halluciner

to hallucinate

verb ah-loo-see-NEH Rare

Also means

to be amazed, to trip out (slang)

Usage Note

Halluciner has its clinical sense (to experience hallucinations) but in colloquial French it is very common as an expression of disbelief or astonishment — j'hallucine! means 'I can't believe it!' or 'No way!' This informal usage is especially frequent among younger speakers and is heard constantly in everyday conversation.

Examples

"J'hallucine, tu as vraiment dit ça ?"

Natural Translation

I can't believe it — did you really say that?

Literal Translation

I hallucinate, you really said that?

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