Do French people really use the expression “Ooh La La”?

A while ago (roughly between 2005 and 2011) I started a blog called "Ask a Frenchman" when I was back in France after spending some time in the US. On the blog, I answered any questions people had about France and French culture.

It was my first successful blog, but I shut it down after moving to Japan. As I became more disconnected from French culture, or at least everyday life, I didn't think I could continue providing qualitative content. I also slowly lost interest.

Looking at the blog's archives now, most of the posts are obsolete or not that interesting. However, a few remain of interest, so I will share some of them here from time to time, starting with this one.

The question for today was asked by Marie (whom I don't know; she was a reader of the blog) and is this one:

Do French people really use the expression “Ooh La La”? If so, what does it mean? Is it used more by women or does everyone say it? How do the French pronounce it? Do you use it?

Here is my answer:

This question reminds me of an interesting anecdote that happened during my first months in the US, a long time ago.

One day, I told a friend something. I can’t remember what it was, but it was good news. Her response was, "Ooh la la!" with a big smile on her face. Then she looked at me intently, expecting a reaction to her "Ooh la la!"At that very moment, my thoughts were split between:

• "Why did she just say 'Ooh la la'?"
• "Why is she grinning so widely?"
• "Why is she expecting a reaction from me right now? That was just weird, but she's a friend. I’m not sure how to react.”

So, I didn’t react. I pretended not to hear it and continued the conversation.

After a little while and more time in the US, I finally understood what had happened. She thought French people said "Ooh la la" quite often, so she said it to impress me, as if to say, "See? I know the expression. Aren't you proud of me?" My lack of reaction must have disappointed her greatly.

Now that we've had this not-so-brief introduction, let's try to answer Mary's question(s).

No, French people don’t say "ooh la la." In fact, I don't think I've ever heard a French person say it.

What you may hear from a French person is "Oh la la!" (with a "Oh" not a "Ooh") However, this expression implies things that may differ from what you think, in terms of meaning, context, and the impression it gives.

"Oh la la!" is usually used to express surprise or shock. More often than not, it indicates negative surprise or shock. You may hear it used positively on rare occasions, but this is far from the norm.

Another important point to keep in mind is that there is nothing fashionable, trendy, cool, or chic associated with the expression. There is nothing remotely sexy or risqué about it, either. Not a single thing.

"Oh la la!" is more or less the French equivalent of "Oh my God!" or "Oh shit!" when you don't want to curse and depending on the context. "Oh, putain!" is more appropriate otherwise.

Now you know.

If you want to use "Ooh la la!" with other English speakers, go for it. Who am I to judge? Just know that if you use it with a French person — especially in a positive way — you might elicit some major eye-rolling or confusion.

That's all for today. I hope it helped.

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