J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

English translation: I've got me motor and my other half's got her own wheels

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse
English translation:	I've got me motor and my other half's got her own wheels
Entered by:	Catherine CHAUVIN

13:14 Feb 18, 2009

French to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / argot

French term or phrase: J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

Contexte :

Un homme est interviewé pour un reportage concernant la crise économique.

Voici la phrase "J'ai plein d'crédits su'l dos. J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse. On n'a pas fini de payer les traites. On est dans la merde."

Je ne sais pas comment trouver la nuance en anglais entre bagnole et caisse.

Merci pour votre aide.
J'ai classé ça dans la rubrique "art / littérature". ouais..... :-)

Catherine CHAUVIN KudoZ activity Questions: 114 (none open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 501 France
Local time: 18:55

I've got my motor and my other half's got her runabout

Explanation:
One possibility.... I suspect his "meuf" is his girlfriend (I've never heard a guy refer to his wife as his "meuf".)

Selected response from:

Sandra Petch
Local time: 18:55

Grading comment

Merci, Sandra pour ta version, que j'ai modifiée à ma sauce, en lisant toutes les remarques des autres collègues. Je n'aurais jamais trouvé cette traduction toute seule... Merci à toutes les personnes qui ont répondu !
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

I've got a car and my 'bird's' got her own wheels

Amy Cheshire

4 +3

I got wheels and my baby's got a ride

Jessica Agullo (X)

3 +3

I've got my motor and my other half's got her runabout

Sandra Petch

4 +2

I've got my own ride and my old lady's got her heap.

emiledgar

4 +2

I've got my own car and the missus has hers

Catherine Gilsenan

I've got a motor and my bird's got her own wheels.

Corinne Taylor

I've got a car and my bird's got her motor

Valerie SYKES

2 +2

I've got my sorry excuse for a car and my old lady's got her jalopy

Jonathan MacKerron

I've got my wheels and my babe has her junker.

Jenn Mercer

I got my piece of junk for a car, and my woman has her own, too.

MatthewLaSon

Discussion entries: 12

Catherine CHAUVIN

France

ASKER

Me car

15:44 Feb 19, 2009

J'aime bien cette expression, en effet, Charlie.

Charlie Bavington

Need to know the country it is for

19:51 Feb 18, 2009

"Old lady" also = mother in some parts of the UK.
"Bird" has the drawback that some birds don't like it, altho it is still widely used, especially by geezers who get a kick out of winding birds up.
"My woman" or "my lady" would be a popular choice in the UK (as is "missus"), less liable to cause offence than, say, "bitch".

I have long found it interesting that we (UK anyway) don't really have a universal slang word for car that matches "bagnole". We have words for rubbish cars (natch!). The only people who talk about motors and wheels are people who think they are in an episode of The Sweeney. To make it slangy, I'd leave car but call it "me car".
"I've got me car and me woman's/bird's got hers" would work OK for the UK IMVHO.

emiledgar

Belgium

19:26 Feb 18, 2009

peut être remplacé par "my bitch." 3old lady" c'est plus le genre du mec français de l' interview.

emiledgar

Belgium

19:24 Feb 18, 2009

"old lady" est une expression américaine qui à connue son apogée pendant les "sixties" dans les milieus hippie; ça veut dire femme ou copine et ça n' a rien à voir avec "vieille dame". L' expression est encore utilisé, mais, en ces temps plutôt grossier,

Jenn Mercer

United States

old lady

19:16 Feb 18, 2009

Old lady is slang for wife. It is not very respectful, but it can still be a term of endearment.

Catherine CHAUVIN

France

ASKER

old lady

19:13 Feb 18, 2009

Est-ce que ce mot est à la mode en uk ou ailleurs ? Peut-on qualifier une fille de 20 ans par "old lady" ?

Catherine CHAUVIN

France

ASKER

old lady ?

19:11 Feb 18, 2009

Je ne connais pas ce terme. Est-ce qu'on peut dire ça pour une jeune fille ?

writeaway

dictionaries

13:42 Feb 18, 2009

all these terms are in Fr-En dictionaries. the trick is putting the text together with a coherent style.

translator_15 (X)

France

meuf - the missus

13:36 Feb 18, 2009

just another option

Gary Hinesley

United States

I've got a vlunker and my babe's got her pinto.

13:32 Feb 18, 2009

I've got a clunker and my babe's got her pinto.

Carol Gullidge

United Kingdom

verlan

13:25 Feb 18, 2009

meuf = verlan for "femme"

Jonathan MacKerron

meuf =

13:16 Feb 18, 2009

old lady (as in wife/girlfriend)

Answers

4 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

I've got my motor and my other half's got her runabout

Explanation:
One possibility.... I suspect his "meuf" is his girlfriend (I've never heard a guy refer to his wife as his "meuf".)

Sandra Petch
Local time: 18:55
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 44

Grading comment

7 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

I've got a car and my 'bird's' got her own wheels

Explanation:
You could use car and wheels to differntiate... or if it's 'bagnole' in the clapped out sense, you could use 'an old banger'!
Bird might do instead of 'old lady' again depending on the profile of the speakers.
Hope these ideas help!

Amy Cheshire
France
Local time: 18:55
Native speaker of:

English

12 mins confidence:

J\\\'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse I've got a motor and my bird's got her own wheels.

Explanation:
bird is more "general". There's also "her indoors"

Corinne Taylor
France
Local time: 18:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

19 mins confidence:

I've got a car and my bird's got her motor

Explanation:
Harrap's Slang Dictionary:
'bagnole' - car, wheels, motor
'meuf' - 'chick', 'bird', 'girlfriend', 'woman'
'caisse' - car, wheels, motor

Valerie SYKES
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

24 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

I got wheels and my baby's got a ride

Explanation:
american rock n roll terms - course there are others - for bagnole and caisse: ride, wheels, motor, jitney,
for meuf: girl, babe, baby, squeeze, chick, bitch

Example sentence(s):

"they got a souped up jitney, was a cherry red '53" chuck berry
"my baby's got a ride"

Jessica Agullo (X)
United States
Local time: 12:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

32 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

I've got my own ride and my old lady's got her heap.

Explanation:
another US version.

emiledgar
Belgium
Local time: 18:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

French
PRO pts in category: 125

15 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

I've got my sorry excuse for a car and my old lady's got her jalopy

Explanation:
hunk-a-junk/piece a crap/pimpmobile/clunker

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2009-02-18 13:33:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

my sorry-ass piece a crap

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 43 mins (2009-02-18 13:58:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I like Emma's suggestion of "the misses", then again there's "the little lady"

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 32

2 hrs confidence:

I've got my wheels and my babe has her junker.

Explanation:
This phrase is not a question of right or wrong, but I think that "wheels" and "junker" will work well here.

Jenn Mercer
United States
Local time: 12:55
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

4 hrs confidence:

I got my piece of junk for a car, and my woman has her own, too.

Explanation:
Hello,

I think the most of the translations above are bit "overdone".

bagnole = old junker (mauvaise voiture
caisse = bagnole

meuf = "woman"(wife), a bit more sexist and slangish,

I hope this helps.

MatthewLaSon
Local time: 12:55
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 145

7 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

I've got my own car and the missus has hers

Explanation:
-

Catherine Gilsenan
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:55
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English

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J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

English translation: I've got me motor and my other half's got her own wheels

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J'ai une bagnole et ma meuf a sa caisse

English translation: I've got me motor and my other half's got her own wheels

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