VDM

VDM is the French version of FML.

It stands for Vie de Merde, and the site contains vos histoires de la vie quotidienne (your everyday life stories). Their slogan is “Ma vie c’est de la merde, et je vous emmerde,” which kind of means “My life is sh*t, and I don’t give a f*ck.” This isn’t a direct translation. Technically it means “My life, it’s of sh*t, and I f*ck you,” but somehow I don’t think that’s exactly what the French are trying to say. Either way, it’s a little more harsh than FML’s subtitle, which is “Get the guts to spill the beans.”

If you aren’t familiar with FML, it’s a website where people post the shitty things that happen in their everyday life. Believe it or not, French people have uncomfortable encounters too (what?!), and they post them on VDM.

I have to hold my breath to fit in my building’s elevator. VDM.

Turns out “college” means “high school” in French, and we therefore wound up at high school student night at a club in Nice. VDM.

Apparently in France, you have to specify that you want coffee with your Baileys. VDM.

If you think about it, it’s funny that people find these sites funny. Do I detect a hint of schadenfreude among this virtual community? But reading VDM is definitely a good way to practice le français.

www.viedemerde.fr