Today we’ll have a look at the slang noun truc. In French, truc is slang for “thing” and can also translate to “thingumajig” or “trick” (as in magic).
truc
thing (slang)
Word origin
There are multiple theories on the origin of the French word truc. Wiktionary.org suggests that truc comes from the Latin trudere (to thrust forward) or even the English word “truck”!
Example sentences
As mentioned, the most common use of truc is thing, thingumajig, thingy or thingumabob. “C’est quoi ce truc?” could loosely translate to “What the heck is this?” in English.
C’est quoi, ce truc ? Je ne comprends pas comment ça marche !
What’s thing thing? I don’t understand how it works!
We covered the marcher (to walk, to work/function) in this lesson.
Another usage of truc is “thing” or “stuff” in the context of a rumor or circulating news.
Viens t’assesoir ! Je vais te raconter un truc bizarre !
Come sit down! I’m going to tell you something weird!
Truc can also mean “trick” as in magic trick. The English and French words may be related given the common t-r-c spelling.
Le magicien joue de super trucs pour les enfants.
The magician performed some super tricks for the kids.
Truc can also mean “thing” as in the context of “my thing” refering to a hobby or passion.
Je ne joue pas au golf. C’est pas mon truc.
I don’t play golf. It’s not my thing.
Conclusion
Et voilà ! You now know how to use truc in French. Now check out our lesson covering the slang French adjective nul (nulle), which means “lousy”.
