French Expression of the Day: C’est de la balle
This French expression is handy if you are really happy about something.
Why do I need to know c’est de la balle?
Because you might want a new way to express excitement in French.
What does it mean?
C’est de la balle - roughly pronounced say duh lah bahl - is a slang expression that means ‘too cool’ or fantastic.
Primarily used among French youth, it employs the word balle which has several different definitions in colloquial French.
You might hear someone use balles to refer to bullets, or as a stand-in for ‘euro’ - kind of like how a Brit might say ‘quid’ instead of ‘pound’, or an American would say ‘buck’ instead of ‘dollar’.
But in this expression, there is no clear connection to money.
It has been a popular way to express excitement, joy or positivity since the early 2000s, having originated in the suburbs around Paris.
One explanation for its origins says the expression relates to the first meaning of balle - as it refers to something ‘as hard-hitting as a bullet’.
A less colloquial way to call something awesome would be to say c’est genial or c’est super.
Use it like this
C'est ta nouvelle bagnole ? C'est de la balle ça! - That’s your new car? It’s awesome.
Le concert était de la balle. Dommage que tu l'aies manqué. - The concert was incredible. Too bad you missed it.
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Why do I need to know c’est de la balle?
Because you might want a new way to express excitement in French.
What does it mean?
C’est de la balle - roughly pronounced say duh lah bahl - is a slang expression that means ‘too cool’ or fantastic.
Primarily used among French youth, it employs the word balle which has several different definitions in colloquial French.
You might hear someone use balles to refer to bullets, or as a stand-in for ‘euro’ - kind of like how a Brit might say ‘quid’ instead of ‘pound’, or an American would say ‘buck’ instead of ‘dollar’.
But in this expression, there is no clear connection to money.
It has been a popular way to express excitement, joy or positivity since the early 2000s, having originated in the suburbs around Paris.
One explanation for its origins says the expression relates to the first meaning of balle - as it refers to something ‘as hard-hitting as a bullet’.
A less colloquial way to call something awesome would be to say c’est genial or c’est super.
Use it like this
C'est ta nouvelle bagnole ? C'est de la balle ça! - That’s your new car? It’s awesome.
Le concert était de la balle. Dommage que tu l'aies manqué. - The concert was incredible. Too bad you missed it.
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