French Expression of the Day: File-moi ton RIB
Why on earth would a French person ask you to hand over a part of your body?
Why do I need to know file-moi ton RIB?
Because you’ll probably hear this phrase any time your French friend owes you money.
What does it mean?
File-moi ton RIB – pronounced feel muah tone rib – means “give me your bank coordinates” or “give me your bank details.” It might sound a bit scary to give a random person your bank account number, particularly if you’re more used to paying people back with apps like PayPal. But in France, it is quite common to pay people via direct bank transfer, for bigger things like rent or bills and even for small things like splitting a dinner.
“RIB” is an acronym for “Relevé d’Identité Bancaire” (Bank Identity Statement), and it contains some key information: your IBAN (International Bank Account Number), the name of your bank and its address, the bank’s code d’agence (agency code), your full name and address, your bank account number, and finally the BIC (the bank identifier code).
It might feel like you are being scammed, but fear not - giving someone this information does not allow them to retract money from your account. It simply allows them to pay you, and vice versa when you add someone else as a bénéficiare (an authorised person to transfer money to). So, if someone is saying “file-moi ton RIB” to you, that means they want to transfer money to you.
It is worth being aware that this phrase is in the imperative form, meaning it is a command. Also, you should note that the verb “filer” is the familier (informal) way to say “donner” (to give), and that, as always, there is a difference between saying “filez” (the ‘vous’ form, and therefore, more formal) and “file” (the informal ‘tu’). Therefore, you're most likely to hear "file-moi ton RIB" amongst friends or people you already know. If you want to play it safe, or you are worried about accidentally offending someone by using a phrase that is too informal, you can always replace the verb "filer" with "donner" or "envoyer" (to send).
Use it like this
File-moi ton RIB pour que je puisse te payer le billet d'avion. – Give me your bank details so that I can pay you for the plane ticket.
Je lui ai dit de me filer son RIB pour qu'il puisse se faire rembourser sa moitié de loyer.– I told him to give me his bank account number so he could get his half of the rent back.
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Why do I need to know file-moi ton RIB?
Because you’ll probably hear this phrase any time your French friend owes you money.
What does it mean?
File-moi ton RIB – pronounced feel muah tone rib – means “give me your bank coordinates” or “give me your bank details.” It might sound a bit scary to give a random person your bank account number, particularly if you’re more used to paying people back with apps like PayPal. But in France, it is quite common to pay people via direct bank transfer, for bigger things like rent or bills and even for small things like splitting a dinner.
“RIB” is an acronym for “Relevé d’Identité Bancaire” (Bank Identity Statement), and it contains some key information: your IBAN (International Bank Account Number), the name of your bank and its address, the bank’s code d’agence (agency code), your full name and address, your bank account number, and finally the BIC (the bank identifier code).
It might feel like you are being scammed, but fear not - giving someone this information does not allow them to retract money from your account. It simply allows them to pay you, and vice versa when you add someone else as a bénéficiare (an authorised person to transfer money to). So, if someone is saying “file-moi ton RIB” to you, that means they want to transfer money to you.
It is worth being aware that this phrase is in the imperative form, meaning it is a command. Also, you should note that the verb “filer” is the familier (informal) way to say “donner” (to give), and that, as always, there is a difference between saying “filez” (the ‘vous’ form, and therefore, more formal) and “file” (the informal ‘tu’). Therefore, you're most likely to hear "file-moi ton RIB" amongst friends or people you already know. If you want to play it safe, or you are worried about accidentally offending someone by using a phrase that is too informal, you can always replace the verb "filer" with "donner" or "envoyer" (to send).
Use it like this
File-moi ton RIB pour que je puisse te payer le billet d'avion. – Give me your bank details so that I can pay you for the plane ticket.
Je lui ai dit de me filer son RIB pour qu'il puisse se faire rembourser sa moitié de loyer.– I told him to give me his bank account number so he could get his half of the rent back.
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