French Word of the Day: La thune
If someone says you do not have this, you might be offended, but don’t worry - they’re not insulting your singing voice. Why do I need to know la thune ?
Because you’ll want to know why your French friend described himself as lacking this.
What does it mean?
La thune – roughly pronounced lah tune - is a French slang term that has nothing to do with music, even though it might ring that way for English-speaking ears.
If you want to talk about money in French, your options are practically limitless, as there are many slang terms at your disposal. La thune is another - it simply means ‘money,’ and it is often used to describe a person who has a lot of it “avoir la thune” or has none “sans thune.”
Originally, the word was slang for “alms” in the 1600s, and then in the 19th century, it was used to refer to a coin of five francs. Later, in the 1900s, five francs was the amount unions would demand for a day’s labour.
Many speculate that the word comes from “Tunes” - the title that was given to the “King of beggars” or (“roi de Thune”) in lawless parts of old Paris, during the Ancien régime.
It is usually preceded by “de” or “de la,” but you can see the word used as a noun sometimes. A person might say “Je n'ai plus une thune” - meaning they have no money left.
Use it like this
Il est très difficile de vivre dans des villes chères, comme Paris, Londres ou New York, si l'on n'a pas la thune. – It is very difficult to live in expensive cities like Paris, London or New York without money.
On ne se rend pas compte qu'il n'a pas la thune parce qu'il s'habille de façon très chic. – You would not realise that he does not have much money because he dresses so stylishly.
Comments
See Also
Why do I need to know la thune ?
Because you’ll want to know why your French friend described himself as lacking this.
What does it mean?
La thune – roughly pronounced lah tune - is a French slang term that has nothing to do with music, even though it might ring that way for English-speaking ears.
If you want to talk about money in French, your options are practically limitless, as there are many slang terms at your disposal. La thune is another - it simply means ‘money,’ and it is often used to describe a person who has a lot of it “avoir la thune” or has none “sans thune.”
Originally, the word was slang for “alms” in the 1600s, and then in the 19th century, it was used to refer to a coin of five francs. Later, in the 1900s, five francs was the amount unions would demand for a day’s labour.
Many speculate that the word comes from “Tunes” - the title that was given to the “King of beggars” or (“roi de Thune”) in lawless parts of old Paris, during the Ancien régime.
It is usually preceded by “de” or “de la,” but you can see the word used as a noun sometimes. A person might say “Je n'ai plus une thune” - meaning they have no money left.
Use it like this
Il est très difficile de vivre dans des villes chères, comme Paris, Londres ou New York, si l'on n'a pas la thune. – It is very difficult to live in expensive cities like Paris, London or New York without money.
On ne se rend pas compte qu'il n'a pas la thune parce qu'il s'habille de façon très chic. – You would not realise that he does not have much money because he dresses so stylishly.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.