Francophone Friday: Oh là là

  Skirt, Bangles: France (Jacqueline Riu, beach town trinket shop) / Top: Charlotte Russe / Shoes: Buckle clearance ($7!) /  Necklace: J Crew Factory / Earrings: Gabes (Monet) / Headband: Nordstrom (Gift from super sweet Mother in Law!)

I'm starting a new series called Francophone Fridays. You can check it out here, where I explain it and will link up the posts. In essence, I'm featuring outfits with a piece from France and some little tid-bit à la français.

I decided to start with the phrase oh là là, since I use it so frequently :) See here and here, for example.

Ooh là là {notice the double o; it's important} is actually an English misspelling/ mispronunciation of the French phrase Oh là là {with one o}, which actually translates to Oh dear, Oh my, or Oh no! As Madame Lawless explains it here, "it can indicate surprise, disappointment, commiseration, distress, annoyance... any moderately strong reaction to something" and "can be strengthened with additional làs, always in pairs."

I heard my French host mom use the phrase with many là làs for various purposes: when she couldn't find her keys, when something spilled, when her son wasn't fast enough to set the table, when her kittens got into mischief, when she saw a pretty piece of jewelry in a shop {and again when she saw the price }, etc.

In English, where we say Ooh instead of Oh, it's more commonly used to express Oh wow! or to talk about something risque. We tend to take foreign phrases/expressions and make them our own.

So Frenchify your diction this weekend and take one of the many opportunities that are bound to come your way to exclaim, in your best Frenchy accent, Oh là là! Feel free to draw out that final là or tack on a few more là làs, then follow it up with a grandiose eye roll.  And voilà, your life will be complete! Or just feel more a bit more cultured. Either way, I promise it'll be fun :)

P.S. Post linked up here at Frenchy's French Obsession Party!

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This post was featured for the French Obsession Party! Merci mille fois*, Frenchy!

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*Merci mille fois = Thanks a million

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