Learning French: why do we say le vent d’autan rend fou?
Plus, more ways to describe madness when in France
This strong seasonal wind is said to drive the locals in the Toulouse region ‘fou’ (mad)
Yulai Studio/Shutterstock
To say you live and learn when you move to France is the biggest of all understatements. Not simply in terms of the language titbits one picks up along the way – be that through daily interactions with friends, neighbours or shop workers – but also through cultural morsels one acquires, often unexpectedly.
Recently an elderly relative was gingerly sweeping up the last of the fallen épines de pin (pine needles) from the glorious pine tree (pin) that dominates his back garden (jardin arrière).
They had been stripped from the tree’s branches by a three-day period of le vent d’autan, the fierce gusts of wind that are said to drive the locals in the Toulouse region ‘fou’ (mad).
This superstition has passed through generations, however doctors and scientists highlight that it is not technically the wind itself which drives people to distraction, but rather the increased feelings of irritability, stress, anxiety, and fatigue as a result of it.
I would argue it is the clean-up afterwards, with everything from bins (poubelles) to roof tiles (tuiles de toit) displaced or in need of repair.
As my relative deposited some pine needles into his brouette (wheelbarrow) ready for the compost heap (tas de compost), I could see he was becoming increasingly exasperated (fou!) so I grabbed his balai (broom) to lend a hand.
I started sweeping the needles towards my feet into a pile. He paused for a moment, before saying: ‘Tu savais qu’il y a deux façons de balayer? Façon française et façon espagnole!’ (Did you know there are two ways of sweeping? The French way and the Spanish way?).
So here was my cultural lesson: the French sweep one way, the Spanish sweep the other. The only problem is, I was so astonished to learn that the French, with their singular sense of identity, have even copyrighted their own way of sweeping up, that I cannot remember if it was towards oneself or away. It’s enough to render one fou...
More ways to express madness in French
Just like in English, ‘crazy’ can take on different meanings in French, from anger and frustration, to energetic excitement.
Read also: Learning French: what does flipper mean and when should it be used?
Crazy French synonyms include:
The informal Occitan word fada also describes something crazy or astonishing, and is commonly heard in Marseille.
French people also often use se rendre (make oneself) followed by fou/folle or dingue to say that something or someone is making them mad:
Similarly, the verb devenir (to become) is used to express the feeling of going insane:
Je vais devenir fou si je passe une minute de plus avec toi. - I will go mad if I spend one more minute with you.
Il a donné des bonbons aux enfants et maintenant ils sont devenus fous. - He gave the kids sweets and now they have gone crazy.
Read more: Learning French: the origins and meaning of dingue
Read also: Dinguerie, débunker, deepfake… 150 words added to French dictionary, Le Petit Robert
