Is Speaking a language an art? I would be tempted to say yes! When you are learning a language, and as you gain more confidence you don’t want to keep speaking like a scholar. You would like to use more complex structures and that’s where you will need French idioms.
French idioms are expressions who have a meaning that goes beyond literal translation. They have figurative meaning and it can be sometimes difficult to find equivalent terms in other languages. French idiomatic expressions makes the language spoken more beautiful and it helps you stand out of the crowd when speaking French.
There are so many French idioms to fill a book; some about food, others about animals, colors, and so on. Today, I will be sharing with you a selection of 17 useful idioms that will enrich your vocabulary.
1. L’habit ne fait pas le moine
Literally : clothing don’t make the monk
Meaning : do not judge things based on their appearance
Example : Ce monsieur m’a l’air sérieux mais comme l’habit ne fait pas le moine, soyons prudents. => This guy seems serious but since we shouldn’t judge based on appearances let’s be careful!
2. Monter sur ses grands chevaux
Literally : to climb on one’s big horses
Meaning : to get quickly angry, to get on one’s high horse
Example : Anicet monte toujours sur ses grands chevaux quand on lui fait un reproche. => Anicet gets quickly angry when he is criticised.
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3. Avoir une taille de guêpe
Literally : to have a wasp waist
Meaning : to be very slim-waisted
Example : Pour être mannequin, il faut avoir une taille de guêpe =>To be a model, you must have a very slim waist.
4. Jeter l’éponge
Literally : to throw in the towel/sponge
Meaning : to give up or surrender
Example : Lucie voulait jeter l’éponge car ses affaires ne marchaient pas très bien. => Lucie wanted to give up as her business was not flourishing.
5. Être une poule mouillée
Literally : to be a wet hen
Meaning : to be coward
Example : Je croyais qu’Alain allait lui avouer sa flamme mais il n’a pas osé. Quelle poule mouillée ! => I thought Alain was going to confess his love to her but he didn’t dare. What a coward !
6. Poser un lapin à quelqu’un
Literally : to place a rabbit on someone
Meaning : not going to an appointment without warning the person who is waiting for you
Example : Martin devait rejoindre Alice et Colette au restaurant mais il leur a posé un lapin. => Martin was supposed to meet Alice and Colette at the restaurant but he didn’t show off.
7. Raconter des salades
Literally : to tell salads
Meaning : to tell stories or to lie
Example : Je me demande pourquoi cette fille raconte toujours des salades. => I wonder why this girl likes to tell stories.
8. Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre
Literally : to have the eyes bigger than the belly
Meaning : Wanting to eat more than you can
Example : Nicolas a commandé une grande pizza et ne pouvait pas la finir. Il a eu les yeux plus gros que le ventre. => Nicolas ordered a big size pizza and couldn’t finish it. He had the eyes bigger than the belly.
9. Tomber dans les pommes
Literally : to fall in the apples
Meaning : to faint, to pass out
Example : Mathieu est tombé dans les pommes quand on lui a annoncé le décès de sa mère. => Mathieu fainted when he was announced the death of his mother.
10. Avoir un poil dans la main
Literally : to have a hair in the hand
Meaning : to be very lazy
Example : Ce garcon a vraiment un poil dans la main. Il passe son temps à se plaindre quand on lui demande de faire quelque chose.=> This boy is really lazy, he keeps complaining when he is asked to do something.
11. Dormir à la belle étoile
Literally : To sleep at the beautiful star
Meaning : To sleep outside
Example : Quand je suis à la campagne, j'adore dormir à la belle étoile et profiter de l'air pur. =>When i am at the countryside, I like sleeping outside and enjoying fresh air)
12. Être au four et au moulin
Literally : to be in the oven and in the mill
Meaning : to be in two places at once or to do several things at the same time
Example : Mon chef est très exigeant. Figure-toi qu'il s'attend à ce que je sois au four et au moulin. => My boss is very demanding. Imagine that he is expecting me to do several things at the same time.
13. Avoir du pain sur la planche
Literally : to have bread on the board
Meaning : To have a lot to do
Example : Depuis que son collègue a démissionné, elle a du pain sur la planche. => Since her colleague left, she has a lot to do.
14. Avoir le vent en poupe
Literally : To have the wind in one's sails
Meaning : To be favored by circumstances, to be pushed to success
Example : Avec la crise du Covid-19, les vendeurs de masques ont le vent en poupe. => With the Covid-19 crisis, masks sellers are successful.
15. Chercher midi à quatorze heures
Literally : to look for noon at 2 pm
Meaning : to complicate things
Example : Je ne peux pas comprendre cet employé. Il va toujours chercher midi à quatorze heures. => I can't understand this employee. He is always complicating things.
16. Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu’un
Literally : to break sugar on someone’s back.
Meaning : to gossip about someone when he/she is not there
Example : je déteste casser du sucre sur le dos des autres. I hate gossiping about other people.
17. Il pleut des cordes
Literally : It's raining ropes
Meaning : It's raining cats and dogs, it's raining a lot
Example : Je ne peux plus sortir car il pleut des cordes. => I can't go out anymore as it's raining a lot
I hope you like these French idiomatic expressions and that you’ll start using them as soon as possible to impress your friends and relatives.
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Hi Chantal,
I really liked this post! I actually live in France and I hear these idioms very often. I would love to start using them in my spoken French! Thanks for this post, very useful. ☺