À la bonne franquette

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Informal French Expression

Meaning	informal, simple, unfussy
Literally	in the good frankness
Register	informal
Pronunciation		[ah lah buhn fra(n) keht]
IPA		[a la bɔn frɑ̃ kɛt ]

Usage notes: The informal and somewhat old-fashioned French expression à la bonne franquette is a way of describing something as simple or unfussy without any risk of insult. The word franquette, a diminutive of franc (frank, clean), is found only in this expression.

À la bonne franquette can serve as an adjective or adverb and is commonly use to describe simple meals.*

Par exemple…

On va manger à la bonne franquette.		We’ll eat a simple meal.
C’était une visite à la bonne franquette.		It was an unceremonious visit.

Synonym: À la fortune du pot

 * On the few occasions where I’ve been invited to a potluck (everyone bring a dish) sort of meal, it was described as à la bonne franquette, which seemed to be a description of the simple food at such occasions, rather than the actual concept of a potluck.

I’ve been told that the correct French equivalent of "potluck" is une auberge espagnole, but personally I’ve never heard that term used outside of linguistic discussions.

 Related lessons

• Adjectives
• Adverbs
• Food in French

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