Thursday, October 31, 2013

How do you say "Boo!" in French?

Like this:
Pasteur statue, place de Breteuil. 

4 comments:

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Apparently, the French exclamation (to surprise, not to show disapproval) is "Hou!".

There, now we know.

Joan said...

"Hou" is what you hear French crowds howl during football matches and political speeches. It expresses disagreement and disapproval.

If you want to scare somebody, you jump out of a dark corner and shout "Bouh" at them.

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Thanks for the clarification, Joan. I knew about the "hou" for disapproval (sometimes with whistling), but quite honestly no one in France has ever tried to scare the bejeezus out of me -- on purpose. Trop de nuance!
Which brings me to the next train of thought -- we say "Peek-a-boo!" in English but I believe it's just "Cou-Cou" for the same baby's game in France. None of that "boo" stuff.

Parisbreakfasts said...

I thought coucou was a term of endearment and greeting
So many expressions...so little time...between bites of chocolate

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