French Word of the Day: Sans Déconner
If you’ve ever wanted to appear surprised, sceptical or sarcastic in French but didn’t know how, then you should learn this French expression.
Why do I need to know sans déconner?
Because adding this informal interjection into a conversation with a French person will help you appear more fluent.
What does it mean?
Sans déconner - roughly pronounced sahn day-cone-ay - translates literally as ‘without (sans) playing the fool’ (déconner), or 'without talking nonsense’ or ‘without joking around'.
The meaning of sans déconner, often shortened to sans déc in more informal situations, has a lot to do with context and pronunciation. A good translation is ‘no kidding’ which can also change meaning depending on when and how you say it.
One way to use sans déconner is to mean ‘seriously’ or ‘I kid you not’ when you want to emphasise a point. For example, you might say, sans déconner, j'adore ce truc, vraiment. (Seriously, I really loved it.)
You can also use sans déc to mean ‘really?’, or ‘no way!’ when something surprises you or you’re a little sceptical about something. Used this way it’s often a response to another statement. For example, one might say: J’ai gagné €10 000 le mois dernier. - Sans déc'? (I earned €10 000 last month? – Really? No way).
In this example using sans déc to show surprise or scepticism all comes down to how it’s said, so make sure you pay attention to intonation, facial expressions and gestures when you hear this phrase or want to use it yourself.
A third way to use sans déconner is as a sarcastic response to someone stating the obvious. Imagine saying ‘no kidding’ with a heavy eye roll or think of how ‘duh’ was used in the 90s and you’ll get an idea of how you might say it. Here’s an example: Il pleut. – Sans déc. (It’s raining. – No kidding.)
Although this expression is used by young people all the time in France, it’s not appropriate for all situations because déconner is a mild swear word.
Some synonyms to use if you’re in more polite company are carrément (which is still informal but not rude, and translates as ‘totally’ or ‘really?’), sans blague (‘without joking’) or sans rire (‘without laughing.’)
Use it like this
Sans dec! Arrete c'est vrai? –No kidding! Wait, is that true?
Sans déconner? T'as eu ce T-shirt pour €10? – Seriously, you got that t-shirt for €10?
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Why do I need to know sans déconner?
Because adding this informal interjection into a conversation with a French person will help you appear more fluent.
What does it mean?
Sans déconner - roughly pronounced sahn day-cone-ay - translates literally as ‘without (sans) playing the fool’ (déconner), or 'without talking nonsense’ or ‘without joking around'.
The meaning of sans déconner, often shortened to sans déc in more informal situations, has a lot to do with context and pronunciation. A good translation is ‘no kidding’ which can also change meaning depending on when and how you say it.
One way to use sans déconner is to mean ‘seriously’ or ‘I kid you not’ when you want to emphasise a point. For example, you might say, sans déconner, j'adore ce truc, vraiment. (Seriously, I really loved it.)
You can also use sans déc to mean ‘really?’, or ‘no way!’ when something surprises you or you’re a little sceptical about something. Used this way it’s often a response to another statement. For example, one might say: J’ai gagné €10 000 le mois dernier. - Sans déc'? (I earned €10 000 last month? – Really? No way).
In this example using sans déc to show surprise or scepticism all comes down to how it’s said, so make sure you pay attention to intonation, facial expressions and gestures when you hear this phrase or want to use it yourself.
A third way to use sans déconner is as a sarcastic response to someone stating the obvious. Imagine saying ‘no kidding’ with a heavy eye roll or think of how ‘duh’ was used in the 90s and you’ll get an idea of how you might say it. Here’s an example: Il pleut. – Sans déc. (It’s raining. – No kidding.)
Although this expression is used by young people all the time in France, it’s not appropriate for all situations because déconner is a mild swear word.
Some synonyms to use if you’re in more polite company are carrément (which is still informal but not rude, and translates as ‘totally’ or ‘really?’), sans blague (‘without joking’) or sans rire (‘without laughing.’)
Use it like this
Sans dec! Arrete c'est vrai? –No kidding! Wait, is that true?
Sans déconner? T'as eu ce T-shirt pour €10? – Seriously, you got that t-shirt for €10?
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