se la jouer – Mot du Jour

to pretend to – French expression

Part of Mots Du Jour | Le Festival de Cannes

se la jouer – self it to play. In everyday French, se la jouer means ‘to pretend to’, ‘to act like’. JOUER means to play a role, as in theater plays. It’s used with an adjective or a noun.

« Il se la joue cool, mais il a très mal à cause de sa fracture. »
“He pretends to be okay, but he really hurts because of his broken bone.”
« Elle se la joue expert, mais elle est n’est pas du tout sûre de sa prestation. »
“She acts like she’s an expert, but she’s not at all sure of her performance.”