https://www.proz.com/kudoz/french-to-english/general-conversation-greetings-letters/7179224-deux-trois-barres.html?phpv_redirected=1&phpv_redirected=2
Mar 27 21:25
1 mo ago
30 viewers *
French term

deux trois barres

Non-PRO French to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Même des amis d'enfance se font la guerre pour deux trois barres.
Proposed translations (English)
2 +4 a bit of weed, a couple of ounces

Discussion

AllegroTrans Mar 28:
Well, it all depends doesn't it... on what exactly is being translated, and for what purpose? If you translate a song, you have poetic licence.
Nicole Acher Mar 28:
I think Althea's note about "barre" being used to mean 10,000 "new francs" makes the most sense here.
AllegroTrans Mar 28:
@ Marney So what are you translating exactly? The rap song? Or this saying in some other context?
Marney Ogle (asker) Mar 27:
Yes, it’s from a rap song, as someone else has found.
Althea Draper Mar 27:
A 'barre' used to be one million 'old francs' which was then equivalent to 10,000 'new francs'. I don't know how the term is used nowadays

https://www.forumfr.com/sujet124613-barres-patates-bâtons.ht...
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/une-barre.1279289/
https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/barre#:~:text=(Télécommunicat... (definition no.24)
AllegroTrans Mar 27:
@ Marney What is the context here? Who is saying this and why? What is before and after this?
Nicole Acher Mar 27:
Since we're talking about childhood friends, could they be fighting over two, three chocolate bars? That's the first thing that came to my mind. Not sure how well that fits in.

Proposed translations

+4
58 mins
Selected

a bit of weed, a couple of ounces

Or whatever the in lingo is.

My first thought was of the carambars that the French - of a certain age, at least - rave about. Silly naive me. Not only am I not a fan of the things, but neither have I ever touched cannabis in any shape or form, but given the content of the song in question, it has to be referring to 2/3 barres de shit. If I understand the Ouèbbhe correctly, a barre is - or at least was - a 'soap bar'. Not being a user I cannot say for sure, but I get the impression the English term may have changed.

Who'll fess up to knowing about these things?

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Note added at 2 hrs (2024-03-28 00:21:27 GMT)
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I referred to 'the song in question' - easy to find.
The lines "gyrophares des keufs" and "T'as des projets mais tout s'éteint quand la BAC frappe à la porte" (BAC - brigade anti-criminalité - "les policiers de la BAC sont spécialisés dans les interventions à risques en zones urbaines, particulièrement en milieux sensibles (cités ou quartiers prioritaires).")
in particular suggests that something illegal is going on in la cité, like drugs.

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Note added at 9 hrs (2024-03-28 07:10:43 GMT)
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Well, no one has been forthcoming with their drug-related experience, so here's the scale of things. If it is indeed 2/3 barres de shit we're talking about, we're looking at a value of €20/30, indeed a trivial amount for a couple of mates to argue over. But triviality is what it's about, I think, not thousands of euros.

"Ainsi, pour 20 euros de drogue achetée, soit deux barrettes de shit, le client obtient alors, gratuitement, un briquet et un paquet de feuilles à rouler. Pour 50 euros, il bénéficie même d'un paquet de cigarettes. Et pour 10 barres de shit d'une valeur de 10 euros chacunes [sic] achetées, une leur est offerte"
https://www.francesoir.fr/societe-faits-divers/marseille-des...
Peer comment(s):

agree Daryo : You do not need any personal "insider knowledge" - plenty of other sources available, nearly as good.
9 hrs
Thanks. Just teasin'.
agree Anastasia Kalantzi
10 hrs
agree Althea Draper : There are lots of songs and raps which reference "deux trois-barres". Showing my ignorance here, but is this a particular amount of hash?
11 hrs
I don't know the weight, but it seems a barre of the stuff will set you back ten euros.
agree Philippa Smith : Yup. Tho' if it's "shit" = hash, not weed (= herbe / beuh). I used to smoke and back in the day it was "a lump of hash". I checked with my son who suggests "a few ounces of hash" (UK use). ;-)
15 hrs
You highlight my ignorance! Tant de grammes is what I see/hear on those 100 jours avec les gendarmes de Xxxx TV shows as I zap (mostly) through them.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you all for your helpful input. Whether it’s weed or hash, I wanted to know whether they are talking about drugs."

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

context, fwiw/hth

[Couplet 3 - Lacrim]
Une place parmi les riches ici, mais qui n'la voudrais pas ?
Même des amis d'enfance se font la guerre pour deux trois barres
On y crois pas à ton bonheur, cousine j'ai la vision terne
Tout ça me parait difficile, comme te dire "je t'aime"
Les morceaux ca**és qui les ressouderas ?

Que Dieu me pardonne car j'ai des envies de sous grave
Et si tu cours après tes rêves, refais ton lacet
Ou tu tombes de haut comme un clandé au port de Marseille
https://lyrics.az/le-rat-luciano/-/vis-tes-reves.html
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree AllegroTrans : Bien trouvé, but we still need to know *what exactly* Marney is translating
42 mins
agree Daryo
9 hrs
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