# Tu peux parler !



## av16ar

Bonjour!

Je voudrais dire "tu peux parler!" en anglais. C'est ce qu'on réplique habituellement à une personne qui critique quelque chose ou bien fait la morale à quelqu'un sur un sujet alors qu'elle n'est pas vraiment bien placée pour le faire.

Comme tentative, j'essaye le mot-à-mot : "You can tell!" (sait-on jamais...)


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## david314

Perhaps: _You're *one* to speak._

_That's easy for you to say?_

-Let's see what the others think.


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## melu85

I thought "you can talk" could work. Am I wrong?


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## fabgab

Maybe its just because I'm from the west coast, but I feel that to make 'you can talk' work you have to put 'like' in front of it: "like you can talk!"
"you're one to talk" also works in my opinion. Maybe 'you're one to speak' is more grammatically correct, but I would say talk instead.


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## Cata Marca

"The pot calling the kettle black" is a saying in English which older people sometimes reply in this type of situation.


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## floise

I think I'd say: 'You should talk!'


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## The NoOb

J'ai également entendu parlé d'un "Yeah, right ..." sur un ton ironique qui serait assez utilisé dans les tv shows de nos amis outre-atlantique et qui équivaudrait à notre "ouai bien sûre / c'est cela " qui convient plutôt pas mal à ce type de réplique ...


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## USMeg

Another US English alternative is "Look who's talking!"


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## unigirl

I think "you're one to speak/talk", "you can talk" (stress on the "you" and said in a derogatory tone), and "you should talk" (same stress as "you can talk") all work. 
I just want to point out that "you're one to speak/talk" is a wee bit more formal than the others I think. For instance teenagers wouldn't usually use say "you're one to speak". Having said that, it's not really really formal. Just to give you a bit more detail...


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## david314

The NoOb said:


> J'ai également entendu parlé d'un
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "*Yeah, right* ..." sur un ton ironique
> 
> 
> 
> qui serait assez utilisé dans les tv shows de nos amis outre-atlantique et qui équivaudrait à notre "*ouai bien sûre / c'est cela* " qui convient plutôt pas mal à ce type de réplique ...
Click to expand...

 This is, indeed, quite common & it would appear that all of the above suggesions are plausible.


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## white_ray

Following this reasoning, can we say that these suggestions are also valid for the French similar expression: “Tu parles!”?
If not, how could we say this in English?
 Is “You’re one to speak/talk!” also used in BE?
Thanks a lot! 
wr


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## williamc

Bonjour,

"You don't say!" might be added to the list.


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## polaire

Easy for you to say.


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

All of these would be right, in my opinion
You don't say 
Yeah, right (ironique) 
You can talk/ You're one to talk ('talk' better than 'speak') 
Look who's talking! 
You're one to talk! 
Easy for you to say
'The pot calling the kettle black', c'est un idiome 

Tu parles - c'est plûtot 'you're joking!', je crois 
e.g. 
'Je vais chanter le solo.' - I'm going to sing the solo. 
'Tu parles!' - You're joking! 
'Non, je ne rigole pas!' - No, I'm not!


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## polaire

av16ar said:


> Bonjour!
> 
> Je voudrais dire "tu peux parler!" en anglais. C'est ce qu'on réplique habituellement à une personne qui critique quelque chose ou bien fait la morale à quelqu'un sur un sujet alors qu'elle n'est pas vraiment bien placée pour le faire.
> 
> Comme tentative, j'essaye le mot-à-mot : "You can tell!" (sait-on jamais...)



Depending on the context, you might be able to say, in a sarcastic tone:

[To someone who's giving medical advice but is ignorant.]

Well, Thank you, _Doctor_ [Last name of the person].


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

polaire said:


> Depending on the context, you might be able to say, in a sarcastic tone:
> 
> [To someone who's giving medical advice but is ignorant.]
> 
> Well, Thank you, _Doctor_ [Last name of the person].


 
Yeah, that would work well


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## polaire

je-ne-regrette-rien said:


> Yeah, that would work well



Or say someone insists on opining [giving opinions, but this is a sophisticated, usually self-consciously "soutenu" version] on the law when s/he knows nothing:

And you received your degree from _what_* law school?  Or,

It's wonderful to have the benefit of your legal expertise.

With your vast legal expertise, I'm sure you must know.

*"Which might be more grammatically correct, but "what" sounds more natural to me in this context.


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

polaire said:


> Or say someone insists on opining [giving opinions, but this is a sophisticated, usually self-consciously "soutenu" version] on the law when s/he knows nothing:
> 
> And you received your degree from _what_* law school? Or,
> 
> It's wonderful to have the benefit of your legal expertise.
> 
> With your vast legal expertise, I'm sure you must know.
> 
> *"Which might be more grammatically correct, but "what" sounds more natural to me in this context.


 
oui, tous les choses comme ça marchent. On ne doit que les dire sur un ton ironique!


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## polaire

je-ne-regrette-rien said:


> oui, tous les choses comme ça marchent. On ne doit que les dire sur un ton ironique!



Yes, the sarcastic tone is essential.


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## david314

williamc said:


> Bonjour,
> 
> *"You don't say!"* might be added to the list.


 *Tu parles!*



polaire said:


> *Easy for you to say.*


 *Tu peux parler!*

These are two totally, unique ideas, no!? ,


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## Nickko

Cause toujours !


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## david314

Nickko said:


> Cause toujours !


  Ca veut dire quoi?  Pourriez-vous nous donner un exemple?


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## Nickko

"Cause toujours" is almost the same : _Go on talking, I don't give a damn_


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## polaire

david314 said:


> *Tu parles!*
> 
> *Tu peux parler!*
> 
> These are two totally, unique ideas, no!? ,



"Easy for you to say" is always meant sarcastically.

"You don't say" isn't necessarily sarcastic.  It could be meant as an exclamation, emphasis expression, or a question.  I haven't actually heard anyone say this is in a long time.  They might say "No kidding!" instead.


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## Teafrog

To answer the original Q (Je voudrais dire "tu peux parler!" en anglais) I would say "speak for yourself!" (see here)
Is that on the right track and register?


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## polaire

Teafrog said:


> To answer the original Q (Je voudrais dire "tu peux parler!" en anglais) I would say "speak for yourself!" (see here)
> Is that on the right track and register?



I don't know about that.  The original question concerned a person who was butting in [interjecting himself] with advice without the appropriate background.

If you say "speak for yourself" the other speaker may well have a basis for the statement but you pointedly disagree with it.  It's almost as if the other person is trying to put words into your mouth, to characterize your statements in a way that you think is not faithful to your intended meaning.


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## Teafrog

Mmh, you may be right Polaire, it's just that I see the original Q differently; someone says something or passes a judgment without any knowledge of the subject.


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## polaire

Teafrog said:


> Mmh, you may be right Polaire, it's just that I see the original Q differently; someone says something or passes a judgment without any knowledge of the subject.




No major disagreement, but for me it's come up in the context where someone makes a statement and then tries to make it look as if another person who has said nothing or said something very different has adopted the first person's statement, prompting the second person to respond:  "Speak for yourself."


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

david314 said:


> *Tu parles!*
> 
> *Tu peux parler!*
> 
> These are two totally, unique ideas, no!? ,


 

Oui, 'tu parles' et 'tu peux parler' sont différents. 
Tu parles - You're joking! / No way! [disbelief] 
Tu peux parler - You can talk, etc (see list)


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## david314

je-ne-regrette-rien said:


> IMPORTANT POST: Oui, 'tu parles' et 'tu peux parler' sont différents.
> 
> 
> 
> Tu parles - You're joking! / No way! [disbelief]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tu peux parler - You can talk, etc (see list) / You're one to talk!
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...

 Thanks, that what I thought.


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## Cath.S.

> The original question concerned a person who was butting in [interjecting himself] with advice without the appropriate background.


No, that's not it; _tu peux parler_ is said to people who *criticize* others while having the same faults, or worse. 
E.g.
Échange sur un forum :
A : Tu fé plin de fotes kan t'écrie.
B : Tu peux parler / tu es mal placé pour critiquer / c'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité ! (=the pot calling the kettle black).


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

In English, the pot calling the kettle black ('c'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité') isn't something you'd usually say to someone's face; it's a bit more of an obvious insult than 'You can talk' etc. It's more something that you'd say behind someone's back. You _could _use it, however, if you wanted to be very direct and quite rude! 

e.g. _*She told me that I make lots of mistakes when I write - it was really a case of the pot calling the kettle black, wasn't it?!*_ - '_Elle m'a dit que je fais plein de fautes quand j'écris - c'est vraiment l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité, non?!'_ - 

et 

- _You make lots of mistakes when you write - _*Tu fé plin de fotes kan t'écrie (Tu fais plein de fautes quand tu écris)* 
-  _You can talk! _*Tu peux parler!* (_c'est moins impoli en anglais) _


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## Cath.S.

They are equally rude in my experience, quite direct anyway.
You can be even more rude:
_Non mais, tu t'es regardé ?_


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

Oh, I meant in English, egueule. Sorry. I'll edit the post!


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## white_ray

How about *"Tu parles!"* as in "Oui, c'est cela! or "C'est ça, ouias!"
meaning "Yeah, right!" or "No way!"
always with that sarcastic tone, not necessarily sounding too nasty?
wr


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

white_ray said:


> How about *"Tu parles!"* as in "Oui, c'est cela! or "C'est ça, ouias!"
> meaning "Yeah, right!" or "No way!"
> always with that sarcastic tone, not necessarily sounding too nasty?
> wr


 
Yes, that could work, with the sarcastic tone. 

- Je vais chanter le solo. 
- Tu parles! (sur un ton ironique, méchant) [Toi, chanter le solo?!]


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## Keith Bradford

polaire said:


> Yes, the sarcastic tone is essential.


 
Ah, but in Britain, the sarcastic tone might be dropped, and then it becomes more sarcastic because the other person will take a moment or two to understand.  Wheels within wheels...


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## white_ray

- Je vais chanter le solo. 
- Tu parles! (sur un ton ironique, méchant) [Toi, chanter le solo?!][/quote]

We’ve been mentioning this «sarcastic tone» very often and we seem to agree that it can change everything.
Nonetheless, I’d also consent that the phrase can be said in a fairly relaxed tone between two friends (even having a good laugh at it) and still keep the same meaning. 
- ‘Solo? haha, Yeah, of course you will!’ (‘haha C’est cela, oui!!’) 
- ‘Mais si, puisque je te le dis!’ 
All depends on the tone again…


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## williamc

Bonjour,

I might be tempted to say: *"You're talking rubish." *(In a nice way, of course).


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## pmqs

I think 'You can talk' is perfect


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## williamc

Bonjour,  

Yes, you can say that again,pmqs - that's perfect!


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## sound shift

"You're a fine one to talk!" (Stress on "you're".)
"Hark who's talking!"


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## white_ray

Hi,
Is ‘hark’ as colloquail as “You’re one to speak!”?

wr


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## sound shift

white_ray said:


> Hi,
> Is ‘hark’ as colloquail as “You’re one to speak!”?
> 
> wr



Good afternoon,

That's a difficult question, since all the expressions in this thread are colloquial in the sense that they are used in conversation.


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## white_ray

No worries,
I was just asking because I seldom hear that word! 
It sounds good by the way! 
wr


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## je-ne-regrette-rien

wr - colloquail *x* ----- should be colloquial 
 
Hark, although not unusual, would sound slightly weird among young people/teenagers. It's slightly old-fashioned, but you _could _use it


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