In this article, we’ll explore 70 of the best French idioms, providing their pronunciation, literal meanings, and what they really mean in everyday language.
70 Best French idioms
Here are the 70 idioms:
C’est la vie
- Pronunciation: seh la vee
- Literal translation: That’s life
- Meaning: Such is life; an expression of acceptance of a situation
Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué
- Pronunciation: eel nuh foh pah vondr la poh duh loor ah-vahn duh lah-vwahr too-ay
- Literal translation: One must not sell the bear’s skin before having killed it
- Meaning: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Appeler un chat un chat
- Pronunciation: ah-peh-lay uhn sha uhn sha
- Literal translation: To call a cat a cat
- Meaning: To tell it like it is; to speak plainly
Poser un lapin
- Pronunciation: poh-zay uhn lah-pan
- Literal translation: To place a rabbit
- Meaning: To stand someone up
Être dans la galère
- Pronunciation: et-ruh dah lah gah-lehr
- Literal translation: To be in the galley
- Meaning: To be in a difficult situation
Manger sur le pouce
- Pronunciation: mahn-jay sir luh poos
- Literal translation: To eat on the thumb
- Meaning: To eat quickly or on the go
Avoir le cafard
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar luh kah-far
- Literal translation: To have the cockroach
- Meaning: To feel down or depressed
L’habit ne fait pas le moine
- Pronunciation: lah-bee nuh feh pah luh mwan
- Literal translation: The outfit does not make the monk
- Meaning: Don’t judge a book by its cover
Mettre les pieds dans le plat
- Pronunciation: met-ruh lay pee-ay dah luh pla
- Literal translation: To put one’s feet in the dish
- Meaning: To put your foot in it; to say something embarrassing
Tourner autour du pot
- Pronunciation: too-rnay oh-too-r du poo
- Literal translation: To turn around the pot
- Meaning: To beat around the bush
Faire la grasse matinée
- Pronunciation: fair lah grass mah-teen-ay
- Literal translation: To do the fat morning
- Meaning: To sleep in
Couper la poire en deux
- Pronunciation: koo-pay lah pwahr ahn duh
- Literal translation: To cut the pear in two
- Meaning: To split the difference; to compromise
Jeter de l’huile sur le feu
- Pronunciation: zhet-ay duh loo-eel sir luh fuh
- Literal translation: To throw oil on the fire
- Meaning: To add fuel to the fire
Faire d’une pierre deux coups
- Pronunciation: fair doon pee-air duh koo
- Literal translation: To do with one stone two hits
- Meaning: To kill two birds with one stone
Tomber dans les pommes
- Pronunciation: tom-bay dah lay pom
- Literal translation: To fall in the apples
- Meaning: To faint
Passer une nuit blanche
- Pronunciation: pah-say oon nwee blahnsh
- Literal translation: To spend a white night
- Meaning: To have a sleepless night
Avoir un coup de foudre
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar uhn koo duh food-ruh
- Literal translation: To have a stroke of lightning
- Meaning: To fall in love at first sight
Prendre la tête
- Pronunciation: prahn-druh lah tet
- Literal translation: To take the head
- Meaning: To annoy or bother someone
Tirer les vers du nez
- Pronunciation: tee-ray lay vehr du nay
- Literal translation: To pull the worms from the nose
- Meaning: To worm information out of someone
Être haut comme trois pommes
- Pronunciation: et-ruh oh kohm trwah pom
- Literal translation: To be as tall as three apples
- Meaning: To be very short
Chercher midi à quatorze heures
- Pronunciation: share-shay mee-dee ah kah-torz uhr
- Literal translation: To look for noon at two o’clock
- Meaning: To make things more complicated than they need to be
Battre le fer tant qu’il est chaud
- Pronunciation: bat-ruh luh fair tahn keel ay show
- Literal translation: To strike the iron while it’s hot
- Meaning: To act while the opportunity is good
Se mettre le doigt dans l’œil
- Pronunciation: suh met-truh luh dwah dah loy-yuh
- Literal translation: To put one’s finger in the eye
- Meaning: To be completely mistaken
Faire bouillir la marmite
- Pronunciation: fair bwah-yir lah mahr-meet
- Literal translation: To make the pot boil
- Meaning: To earn a living
Mettre de l’eau dans son vin
- Pronunciation: met-truh duh low dah sohn va(n)
- Literal translation: To put water in one’s wine
- Meaning: To tone things down, to moderate one’s views
En faire tout un fromage
- Pronunciation: on fair too uhn fro-mahzh
- Literal translation: To make a whole cheese out of it
- Meaning: To make a big deal out of something
Tenir la chandelle
- Pronunciation: ten-eer lah shahn-dell
- Literal translation: To hold the candle
- Meaning: To play gooseberry or be the third wheel
Avoir le bras long
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar luh brah lo(n)
- Literal translation: To have a long arm
- Meaning: To have influence or connections
Avoir un chat dans la gorge
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar uhn sha dah(n) lah gorzh
- Literal translation: To have a cat in the throat
- Meaning: To have a frog in one’s throat
Pleuvoir des cordes
- Pronunciation: plew-vwar day kord
- Literal translation: To rain ropes
- Meaning: To rain heavily
Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar layz-yuh plew gro kuh luh vahn-truh
- Literal translation: To have eyes bigger than the stomach
- Meaning: To bite off more than one can chew; to take on more than one can handle
Casser les pieds à quelqu’un
- Pronunciation: cah-say lay pee-ay ah kel-kuhn
- Literal translation: To break someone’s feet
- Meaning: To annoy or bother someone incessantly
Mettre son grain de sel
- Pronunciation: met-ruh so(n) gra(n) duh sel
- Literal translation: To put one’s grain of salt
- Meaning: To give an unsolicited opinion
Coûter les yeux de la tête
- Pronunciation: koo-tay layz-yuh duh lah tet
- Literal translation: To cost the eyes of the head
- Meaning: To be extremely expensive
Se coucher avec les poules
- Pronunciation: suh koo-shay ah-vek lay pool
- Literal translation: To go to bed with the chickens
- Meaning: To go to bed very early
Donner sa langue au chat
- Pronunciation: doh-nay sah la(n)g oh sha
- Literal translation: To give one’s tongue to the cat
- Meaning: To give up guessing
Être soupe au lait
- Pronunciation: et-ruh soop oh lay
- Literal translation: To be milk soup
- Meaning: To have a quick temper
Jeter l’éponge
- Pronunciation: zhet-ay lay-ponj
- Literal translation: To throw the sponge
- Meaning: To throw in the towel; to give up
Monter sur ses grands chevaux
- Pronunciation: mo(n)-tay sir say gra(n) shuh-voh
- Literal translation: To climb on one’s big horses
- Meaning: To get on one’s high horse; to become haughty or angry
Faire la sourde oreille
- Pronunciation: fair lah soord oh-ray
- Literal translation: To do the deaf ear
- Meaning: To turn a deaf ear; to ignore
Vendre la mèche
- Pronunciation: vahn-druh lah mesh
- Literal translation: To sell the wick
- Meaning: To spill the beans; to let a secret slip
Avoir un poil dans la main
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar uhn pwa(d) lah(n) me(n)
- Literal translation: To have a hair in the hand
- Meaning: To be lazy
En voir de toutes les couleurs
- Pronunciation: ah(n) vwar duh too-tay lay koo-luhr
- Literal translation: To see of all colors
- Meaning: To go through a lot; to see all sorts of trouble
Avoir la main verte
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar lah me(n) vehrt
- Literal translation: To have the green hand
- Meaning: To have a green thumb
Se faire un sang d’encre
- Pronunciation: suh fair u(n) sa(n)g da(n)kruh
- Literal translation: To make oneself an ink blood
- Meaning: To worry oneself sick
Faire l’autruche
- Pronunciation: fair low-troosh
- Literal translation: To do the ostrich
- Meaning: To bury one’s head in the sand; to avoid facing reality
Tirer le diable par la queue
- Pronunciation: tee-ray luh dee-ab-luh par lah keuh
- Literal translation: To pull the devil by the tail
- Meaning: To live hand to mouth
Faire la pluie et le beau temps
- Pronunciation: fair lah ploo-ee ay luh bo tah(n)
- Literal translation: To make the rain and the good weather
- Meaning: To call the shots; to be in control of a situation
Jeter des fleurs
- Pronunciation: zhet-ay day flur
- Literal translation: To throw flowers
- Meaning: To compliment; to praise
Avoir une araignée au plafond
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar oon ah-rayn-yay oh plah-fo(n)
- Literal translation: To have a spider on the ceiling
- Meaning: To have a screw loose; to be a little crazy
Être dans de beaux draps
- Pronunciation: et-ruh dah(n) duh bo dra
- Literal translation: To be in beautiful sheets
- Meaning: To be in a mess or difficult situation
Mettre la main à la pâte
- Pronunciation: met-ruh lah me(n) ah lah pat
- Literal translation: To put the hand in the dough
- Meaning: To pitch in; to get involved in work
Prendre le taureau par les cornes
- Pronunciation: prahn-druh luh toh-roo par lay kor-n
- Literal translation: To take the bull by the horns
- Meaning: To tackle a problem directly
Tourner la page
- Pronunciation: too-rnay lah pahzh
- Literal translation: To turn the page
- Meaning: To move on
Être le dindon de la farce
- Pronunciation: et-ruh luh dan-do(n) duh lah fars
- Literal translation: To be the turkey of the joke
- Meaning: To be the butt of the joke
Péter plus haut que son cul
- Pronunciation: pay-tay plew oh kuh son kool
- Literal translation: To fart higher than one’s ass
- Meaning: To think too highly of oneself; to be pretentious
Faire le pont
- Pronunciation: fair luh po(n)
- Literal translation: To make the bridge
- Meaning: To take a long weekend
Ne pas être dans son assiette
- Pronunciation: nuh pah et-ruh dah(n) so(n) ah-syet
- Literal translation: Not to be in one’s plate
- Meaning: To be out of sorts; not feeling well
Ne pas y aller par quatre chemins
- Pronunciation: nuh pah zee ah-lay par katr shuh-ma(n)
- Literal translation: Not to go there by four roads
- Meaning: To not beat around the bush; to speak directly
Se jeter à l’eau
- Pronunciation: suh zhet-ay ah loh
- Literal translation: To throw oneself to the water
- Meaning: To take the plunge
Tirer la couverture à soi
- Pronunciation: tee-ray lah koo-vair-too-r ah swah
- Literal translation: To pull the blanket to oneself
- Meaning: To hog; to act selfishly
Revenir à ses moutons
- Pronunciation: ruh-vuh-neer ah say moo-to(n)
- Literal translation: To come back to one’s sheep
- Meaning: To get back to the subject
Rouler quelqu’un dans la farine
- Pronunciation: roo-lay kel-ku(n) dah(n) lah fah-reen
- Literal translation: To roll someone in the flour
- Meaning: To trick or deceive someone
Se mettre à table
- Pronunciation: suh met-truh ah tahbl
- Literal translation: To sit oneself at the table
- Meaning: To confess or come clean
Courir sur le haricot
- Pronunciation: koo-reer sir luh ah-ree-koh
- Literal translation: To run on the bean
- Meaning: To get on someone’s nerves
Avoir la gueule de bois
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar lah guh-l duh bwa
- Literal translation: To have a wooden face
- Meaning: To have a hangover
Être dans le pétrin
- Pronunciation: et-ruh dah(n) luh pay-tren
- Literal translation: To be in the kneading trough
- Meaning: To be in a difficult or sticky situation
Prendre la mouche
- Pronunciation: prahn-druh lah moosh
- Literal translation: To take the fly
- Meaning: To take offense; to be easily upset
Sauter du coq à l’âne
- Pronunciation: soh-tay doo kohk ah lan
- Literal translation: To jump from the rooster to the donkey
- Meaning: To jump from one topic to another
Se creuser la tête
- Pronunciation: suh kruh-zay lah tet
- Literal translation: To dig into one’s head
- Meaning: To think hard; to rack one’s brain
Understanding these 70 French idioms not only enriches your vocabulary but also gives you a deeper insight into the quirks and nuances of French culture. Use them to add flavor to your conversations and connect more authentically with French speakers.