I was reading Enorazik today when I noticed a link to this video on YouTube and realised that it must be from the soundtrack to the film Le Petit Nicolas.
Le Petit Nicolas was released in French cinemas at the end of September. It’s a film I am keen to watch because I read every available Le Petit Nicolas story when I started studying French and found the little chap quite entertaining.
The official website can be found here which contains various trailers and “making of” videos as well as the video of the song.
To someone learning French, On n’est pas à une bêtise près may look like a collection of random words that doesn’t translate into anything meaningful until you realise what the structure “à … près” means.
To make matters worse, I really can’t find a satisfying equivalent for “bêtise” – I realise there is an English word “betise” which means the same thing but who ever heard anyone using it? Let alone school kids.
à 50 euros près… give or take 50 euros
à un jour près… one day, give or take
à une bêtise près… one mischief here or there
And the whole structure “ne pas être à près” means something like “ça makes no difference to”
Je ne suis pas à un jour près… One more day won’t make any difference to me
Je ne suis plus à ça près!… I don’t give a damn about that any more!
So…
On n’est pas à une bêtise près… One more mischief won’t make any difference
I did get completely thrown by one phrase in the song – “frangin de mandales”, which, thanks to the help of the posters here, I have translated as “brothers-in-arms”.
| Interdire | To prohibit |
A croire qu’y’avait un concours, du truc le plus interdit à faire un mercredi | |
Believing there was always a contest for the naughtiest thing to do on a Wednesday | |
| S'écailler | To flake away |
J’revois encore le coin j’y grattais pendant un bail la peinture qui s’écaille | |
I can still see the corner where I spent ages scratching the peeling paintwork | |
| Une bêtise | Foolish act, stupidity |
On n’est pas à une bêtise près, faisons la et voyons après | |
One more mischief won't make any difference, let's do it and see afterwards | |
| Flaque | Puddle |
Tu verras qu’un saut dans une flaque, ça vaut bien toutes les paires de claques | |
You'll see that jumping in a puddle is well worth all the slaps | |
| Coup de pied | Kick |
À grands coups d’pieds dans un ballon, une vitre en moins je prends du galon | |
With hard kicks of a ball, one window gone, I earn my stripes | |
| Poésie | Poetry |
"Le Corbeau et le Renard" is a famous poem with which all French school children are familiar | |
Notre poésie c’était peinard, et sans corbeau et sans renard | |
Our poetry was cushy with no fox and with no crow | |
| La truande | Crooks |
On a beau les faire en bande, y’a une règle dans la truande. C’est à celui qui s’y colle qu’il arrive des bricoles. | |
Though we did them as a gang, there's a rule amongst crooks. It's to the one who gets caught that stuff happens. | |
| Le crapaud | Toad |
Ma plus belle fable sans aucun doute celle du crapaud et du mammouth | |
My best story is without doubt the one about the toad and the mammoth | |
| Une paupière | An eyelid |
Depuis que j’l’ai touchée au lance-pierre, ma p’tite sœur garde une paupière mi-close | |
Since I hit her with a slingshot, my little sister keeps an eye half-open | |
| Prendre du galon | To be promoted |
Galon means "stripe" in the military sense. | |
À grands coups d’pieds dans un ballon, une vitre en moins je prends du galon | |
With hard kicks of a ball, one window gone, I earn my stripes | |
| ça fait un bail que | It's been ages since |
J’revois encore le coin, j’y grattais pendant un bail, la peinture qui s’écaille | |
I can still see the corner where I scratched the peeling paintwork for ages | |
| Frangin de mandales | Blood brother, brother-in-arms |
"Mandale" is slang for "slap" or "punch". Frangin is slang for "brother". The phrase "frangin de mandales" means something close to "frères d'arme" or "frère de sang". | |
C’était entre copains, qu’importe si t’étais rupin, on était tous l’égal d’notre frangin de mandales | |
It was between friends, no matter if you were posh, we were all the equal of our brothers-in-arms | |
On n'est pas à une bêtise près - Renan Luce | One more prank won't make any difference (translation of On n'est pas à une bêtise près by Renan Luce) |
| On n’est pas à une bêtise près | One more prank won't make any difference | |
| Faisons la et voyons après | Let's do it now and think later | |
| Tu verras qu’un saut dans une flaque | You'll see that jumping in a puddle | |
| Ca vaut bien toutes les paires de claques | Is well worth all the slaps | |
| On n’est pas à une bêtise près | One more prank won't make any difference | |
| Faisons la et voyons après | Let's do it now and think later | |
| Tu verras qu’sonner aux portes | You'll see that to knock on doors | |
| Et s’enfuir avant qu’on sorte | And run away before they answer | |
| Ça vaut l’coup | It's worth the smack | |
| Mes bonnes bêtises | My great pranks | |
| J’m’en souviendrai toujours | I will always remember them | |
| A croire qu’y’avait un concours | Believing there was always a contest | |
| Du truc le plus interdit | For the naughtiest thing | |
| A faire un mercredi | To do on a Wednesday | |
| Mes bonnes bêtises | My great pranks | |
| Elles ne sont pas si loin | They are not so far away | |
| J’revois encore le coin | I can still see the corner | |
| J’y grattais pendant un bail | Where for ages I scratched | |
| La peinture qui s’écaille | The peeling paintwork | |
| Notre poésie c’était peinard | Our poetry was cushy | |
| Et sans corbeau et sans renard | With no fox and with no crow | |
| Qu’on l’écrivait | That we used to write | |
| À grands coups d’pieds dans un ballon | With hard kicks of a ball | |
| Une vitre en moins je prends du galon | One window gone, I earn my stripes | |
| Je grandissais | I was growing up | |
| Les bonnes bêtises | The best pranks | |
| C’était entre copains | Were between friends | |
| Qu’importe si t’étais rupin | No matter if you were posh | |
| On était tous l’égal | We were all the equal | |
| D’notre frangin de mandales | Of our brothers-in-arms | |
| Mais les bonnes bêtises | But the best pranks | |
| On a beau les faire en bande | Even thought we did them as a gang | |
| Y’a une règle dans la truande | There's a rule amongst crooks | |
| C’est à celui qui s’y colle | It's to the one who gets caught | |
| Qu’il arrive des bricoles | That stuff happens | |
| Ma plus belle fable sans aucun doute | My best story is without doubt | |
| Celle du crapaud et du mammouth | The one about the toad and the mammoth | |
| Qui explose | Which explodes | |
| Depuis que j’l’ai touchée au lance-pierre | Since I hit her with a slingshot | |
| Ma p’tite sœur garde une paupière | My little sister keeps an eye | |
| Mi-close | Half-open | |
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks so much.
I just watched the music video from YT.
I really want to see this movie.
une bêtise = a prank