Discover the charm of the French language with this guide to 25 popular French idioms. We’ll break down their pronunciation, literal meanings, and what they mean in everyday conversation.
25 Popular French idioms
Here are the 25 idioms:
C’est la fin des haricots.
- Pronunciation: say la fahn day ah-ree-co
- Literal Translation: It’s the end of the beans.
- Meaning: It’s all over; there’s no hope left.
Poser un lapin
- Pronunciation: poh-zay uhn lah-pahn
- Literal Translation: To put down a rabbit.
- Meaning: To stand someone up.
Mettre les pieds dans le plat
- Pronunciation: met-tray lay pee-ay dahn luh pla
- Literal Translation: To put one’s feet in the dish.
- Meaning: To put your foot in your mouth.
Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard
- Pronunciation: sah nuh kas pah twah pat ah uhn ka-nar
- Literal Translation: It doesn’t break three legs of a duck.
- Meaning: It’s nothing to write home about.
Être haut comme trois pommes
- Pronunciation: eht-ruh oh kuhm trwah pohm
- Literal Translation: To be as tall as three apples.
- Meaning: To be very short.
Faire la grasse matinée
- Pronunciation: fair lah grass ma-teen-ay
- Literal Translation: To have a fat morning.
- Meaning: To sleep in.
Avoir le cafard
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar luh kah-far
- Literal Translation: To have the cockroach.
- Meaning: To feel down or depressed.
L’appel du vide
- Pronunciation: la-pell dew veed
- Literal Translation: The call of the void.
- Meaning: The instinctive urge to jump from high places.
Passer une nuit blanche
- Pronunciation: pah-say oon nwee blahnsh
- Literal Translation: To spend a white night.
- Meaning: To pull an all-nighter.
Tomber dans les pommes
- Pronunciation: tom-bay dahn lay pohm
- Literal Translation: To fall in the apples.
- Meaning: To faint.
Avoir un coup de foudre
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar uhn koo duh foodr
- Literal Translation: To have a stroke of lightning.
- Meaning: To fall in love at first sight.
Se mettre sur son 31
- Pronunciation: suh met-truh sewr sohn trawnt-uhn
- Literal Translation: To put oneself on one’s 31.
- Meaning: To dress up or look very elegant.
Être dans de beaux draps
- Pronunciation: eht-ruh dahn duh bo drahp
- Literal Translation: To be in beautiful sheets.
- Meaning: To be in a difficult situation.
Il pleut des cordes
- Pronunciation: eel pluh day kord
- Literal Translation: It’s raining ropes.
- Meaning: It’s raining cats and dogs.
Jeter l’éponge
- Pronunciation: zhet-ay leh-pohnj
- Literal Translation: To throw the sponge.
- Meaning: To give up; to throw in the towel.
Faire bouillir la marmite
- Pronunciation: fair bwah-yeer lah mahr-meet
- Literal Translation: To make the pot boil.
- Meaning: To earn a living.
Couper la poire en deux
- Pronunciation: koo-pay lah pwahr ahn duh
- Literal Translation: To cut the pear in two.
- Meaning: To split something in half; to compromise.
Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar layz-yuh ploo gro kuh luh vahn-truh
- Literal Translation: To have eyes bigger than the belly.
- Meaning: To bite off more than you can chew.
Avoir un chat dans la gorge
- Pronunciation: ah-vwar uhn sha dan lah gorj
- Literal Translation: To have a cat in the throat.
- Meaning: To have a frog in one’s throat.
Mettre du beurre dans les épinards
- Pronunciation: met-truh dew burr dahn lay zay-pee-nar
- Literal Translation: To put butter in the spinach.
- Meaning: To improve a situation.
Tourner autour du pot
- Pronunciation: toor-nay oh-toor dew po
- Literal Translation: To turn around the pot.
- Meaning: To beat around the bush.
Tirer les vers du nez
- Pronunciation: tee-ray lay vair dew nay
- Literal Translation: To pull worms from the nose.
- Meaning: To pry secrets from someone.
Être soupe au lait
- Pronunciation: eht-ruh soup oh lay
- Literal Translation: To be soup with milk.
- Meaning: To have a quick temper.
Monter sur ses grands chevaux
- Pronunciation: mohn-tay sewr say grahn shuh-voh
- Literal Translation: To climb on one’s big horses.
- Meaning: To get on one’s high horse; to get angry or indignant.
Rire jaune
- Pronunciation: reer zhon
- Literal Translation: To laugh yellow.
- Meaning: To give a forced laugh; to laugh on the outside but be frustrated on the inside.
Exploring these 25 popular French idioms not only helps you understand common phrases but also gives you a peek into the cultural nuances of the French language. Use them to enrich your conversations and connect more deeply with French speakers!