French Idioms

Essential Day-to-Day Idioms to Instantly Sound More Fluent and Speak with Confidence

lingoXpress

• Publisher: lingoXpress
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9781991325099
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: French Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Learn to speak French like a pro with French Idioms: Essential Day-to-Day Idioms to Instantly Sound More Fluent and Speak with Confidence.

This book is perfect for anyone who wants to sound more natural when speaking French. It's packed with common idioms used in everyday conversations, making it easier to understand the French and express yourself like a native.

Each idiom comes with a simple explanation, there are also exercises and examples to show you how to use it.Whether you're learning French for fun, travel, or work, this book will boost your confidence and fluency.

Inside, you'll find:

Useful idioms explained in plain English.

Practice exercises to help you learn faster and memorize the idioms.

Easy examples so you can start using the idioms in real-life situations.

Get your copy today and start sounding more fluent in French right away!

Table of contents

• lingoXpress
• Avoir le cafard Literal: To have the cockroach. Meaning: To feel down or depressed.
• C'est la vie Literal: That's life. Meaning: That's how things go, often used to express acceptance.
• Donner sa langue au chat Literal: To give one's tongue to the cat. Meaning: To give up trying to find an answer.
• Mettre les pieds dans le plat Literal: To put one's feet in the dish. Meaning: To make a blunder or say something inappropriate.
• Avoir un coup de foudre Literal: To have a lightning strike. Meaning: To fall in love at first sight.
• Avoir la tête dans les nuages Literal: To have your head in the clouds. Meaning: To be daydreaming or absent-minded.
• Appeler un chat un chat Literal: To call a cat a cat. Meaning: To speak plainly or tell it like it is.
• Chercher midi à quatorze heures Literal: To look for noon at 2 p.m. Meaning: To make things more complicated than they are.
• Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs Literal: To put the cart before the oxen. Meaning: To do things in the wrong order.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Appeler un chat un chat 2.Avoir la tête dans les nuages 3.Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs 4.Donner sa langue au chat 5.C'est la vie Meanings 1.To do things in the wrong order 2.To be daydreaming or absent-minded 3.To speak plainly or tell it like it is 4.That's how things go, often used to express acceptance 5.To give up trying to find an answer
• Answers 1.Appeler un chat un chat To speak plainly or tell it like it is 2.Avoir la tête dans les nuages To be daydreaming or absent-minded 3.Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs To do things in the wrong order. 4.Donner sa langue au chat To give up trying to find an answer 5.C'est la vie That's how things go, often used to express acceptance
• Writing Exercise Try to remember at least 3 idioms you learned! Write them down along with their translations as a way of memorizing them.
• Quand les poules auront des dents Literal: When hens have teeth. Meaning: Something that will never happen.
• Tomber dans les pommes Literal: To fall in the apples. Meaning: To faint.
• Se casser les pieds Literal: To break one's feet. Meaning: To bore or annoy someone.
• Raconter des salades Literal: To tell salads. Meaning: To tell lies or tall tales.
• Avoir un poil dans la main Literal: To have a hair in the hand. Meaning: To be lazy.
• Être sur son trente et un Literal: To be on your thirty-one. Meaning: To be dressed up or fancy.
• Faire d'une pierre deux coups Literal: To kill two birds with one stone. Meaning: To achieve two objectives with one action.
• Il pleut des cordes Literal: It's raining ropes. Meaning: It's raining heavily.
• Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre Literal: To have eyes bigger than your stomach. Meaning: To take more than you can handle.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre 2.Il pleut des cordes 3.Quand les poules auront des dents 4.Raconter des salades 5.Être sur son trente et un Meanings 1.To be dressed up or fancy 2.To take more than you can handle 3.To tell lies or tall tales 4.Something that will never happen 5.It's raining heavily
• Answers 1.Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre To take more than you can handle 2.Il pleut des cordes It's raining heavily 3.Raconter des salades To tell lies or tall tales 4.Quand les poules auront des dents Something that will never happen 5.Être sur son trente et un To be dressed up or fancy
• L'habit ne fait pas le moine Literal: The habit does not make the monk. Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving.
• Être dans de beaux draps Literal: To be in beautiful sheets. Meaning: To be in trouble.
• Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez Literal: To have the mustard rise to the nose. Meaning: To get angry.
• Se tenir à carreau Literal: To keep oneself on the tiles. Meaning: To stay out of trouble.
• L'arbre qui cache la forêt Literal: The tree that hides the forest. Meaning: To focus on the small part and miss the bigger picture.
• Les doigts dans le nez Literal: Fingers in the nose. Meaning: To do something very easily.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.L'habit ne fait pas le moine 2.Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez 3.Être dans de beaux draps 4.L'arbre qui cache la forêt 5.Les doigts dans le nez Meanings 1.To do something very easily 2.To be in trouble 3.To get angry 4.Appearances can be deceiving 5.To focus on the small part and miss the bigger picture
• Answers 1.L'habit ne fait pas le moine Appearances can be deceiving 2.Être dans de beaux draps To be in trouble 3.Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez To get angry 4.Les doigts dans le nez To do something very easily 5.L'arbre qui cache la forêt To focus on the small part and miss the bigger picture
• Poser un lapin Literal: To put down a rabbit. Meaning: To stand someone up.
• Faire la pluie et le beau temps Literal: To make the rain and the good weather. Meaning: To have a lot of influence.
• Rouler sur l'or Literal: To roll in gold. Meaning: To be very rich.
• Donner un coup de main Literal: To give a blow of the hand. Meaning: To lend a hand or help someone.
• Complete the Word Below are four idioms with one missing word. Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the idiom. 1.Poser un ______ 2.______ cache la forêt 3.Avoir la ______ qui monte au nez 4.Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ______
• Answers 1.Poser un lapin 2.L'arbre qui cache la forêt 3.Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez 4.Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre
• Se faire rouler dans la farine Literal: To be rolled in flour. Meaning: To be tricked or deceived.
• Avoir la tête sur les épaules Literal: To have your head on your shoulders. Meaning: To be sensible or grounded.
• Être dans le même bain Literal: To be in the same bath. Meaning: To be in the same situation.
• Se jeter à l'eau Literal: To throw yourself into the water. Meaning: To take a risk or dive into something.
• Avoir la tête dans le cul Literal: To have your head in the butt. Meaning: To be tired or disoriented.
• Faire d'une mouche un éléphant Literal: To make an elephant out of a fly. Meaning: To exaggerate something insignificant.
• Vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué Literal: To sell the bear's skin before killing it. Meaning: To count your chickens before they hatch.
• Mettre la main à la pâte Literal: To put your hand in the dough. Meaning: To get involved or help out.
• Noyer le poisson Literal: To drown the fish. Meaning: To confuse or mislead someone.
• Appuyer sur le champignon Literal: To press the mushroom. Meaning: To accelerate or go faster.
• Être sur un petit nuage Literal: To be on a little cloud. Meaning: To be very happy or in love.
• Être bien dans sa peau Literal: To be good in your skin. Meaning: To feel comfortable or confident in yourself.
• Se faire une montagne d'un rien Literal: To make a mountain out of nothing. Meaning: To exaggerate something trivial.
• Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue Literal: When talking about the wolf, we see its tail. Meaning: Speak of the devil.
• Faire peau neuve Literal: To make new skin. Meaning: To rejuvenate or change completely.
• Ne pas être dans son assiette Literal: To not be on your plate. Meaning: To not feel well.
• Mettre son cœur dans la main Literal: To put your heart in your hand. Meaning: To show sincerity or vulnerability.
• Rentrer dans le moule Literal: To fit into the mold. Meaning: To conform to expectations or norms.
• Avoir un cœur d'artichaut Literal: To have an artichoke heart. Meaning: To fall in love easily.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Se faire rouler dans la farine 2.Être dans le même bain 3.Se jeter à l'eau 4.Faire d'une mouche un éléphant 5.Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue Meanings 1.To take a risk or dive into something 2.Speak of the devil 3.To exaggerate something insignificant 4.To be tricked or deceived 5.To be in the same situation
• Answers 1.Se faire rouler dans la farine To be tricked or deceived 2.Être dans le même bain To be in the same situation 3.Se jeter à l'eau To take a risk or dive into something 4.Faire d'une mouche un éléphant To exaggerate something insignificant 5.Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue Speak of the devil
• Manger sur le pouce Literal: To eat on the thumb. Meaning: To eat quickly.
• Ne pas être sorti de l'auberge Literal: Not to have left the inn. Meaning: To be in a difficult situation.
• Être à l'ouest Literal: To be in the west. Meaning: To be disoriented or not paying attention.
• Avoir la main verte Literal: To have a green hand. Meaning: To be good at gardening.
• Coup de théâtre Literal: A stroke of theatre. Meaning: A dramatic or unexpected turn of events.
• Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu'un Literal: To break sugar on someone's back. Meaning: To gossip or talk behind someone's back.
• Donner de la confiture aux cochons Literal: To give jam to pigs. Meaning: To waste something on someone who doesn't appreciate it.
• Se creuser la tête Literal: To dig into your head. Meaning: To think hard or rack your brain.
• Mettre les bouchées doubles Literal: To double the bites. Meaning: To work twice as hard.
• Tirer son épingle du jeu Literal: To pull one's pin from the game. Meaning: To get out of a difficult situation successfully.
• Prendre la poudre d'escampette Literal: To take the powder of escape. Meaning: To run away quickly.
• Avoir un nez de tous les diables Literal: To have a nose of all devils. Meaning: To be very nosey.
• Mettre de l'eau dans son vin Literal: To put water in your wine. Meaning: To compromise or soften your position.
• Faire la grasse matinée Literal: To have a fat morning. Meaning: To sleep in.
• Avoir un œil de lynx Literal: To have a lynx eye. Meaning: To have very good eyesight.
• En avoir ras le bol Literal: To have the bowl full. Meaning: To be fed up.
• Passer un savon Literal: To give a soap. Meaning: To scold someone.
• Broyer du noir Literal: To crush black. Meaning: To be depressed or anxious.
• Faire chou blanc Literal: To make white cabbage. Meaning: To fail or have no result.
• Avoir un pied dans la tombe Literal: To have one foot in the grave. Meaning: To be very old or near death.
• Rire comme une baleine Literal: To laugh like a whale. Meaning: To laugh loudly.
• Passer à autre chose Literal: To move to something else. Meaning: To change the subject or move on.
• Tomber sur un os Literal: To fall on a bone. Meaning: To encounter a problem or obstacle.
• Être la cinquième roue du carrosse Literal: To be the fifth wheel of the carriage. Meaning: To feel like an outsider.
• Se faire des cheveux blancs Literal: To make white hair. Meaning: To worry a lot.
• Tirer à boulets rouges Literal: To shoot with red bullets. Meaning: To criticize harshly.
• Mettre son grain de sel Literal: To put in your grain of salt. Meaning: To give your opinion or meddle.
• Mener quelqu'un en bateau Literal: To lead someone on a boat. Meaning: To deceive or trick someone.
• Writing Exercise Try to remember at least 10 idioms you learned! Write them down as a way of memorizing them.
• Être une poule mouillée Literal: To be a wet hen. Meaning: To be scared or cowardly.
• Se jeter dans la gueule du loup Literal: To throw yourself into the wolf's mouth. Meaning: To rush into danger.
• Être au bout du rouleau Literal: To be at the end of the roll. Meaning: To be exhausted or at your limit.
• Connect Them Together Below are two lists: one with idioms and one with their translations. Draw lines from the idioms on the left to the matching translations on the right. Depending on your reading device, you might need a notepad. Idioms 1.Avoir un pied dans la tombe 2.Tomber sur un os 3.Mettre son grain de sel 4.Se faire des cheveux blancs 5.Être une poule mouillée Meanings 1.To be very old or near death 2.To worry a lot 3.To encounter a problem or obstacle 4.To be scared or cowardly 5.To give your opinion or meddle
• Answers 1.Avoir un pied dans la tombe To be very old or near death 2.Tomber sur un os To encounter a problem or obstacle 3.Se faire des cheveux blancs To worry a lot 4.Être une poule mouillée To be scared or cowardly 5.Mettre son grain de sel To give your opinion or meddle
• Complete the Word Below are four idioms with one missing word. Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the idiom. 1.Être une poule ______ 2.Tirer à ______ rouges 3.Passer à autre ______ 4.______ un savon
• Answers 1.Être une poule mouillée 2.Tirer à boulets rouges 3.Passer à autre chose 4.Passer un savon
• Renvoyer l'ascenseur Literal: To send the elevator back. Meaning: To return a favor.
• Être un oiseau rare Literal: To be a rare bird. Meaning: To be exceptional or unique.
• Ne pas avoir froid aux yeux Literal: To not be cold in the eyes. Meaning: To be fearless or daring.
• Avoir du pain sur la planche Literal: To have bread on the board. Meaning: To have a lot to do.
• Jeter l'éponge Literal: To throw in the sponge. Meaning: To give up.
• Être sur la bonne voie Literal: To be on the right track. Meaning: To be on the right path.
• Avoir la langue bien pendue Literal: To have the tongue well hung. Meaning: To be very talkative.
• C'est du gâteau Literal: It's cake. Meaning: It's easy.
• Passer un mauvais quart d'heure Literal: To spend a bad quarter hour. Meaning: To go through a difficult or unpleasant time.
• Avoir une tête de mule Literal: To have a mule's head. Meaning: To be very stubborn.
• Mettre de l'huile sur le feu Literal: To put oil on the fire. Meaning: To make a situation worse.
• Faire la sourde oreille Literal: To turn a deaf ear. Meaning: To ignore or refuse to listen.
• Avoir un mal de chien Literal: To have a dog's pain. Meaning: To have a great deal of difficulty.
• Voir la vie en rose Literal: To see life in pink. Meaning: To be overly optimistic.
• Faire des pieds et des mains Literal: To make feet and hands. Meaning: To do everything possible to help.
• En faire tout un fromage Literal: To make a whole cheese out of it. Meaning: To make a big deal out of something trivial.
• Passer du coq à l'âne Literal: To go from the rooster to the donkey. Meaning: To jump from one topic to another without transition.
• Complete the Word Below are four idioms with one missing word. Fill in the blank with the correct word to complete the idiom. 1.En faire tout un ______ 2.Voir la ______ en rose 3.Mettre de ______ sur le feu 4.Passer un mauvais quart ______
• Answers 1.En faire tout un fromage 2.Voir la vie en rose 3.Mettre de l'huile sur le feu 4.Passer un mauvais quart d'heure