French phrase of the Day: Tout ça pour ça
Why do I need to know tour ça pour ça?
Because you'll hear this a lot when the French are being unimpressed with something, which happens quite frequently.
What does it mean?
Tout ça pour ça
- roughly pronounced as too-sah-por-sah - literally translates as 'all that for this'. It's used when the amount of effort made or noise produced is disproportionate to what is actually achieved.
It's basically a way of expressing that you are underwhelmed or unimpressed by something - perhaps something that promised much and delivered little, or something that generated a lot of noise or chatter but was actually unimportant.
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It's a neat little shorthand way of expressing disappointment, and it's often followed by a shrug, a grimace or a
hein? -
in short it's a very French feeling.
It's also the title of a Claude Lelouch film, released in 1993, in which two adulterous lovers concoct a highly elaborate plan which involves climbing Mont Blanc with their respective spouses. It carries the same sense of something highly complicated and dramatic just to try and cover up a fairly mundane affair.
Use it like this
En quittant la réunion, le syndicaliste a déclaré 'Rien à dire à part, tout ça pour ça'
- Leaving the meeting, the union leader said 'I have nothing to say apart from - all that for this
Tout ça pour ça : à Kiev, les négociations butent sur les tombes des soldats
- All that for this - In Kyiv negotiations stall over soldiers' graves
Tu as entendu le discours ? Tout ça pour ça, hein?
- You heard the speech? A lot of noise about nothing, huh?
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French phrase of the Day: Tout ça pour ça
Why do I need to know tour ça pour ça? Because you'll hear this a lot when the French are being unimpressed with something, which happens quite frequently. What does it mean? Tout ça pour ça - roughly pronounced as too-sah-por-sah - literally translates as 'all that for this'. It's used when the amount of effort made or noise produced is disproportionate to what is actually achieved. It's basically a way of expressing that you are underwhelmed or unimpressed by something - perhaps something that promised much and delivered little, or something that generated a lot of noise or chatter but was actually unimportant. Advertisement It's a neat little shorthand way of expressing disappointment, and it's often followed by a shrug, a grimace or a hein? - in short it's a very French feeling. It's also the title of a Claude Lelouch film, released in 1993, in which two adulterous lovers concoct a highly elaborate plan which involves climbing Mont Blanc with their respective spouses. It carries the same sense of something highly complicated and dramatic just to try and cover up a fairly mundane affair. Use it like this En quittant la réunion, le syndicaliste a déclaré 'Rien à dire à part, tout ça pour ça' - Leaving the meeting, the union leader said 'I have nothing to say apart from - all that for this Tout ça pour ça : à Kiev, les négociations butent sur les tombes des soldats - All that for this - In Kyiv negotiations stall over soldiers' graves Tu as entendu le discours ? Tout ça pour ça, hein? - You heard the speech? A lot of noise about nothing, huh?
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