French idioms & expressions

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84 Terms

1
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Ça marche
Literal translation: it walks.Figurative translation: 'it functions', but also 'got it' or 'okay'.

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You'll hear this one a lot when you're watching to a French movie. It's extremely versatile because you can use it in many ways.

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J'ai réparé le grille-pain, et maintenant ça marche de nouveau.

Translation: I've repaired the toaster, and now it works again.
2
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Ça roule
to say 'got it' or 'okay'.
3
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Être dans la lune
Literal translation: to be in the moonFigurative translation: to daydream, to pay zero attention. \n \n This is easy to guess, right? Sometimes, French also use this for the same meaning: être tête en l'air - which literally means 'head in the air,' but actually means 'to be distracted'. \n \n X: Est-ce que tu as compris ce que je viens de te dire?Y: Quoi? Désolée, j'étais dans la lune.
4
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Ça coûte un bras
Literal translation: It costs an arm.Figurative translation: It's super expensive. \n \n I know, there's an identical idiom in English - It costs an arm and a leg. Who copied whom? Although French often claim they're the origin of so-and-so words, this idiom is probably English. \n \n A theory says that it originated from the first and second World War, where the price to pay is really heavy - body parts or even life. \n \n From the same category, we have: \n \n ça coûte les yeux de la tête (it costs the eyes in the head) \n and ça coûte la peau des fesses (it costs the skin of the butt). \n \n Cette voiture m'a couté un bras/les yeux de la tête/la peau des fesses. \n This car was extremely expensive.
5
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Faire la grasse matinée
Literal translation: to do a fat morning.Figurative translation: to stay in bed until late in the morning. \n \n This is a useful idiom during your vacation in France so that your concierge doesn't come knocking at your door at 9 AM. \n \n Chaque samedi, j'aime bien faire la grasse matinée. \n Every Saturday, I like staying in bed until late.
6
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faire une nuit blanche
to do a white night/to stay up all night long \n \n Je dois faire une nuit blanche pour finir ce travail. \n I have to stay up all night to finish this work. \n \n The origin of 'faire une nuit blanche' is quite interesting if you like history. It came from the fact that noblemen used to pray in white cloaks all night long before being knighted.
7
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Coup de foudre
Literal translation: a lightning strike.Figurative translation: to fall madly in love at first sight. \n \n Did you guess it right? Use it if you feel like you've been hit by a lighting bolt when you see someone for the first time. \n If it's only a 'moderate' love at first sight, this is what you use: coup de coeur. \n \n C'était un coup de foudre entre lui et moi. \n We fell madly in love at first sight, him and me. \n \n J'ai eu un coup de coeur pour cette maison. Je pense que je vais l'acheter. \n I fell in love at first sight with this house. I think I'm going to buy it.
8
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s’emballer
to get carried away
9
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garder la tête froide
ne pas s’emballer
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se disputer
to argue
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avoir la tête dure
être têtu (to be stubborn)
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être têtu, borné
to be stubborn
13
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changer d’avis
to change point of view
14
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marcher sur la tête
quelques chose qui n’a pas de sense en fait (on marche sur la tête)
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faire la tête
bouder (to sulk / Il fait la tête - he’s sulking)
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bouder
to sulk
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avoir tort
to be wrong
18
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supporter quelque chose
to endure something
19
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être débordé
to be overwhelmed
20
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gerer une entreprise
ro manage a company
21
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En ce qui concerne
Regarding (in what concerns)
22
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donner votre opinion
to give your opinion
23
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Au vu que
in light of
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Je considère que
I believe that (consider that)
25
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effacer
to erase, delete
26
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être accro à
to be addicted to
27
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un chaton
a kitten
28
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c’est mignon
it’s cute
29
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marrant
funny
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c’est adorable
it’s adorable
31
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elle était nulle
it sucked (u)
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elle était naze
it sucked (z)
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Il était trop drôle
it was really funny
34
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répugnant
disgusting
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mal faite
poorly made
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Ennuyeux (ennuyeuse)
boring
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Hilarant
Hilarious
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c’est dégueulasse
it’s disgusting
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c'est dégueu
it’s gross
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Succulent
flavorful (delicious)
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lessivé(e)
worn out
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crevé(e)
tired
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chiant(e)
tiresome
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énervant(e)
irritating (annoying)
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impoli (malpoli)
rude
46
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ça craint
it sucks
47
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agaçant
annoying (irritating)
48
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j’aurais dit
I would say
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subitement
suddenly
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épuisé(e)
exhausted
51
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Cela dit
That being said
52
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Ça va de soi
That goes without saying
53
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C’est bon
Ok, d’accord
54
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Ça en dit long sur
That says a lot about
55
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bouleverser
to upset, disrupt
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donner un pourboire
to tip (someone)
57
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en grandissant
(while) growing up
58
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être de mauvaise humeur
to be in a bad mood
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draconien (-ne)
drastic
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garder la ligne
to stay fit
61
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perdre du poids
to lose weigh
62
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prendre du poids
to gain weight
63
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quand même
aun así
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chaleureux
warm
65
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la malbouffe
junk food
66
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dans l’ensemble
as a whole
67
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avancer en âge
to get older
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débarrasser
to get rid of / dispose of
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J’ai tendence à
I tend to
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encombrer
to clutter
71
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c’est kiff kiff
it’s all the same
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pas forcément
not necessarily
73
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majoritairement
mostly
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à ce moment-là
at that time
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gérable
manageable
76
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prendre des décisions
to make decisions
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À part ça
Besides that
78
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Je suis revenue
I came back / returned
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empirer
to make worse
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Au pire
in the worst case/worste-case scenario
81
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aborder un sujet
to tackle/address a subject/topic
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fâcher
to upset/anger someone
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un sondage
a survey/poll
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J’ai l’impression que
I feel like