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How to Say ‘I'd have thought it came from a designer boutique.’ in French

Je l'aurais crue sortie d'une boutique de créateur.

zhuh l oh-REH KROO sor-TEE dak ewn boo-TEEK duh kray-ah-TUR

[zhuh l oh-REH KROO sor-TEE dak ewn boo-TEEK duh kray-ah-TUR]

🇫🇷 In France: Saying a thrift find looks designer is a real compliment in France. It praises the person's taste rather than their wallet.

Phrase Breakdown

Je l'aurais crue

zhuh l oh-REH KROO

I would have thought it

Past conditional of 'croire', used to express surprise. 'Crue' agrees with a feminine object.

Example

Je l'aurais crue neuve.

I would have thought it was new.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

[l]

Refers to a previously mentioned noun.

Example

Je l'ai acheté hier.

I bought it yesterday.

aurais

[oh-REH]

would have

Conditional of 'avoir'; polite with 'besoin'.

Example

J'aurais une question.

I would have a question.

crue

[KROO]

believed

Feminine past participle of 'croire'; here 'thought it to be'.

Example

Je l'avais crue partie.

I thought she had left.

sortie d'une boutique

sor-TEE dak ewn boo-TEEK

came out of a boutique

'Sortie de' means coming from. 'D'une' links smoothly: 'sor-ti dun bou-tik'.

Example

Elle est sortie d'une boutique.

She came out of a shop.

Words in this phrase

sortie

[sor-TEE]

come out (of)

Feminine past participle of 'sortir', meaning having come from somewhere.

Example

Elle est sortie du magasin.

She came out of the shop.

[dak]

of / from

This contracted preposition is part of the fixed expression d'accord, meaning okay or agreed.

Example

D'accord, je note votre réservation.

Okay, I am noting your reservation.

une

[ewn]

a / an

An indefinite article used before feminine singular nouns.

Example

Une rencontre comme celle-ci peut ouvrir des portes.

A meeting like this can open doors.

boutique

[boo-TEEK]

shop, boutique

A small shop, often for clothes.

Example

Cette boutique vend des robes.

This shop sells dresses.

de créateur.

duh kray-ah-TUR

designer (one).

Completes 'boutique de créateur', a designer shop.

Example

Une robe de créateur.

A designer dress.

Words in this phrase

[duh]

Expressing the relationship between part and a whole.

Example

Un verre de lait.

A glass of milk.

créateur

[kray-ah-TUR]

designer

A fashion designer or creator.

Example

C'est une veste de créateur.

It's a designer jacket.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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