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French word of the day: Gamin

The Local France
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French word of the day: Gamin
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond"

Here's one for kids and grown-ups who act like big babies.

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Why do I need to know gamin?

Because if someone calls you a gamin it can mean two different things.

What does it mean?

Firstly, gamin refers to a 'child'. However the expression is quite familiar so a better translation is probably 'kid'.

Un gamin means a young boy and une gamine means a young girl.

Dis-donc, il est mignon ton gamin ! - What a cute kid you have there!

Secondly, gamin is a way of saying that someone is acting 'childish'.

Arrêtes de te comporter comme un gamin ! - Stop acting like a child! 

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Use it like this

Cette gamine est tellement intelligente. - That girl is so intelligent.

Je n'aime pas les gamins. - I don't like kids.

Il a envie des gamins depuis des années. - He's been wanting kids for years.

Profites, tu ne sais pas combien la vie change dès que tu as des gamins. - Enjoy, you have no idea how much life changes as soon as you have kids.

Synonyms

Enfant - child

Gosse - small child

Bambin - small child

Môme - small child

 

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Anonymous 2020/07/28 17:25
Surely the use of 'gamin(e)' that will be known to most readers here is that covered by the wikipedia article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamine. Actresses such as Audrey Hepburn, Jean Seberg, Audrey Tatou and Anna Karina.

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