# Elle se fout de ma gueule



## Hello

I heard someone say somethign like this and was wondering what it meant. It was after i took the piss of him...
Which leads me to my next question.. how do you say "im just taking the piss..." ie im only joking/ teasing you...?
Merci en avance!!!


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## Aupick

Elle se fout de ma gueule

se foutre de la gueule de quelqu'un = to take the piss out of someone


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## LV4-26

Hello said:
			
		

> I heard someone say somethign like this and was wondering what it meant. It was after i took the piss of him...
> Which leads me to my next question.. how do you say "im just taking the piss..." ie im only joking/ teasing you...?
> Merci en avance!!!


It's either
_Tu te fous de ma gueule_ (you're putting me on/ pulling my leg /taking the piss out of me) or
_Elle se fout de ma gueule_  (she's........)

I'm just taking the piss :
_Je te taquine
Je te fais marcher
Je te charrie

_but maybe not "_je me fous de ta gueule_" which might not be taken too kindly unless you're very close friends.


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## Amityville

How about the imperative  'Fous-toi de ma gueule' ?
(I was flabbergasted when I heard this for the first time but is it 'Take the piss of me, why don't you ?')


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## sophievm

if it is not rude, you would rather say "je me paie ma tête" ou "je te fais marcher"
"je me fous de ta gueule" is either very vulgar, offensively rude, or both

(Edit) After reading following posts, I want to specify that the tone can weaken the vulgar/rude connotation.


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## Amityville

sophievm said:
			
		

> "je me fous de ta gueule" is either very vulgar, either offensively rude, either both


 
Sophie - it is either very vulgar, offensively rude, OR both. (soit...soit=either...or) 

(So I wasn't wrong to be shocked then.)


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## sophievm

Twice the same error, corrected by the same! Thanks Amityville


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## LV4-26

Amityville said:
			
		

> How about the imperative  'Fous-toi de ma gueule' ?
> (I was flabbergasted when I heard this for the first time but is it 'Take the piss of me, why don't you ?')


Yes, that's fairly common. It sounds like an invitation to take the piss out of the speaker. But of course, it is not. Can be combined with other expressions to emphasize it.
_Fous-toi de ma gueule, tant que tu y es !
Vas-y, fous-toi de ma gueule !
Allez, vas-y, fous-toi de ma gueule !
C'est ça, fous-toi de ma gueule !

_The latter is the most widespread I think. The "_c'est ça"_ shows that you've understood that the other person was mocking you.


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## Amityville

Merci, très clair.


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## Hello

My friend say it to me all the time... cos i tease alot... so im not actually clear on how rude it is. Would i say it to an adult, like i mean someone older? even if were close?
If not, what is a substitute??


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## Agnès E.

No, I wouldn't advise it, Hello. You should say instead: *C'est ça, moque-toi de moi/fiche-toi de moi !* which are perfectly acceptable by anyone.


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## geve

Hello said:
			
		

> My friend say it to me all the time... cos i tease alot... so im not actually clear on how rude it is. Would i say it to an adult, like i mean someone older? even if were close?
> If not, what is a substitute??


I wouldn't use it with an older person. I would rather say something like "j'ai l'impression que tu te moques de moi"
"tu me fais marcher" as suggested by LV4-26, would also work, but only in the case where the person is trying to make you believe something you suspect is wrong _(please, correct this sentence, it sounds awful  )_ - not if he is making fun of you (I'm not sure I made the difference clear...)


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## Amityville

I see nothing wrong with your sentence, geve - it sounds ok and I understand what you mean. Subordinate clauses always make me feel I've been clumsy translating into French  - la personne essaie à te faire croire quelque chose que tu soupçonnes d'être faux - is that right ? 
Tu me fais marcher - you are taking the piss of me by leading me up the garden path.


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## geve

Yes, that's the way I feel towards subordinate clauses in English !  Your sentence is _almost_ perfect : "la personne essaie *de *te faire croire quelque chose que tu soupçonnes d'être faux"
Well, actually, I feel clumsy in French too...


> you are taking the piss of me by leading me up the garden path


 I think I've heard this sentence before ; but I wouldn't mind a fresh explanation...  why the garden path ??


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## Amityville

Thankyou, geve - I always fall down on that one.
I can't say why it is the garden path, it could also be 'you are leading me a merry dance' or 'you are taking me for a ride', they all mean the same.


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## geve

From what I've seen on the web and considering the other possibilities you mention, it seems to mean that the garden is there as a deviation... In a way, French and English expressions are close : in both languages, the person is taking you for a walk


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## LV4-26

geve said:
			
		

> I
> "tu me fais marcher" as suggested by LV4-26, would also work, but only in the case where the person is trying to make you believe something you suspect is wrong


True. Hence, it also works when the person is trying to make you believe that he/she's saying something rude or offensive to you.
- _Tu es un abruti_
- ..... 
- _Je te fais marcher_ 

In the same sense, of a person who always take this kind of  jokes seriously we say
- _Elle/il marche pas, elle/il court !_


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## geve

LV4-26 said:
			
		

> In the same sense, of a person who always take this kind of jokes seriously we say
> - _Elle/il marche pas, elle/il court !_


Good idiom to learn for French learners !  
Is there an similar possible reply in English ?


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## Hello

No theres not really!
it would just be:

A) I just saw an elephant fly past the window
B) No way!
A) Yes way!
C) Hes taking you for a ride
A) yeah and it always works cos hes just so gullible!!

not really the same ya see!!!


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## geve

well then we would need to invent one that would have the meaning of your last sentence, but in a more figurative way... like
- I think you're leading me a merry dance
- yes, and you're dancing the polka
or something like that...


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## LV4-26

Hello said:
			
		

> C) Hes taking you for a ride


This isn't far from "_il te fait marcher"_ and closer still to "_il te mène en bateau_" which is another way of expressing the same idea.

_il te fait marcher_ would work both for _he's taking you for a ride_ and for _he's_ _teasing you_. While _il te mène en bateau_ can only mean _he's taking you for a ride._


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## Hello

Hmm.... yeah that is true, however i personally wouldnt say youre leading me on a merry dance... or that one about the garden path. Theyre kinda old-school english..
If you can think of one with taking me for a ride, then let me know. 
Altho, im getting the feeling that these two phrases arent the same:

- _Tu es un abruti_
- ..... 
- _Je te fais marcher_ 

See, this i would translate as:
-youre a looser
- ..... 
-i'm kidding!!

Not sure if instead of kidding i would say im taking you for a ride.
When you use this phrase its more like when someone leads you to believe something, that isnt true. It is usually when a guillable person is taken advantage of..
Thus im not sure if it really is the same as _je te fais marcher.._


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## radiation woman

You can use the word "sucker" in English to mean someone who's very gullible, but you should only use it with people you know well and who are in your peer group.


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## river

From "Heavens to Betsy" by Charles Earle Funk (Harper & Row, New York, 1955): "to lead one up (or down) the garden (or garden path) - This expression, in frequent use by English writers, has not yet gained much currency in the United States. It is relatively new, dating probably no further back than around the end of World War I. When I wrote to Sir St. Vincent Troubridge, whom I have quoted variously elsewhere, to inquire whether he could suggest a possible origin, I advanced the theory that seduction might have been the aim in the 'leading.' He did not agree with that view, though he was not able to offer anything more plausible. Nevertheless, to quote the 'Supplement (1933) to The English Oxford Dictionary,' the saying means 'to lead on - mislead,' and the earliest printed quotation that is cited in from Ethel Mannin's 'Sounding Brass' (1926): 'They're cheats, that's wot women are! Lead you up the garden and then go snivellin' around 'cos wot's natcheral 'as 'appened to 'em.' If that doesn't imply seduction, then what does it imply? Be that as it may, current usage rarely, if ever, carries other meaning than to bamboozle, to hoax, to blarney, to pull one's leg, to deceive.


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## geve

"I'm kidding" would translate into "c'est pour rire".


> Thus im not sure if it really is the same as _je te fais marcher.._


I am pretty sure now that they are the same... But maybe the example was too short. Let's try another one... 

- Your reaction doesn't surprise me, I've always thought you were a pretty snobbish person 
- what ??? _(says someone who is not in the least snobbish)_ 
- hey, calm down, I was just taking you for a ride _(BTW, can it be used at past tense ??)_

Does it fit better in this context ?


As for the reply we're looking for... it has to be something 'bigger' than taking a ride (courir > marcher)... my creative abilities in English reach their limits here !


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## Hello

geve said:
			
		

> "
> 
> - Your reaction doesn't surprise me, I've always thought you were a pretty snobbish person
> - what ??? _(says someone who is not in the least snobbish)_
> - hey, calm down, I was just taking you for a ride _(BTW, can it be used at past tense ??)_
> 
> As for the reply we're looking for... it has to be something 'bigger' than taking a ride (courir > marcher)... my creative abilities in English reach their limits here !


_*Is there anything bigger than taking a ride??!!*_

No it doent really work here either. Once again i would say "just kidding" or "just teasing".
Umm... let me think of an example... ummm...

You go into a shop and see an antique table... the shop keeper tells you a story about how it beloged to a wizard in the 15th centuary who used it to conquor demons (ok, this is a bit far fetched, but you belive it and buy the table). You then take it home and tell your mum the story. She sees how much of a lie it was and says "darling, i think youve been taken for a ride"

It is often used for purchasing things.
Real estate agentas and salesmen often take you for a ride.
You wouldnt really say to your frieds
"stop taking me for a ride"
or "are you taking me for a ride"

can u kinda see the difference!!
I cant really think of anymore examples, but feel free to aske me and i will tell you yes or no!!!


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## geve

Ok, I see the difference.
But you know, the more I think about it, the more I doubt I would use "je te fais marcher" in such a context either... rather "je te charrie / je te taquine..."
I'm not sure of anything any more !


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## Hello

so when would you use je te fais marcher then?!


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## river

In the U.S. you could say "I'm just messing with you" or "I'm bullshittin ya."


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## geve

when you make someone believe something that is wrong
and not when you're teasing someone, saying something offensive when you don't really think what you're saying

... I think !


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## geve

river said:
			
		

> In the U.S. you could say "I'm just messing with you" or "I'm bullshittin ya."


"I'm messing with you" looks like a good translation for "je te fais marcher"


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## Hello

Yeah it is..
Regonal differentiation in australia we say "im kidding" but US "im messing with ya"

In england its moreso "im taking the piss"
But as i tried to explain to one of my french firends the other day, dont get this confused with Im Taking *A* piss!!!!!
ha ha


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## Hello

geve said:
			
		

> when you make someone believe something that is wrong
> and not when you're teasing someone, saying something offensive when you don't really think what you're saying
> 
> ... I think !


 
Yeah u got it geve!!!


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## Jad

Hello said:
			
		

> Yeah it is..
> Regonal differentiation in australia we say "im kidding" but US "im messing with ya"
> In england its moreso "im taking the piss"


 
Or rather, _I'm taking the Mick _since "piss" over here isn't a very acceptable word... there have been some cases on live telly when Americans have been interviewed and said _piss_ during the day or before the watershed (because it's apparently not so bad over there), and the presenter's had to apologise...


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## nikvin

one can also say  he bought it; bought the line ; took the bait, swallowed it hook line and sinker, and many other expressions,to indicate that the person has believed what the other told him.
Pigs might fly........... is a retort when someone suggests the seemingly impossible, or one thinks it is a wind'up, or taking the piss/ extracting the michael...


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## nikvin

not only dont confuse i´m taking the piss with i´m taking a piss
but also be careful with i´m pissed, and I´m pissed off, which are quite different in BE
the first meaning drunk, the 2nd annoyed etc, so I was a bit confused 1st time i heard a yank, say i was really pissd, when i would have used pissed off.


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## Hello

nikvin said:
			
		

> so I was a bit confused 1st time i heard a yank, say i was really pissd, when i would have used pissed off.


 
I also would say... pissed.
For instance : someone stole my wallet! I am sooooooo pissed!!
Meaning angry...!!
But that may not work with a french accent, so stick with pissed off!!!


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## geve

nikvin said:
			
		

> not only dont confuse i´m taking the piss with i´m taking a piss


I'll probably never use this expression, if an article can make the difference between showing my beautiful English  , and making a fool of myself  ...


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## Hello

geve said:
			
		

> I'll probably never use this expression, if an article can make the difference between showing my beautiful English  , and making a fool of myself  ...


 
To be honest neither of these are beautiful english. But u will prob hear peole say them so at least you'll know what theyre talking about!!


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