French Word of the Day: Bof
It's a classic French word (or is it more of a noise?) that you need to know.
Why do I need to know bof?
Because if you're feeling demotivated, indifferent, or want to engage in the traditional French pastime of avoiding being positive (being honest) about things, this is a need to know word.
Plus it’s a French classic, right up there with pfff, exaggerated shrugging and oh la la.
What does it mean?
Bof - roughly pronounced bohf - is more of a spoken interjection that translates as a feeling of disinterest or mild unhappiness than it is an actual word. A lot of native speakers will simply make a noise rather than fully pronounce the word and it's frequently paired with a shrug.
Historically, bof has been linked to an acronym for Boeuf, Oeuf, Fromage (Beef, egg and cheese). All three foods were rationed during the German war-time occupation in France and black marketeers became known as BOFs. Over time bof has lost this unscrupulous association and came to mean something quite different.
Its most common use is as an indifferent or slightly negative response to a question, for example, - Que penses-tu de ce film? – Bof. Pas terrible. - What did you think of the film? – Whatever. It wasn’t terrible.
Similarly bof can also be a response on its own
Tu trouves pas que ce film est génial? Bof - You didn't enjoy the film? Meh
It could also be a slightly depressing reply to ça va? (are you OK/how's it going?) meaning ‘not great’, ‘ok’, or ‘meh’.
Considering that a normal reply to ça va would be ‘fine’ or ‘good thanks’ (bien, merci) saying you are just ‘alright’, ‘ok’ or bof actually implies that you feeling a bit miserable.
Finally, if you’re going to use this classic French sound you might as well go the whole hog and Frenchify your gestures too; bof is often said with an indifferent expression and dismissive shrug of the shoulders.
Use it like this
Est-ce que tu as faim? - Bof... - Are you hungry? – Not really…
Tu t-amuses bien? – Bof. - Are you having a good time? – Meh.
Did you know you can get notifications of all our French words and Expressions of the Day on our new app as soon as we publish? Just open up The Local app, click on 'user' and 'notifications' and then select France and French Word of the Day
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Why do I need to know bof?
Because if you're feeling demotivated, indifferent, or want to engage in the traditional French pastime of avoiding being positive (being honest) about things, this is a need to know word.
Plus it’s a French classic, right up there with pfff, exaggerated shrugging and oh la la.
What does it mean?
Bof - roughly pronounced bohf - is more of a spoken interjection that translates as a feeling of disinterest or mild unhappiness than it is an actual word. A lot of native speakers will simply make a noise rather than fully pronounce the word and it's frequently paired with a shrug.
Historically, bof has been linked to an acronym for Boeuf, Oeuf, Fromage (Beef, egg and cheese). All three foods were rationed during the German war-time occupation in France and black marketeers became known as BOFs. Over time bof has lost this unscrupulous association and came to mean something quite different.
Its most common use is as an indifferent or slightly negative response to a question, for example, - Que penses-tu de ce film? – Bof. Pas terrible. - What did you think of the film? – Whatever. It wasn’t terrible.
Similarly bof can also be a response on its own
Tu trouves pas que ce film est génial? Bof - You didn't enjoy the film? Meh
It could also be a slightly depressing reply to ça va? (are you OK/how's it going?) meaning ‘not great’, ‘ok’, or ‘meh’.
Considering that a normal reply to ça va would be ‘fine’ or ‘good thanks’ (bien, merci) saying you are just ‘alright’, ‘ok’ or bof actually implies that you feeling a bit miserable.
Finally, if you’re going to use this classic French sound you might as well go the whole hog and Frenchify your gestures too; bof is often said with an indifferent expression and dismissive shrug of the shoulders.
Use it like this
Est-ce que tu as faim? - Bof... - Are you hungry? – Not really…
Tu t-amuses bien? – Bof. - Are you having a good time? – Meh.
Did you know you can get notifications of all our French words and Expressions of the Day on our new app as soon as we publish? Just open up The Local app, click on 'user' and 'notifications' and then select France and French Word of the Day
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