Learn French with Emily in Paris Season 2
In late December 2021, season 2 of Emily in Paris was released on Netflix. Just like season 1 it has been a huge hit in the States and in Europe (especially in France!). Just a quick recap of the plot: the show tells the story of an American girl who moves to Paris for work and realizes things are not as perfect as she first imagined, mainly due to her lack of French knowledge.
Emily in Paris is full of stereotypes and clichés about French people and the French culture. Sometimes it even comes across as very cringe-y, but there are actually a lot of useful linguistic points if you are learning French.
From this show, French learners like you can pick up new expressions, pronunciation tips, and vocabulary. You may also actually relate to some of the hardships Emily faces when moving abroad. Let’s explore how students can learn French with Emily in Paris season 2.
Emily in Paris season 2 in French: French or English version?
If your French level is intermediate or advanced, my first recommendation is to watch the show in French. Emily and Mindy frequently intersperse English words and expressions with French, but we still encourage you to choose the French version.
However, be careful with the French subtitles which don’t really reflect the dialogues very well. So if you can, try not to turn on the subtitles unless you would like to confirm the meaning of a scene or if you think you have missed something.
If your level of French is beginner or elementary, watching the show in French will be too hard for you and it is more accessible to watch it in English, but do try to pick up French words or expressions.
Although the majority of the show is spoken in English, most of the cast is actually French and they speak French in a realistic and normal manner.
- A French cast
If you watch the series in French, Sylvie, Camille, Luc, and Julien exclusively speak French so you will learn French with the correct French pronunciation (unlike Emily with her American accent!) Camille and Luc use slang a lot but Sylvie who is a typical chic Parisian woman in her fifties speaks a more subtle and sophisticated French.
If you are planning to move to France it is a good idea to take some French lessons beforehand. It will make life a lot easier for you and shows a form of respect for the culture you are about to embrace!
-French Expressions & False friends in season 2
A false friend is a word or expression that has a similar form to one in a person's native language, but has a different meaning (for example English magazine and French magasin ‘shop’).
Here are examples of a few false friends used mainly by Emily in season 2 :
Episode 1
9.50 - Luc to Emily talking about Mindy :
« Tu es sûre que c’est une vraie femme ? » - « Are you sure that she is a real woman? »
Emily answers : “définivement”
-In English definitively means absolument, certainement in French. Definitivement in French means “for good” in English.
Emily should have replied:
“Oui absolument or oui c’est certain”.
Episode 3
3.43 - Emily to the group of guests at her birthday party in the street:
« Merci guys de me supporter parmi vous » - « Thank you guys for supporting me »
In French supporter doesn’t mean to support, it has different meanings but in this context, It means to help me, to accept me and not supporter which means in French to bear, to stand.
Emily should have said:
« Merci guys de m’accepter parmi vous »
Episode 3
22.20 - Emily to Luc regarding Julien
«Je m’énerve pas, je suis désappointée » - « I am not getting angry, I am disappointed”
In French désappointé exists but is used in very formal and old-fashioned language. When Emily used désappointé, she actually has in mind the English word “disappointed” which means déçue in common French.
Emily should have said to Julien:
“Je suis déçue”
Episode 5
27 - Emily to Sylvie regarding Lavaux’s event party:
«Je suis so exited de commencer » - « I am so excited to start »
This false friend is very common: exité in French used for adults often has a sexual meaning. It means turned on, horny, aroused… so translating word for word “I’m excited” in French could lead to a big misunderstanding and quite honestly an embarrassment. In this context, Emily should have used contente ou enthousiaste .Emily should have used the appropriate adjective in this situation :
« Je suis tellement contente de commencer »
Episode 5
3.26 - Emily to Gabriel :
«Toi et moi c’est une fantasy» - « You and me, it’s a fantasy »
The word fantaisie in French exists but it means big imagination, fanciful. It is used for a fanciful object. In this context Emily should have used a word with a close root : un fantasme which means fantasy in English.
«Toi et moi c’est un fantasme »
Episode 7
6.22 - Emily to Mindy about her life in Paris:
« Quand j’ai déménagé à Paris, ma vie est devenue chaotique et dramatique » - « When I moved to Paris, my life became chaotic and dramatic”
In French the adjective dramatique is mainly used when a situation implies death or a terrible situation with adversity but not to qualify a hectic life. In this context, Emily means that her life now in Paris is so mixed up because of Gabriel and the decision she must make regarding staying at Savoir or following Sylvie at her new agency. She should have used a word like imprévisible (unpredictable) or compliquée (complicated)
-French expressions in season 2: slang & common expressions used by the natives
In addition to the culture chock in her daily life but also on a professional level with the Savoir team, Emily learns new French expressions throughout the show.
In episode 3 a thunder storm gives Gabriel a good opportunity to teach Emily what a Coup de foudre is : literally ‘a stroke of thunder’ which actually means ‘love at first sight’ when it is related to a romantic situation. This is why Gabriel grabs this opportunity to unveil his deep feelings to Emily.
In episode 4, Emily says to Gabriel « Je ne suis pas un poireau Gabriel ». In French the expression faire le poireau means to wait, to hang around. But Emily who partially understood the meaning the expression uses the verb to be ( être ) and not to make ( faire) which is the verb used in this expression.
If you watch Season 2 in French, here are a few expressions used in the French version that will increase your master of French argot (French slang) :
Episode 5
25.20 - Julien to Emily regarding the choice of the music for the Chopard event :
«Tu vas vraiment de mettre dans cette galère ? » - « will you really put yourself in this crappy situation”
Une galère in French: hard time, a lot of hassle
Episode 6
23.27 - Mindy to Julien and Emily regarding the fact that Etienne was dumped by his boyfriend:
« Etienne s’est fait larguer par son mec » - « Etienne was dumped by his boyfriend »
Se faire larguer par quelqu’un: to be dumped by someone
Episode 7
15.05 - Mindy to Emily and Antoine:
« Avec tous ces verres, je vais être bourrée » says Mindy
Etre bourré : to be drunk
Episode 7
10.07 - Sylvie to Luc regarding the pictures of the restaurant Lavaux opening, featuring in a magazine : «Les photos de l’ouverture sont dans Voici, ça a fait un tabac » - « Les pictures of the opening are in Voici magazine, it was a hit”
Faire un tabac: to be a huge hit
Episode 7
8.45 - Emily to Mindy regarding her boyfriend Alfie as he didn’t text her back after they had sex for the first time:
« C’est officiel Alfi est un connard » - « it’s confirmed, Alfie is an arsehole »
Un connard : an arsehole
Episode 8
3.41 - Gabriel to Emily regarding Alfie:
« Oui mais il te plait » - « Yes but you fancy him ». The order of the words in French is different to English.
Plaire à quelqu’un in a romantic meaning means to be attracted to someone, to find someone appealing.
Used in a different context, it means to like something “La robe te plait?” - “Do you like the dress?” “Mon travail me plait” -“I like my job”.
Episode 9
19.37 - Mindy to Benoit when he discovers that she lied, she is the daughter of a multimillionaire
« Benoit lâche-moi » - “Benoit, let me go »
Lacher quelqu’un means to let them go, to give someone a break.
Episode 10
33.33 – Benoit to Mindy about her reconciliation with Benoit :
« Alors vous êtes roulés une pelle ? » « so did you French kiss ?”
Literally rouler une pelle means to toll a shovel, so the meaning is everything but obvious!
Rouler une pelle in French means to French kiss.
-On the footsteps of Emily in Paris with French à La Carte
Explore the iconic fiming location & improve your conversational French
If you are an “Emily in Paris” addict and would like to discover the iconic filming locations of the series and practice your French with a French tutor, French à La Carte embark on the adventure of our latest tour In the footsteps of Emily in Paris.
This tour will lead you from the left bank of Paris where Emily lives, to the right bank where Emily works. This tour will end with a drink at Le Valois, the Parisian café just downstairs from Savoir.