Alright, so I was trying to get a better grip on French, you know? Just picking things up here and there. And one word that really threw me for a loop for a while was “formidable.”
Yeah, formidable. In English, when I hear “formidable,” I’m thinking something like a “formidable enemy” or a “formidable task.” You know, something that’s a bit intimidating, maybe even a bit scary, something tough to overcome. That was lodged pretty deep in my brain.
So, you can imagine my confusion when I started hearing French speakers use it. I’d be watching a French movie or listening to some French music, and someone would exclaim “C’est formidable!” about something that was clearly, well, good. Like a great meal, or a fun party. My internal translator was screaming, “Wait, that doesn’t make sense! Why are they scared of the party?!”
It bugged me for a bit. I’d just kind of nod along, thinking maybe I missed some context. But it kept happening. This one time, I was trying to follow some French commentary on a sports event, and the commentator yelled “Formidable!” when the home team scored. And he was clearly thrilled, not terrified.
So, I finally decided I had to get to the bottom of this. I didn’t do anything fancy. I think I just grumbled to myself, “Okay, what IS the deal with this word?” and probably just punched “formidable meaning in French” into my phone. Or maybe I dusted off an old French-English dictionary I have somewhere. Honestly, can’t quite recall the exact ‘aha!’ search moment, but the result was pretty clear.
Turns out, it’s one of those classic “false friends” – or at least, a word with a major shift in common meaning. While “formidable” in French can sometimes carry a meaning similar to the English one (like, something impressive or imposing that inspires awe or even a bit of fear), most of the time, especially in everyday conversation, it means something entirely different.
What it usually means is… great! Fantastic! Wonderful! Terrific! Awesome!
Yeah, a total flip from what I was expecting. So when that sports commentator was yelling “Formidable!”, he was basically saying “Brilliant!” or “Amazing!” When someone says “un repas formidable,” they mean a fantastic meal.
It was a bit of a facepalm moment for me, not gonna lie. All those times I was mentally misinterpreting happy exclamations as expressions of dread. It really makes you think about how easy it is to get tripped up when you’re learning a language. You see a word that looks familiar, and your brain just jumps to conclusions.
So, now when I hear “formidable” in French, I have to consciously switch gears in my head. It’s a good lesson, though. Language is full of these little quirks and surprises. It’s not just about memorizing vocabulary lists; it’s about understanding the nuances and the way people actually use the words.
It’s these little discoveries that, weirdly enough, make the whole process of wrestling with a new language kind of fun. You uncover these little traps and then you know for next time. So yeah, “formidable” in French? Most likely, it’s a very good thing!
