French Expression of the Day: Donner une tarte
This sounds like a lovely thing to do, right? Wrong.
Why do I need to know donner une tarte?
To avoid a potentially painful misunderstanding.
What does it mean?
Donner une tarte, pronounced don-ay oon tart, literally means to give someone a tart. A lovely gesture, and at the weekends French patisseries have long queues of people waiting to buy a large tart or cake to bring to a lunch or dinner.
But this phrase has a very different meaning - to give someone a punch or a slap.
Je vais te donner une tarte - I am going to give you a slap
Elle m'a donne une grosse tarte - She gave me a big slap
In some contexts, such as a bakery, this expression has the potential to cause a lot of confusion. If in doubt about whether you are going to be given a delicious tart or a slap in the face, try to read the body language and tone of voice of the person speaking.
Some people in France believe that if you bring a tarte aux fraises (strawberry tart) to a dinner party, it is a sign that you are into swinging and ready for things to get steamy - although this is almost certainly an urban myth.
Other tart-related expressions
Tarte can also be used as an adjective to describe something that is simple, easy or stupid.
C'était de la tarte - It was easy
C'est un film tarte - It is a stupid film
Quelle tarte - What an idiot
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Why do I need to know donner une tarte?
To avoid a potentially painful misunderstanding.
What does it mean?
Donner une tarte, pronounced don-ay oon tart, literally means to give someone a tart. A lovely gesture, and at the weekends French patisseries have long queues of people waiting to buy a large tart or cake to bring to a lunch or dinner.
But this phrase has a very different meaning - to give someone a punch or a slap.
Je vais te donner une tarte - I am going to give you a slap
Elle m'a donne une grosse tarte - She gave me a big slap
In some contexts, such as a bakery, this expression has the potential to cause a lot of confusion. If in doubt about whether you are going to be given a delicious tart or a slap in the face, try to read the body language and tone of voice of the person speaking.
Some people in France believe that if you bring a tarte aux fraises (strawberry tart) to a dinner party, it is a sign that you are into swinging and ready for things to get steamy - although this is almost certainly an urban myth.
Other tart-related expressions
Tarte can also be used as an adjective to describe something that is simple, easy or stupid.
C'était de la tarte - It was easy
C'est un film tarte - It is a stupid film
Quelle tarte - What an idiot
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