“I just got caught.” Can you think of a way to say this in colloquial French? (#1097)

Remember the verb pogner?

Broadly speaking, the informal pogner means to grab, catch, nab, etc. It’s pronounced ponn-yé or, using IPA, pɔɲe. Pogner rhymes with the verb cogner.

You can use pogner to render into French I just got caught, in a colloquial style.

If pogner quelqu’un means to catch, nab someone, then se faire pogner means to get caught, nabbed.

Can you now guess how you might say it French?

Montréal [février 2016]

Je viens de me faire pogner par la police.
I just got caught by the police.
I’ve just been caught by the police.

What about I’d just got/gotten caught — how would you say that?

Je venais de me faire pogner.
I’d just got/gotten caught.
I’d just been caught.

Je venais de me faire pogner quand j’ai réalisé…
I’d just got/gotten caught when I realised…
I’d just been caught when I realised…

Another example using je venais de:

J’avais 24 ans et je venais de terminer mes études.
I was 24 years old and I’d just finished my studies.

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