mon cher
Mon cher (feminine: ma chère) means 'my dear'. Between friends it's affectionate with a knowing, often ironic undertone — think a raised eyebrow, not a love letter. Don't confuse it with mon chéri or ma chérie, which is genuinely romantic. Mixing those two up is a classic learner mistake.
Where you'll hear it
Alex
Salut Marguerite, quel type d'enfant étais-tu ? Étais-tu gâtée, rebelle, sage, calme, insupportable... ?
Hi M, what type of child were you? Were you spoiled, rebellious, well-behaved, quiet, unbearable... ?
Marguerite
Oh, j'étais la sagesse incarnée, mon cher Alex ! J'étais toujours calme, polie et très studieuse. J'aidais même ma mère à faire le ménage. Et toi, étais-tu un gentil petit garçon ?
Oh, I was wisdom incarnate, my dear A! I was always calm, polite and very studious. I even helped my mother with the housework. And were you a good little boy?
Alex
Bien au contraire ! J'étais un vrai petit diable. J'aimais bien faire des bêtises. Une fois, j'ai même décidé de peindre notre chien en bleu !
Quite the opposite! I was a real little devil. I liked to get into mischief. Once I even decided to paint our dog blue!
Marguerite
Tu as peint ton chien en bleu ?! C'est terriblement drôle... et un peu cruel aussi !
You painted your dog blue?! That's terribly funny... and a bit cruel too!
How it shows up
Mon cher Paul, tu exagères encore !
My dear Paul, you're exaggerating again!
Ma chère Sophie, quelle surprise !
My dear Sophie, what a surprise!
Comme tu veux, mon cher.
As you wish, my dear.
Related expressions
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