E.Leclerc Radio Spot: il n’y a que des avantages

The above audio sample and transcription is from an E.Leclerc ad spot. We do not own the content. We are not paid for this content, it is for educational purposes.

nothing but advantages

I was in the car the other day and an E.Leclerc ad came on, followed shortly by a Carrefour. It was a lot of numbers and a lot of speech. All in a short amount of time. Try it today.

What’s opening up for you with this clip?

The snippet in English

Find a translation of this snippet here, how much of this did you hear?

The above translation from Deepl. Source

What does “E.Leclerc” mean?

E.Leclerc is a major French supermarket chain, pronounced [uh luh-CLAIR]. Founded in 1949 by Édouard Leclerc, it’s known for low prices, consumer advocacy, and access to culture.

It’s widely used for everyday shopping—groceries, books, electronics, fuel—especially in suburban/rural areas. Leclerc promotes itself as defending pouvoir d’achat (buying power), often with anti-tax or pro-local messaging.

Culturally, it’s practical, no-frills, and proudly French—seen as affordable, not chic, but respected. Many stores include Espace Culturel, reinforcing its “value + culture” brand.

What does “quelqu’un” mean?

Quelqu’un means someone or somebody in French.

Quelqu’un a frappé à la porte.
(Someone knocked at the door.)

Tu attends quelqu’un ?
(Are you waiting for someone?)

It’s indefinite, so it refers to an unknown or unspecified person. In negative constructions, it becomes:

Je n’ai vu personne.
(I didn’t see anyone.)
→ not “je n’ai vu quelqu’un”, which is incorrect

Culturally, quelqu’un is neutral and widely used in both casual and formal speech. It often softens a sentence when the subject isn’t clearly identified—or doesn’t need to be.

What does “t’as dévalisé” mean?

ChatGPT said:

T’as dévalisé is the informal, meaning you robbed or you cleaned out.

From the verb dévaliser — to rob, loot, or empty out.

Literal meaning:

Tu as dévalisé la banque ?
(You robbed the bank?)

Figurative / playful usage (more common in speech):

Wow, t’as dévalisé le magasin ou quoi ?
(Wow, did you clean out the store or what?)
→ Said when someone comes back with way too many bags or purchases

Il a dévalisé le frigo en une soirée.
(He emptied the fridge in one evening.)

Culturally, dévaliser is used in both serious and joking contexts. In casual conversation, it often exaggerates how much someone took, bought, or ate, and adds a fun, dramatic tone.

What does “les gammes” mean?

Les gammes means the ranges or the scales, depending on context. It comes from the noun gamme, which is used in both music and product vocabulary.

1. In music – scales : Refers to sequences of notes (do–ré–mi…) used to train technique and ear.

Il s’exerce tous les jours avec des gammes au piano. (He practices scales on the piano every day.)

2. In product marketing – ranges / product lines

Cette marque propose plusieurs gammes de soins pour la peau. (This brand offers several skincare ranges.)

Les gammes de voitures électriques se développent rapidement. (Electric car ranges are expanding quickly.)

Cultural note: In France, faire ses gammes (literally: to do your scales) is also a figurative expression meaning to practice, build skill, or go through the basics—whether in music, writing, or even business.

Il a fait ses gammes dans une petite agence avant de lancer sa boîte. (He learned the ropes in a small agency before launching his company.).

What does “plein d’autres” mean?

Plein d’autres means lots of others or plenty of other [things/people]. It’s an informal, spoken structure, using plein de (a lot of) + autres (others).

Il y avait plein d’autres idées intéressantes. (There were lots of other interesting ideas.)

J’ai vu plein d’autres films de ce réalisateur. (I’ve seen lots of other films by this director.)

It’s very common in everyday speech and friendly writing. You can follow it with: – nouns: plein d’autres gens, plein d’autres options – or let it stand on its own if the context is clear: Il y en a plein d’autres. (There are lots of others.)

Culturally, it reflects a casual tone—natural, fluent, and slightly emphatic without sounding formal.

What does “c’est top” mean?

C’est top is a casual, upbeat expression meaning It’s great, It’s awesome, or That’s fantastic.

Ton idée, c’est top ! (Your idea is awesome!)

Le concert était top. (The concert was great.)

It comes from the English word top, adopted into French slang to mean something excellent, cool, or high quality.

Culturally, c’est top is very common in spoken French, especially among young people or in informal settings. It’s a light, positive reaction, a bit like saying super, génial, or trop bien.

What does “il n’y a que de …” mean?

Il n’y a que des… means There’s nothing but… or There are only…, and it’s used to emphasize exclusivity—that only one kind of thing is present (positive, negative, etc.).

Il n’y a que des avantages. (There are only advantages.) → Everything about it is positive.

Il n’y a que des problèmes. (There’s nothing but problems.) → The situation is entirely negative.

Il n’y a que des enfants ici. (There are only children here.)

Il n’y a que des rumeurs, pas de preuves. (There are only rumors, no evidence.)

Grammatically, it follows: Il n’y a que + [plural noun]

Culturally, it’s often used to highlight an imbalance, either positively (que des bonnes nouvelles) or critically (que des excuses). It’s common in speech and writing for emphasis or even mild exaggeration.

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