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To express the idea of "Honestly, some people!" (said irritatedly), in conversation I said jokingly:

Tu ne sais pas que c’est mal élevé d’interrompre une conversation ? Franchement, il y a de ces gens !

I wonder though if this phrasing gets across the meaning well enough, or for that matter, if it is commonly used.

While the translation of "some people ... (others)" is as straightforward as they come, when it comes to this specific usage, there's more to it than meets the eye.

In German and Spanish, for instance, idiomatic phrasings for this are "Also wirklich, Leute gibt’s!" and "¡Desde luego, qué gente!" -- in a similar vein, to be sure, but with a slightly different flavour.

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    In a casual speech, your expression is alright; I personnally say "y a des gens" and even "y a des mecs" pretty often. Note however that this is very informal .
    – Right leg
    Commented Jul 23, 2019 at 17:52
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    By the way, "Je te jure/J'te jure" could be used in lieu of "franchement"
    – Right leg
    Commented Jul 23, 2019 at 17:55
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    Brel would have said 'ces gens-là'.
    – Mathieu Bouville
    Commented Jul 24, 2019 at 5:36

2 Answers 2

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Franchement, y'en a, j'te dis pas !

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    A bit longer, but in a similar tone, I'd also have said: "Comme malpoli, tu te poses là !", "On a déjà vu mieux comme manières !", "On a vu mieux en matière d'éducation !". What's your take on them?
    – Con-gras-tue-les-chiens
    Commented Jul 22, 2019 at 14:48
  • Comme malpoli, tu te poses là is a direct (and possibly rude) remark to the person you are talking to while Y'en a, j'te dis pas or qué gente are generic remarks. They normally target someone else than the person you are talking to but can nevertheless be used indirectly.
    – jlliagre
    Commented Jul 22, 2019 at 14:59
  • What does "en" mean in "y en a" (a usual informal reduction of "il y en a") ?
    – Alan Evangelista
    Commented Jul 22, 2019 at 19:03
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    @AlanEvangelista En refers to what/who we are talking about. In the OP question context, that would be des gens (people), i.e. Y'en a, des gens, j'te dis pas comment qu'y sont malpolis: an apophasis (prétérition) with a very relaxed grammar...
    – jlliagre
    Commented Jul 22, 2019 at 20:11
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As for "Honestly, some people!" (said irritatedly), I would like to throw

Ah, les gens !

into the ring. Not because it's better than the other renditions, but because it's closer to the original. As above, you may add "j'te jure" ("I'm telling ya.") or any equivalent amplifier for effect.

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