Du coup

Du coup
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French Expression

Meaning as a result, so
Literally of the blow
Register normal, informal
Pronunciation French sound files [du coo]
IPA   [dy ku]

Usage notes: I never learned the French expression du coup in school, so it was somewhat shocking to arrive in France and hear it everywhere.* It’s used far more often than donc, the word I tend to (over)use when talking about cause and effect.

Par exemple…

Il y a un problème avec l’avion et du coup le vol est en retard.   There’s a problem with the plane and as a result the flight is late.
J’ai perdu mon livre, du coup je n’ai pas pu faire mes devoirs.   I lost my book, so I couldn’t do my homework.
Tu n’as pas fini ton dîner. Du coup, pas de dessert pour toi !   You didn’t finish your dinner. So no dessert for you!

French lesson plans Du coup in action

Examples of du coup in real-life videos from Lawless French Immersion:

Et du coup, il a fallu économiser de la place.   It was thus necessary to save space.
Video: Secret passages: the traboules of Lyon
     
Donc du coup, on l’entendait juste avant dans le sonore de la dame.   So, we heard it in the excerpt from the lady.
Video: French regional accents and linguistic discrimination
     
J’adore les chevaux, du coup j’aime bien faire des balades.   I love horses, so I like to go for walks.
Video: French wine tourism gains traction
     
… là vous avez des petites bulles et du coup avec la chaleur, ça va les enlever.   … there you have small bubbles and therefore with the heat, it will remove them.
Video: Crème brûlée recipe: make your own French dessert
     
Et je pense que du coup les gens sont complètement déconnectés de la réalité   And I think that as a result people are completely disconnected from reality
Video: Youth and politics: Tom, 18
     
L’importance … c’est que du coup on va pouvoir vraiment se débrouiller tout seul.   The importance … is that you can really get by on your own.
Video: Study Abroad Tips and Advice

Synonyms

  • ainsi – thus, so
  • alors – so
  • c’est pourquoi – that’s why
  • donc – so, therefore
  • en conséquence – consequently
  • par conséquent – consequently
  • pour cette raison – for that reason
  • voilà pourquoi – that’s why

* Apparently it’s somewhat shocking to some French people, too. Author Claudine Chollet calls it

un virus [qui] contamine toutes les conversations [….] C’est en réalité un outil de manipulation intellectuelle.
“a virus that contaminates all conversations…. What it really is is a tool for intellectual manipulation.”
Source: Tordons le cou à l’expression “du coup” !

Le Télégramme has a similar view:

[L]’expression se propage comme un virus, appauvrissant considérablement le champ sémantique du langage oral….
"[T]he expression is spreading like a virus, considerably impoverishing the semantic field of spoken language….
Source: «Du coup». Un vilain tic de langage

 Essential French Expressions

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Du coup

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