Properly Using Je Suis Plein in French

Properly Using Je Suis Plein in French Its common for non-native French speakers to make mistakes in conversation, especially if theyre using a phrase like  je suis  plein.  Imagine this scenario: Youre at a bistro and have just had a delicious, filling meal. The waiter comes by to ask if youd care for dessert. Youre stuffed, so you politely decline by saying youre full. The waiter smiles awkwardly. What did you just say? Understanding Je Suis  Plein The French translation of full is plein, except when it comes to your stomach.  Correct ways to say Im full include jai  trop  mangà ©Ã‚  (literally, I ate too much), je  suis rassasià ©Ã‚  (Im satisfied), and je  nen  peux  plus  (I cant [take] anymore). But if youre new to the language, you may not be aware of this subtle nuance. Although it may seem logical to use je suis plein to mean Im full, most people in France interpret the phrase as meaning Im pregnant.Its not a very nice way to say it,  either, because the phrase à ªtre pleine is used to talk about pregnant animals, not people. Many visitors to France have anecdotes involving the misuse of this expression. Whats interesting is that if a woman actually says je suis pleine to a native French speaker, he or she will probably understand that to mean shes pregnant. And yet if you talk about this expression in the abstract with a native speaker, s/hes likely to tell you that no one would ever take it to mean youre pregnant  because its only used for animals.Note: Je suis plein is also a familiar way of saying Im drunk. In Quebec and Belgium, unlike France, its perfectly acceptable to use this phrase to mean Im full.