Des bonbons ou un sort

Why do I need to know des bonbons ou un sort?

Because local kids might soon be asking you this.

What does it mean?

You may recognise this one from Halloween – it’s the French version of ‘trick or treat’, literally translating to ‘sweets or a spell’. Un sort means a magical spell or incantation. 

The French word bonbon, roughly pronounced bohn-bohn (listen here) means “sweet” or “candy”. It refers to any kind of small sugary treat.

The word bonbon dates back to the 17th century and was formed by repeating the French word bon, meaning “good”. In children’s language, it originally referred to something good to eat – essentially, “good-good”! 

French has plenty of other words formed through this kind of repetition, many of them associated with children. These include toutou (doggy), doudou (a child’s comfort blanket or toy), nounou (nanny). 

Over time, bonbon came to refer specifically to a sugary treat. However, the word can mean different things in different parts of the French-speaking world. In Belgium, for example, it can refer to a plain biscuit, while in Réunion it can mean a type of doughnut.

The word has also taken on other meanings. Rose bonbon describes a bright, candy-pink colour. More figuratively, bonbon can suggest something that provides a little treat or pleasure. A person can also be referred to as a bonbon if they are an extremely sweet person.

Spelling tip – You might wonder why bonbon keeps the letter n before the b, rather than changing it to m. In French, the letter n generally becomes m before b, p or m (example: chambre (room) and emmener (to take someone along)). But bonbon is an exception because it was formed by repeating bon. The original spelling was kept, without any change to the letters.

The word bonbon has also given rise to other French words like bonbonnière, a container for sweets, and bonbec, an informal French word for a sweet or piece of candy.

And of course, as a phrase during the imported tradition of trick of treat.

READ ALSO: Halloween vs Toussaint: How to celebrate in France

Useful expression to know with bonbon

You might hear coûter bonbon – an informal expression meaning “to cost a fortune” or “to be really expensive”.

For example: Cette robe coûte bonbon ! – “That dress costs a fortune!”

Use it like this

Des bonbons ou un sort ! – Trick or treat!

Tu veux un bonbon ? – Do you want a sweet?

J’ai acheté des bonbons pour les enfants. – I bought sweets for the children.