Welcome to our fun guide on French idioms! Here, you’ll find a list of 25 quirky expressions, complete with their pronunciation, literal translations, and meanings.
25 Hilarious French idioms
Here are the 25 idioms:
Poser un lapin
- How to pronounce in English: Poh-zay uhn lah-pan
- Literal translation: To put down a rabbit
- Meaning: To stand someone up
Avoir le cafard
- How to pronounce in English: Ah-vwar luh kah-far
- Literal translation: To have the cockroach
- Meaning: To feel down or depressed
Sauter du coq à l’âne
- How to pronounce in English: Sow-tay dew kohk ah lan
- Literal translation: To jump from the rooster to the donkey
- Meaning: To jump from one subject to another
Avoir un chat dans la gorge
- How to pronounce in English: Ah-vwar uhn shah dahn lah gohrzh
- Literal translation: To have a cat in the throat
- Meaning: To have a frog in one’s throat (to be hoarse)
Être haut comme trois pommes
- How to pronounce in English: Etr oh kohm trwah pohm
- Literal translation: To be as tall as three apples
- Meaning: To be very short (usually referring to a child)
Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe
- How to pronounce in English: Ah-ree-vay kohm uhn shuh-vuh sewr lah soop
- Literal translation: To arrive like a hair in the soup
- Meaning: To come at the most inopportune moment
Mettre son grain de sel
- How to pronounce in English: Met-truh sohn grahn duh sel
- Literal translation: To put one’s grain of salt
- Meaning: To give one’s unsolicited opinion
Tourner autour du pot
- How to pronounce in English: Toor-nay oh-too-r dew poh
- Literal translation: To turn around the pot
- Meaning: To beat around the bush
Couper la poire en deux
- How to pronounce in English: Koo-pay lah pwar ah duh
- Literal translation: To cut the pear in two
- Meaning: To split the difference; to compromise
En faire tout un fromage
- How to pronounce in English: Ahn fair too uhn froh-mazh
- Literal translation: To make a whole cheese out of it
- Meaning: To make a big deal out of something
Jeter de l’huile sur le feu
- How to pronounce in English: Zhuh-tay duh lwee sewr luh fuh
- Literal translation: To throw oil on the fire
- Meaning: To add fuel to the fire
Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre
- How to pronounce in English: Ah-vwar layz yuh ploo gro kuh luh von-truh
- Literal translation: To have eyes bigger than the stomach
- Meaning: To bite off more than one can chew; to take more food than one can eat
Avoir un poil dans la main
- How to pronounce in English: Ah-vwar uhn pwa dahn lah man
- Literal translation: To have a hair in the hand
- Meaning: To be lazy
Être dans de beaux draps
- How to pronounce in English: Etr dahn duh boh drah
- Literal translation: To be in beautiful sheets
- Meaning: To be in a tricky situation
Faire l’autruche
- How to pronounce in English: Fair loh-troosh
- Literal translation: To do the ostrich
- Meaning: To bury one’s head in the sand; to ignore reality
Tirer les vers du nez
- How to pronounce in English: Tee-ray lay vair dew nay
- Literal translation: To pull worms from the nose
- Meaning: To get someone to reveal secrets
Monter sur ses grands chevaux
- How to pronounce in English: Mon-tay sewr say grahn shuh-voh
- Literal translation: To climb on one’s big horses
- Meaning: To get on one’s high horse; to become indignant
Faire la grasse matinée
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How to pronounce in English:** Fair lah grass mah-tee-nay
- Literal translation: To have a fat morning
- Meaning: To sleep in
Tomber dans les pommes
- How to pronounce in English: Tohm-bay dahn lay pohm
- Literal translation: To fall in the apples
- Meaning: To faint
Lâcher la grappe
- How to pronounce in English: Lah-shay lah grap
- Literal translation: To let go of the bunch
- Meaning: To leave someone alone; to get off someone’s back
Faire la sourde oreille
- How to pronounce in English: Fair lah soord oh-ray
- Literal translation: To make the deaf ear
- Meaning: To turn a deaf ear; to ignore on purpose
Mettre la puce à l’oreille
- How to pronounce in English: Met-truh lah poos a loree
- Literal translation: To put the flea in the ear
- Meaning: To arouse someone’s suspicions
Avoir le bras long
- How to pronounce in English: Ah-vwar luh brah lohn
- Literal translation: To have the long arm
- Meaning: To have influence; to have connections
Casser les pieds
- How to pronounce in English: Kah-say lay pee-yay
- Literal translation: To break the feet
- Meaning: To annoy or bother someone intensely
Tirer le diable par la queue
- How to pronounce in English: Tee-ray luh dee-abl par lah kuh
- Literal translation: To pull the devil by the tail
- Meaning: To live hand to mouth; to barely make ends meet
We hope you enjoyed exploring these 25 hilarious French idioms! Whether they made you laugh or sparked your curiosity about the French language, these expressions offer a unique glimpse into French culture and humor.