Same fact, softer word
A euphémisme replaces a word that feels harsh, embarrassing or taboo with a milder one. The fact stays the same; only the effect changes. At C2 the point is the choice: when is the plain word right, when is the euphemism expected, and when is it hiding something?
Plain and veiled
Plain
Son grand-père est mort hier soir.
His grandfather died last night.
L'usine va licencier trois cents personnes.
The plant is going to lay off three hundred people.
Veiled
Son grand-père nous a quittés hier soir.
His grandfather passed away last night.
L'usine annonce un plan de sauvegarde de l'emploi.
The plant announces a redundancy plan.
Death and illness
Death comes with fixed gradations. Décéder is factual and official, disparaître and la disparition are the usual choice in condolences, and s'éteindre and nous a quittés belong in death notices and obituaries. The formula des suites d'une longue maladie names no illness but usually means cancer.
From official to gentle
Le patient est décédé à 4 h 10.
The patient died at 4.10 a.m.
Factual, hospital or authorities.
Elle est décédée des suites d'une longue maladie.
She died after a long illness.
Obituary, the illness goes unnamed.
Il s'est éteint paisiblement, entouré des siens.
He passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.
Death notice.
Je vous présente mes sincères condoléances pour la disparition de votre père.
Please accept my sincere condolences on the loss of your father.
Condolence card or talking to the family.
Work, money and society
In companies, government and politics the euphemism is often the official term. A plan de sauvegarde de l'emploi (PSE), literally a job protection plan, is the legal framework for mass layoffs, se séparer de collaborateurs means letting staff go, and the employment services speak of demandeurs d'emploi rather than chômeurs. You use these terms yourself when writing officially, and translate them back when reading.
Veiled and meant
| Veiled | Plain | Typical in |
|---|---|---|
| se séparer de collaborateurs | licencier | Corporate communications |
| demandeur d'emploi | chômeur | Authorities, statistics |
| personnes en situation de précarité | pauvres | Social policy, charities |
| personnes âgées, seniors | vieux | Press, authorities, advertising |
| personne en situation de handicap | handicapé | Authorities, workplace |
Official sentences
La direction a décidé de se séparer de quarante collaborateurs.
Management has decided to part ways with forty employees.
Le nombre de demandeurs d'emploi a légèrement baissé ce trimestre.
The number of jobseekers fell slightly this quarter.
L'association vient en aide aux personnes en situation de précarité.
The charity helps people living in precarious circumstances.
When the euphemism backfires
Euphemisms wear out. Technicien de surface was meant to upgrade the cleaner's job title and is now mostly a joke about bureaucratic language. The common term is agent d'entretien.
When euphemisms pile up, French calls it langue de bois: language that says a lot and reveals nothing. If you can see through it, you can quote it back and expose it.
Ce n'est pas un licenciement, c'est un « plan de sauvegarde de l'emploi ».
It's not a layoff, it's a "job protection plan".
Mocking, the speaker exposes the term.
Le ministre a répondu dans une langue de bois parfaite.
The minister answered in flawless political doublespeak.
English plays the same game, with downsizing for layoffs or passed away for died. The gradations rarely map one to one, though, so learn the French pairs as pairs.
