beau tir
In French, "nice shot" is translated as beau tir.
beau tir is an exclamation used to praise someone for hitting a target or scoring a goal in sports. This can apply to activities such as archery, shooting or even a long-distance pass in soccer.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective beau (beautiful/fine) and the noun tir (shot/firing).
Which one should you use?
You might use Super tir to be more colloquial. In more casual or enthusiastic settings, a speaker might also use the exclamation Quel beau tir ! (What a nice shot!).
Did you know?
- If you are praising a 'shot' in a game of billiards or pool, you would rarely use tir and instead use coup, meaning 'stroke' or 'hit'.
- The word tir comes from the verb tirer, which doesn't just mean 'to shoot' but also 'to pull' or 'to tug'.
- The adjective beau in this context refers more to the technical perfection of the movement than to how pretty the shot looked to the eye.
Examples in context
- L'équipe de France marque à nouveau. Beau tir!The French team scores again. Nice shot!
- Super tir ! Tu es vraiment en feu aujourd'hui !Nice shot! You are really on fire today!
- Beau tir !Nice shot!
- Quel beau tir dans la lucarne.What a nice shot into the top corner.
- C'était un très beau tir.It was a very nice shot.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are playing a game of soccer.
- GabrielRegarde, j'ai marqué !Look, I scored!
- EmmaBeau tir, Gabriel !Nice shot, Gabriel!
- GabrielMerci Emma, c'était difficile.Thanks Emma, it was difficult.
- EmmaC'est à mon tour maintenant.It's my turn now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beau, tir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
