French Essay Writing Phrases.doc. English counterpart: for next to nothing. Meaning: The word “taquet” used to refer to a piece of wood put between a door and a wall to block it. Les candidats ont tous donné leur langue au chat. So bookmark this article and select the category you’re the most interested in. Oh non, je l’ai acheté pour une bouchée de pain. Arrête de jeter l’argent par les fenêtres, tu en auras peut-être besoin plus tard, Stop spending so much money for nothing, you may need it later. Meaning: You use this idiom to warn someone about something and ask the person to be careful. But this idiom actually means that someone leaves suddenly and unexpectedly. And you’ll never truly sound French if you don’t know their meaning. Meaning: you are “crevé” when you don’t have energy anymore, you’re exhausted and just want to rest. But at the advanced level, simply learning more French words isn’t enough.. It’s time to get ambitious with your vocabulary.. They can be such a bummer at times. Before you conjure weird ideas about things that come out of a cow’s mouth which seem like a really gross thing to think about -- relax. English, français (French) Il faut toujours qu’il mette son grain de sel dans nos conversation, ça m’énerve ! Meaning: This expression comes from the latin “cum grano salis“. Literally: to throw the money through the windows. Allez, prends ton courage à deux mains et annonce-lui la nouvelle. In this article, you’ll find 30 fun French idioms that range from the quirky to the downright ludicrous, arranged according to level of absurdity. Meaning: If you don’t work on a Thursday, you may as well not work on Friday and just enjoy a 4 day weekend. French Pod 101 offers lots of short podcasts that can be useful for any level of French learner, starting with beginners all the way to advanced learners. On l’a pris la main dans le sac alors qu’il était sur le point de partir. English counterpart: to talk about someone behind his/her back. Meaning: Ever had a date who didn’t show up? Here is an alphabetical list of common French idioms, along with their meanings and any relevant historical context. English counterpart: to keep up to date, to keep posted. Now that I think about it, these two china dogs probably really do hate each other’s guts. it most likely comes from a letter George Sand, a famous French writer sent to Madame Dupin, and in which she used “être dans les pommes cuites” to express her exhaustion. Meaning: In France, we often say that “Les absents ont toujours tort”, which means that people who aren’t there are always wrong. J’ai décidé de mettre du piment dans ma vie, je pars en Afrique demain. Really. Je crève la dalle depuis une semaine, j’en ai marre. Il a la banane aujourd’hui, ça fait plaisir. So you get out of the house wearing crumpled, un-ironed clothes, and someone casually remarks in French something along the lines of "to come from a cow's mouth". AS Level French … You’ve just made it through the second level. English counterpart: to run for one’s life. Literally: to catch someone with the hand in the bag. He was too sick/ was feeling too bad to come. Meaning: This lovely French idiom means “to sleep in”. Le facteur n’avait pas l’air dans son asiette hier. A peine commencé, ce projet sent déjà le sapin. I also offer an extended version of this blog post, (57 French phrases instead of just 30) saved as a PDF which you can print for daily use. Often, criminals run away long before the police arrive. Literally: We’ve not left the hostel! J’aime les gens qui vont droit au but et ne tournent pas autour du pot. T’as l’air crevé, qu’est-ce qui se passe ? They will be useful if you need to take an exam, or simply to revise and improve your French at home. Meaning; Before, beans were the last food remaining when everything else was gone. appuyer sur le champignon - to go very fast, accelerate (lit: to push on the mushroom) avoir d'autres chats à fouetter - to have better things to do; other fish to fry (lit: to have other cats to whip) avoir un chat dans la gorge - to have a frog in your throat (lit: to have a cat in your throat) avoir les dents longues - to be ambitious (lit: to have long teeth) Yup, a big one. It’s used to complain about people who join a conversation or do something without being invited to do so. Imagine overhearing a French conversation that translates into something along the lines of: to arrive like a hair in the soup or to have an ass full of noodles. You shouldn’t trust him, he often talks bullshit. J’aime bien me tenir au courant de l’actualité. When you hear someone say in French that they’re not bitten by cockchafers, it means some’re doing great / something is great. Nowadays “un panneau” means “a sign”, but this idiom means you fell into a trap without realizing it. C’est la deuxième fois que je perds mes clefs cette semaine, j’ai vraiment un QI d’huître. He is always nitpicking, it’s irritating. I ask this because (je suis désolée pour dit ça !) Expression pour encourager les gens à faire de la gymnastique. Just when you think you already got the hang of a foreign language, idioms rear their crazy little heads and go: nah-uh! J’en avais marre de ce fromager, donc j’ai changé de crémerie. Il est devenu rouge comme une tomate quand il a appris la nouvelle. -“Parti au petit coin” It is still commonly used in french. Sorry, I forgot we were supposed to meet today, I’m not with it at all. "Ne pas avoir inventé la poudre" It’s a bit of an insult, this one. Meaning: You make a whole cheese out of something when you make a fuss about something that actually isn’t that important. Idiom Meaning Literal Meaning; à bon chat, bon rat¹ : tit-for-tat to a good cat, a good rat à chaque jour suffit sa peine: each day as it comes each day's pain is sufficient for it (reference to the Biblical verse Matthew 6:34) Raphael, stop talking about your sister behind her back, it’s rude. Mon vieux! I have been teaching online since the beginning of 2014 and have helped hundreds of people to improve their French. I’m trying to find the idiom about “the dogs bark and the caravan continues.” All I remember is “la caravane marche.” Help! English counterpart: to be lazy, can’t be bothered, Je devrais réviser pour mes examens, mais j’ai la flemme. Meaning: Americans whiten their teeth, the French whiten money. Take a big spoon of strong mustard and swallow it. However, it may come from the word “trentain” which used to refer to a luxurious tissue. Someone who’s … Meaning: “Clocher” is a French verb meaning “to be wrong” as well as the French word for “bell”. I really loved the idioms. Kinda far-fetched, don’t you think? Literally: to give one’s tongue to the cat. What is it with chickens and cowards, anyway?? JAM. (SAY WHAATT?) Raphael, arrête de casser du sucre sur le dos de ta soeur, ça ne se fait pas. Kind of paints a morbid yet poignant picture, doesn’t it? Related Articles. Si tu veux on peut manger sur le pouce au lieu d’aller au restaurant. When you “eat on the thumb”, it means you actually eat quickly and don’t sit down to enjoy and share the moment with your family and friends. English counterpart: to be as red as a beetroot. When you can do something “les doigts dans le nez”, it means it’s easy to do. Yeah, sucks to be a hair in a soup. Meaning: When you “change for another dairy shop”, it means you decide to abandon the shop or provider you usually use and go to another one instead. It’s so easy I could do it with my eyes closed. Meaning: This idiom actually has nothing to do with geography, you can use it to say someone is off. etre sur son 31 is also linked to the 31st of december because it is new year eve and everyone dress “formal”! “Train” means “a train”, but it also means “action” in old French. T’avais pas un rencard ce soir ? .”ce type ne t’arrive pas à la cheville, crois-moi” apparently! But its meaning is far more difficult to guess. Et si tu t’occupais de tes oignons au lieu de lui faire des remarques ? This is a … Address : 8 allée danton 94350 Villiers sur marne France, 7 Ways to Overcome Anxiety in Speaking French, Paris for Foodies: Your Ultimate Guide to Eating in Paris, Free Resources – Talk in French Free Library. Losing them would be quite a shame. Just how on earth are you going to make sense of that? It’s not your problem, mind your own business! “La situation était très difficile, alors j’ai filé le bébé à mon manager” – “The situation was too difficult, so I passed it on to my manager. Meaning: This means you pretend not to hear when someone is talking to you. While the direct translation, “it doesn’t break three legs to a duck” has a bit of weird flavor to it, rest assured that this idiom means no harm to any duck. He has been in bad shape ever since his girlfriend dumped him. So “un froid de canard” is an extremely cold and hostile weather. Il est triste, parce qu’il lui a posé un lapin. You can also use “faire attention”. English counterpart: to be spaced out, to not be with it. To know a language you have to know its idioms, and French is no exception. Meaning: When your bowl is full of something, it means you have too much of it (unless it’s a delicious cake of course). English counterpart: to make a fresh start, to put something behind you. But there are some phrases that I suspect are idioms, and I don’t know them. It’s the second time I lose my keys this week, I am really stupid. Les dealers de drogue essayent de blanchir de l’argent. Je sais pas, je te tiens au courant. Start studying Useful opinion phrases (French A Level). Meaning: In winter, when it’s very cold, ducks go away from lakes and are therefore exposed to hunters. But the literal meaning? AQA A2 Level French Essay Writing Phrase. I don’t know. English counterpart: to be clueless, to fail to notice something. He still hasn’t arrived, there is something wrong. Meaning: This is a colloquial (and rather rude) way of saying someone doesn’t care about something or someone. “to raise a thorny issue” would be “lever un lievre”, litteraly meaning “flushing out a hare” (for hunting dogs) . Download. You can contact him on Twitter and Google +, French Marketing Vocabulary: 30 Words Every Marketer Should Know, French Football Vocabulary: 200 Words Every Fan Should Know, 40 Common French Acronyms and Abbreviations, Facebook (+153 000 Fans) I like your parents, but I am tired of the fact they always put their two cents. Malheureusement, peu de pickpockets sont pris la main dans le sac. Browse below to find the idiom you need, or just explore the many ways you can express yourself in French. Merci en avance ! He is lazy, that’s why he doesn’t succeed. [My God!]. We caught him red-handed as he was about to leave. You can take a look later if you lack time. Meaning: In French, “raconter des salades” means you’re inventing a story hoping people will believe you. Meaning: Want to know where this idiom comes from? You just discovered the wonderful world of French idioms. Choose the kind of French expressions you’re interested in, French idioms about love and relationships, Choose the kind of French expressions you’re interested in, Être rouge comme une tomate/ écrevisse/pivoine, Quand j’ai entendu ça, la moutarde m’est montée au nez, Les patrons s’en mettent plein les poches, alors que les employés gagnent peu, Ça fait plus de trois heures qu’elle pleure comme une madeleine, je me demande quand elle va arrêter, Prendre quelque chose au pied de la lettre. Nathan is sad because he got knocked back. Meaning: Ever drank a little too much alcohol? So when you compare something to a mouthful of bread, it means it doesn’t cost much. He looked/became very embarrassed when he heard the news. English counterpart: to take the page from someone’s book, to follow an example, Ton frère a de bons résultats à l’école, j’espère que tu vas en prendre de la graine, Your brother has good results at school, I hope you will follow his example, Literally: to take your legs and your shoes. Fais attention/ fais gaffe à ta valise, ou tu risques de la perdre ! For example, “Celui qui voulait aller au petit coin était celui dont la sourire était le plus large…” I suspect it means something like “The one who needs to go to the bathroom is the one whose smile is the largest.” Is that anywhere close? It’s normal for you not to remember anything, you drank like a fish yesterday. Meaning: You use this idiom to say you have to restrict yourself and do without something you are used to. level (one's) locks.
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