* smile = sourire (neutre) ; grin = grand sourire ; smirk = sourire en coin (souvent moqueur). * laugh = rire ; giggle = glousser ; chuckle = petit rire ; burst out laughing = éclater de rire. * joke = blague ; tease = taquiner ; sarcasm/irony = ironie (souvent piquante) ; banter = taquinerie sympa.
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| to smile | sourire (neutre) | She smiled at me. |
| a smile | un sourire | He gave me a warm smile. |
| to grin | grand sourire (souvent joie / fierté) | He was grinning from ear to ear. |
| a grin | un large sourire | A wide grin spread across his face. |
| to smirk | sourire en coin, souvent arrogant/moqueur | He smirked as if he knew something. |
Expressions utiles :
* to force a smile = forcer un sourire * to crack a smile = esquisser un sourire * to smile politely = sourire poliment
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| to laugh | rire (général) | Everyone laughed. |
| to burst out laughing | éclater de rire (soudain) | I burst out laughing. |
| to giggle | glousser (souvent léger, nerveux, “enfants”) | They giggled during the film. |
| to chuckle | petit rire discret | He chuckled at the joke. |
| to snicker | ricaner (souvent méchant/immature) | They snickered behind his back. |
| to roar with laughter | rire très fort | We were roaring with laughter. |
Noms :
* laughter = le rire (en général) : The room filled with laughter. * a giggle / a chuckle = un gloussement / un petit rire
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| funny | drôle (standard) | That’s funny. |
| hilarious | hilarant (très drôle) | That video is hilarious. |
| amusing | amusant (plus calme/soutenu) | It was mildly amusing. |
| witty (B2) | spirituel, intelligent | She’s witty and quick. |
| ridiculous | ridicule (souvent drôle mais critique) | That’s ridiculous. |
Piège :
* funny peut aussi vouloir dire “bizarre/suspect” : Something funny is going on.
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| a joke | une blague (général) | It was just a joke. |
| to joke | plaisanter | I’m joking! |
| a pun | jeu de mots | That pun was terrible. |
| a prank | blague piège (action) | It was a harmless prank. |
| to tease | taquiner (peut être gentil ou lourd) | He teased me about my accent. |
| banter (nom) | taquinerie sympa (échanges) | We had some friendly banter. |
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| irony | ironie (décalage, pas forcément méchant) | The irony is that he hates computers. |
| sarcasm | sarcasme (piquant, souvent méchant) | That was pure sarcasm. |
| to mock | se moquer (plus direct) | Don’t mock him. |
| to make fun of | se moquer de | They made fun of his clothes. |
| to insult | insulter (plus grave) | He insulted her. |
| Expression | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| I couldn’t help laughing. | je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher de rire | I couldn’t help laughing. |
| It cracked me up. (informel) | ça m’a tué (de rire) | That meme cracked me up. |
| It’s not that funny. | ce n’est pas si drôle | Relax—it's not that funny. |
| I didn’t get the joke. | je n’ai pas compris | Sorry, I didn’t get the joke. |
| deadpan | humour très sérieux | He said it with a deadpan expression. |
* sense of humour (UK) / sense of humor (US) * laugh at : Don’t laugh at him. * laugh about : We laughed about it later. * make someone laugh : You always make me laugh. * a funny story / a hilarious video * a silly joke / a rude joke * light humour = humour léger * dark humour = humour noir
* laugh at = se moquer / rire de quelqu’un ; laugh with = rire avec (plus sympa). * tease peut être gentil ou blessant selon ton ; si c’est trop, dire : Please don’t tease me about that. * snicker / smirk sont souvent négatifs.
Complète avec : smile / grin / smirk / giggle / chuckle / snicker / hilarious / witty / pun / prank / tease / banter / sarcasm / make fun of
* He gave a polite ____ and said hello. * She was ____ from ear to ear after the results. * He ____ like he was proud of himself (a bit arrogant). * The kids started to ____ during the serious scene. * My dad ____ at the comment (quiet laugh). * They ____ behind his back (mean laugh). * That video is absolutely __. * She’s really __ — her jokes are clever. * I love wordplay: that ____ was great. * It was a harmless ____ — nobody got hurt. * Don’t ____ me about my accent, please. * We had some friendly ____ after the match. * “Oh, great… another delay.” That’s __. * Don’t __ people for what they wear.
* smile * grinning (ou a grin) * smirked * giggle * chuckled * snickered * hilarious * witty * pun * prank * tease * banter * sarcasm * make fun of