Learning French
Mince: a handy French word with several meanings
Use it when expressing frustration and learn how it relates to health habits in January
The French word 'mince' means slim, but it has other meanings too
Shutterstock/Elnur
Christmas is hardly the time to be thinking about watching one’s figure – that bûche de Noël is not going to eat itself, is it?
Best to save healthy intentions for that most abstemious of months, January, when you finally join the gym (rejoindre une salle de sport/gym), or grudgingly embrace a booze-free four weeks (Janvier sobre – yes, it’s a thing in France too).
Kickstarting new health habits with the aim of shifting a few kilos (quelques kilos) means hearing the word ‘mince’ an awful lot in France. It means ‘thin’, and as well as referring to someone’s appearance, it is used in other contexts too.
The many meanings of mince
It can describe something’s diameter or thickness (couper la viande en tranches minces – cut the meat into thin slices); or something of little value or importance (une excuse mince – a flimsy excuse).
The verb meaning ‘to get thinner’ is mincir, while a food or product that helps one to get slim is un produit minceur.
Back in 1306, a mince was a small coin worth half a denier and still in use in the 16th Century as slang for money.
Today there is another time you will commonly hear the word ‘mince’, sometimes with added ‘alors!’ for extra effect (mince, alors!). It is uttered by someone expressing frustration or regret after making a mistake.
The Dictionnaire de l’Académie française – a reference guide from those esteemed gatekeepers of correct French – rather severely judges the use of mince in this sense as vulgar.
It is hardly a gros mot (swear word) though, and is a useful addition to one’s vocabulary – especially come dry January when you need to refuse apéro invitations.
