Talking Football
Who doesn't like talking about football? Whether you're arguing with a PSG fan about Neymar's theatrics, or watching the world cup in a beach bar in the Ivory Coast, a, little bit of football vocabulary can come in very handy.
Getting the basics right
- Qui joue?
Who's playing? - Quelle équipe joue en blanc ?
Which team are playing in white?
That first question should get a response along the lines of:
- C'est le PSG contre Lyon.
It's PSG against Lyon.
Other basic questions about a match:
- Tu es pour quelle équipe?
Which team do you support? - C'est un jeu de ligue ?
Is this a league game?
Of, course, it might be worth checking first if your new-found friend actually likes football!
- Tu aimes le foot?
Do you like football? - Désolé, mais je n'aime pas le foot.
Sorry, I don't like football.
There's always one, isn't there?
Scores and results
Now, if you're an Arsenal fan, it's probably not a good idea to ask about the score. But, for the rest of us, here are some useful questions:
- C'est quoi est le score?
What's the score? - Qui a gagné?
Who won? - Quelle équipe a gagné?
Which team won? - Qui gagne?
Who's winning? - Quelle équipe gagne pour le moment?
Which team is winning?
Talking about the players
- Qui a marqué?
Who scored? - Il a été remplacé.
He's been substituted. - Est-ce que Neymar est blessé?
Is Neymar injured? - Qui est l'attaquant?
Who is the striker?
Timings
- À quelle heure est le match ce soir?
What time is the match tonight? - Il reste combien de temps?
How long is left? (time)
Referees
- Mais ça devrait être carton rouge!
That should be a red card! - Mais ça ne devrait pas être carton jaune!
That shouldn't be a yellow card! - L'arbitre est mauvais.
The referee is terrible. - D'où est l'arbitre ?
Where is the referee from?
Excalamations and Insults
Yep, you've been waiting for this section, haven't you?
- Penalty!
Penalty! - Ça c'est un penalty !
That's a penalty! - Ça, ce n'est pas un penalty !
That's not a penalty! - Faute !
Foul! - Mais c'est une faute !
That's a foul! - Mais ce n'est pas une faute !
That's not a foul!
There's more...
- Il a fait une fausse chute!
He dived! - Tire!
Shoot! - Passe la !
Pass it! - Passe le ballon!
Pass the ball! - Pourquoi il n'a pas passé ?
Why didn't he pass? - Quel but !
What a goal! - Quel dommage, il a raté!
What a miss!
And finally...
- Who ate all the pies
Thanks for visiting!
Some other stuff here
This Course
Basic French
Just getting started? Here are all the basics, from introducing yourself, to numbers, the alphabet and loads more crazy Gallic stuff.
Other sections in this course
Real French I
Forget the textbooks. Here's the sort of informal French you'll hear amongst friends.
It's the type of really practical language that you'll use all the time in casual conversations, but nobody's actually ever bothered to teach you. Until now.
1.2: Show me more!
You've learnt the basics (Tell me you've learnt the basics!) and want to move on? Let's look at likes and loves and a whole load of other stuff.
Basic French Grammar
Your starter's guide to French grammar rules.
1.1 Know nothing? Start here!
Bienvenue to our series of classes for anyone starting to learn French, or those of you who were smoking behind the bike sheds when they should have been in French class.
Our focus in these classes is on real, practical examples which you can start to use straight away. We'll keep grammar to a minimum, promise!
Real French I
Other classes in this section:
French for Relationships
Got yourself a French girlfriend or boyfriend? Here are some phrases which you might find extremely useful.
What do you look like?
How do the French really talk about somebody's physical appearance? Let's be honest, they can be a fairly critical bunch at times! Here's a mixture of nice, positive phrases, and subtle put-downs!
Talking Football
Watching footy in the pub with some French-speaking friends? Don't hold back! Let them know what you think about the match, the referee, their star striker, etc, etc.