of seconds.
• Lisa is very fickle. One day she loves our president, the next she hates him.
• My dog is versatile. He can be cuddly and then seconds later, very distant.

Self-sacrifice
This word is used to talk about sacrificing oneself, putting others before oneself. It's the gift of self. You give up your own interests for the sake of others. For example, you could say...

• The self-sacrifice of rescue workers is admirable. It means they'll do anything to save people, even if it means putting themselves in danger.
• The dedication of this mother who works four jobs to support her children is an example of self-sacrifice. It means giving her all so that her children can be well.

To be grumpy
Again, it's an adjective that means you're a bit of a grouch, you're often grumpy, you're in a bad mood, so you grumble quite often. Someone who's grumpy.

• My husband is always grumpy in the morning. He doesn't like to get up early.
• The grumpy old man on my street is always grumbling about the noise, even when no one's around.

When we talk about someone being grumpy, it's also a bit of a personality trait.

The verb to chatter
Jabber. Someone who jabbers is someone who talks a lot, often to say things that aren't very interesting, not very important, a bit boring.

• Two teenagers chattering away behind me on the bus, giving me a headache.
• I chatted with my friend the whole train journey, telling each other trivial anecdotes.

Lunar
Something lunar or a lunar event, a lunar phrase. It's an adjective for something that seems unreal, that seems strange.

• A man who bit a dog? This story is lunar. You see, because it's not a common occurrence. You'd expect the opposite.
• Christopher always imagines lunar projects. You could also say that he's making plans for the future. So, if he has lunar projects, they're certainly projects that won't come to fruition, that don't make much sense, that are unreal, even unachievable.

Untold
When something or a feeling is unspeakable, it means it can't be expressed in words. It's very complicated to find the right words for something, often because it's too complex or too deep.

• Paul has felt an unspeakable sadness since the death of his father. This means he can't describe the sadness, the pain.
• The beauty of a sunset is indescribable. It's hard to describe the beauty of a sunset, it's so magnificent.

A sailor
This word, I think, has no translation in other languages. It's an item of clothing that's very popular in France. It's when you wear a sweater or T-shirt with horizontal blue and white stripes. Very often, when you see the clichéd image of a Frenchman with his baguette under his arm, he wears a marinière and a beret.

• The French often wear marinières.

Sporadic
It's an adjective that means to occur, to take place irregularly, from time to time.

• Family reunions have become sporadic. We only see each other once in a while, two or three times a year.
• Mylène Farmer's sporadic concerts have become must-see events for her fans.

Grant
It's a verb that means to give something in a formal or official way.

• The university has awarded Léa a scholarship. You could also say give, but if you want to use a much more formal word, you could say grant. It gives the impression that there's been a real reflection, a process, and that finally, the university has given her this scholarship.
• My boss gave me a raise. So, again, the implication is that there was negotiation, potentially.

Ubuesque
We use it to talk about something absurd, something completely far-fetched. So something comical, a little ridiculous too.

• Today, I experienced a bizarre situation. A new museum in my town was being inaugurated by the mayor, and he tried to cut the ribbon with giant scissors that wouldn't cut. It was a really bizarre situation. You can use it either in a funny context, as here, or in an absurd context, but in a negative sense.
• During the pandemic, some people found it absurd to wear masks outdoors.

The tumult
We use this word to refer to a loud noise, often caused by a crowd of people, by a lot of people.

• Following the French team's victory in the World Cup, fans took to the streets in an uproar.

Dithyrambic
It's an adjective, again in very formal language, which means very complimentary, a little excessive in the compliments. We give compliments, but really a lot. It's more than compliments.

• The reviews of this film are rave reviews. I absolutely must see it. That means the reviews, they're extraordinary, they're extremely positive, very positive.
• My mother speaks very highly of my husband. She adores him. That means and she's always complimentary about him.

Grapiller
It's a verb. It means to gather little by little, to take a little bit of information here and there.

• I'm gathering information about my new colleague, and I have the impression that he's lied about his skills. So I look for information, picking it up left and right.
• My mother is gathering information about my new boyfriend to find out if he's a good person. So she's kind of looking for information.

Caustic
This adjective is often used to refer to a type of humor, i.e. caustic humor, or to talk about a slightly nasty, not veryThis adjective is often used to refer to a type of humor, i.e. caustic humor, or to talk about a slightly nasty, not very nice reflection. Caustic means to criticize in a strong way, often with dark humor, so to use negative things to make people laugh, or sarcasm. Sarcasm is when you're a bit ironic. You say the exact opposite of what you mean, and get the point across with your tone of voice.

These caustic remarks are often laughed at
Tom makes a lot of caustic remarks, but deep down, he's not mean.
In reality, he's nice

Stunning
This word is, of course, the present participle of the verb to cook, but it's also an adjective that's often associated with the word defeat, "a resounding defeat", or with the word failure, "a resounding failure". It's something that evokes a feeling of failure or deep disappointment. You're deeply disappointed in something. It's often used to describe an experience that's been a bit of a failure, where you're left feeling resentful and bitter.
My team lost the match 10 to 0. This bitter failure must be forgotten as soon as possible.

Poke around
It's a colloquial verb, but it's still a very polite way of saying to search, to rummage, so farfouiller. You're looking for something by rummaging around a bit haphazardly.
I rummage around in my handbag for a pen
I can also say
My cousin loves rummaging through jumble sales.

Braderies are markets where second-hand items are sold. When I say that my cousin likes to rummage around in markets, I mean that she likes to look for little treasures.

Finally, the last word we're going to look at today is mise en scène. You may be familiar with this word in the context of theater, as it can be used to refer to both the sets and the artistic direction of a play. The stage director is the film equivalent of the director. In other words, staging is directing. But it can also be used, on a day-to-day basis, to talk about deception. Deception is when you pretend to deceive. We're going to disguise a truth. For example, I can say...
His suicide was staged. It was a murder in disguise

That's it, the video is over. I hope you enjoyed it. As a non-French speaker, let me know in the comments how many of these words you knew before watching the video.

And also, tell me what's the most complicated, complex word you know in French. If you liked the video, please "like" it and subscribe so you don't miss any of my future French videos. See you soon.