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Originally Posted by kwoldtimer
A question re "c'est l'enfer". Does it mean something is really good, or really bad? Or can it be either depending on context?
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It's usually used for bad things, though. You'd normally say that only if you think saying "it's hell!" (meaning it's crazy in a bad way) would apply... not only is it the literal meaning, it's also used the same way.
I'd say also there's a direct similarity to the English constructions "____ as hell" or "____ like hell" (almost always negative, unless I'm mistaken).
IOW, if you hear someone saying "c'était l'enfer, xyz etc." chances are that'd translate to "it was xyz like hell".
If something's really good, there are plenty of ways to express that ("c'est fou", "c'est incroyable", etc.) without referring to hell.