Glossary entry (derived from question below)
French term or phrase:
il est trop cher
English translation:
he is a bit dear
French term
il est trop cher
I think it means he's a bit of a diva? Anyway, is "he's too much" ok in your opinion? Also, can this phrase be meant positively in other context?
| 4 | he is a bit dear |
Marcombes (X)
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| 4 | he's too much |
KMPrice
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| 3 | he's a pain |
katsy
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Mar 10, 2014 18:56: Alison Sabedoria (X) changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"
Mar 19, 2014 08:24: Marcombes (X) Created KOG entry
PRO (3): philgoddard, Yolanda Broad, Alison Sabedoria (X)
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Proposed translations
he is a bit dear
| neutral |
KMPrice
: I understand 'too dear' in the sense that something is too expensive, but only because I'm over 50. It's outdated.
7 hrs
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| neutral |
MoiraB
: Not at all outdated if you're from Scotland, where it's commonly used to mean expensive - but perhaps too 'regional' for this context
7 days
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he's a pain
Here is a link to a "slang" site: http://www.languefrancaise.net/bob/detail.php?id=1300
I have copied the main entry (but there are examples also) ¶ Intensif, haut ; élevé ; beaucoup ; bien, fort, difficile, beaucoup, vite ; rude ; important, énorme ; exagérer, difficile à croire
Given the context you give us I'd imagine the boss comes into the "difficile" category!
So I'd say "he's a pain" to keep the slangy element;
Or more prosaically
he's difficult
he makes our lives difficult
It doesn't seem to me that "diva" would be it, though impatient, short-tempered MIGHT come into it.
I wouldn't personally go for 'too much', (though that might be just personal!) - if you want to go along that road, why not, the more euphemistic "he's very intense"?
OTT possibly!
Hope you find something there to help you!
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Note added at 5 hrs (2014-03-10 18:55:48 GMT)
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Ah! Nearly forgot... the 'trop' is very probably the intensifier (synonym of très) used more and more in everyday informal speech (waaah, trop bien, trop génial etc....)
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Note added at 1 day7 mins (2014-03-11 13:19:58 GMT)
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As noted in the discussion box, I wonder if it could be "il est trop chier"
Here are some examples found on google (âmes sensibles s'abstenir!!) http://manoulette70.skyrock.com/562442475-putain-comme-elle-...
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=323380981044611&st...
If Asker thinks this is a possibility, then I adjust my suggested answer to:
"He's a (real) pain in the ass."
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Note added at 1 day2 hrs (2014-03-11 15:38:12 GMT)
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As noted in the discussion box, here is the view of a young French person...
"Jamais entendu "il est cher". En revanche il est chier, oui, dans le sens 'il exagère, il abuse, il est gonflé' ".
So once again, I'll try to adjust my suggestion accordingly.
He goes too far (not particularly slangy, though!)
He really pisses people off
He thinks he's God's gift (don't know if that is too old..)
He thiks he's so bloody marvellous...
| neutral |
KMPrice
: All viable possibilities, but say word gets around that so-and-so said the boss is any of those adjectives, when all he meant was overpaid? Too risky. I maintain that "too much" can be construed many ways, including all of yours, making it a safer choice.
23 hrs
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You have a point, Karen :-)
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he's too much
And if Katsy's link to the definition of Bob is on the money, you're covered there too, as too much covers those adjectives nicely.
Also, assuming that the writer of the e-mail meant "trop chié" is a really dangerous way to go.
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Note added at 1 day5 hrs (2014-03-11 18:15:46 GMT)
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"on Bob" not "of Bob".
Discussion
- Qu'est-ce que tu penses de l'Iphone 5 ?
- Il est cher !
C'est par simplification qu'on l'utilise pour une personne 'il est cher/il est trop cher).
Quant à "il est chié !" c'est effectivement une autre expression qui signifie "il est gonflé" (dans le sens de audacieux, arrogant etc.
Je n'ai jamais entendu 'trop gonflé" mais les jeunes utilisent "trop" a toutes les sauces (preuve d'un manque de vocabulaire) il est trop bien, elle est trop bonne, quand on ne connait pas le superlatif on peut toujours utiliser "trop" :-)
I believe "c'est un Français" meaning probably he is an expat and that's the reason why he is "overpaid"
Nikki, do you mean literal in the sense that the boss would be costing too much money to the company? There's no reference to money elsewhere.
"c'est un francais" would seem to imply that to the author "cher" is a typical French personal attribute.
Can we please have the entire sentence?