French Football Weekly Footballing Phrasebook Joe Cole got some

For the Fans
French Football Weekly Footballing Phrasebook
Joe Cole got some of the basics down at Lille - ‘There’s
“tournez”, which is turn, “frappez” is shoot and “jouez” which
is pass...’ – ish – and Joseph Barton is moving to Marseille,
but how can commentators, managers, pundits and the rest
of us make sure that we are literally speaking a different
language? Read on...
Note: entries in italics are literal translations of the usual
English word or phrase, which may not be immediately
understood by a French-speaker. Caution.
Around the Ground
le stade
la pelouse
le terrain
l’aire de jeu
le milieu de terrain
le rond central
la ligned de touche
les 6 mètres
les18 mètres
la surface de reparation
stadium
(lit) lawn, (fig) pitch
pitch
pitch
midfield
centre circle
touchline
6-yard box
18-yard box
the area
les tribunes
la fusée
le feu d’artifice
tifo
animations
canon de confetti
une enceinte*
Bienvenue à [stade]
enfer
“Oh, Monsieur l’Arbitre!”
terraces
flare
fireworks (also fig.)
banner
banners/flags etc
confetti gun
fortress
Welcome to [stadium]
hell
“Oi, referee!”
*note: l’enceinte parisienne = the Parisian fortress; une parisienne
enceinte = a pregnant Parisian
Popular songs
“Tu seras viré, demain matin” *
“You’re getting sacked in the morning”
“Tu sais pas ce que tu fais”
“You don’t know what you’re doing”
“L'arbitre est un branleur”
“The referee’s a wanker”
“Qui est le salaud en noir?”
“Who’s the bastard in the black?”
“Êtes-vous Arsenal en deguisement?”
“Are you Arsenal in disguise?”
“Où etiez-vous quand on était la merde?”
“Where we you when we were shit?”
“C’est vraiment comme jouer contre [equipe]”
“It’s just like playing [team]”
* if directed at Didier Deschamps, use the more formal ‘vous’ form
Playing the Game
victoire
défaite
match nul
ballon
le cuir
transversale
poteau
maillot
brassard
win
loss
draw
ball
ball (lit: the leather)
crossbar
post
shirt / jersey
captain’s armband
(premier / deuxieme) mi-temps
(1st / 2nd) half, also half-time
temps réglementaire
regulation time
temps additionel
added / injury time
prolongations
extra time
a.p. / après prolongations a.e.t. / after extra time
seance de tirs au but
penalty shoot-out
l’axe
l’aile (gauche/droite)
couloir gauche/droite
centre (channel)
(left/right) wing
left/right channel (lit: corridor)
coup de pied arrêté
penalty
s.p. (sur penalty)
coup franc
coup d’envoi
corner
dead-ball
penalty
pen.
free kick
kick-off
corner*
*note: the usual translation ‘coin’ is used for descriptive purposes,
eg, au coin du terrain = near the corner flag
but
doublé
triplé / coupe du chapeau
marquer (un but)
marquer contre son camp
c.s.c.
tirer/frapper au but
passe décisive
passe transversale
centrer
lob
deviation
plein axe
en pleine lucarne
au fond des filets
à ras de terre
au sol
en contre
goal
brace
hat-trick
to score (a goal)
to score an own goal
o.g.
to shoot
key pass / assist
cross-field ball
to cross
lob
flick-on, deflection
right up the middle
in the top corner (lit: skylight)
in the back of the net
along the ground / daisycutter
on the ground
on the counter-attack
Les joueurs / positions
attaquant
milieu (offensif/defensif)
defenseur
gardien
lateral gauche / droite
ailier gauche / droit
buteur
titularisé
remplacé par...
selectionné
attacker/striker
midfielder (attacking/defensive)
defender
keeper
left / right side (fullbacks)
left / right winger
scorer
in starting eleven
replaced by...
selected (national team)
Tirs
bien cadré
pas bien cadré
pas bien cadré
largement raté
tuer les pigeons
shots
on target
off target
well wide
way over / Row M
way way over / Row Z
(lit: to kill pigeons)
Interventions / tacles
inoffensif
énergique
agricole
delicate
tackles
innocuous
robust
agricultural
well-judged
Shot Selection
une-deux
one-two
decaler le ballon
to tap on / lay-off (eg on freekick)
plat / intérieur du pied
inside of the foot
extérieur du pied
outside of the foot
petit crochet exterieur
little tap outside of the foot
passe en retrait
cut-back
frappe enroulée
curved round the wall
talonnade
backheel
coup de tête (enorme)
(towering) header
bicyclette
bicycle kick
petit pont
nutmeg
grand pont
n. skinning someone
banane
curler
balle piquée
chipped ball
praline
heavy shot
mettre le ballon dans la boite put the ball in the box
Erreurs
Mistakes
gaffe
gaffe
cagade
embarrassing error
(grande) perle
(complete) howler
vendanger
to squander lots of chances
centrer au troisieme poteau misplaced cross (lit: to cross
to the third post)
couloir aveugle
blind alley
Defendre
To Defend
un double rideau défensif two banks of four
(lit: a double defensive curtain)
garer l’autobus
to park the bus
mur
wall
coup de main
punched save
parade
(keeper’s) parry
bel arret
good stop
gants
gloves
menuiserie
woodwork
premier/deuxieme poteau near/far post
petit filet
side-netting
Arbitrage
Refereeing
Faute
Siffler
hors-jeu
(faute de) main
avertissement
carton jaune
biscotte
foul
to blow whistle
offside
handball
warning
yellow card
yellow (lit: breakfast rusk)
sanctionné
ecoper d’un carton
carton rouge
expulsion
suspendu
faire appel
etre blanchi
cautioned
to get booked
red card
sending off
suspended
to appeal
to be cleared (card withdrawn)
Salle de Soins
Treatment Room
blessé
touché
en récupération
pas (encore) opérationnel
kiné
etre porté malade
injured
hurt
recovering
not (yet) fit
physio
on the sick-list
Managing Well
entraineur
selectionneur
les dirigeants
timonier
manager / coach
national coach
management/board
helmsman
“On a tout fait pour perdre”
“well, we chucked that away”
“Il n’est pas ce genre de joueur”
“He’s not that type of player”
“Les gars faisaient bon”
“The lads done good”
“Il a une bonne touche pour un mec grand”
“he’s got a good touch for a big lad”
“tout sauf les meubles”
“everything but the kitchen sink”
“On est au-dessus de la lune”
“we’re over the moon”
“je suis malade comme un perroquet”
“I’m sick as a parrot”
La valse des entraineurs Managerial merry-go-round
limoger
démis de ses fonctions
prendre la suite
prendre les rênes
l'homme de la situation
le manège
he’s on thin ice / in trouble
(lit: on the plinth)
to dismiss
relieved of duty
to take over
to take the reins
the right man for the job
merry-go-round
Mercato
Transfer market / window
il est sur la sellette
transfert
transfer
achat
purchase
vente
sale
pret
loan
fin de contrat
end of contract / free transfer
hélicoptère
helicopter
fenêtre de voiture
car window
dans le viseur
in their sights
sur les tablettes
on the agenda
visite medicale
fitness test
les sirènes (de la Premier League)
the call (of the Premier League)
“J’ai toujours rêvé de jouer pour [equipe] / en [pays]”
“I’ve always dreamed of playing for [team] / in [country] “
Competitions
ligue
league
Ligue 1 / 2
1st/2nd tier (professional)
National
3rd tier (semi-professional)
CFA 1 / 2
4th/5th tier (amateurs/reserves)
Coupe de France
= FA Cup
Coupe de la Ligue
= League Cup
Trophée des Champions = Community Shield
Ligue des Champions/C1* Champions League
Ligue Europa/C3*
Europa League
Supercoupe (d’Europe)
(European) Supercup
*C2 was used for the now-defunct Cup-Winners Cup
la séléction
Coupe du Monde
Euro
(match) amical
palmarès
couronne
champions
titre
tenante du titre
conserver
dauphin
tirage
barrages
aller-retour
à domicile
(national) squad
World Cup
European Championship
friendly
honours
crown
champions
title
title-holders
to retain
runners up (lit: dolphin,
hist: heir to the throne)
draw
play-offs
away/home or first/second legs
at home
à l’exterieur
la poule*
jouable
away
group (lit: hen; also: hooker)
winnable
*Note: la groupe de la mort = group of death; la poule de la mort =
chicken of death
Talking Sense
littéralement
vachement
bon
très bon
supérieur
literally
really
top
top top
top top top
à la fin de la journée
il faut dire...
à peu près
bref...
rester debout
rester au sol
at the end of the day
to be fair...
sort of / -ish
anyway...
to stay on your feet
to stay down
les promus
faire l’ascenseur
relegable
lanterne rouge
descendre
the promoted teams
to get promoted
in the relegation zone
last-placed team/wooden spoon
to go down
remporter
s’incliner
to win (carry off)
to lose (roll over)
pronos
bilan
predictions
round-up
une douche froide
rude awakening
étriller
to destroy (lit: to currycomb)
une piètre performance
a poor performance
un (veritable) coup de massue
a (total) hiding (lit: – a crushing
blow with a club)
trouver la clef
to finish (lit: to find the key)
reprendre la main
regain their/his touch
[team] au métier
[team] do a job
mouiller le maillot
put a shift in (lit: wet the shirt)
'a l'ancienne'
‘old-fashioned’
dur / durement
harsh / harshly
chair de poule
goosebumps
magie
magic
les automatismes
l’automatisme
polyvalence
percussion
finition
le pressing
reactions / reflexes
understanding (btw. players)
versatility
impact
final ball / finishing
pressing
“Le match s'est bien équilibré et peut basculer d'un côté
comme de l'autre”
“it’s evenly balanced, and could go either way Gary”
“C’a été un match de deux mi- temps”
“It was a game of two halves”
“La partie est arrêtée et tous les joueurs se chamaillent”
“it’s all kicked off here Geoff”
“On gagnera rien avec de la jeunesse”
“you’ll win nothing with kids”
“Trois points difficiles”
“a tricky three points”
“mais ca ne marche pas comme ca”
“that’s just not how it works”
“un mardi soir pluvieux à [endroit]”
“a rainy Tuesday evening in [area]”
“Sacs à mains (à trois pas)”
“Handbags (at three paces)”
Types of Players
grand gabarit
petit gabarit
flêche
costaud
sentinelle
la charnière
milieu relayeur
meneur de jeu
point
tour de controle
mobylette
vedette
bourrin
une brèle
une chèvre
disponible CFA
a unit (lit: a size of lorry) – e.g. Carroll
ditto smaller version – e.g. Valbuena
quick lad upfront (lit: arrow/dart)
solid / hefty / robust
sentry / guard duty
central defence (in attack, ‘the mixer’)
box-to-box midfielder (lit: relay-runner)
playmaker / midfield general
target man
very tall defender (lit: control tower)
very fast runner (lit: moped)
star player
butcher
bad player
terrible player (lit: goat)
playing with the reserves
Philippa Booth, Jeremy Smith and Bastien Leclair
With thanks to James Eastham for his suggestions