Today’s lesson covers the slang term le gamin (la gamine), which means kid and child. This is an informal word for enfant (child). The exact origin of gamin is unknown. It’s possible that the word originated in the Lorraine region and comes from the Germanic gammel (noisy joy, little rascal).
gamin, gamine
kid, child
Pronunciation [gamɛ̃, gamin]
Gamin, gamine – kid, child
Example sentences
This first sentence uses the adjective bruyant (noisy), which is related to le bruit (noise).
J’aime bien jouer avec les gamins mais ils sont un peu bruyants !
I like to play with the kids but they’re a bit noisy!
For this second sentence, sois (be!) is the imperative mood of être (to be).
Sois gentille avec Christine ! C’est une gamine !
Be nice to Christine ! She’s a child!
This final sentence uses un/une gosse, another slang term for child. Sale gosse, literally “dirty child”, means brat. Foutre le bordel, literally “to make the brothel” is a slang expression for “to make a mess”.
Marc est un sale gosse ! Il n’arrête pas de foutre le bordel dans cette maison !
Marc is a brat. He doesn’t stop making a mess in this house!
Related lessons
- Jouer – to play (Word of the Day)
- French slang overview
- Enfant – kid, child
- Foutre (French slang verb)
- Soit – be
References
- fr.wiktionary.org (gamin)
- WordReference (foutre le bordel)
Word of the Day archive | Lessons by David Issokson
