French Expression of the Day: Ça me soûle!
If you hear the words 'ça me soûle', watch out: the speaker isn’t happy, and an angry tirade might be on the way.
Why do I need to know ça me soûle?
Ça me soûle is a commonly used phrase that you’re likely to hear in an informal social context, especially an airing of grievances. If you want to put a little emotional weight behind your expression of displeasure, this expression will do the trick.
What does it mean?
Ça me soûle - roughly pronounced sah mah sool - comes from the verb soûler, also sometimes spelled saouler but always pronounced ‘su-lay’.
It means ‘to intoxicate’, or, in a more literary sense, ‘to satiate’. Used in the reflexive, it means ‘to get drunk’, as in les ivrognes se soûlent de vin bon marché, ‘the winos get drunk on cheap wine.’
But if you hear someone say ça me soûle, however, it doesn’t mean ‘that intoxicates me’, but rather, ‘that exasperates me,’ ‘that’s getting on my nerves,’ or if the speaker is really irritated, ‘that pisses me off.’ In the past tense, the expression is written as ça m'a soûlé (that pissed me off).
For example, you might hear a French person use this phrase after arriving at a boutique only to find that the owners have closed up shop early - ils ont fermé tôt encore une fois, ça me soûle! (They closed early again, that gets on my nerves).
Of course, it isn’t only situations that are irritating, but also people, which is why it’s common to hear the verb soûler used to describe annoying behaviour. Someone who tells you, tu me soûles avec tes histoires is letting you know (emphatically), ‘you annoy me with your stories.’
Just keep in mind that ça me soûle is a fairly critical and colloquial thing to say, so be careful about the context you use it in.
If you want to say ça me soûle in more formal French, you can use the verb énerver, ‘to irritate’, or in the phrase ça m’énerve.
Given the frequency of expressed displeasure in French conversation, there are, of course, other options: ça me gonfle (‘that swells me up’) or ça me fatigue (‘that wears me out’) mean the same thing as ça me soûle.
Use it like this
Mon train à Marseille a été annulé à cause de la grève, ça me soûle! - My train to Marseille was cancelled because of the strike, that pisses me off!
Mon beau-père n’est jamais content, il me soûle avec ses petits commentaires. - My father-in-law is never happy, I’m fed up with his little comments.
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See Also
Why do I need to know ça me soûle?
Ça me soûle is a commonly used phrase that you’re likely to hear in an informal social context, especially an airing of grievances. If you want to put a little emotional weight behind your expression of displeasure, this expression will do the trick.
What does it mean?
Ça me soûle - roughly pronounced sah mah sool - comes from the verb soûler, also sometimes spelled saouler but always pronounced ‘su-lay’.
It means ‘to intoxicate’, or, in a more literary sense, ‘to satiate’. Used in the reflexive, it means ‘to get drunk’, as in les ivrognes se soûlent de vin bon marché, ‘the winos get drunk on cheap wine.’
But if you hear someone say ça me soûle, however, it doesn’t mean ‘that intoxicates me’, but rather, ‘that exasperates me,’ ‘that’s getting on my nerves,’ or if the speaker is really irritated, ‘that pisses me off.’ In the past tense, the expression is written as ça m'a soûlé (that pissed me off).
For example, you might hear a French person use this phrase after arriving at a boutique only to find that the owners have closed up shop early - ils ont fermé tôt encore une fois, ça me soûle! (They closed early again, that gets on my nerves).
Of course, it isn’t only situations that are irritating, but also people, which is why it’s common to hear the verb soûler used to describe annoying behaviour. Someone who tells you, tu me soûles avec tes histoires is letting you know (emphatically), ‘you annoy me with your stories.’
Just keep in mind that ça me soûle is a fairly critical and colloquial thing to say, so be careful about the context you use it in.
If you want to say ça me soûle in more formal French, you can use the verb énerver, ‘to irritate’, or in the phrase ça m’énerve.
Given the frequency of expressed displeasure in French conversation, there are, of course, other options: ça me gonfle (‘that swells me up’) or ça me fatigue (‘that wears me out’) mean the same thing as ça me soûle.
Use it like this
Mon train à Marseille a été annulé à cause de la grève, ça me soûle! - My train to Marseille was cancelled because of the strike, that pisses me off!
Mon beau-père n’est jamais content, il me soûle avec ses petits commentaires. - My father-in-law is never happy, I’m fed up with his little comments.
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