Tu m'étonnes

Expression: Tu m'étonnes

Pronunciation: [tu may tuhn]

Meaning: I know, tell me something I don't know, you don't say

Literal translation: you amaze me

Register: informal

Notes: The French expression tu m'étonnes doesn't mean what it says. Literally "you amaze me," tu m'étonnes actually means just the opposite: "I know, I'm not surprised at all." The first time I ever heard it I was a little offended by the sarcasm, but in fact it's just an example of "opposite speak."*

Example:

   -L'économie globale ne va pas très bien.
   -Tu m'étonnes.

   -The global economy isn't doing very well.
   -Tell me something I don't know.

*Like in the expression "I could care less" when what you really mean is "I don't care at all, so I could not care less." (In French, Ça m'est égal, Je m'en fiche.)

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Most common French phrases