With any language, you’ll find that there’s a range of proverbs and sayings surrounding money, and French is no exception. So to help get you clued up, I’ve made a handy list of six of the most commonly used money-related proverbs in French. For each of these sayings, I’ve given a literal translation, a brief explanation of its meaning, and an example of it being … Continue reading Popular French Proverbs about Money
When you start learning French, one of the first topics that you’ll probably cover is emotions, feelings, and moods. A lot of time, you’ll just be taught adjectives like heureux, triste, fatigué, and related idioms like avoir le cafard will be overlooked. Even those who’ve been learning French for a while are likely to be unfamiliar with a lot of the expressions that come with … Continue reading Ten Popular French Idioms and Expressions to Talk About How You’re Feeling
Meaning: to speak poor French, to speak French really badly Literal Translation: to speak French like a Spanish cow Here’s a couple of examples of this idiom being used in context: Je ne peux pas du tout le comprendre, il parle le français comme une vache espagnole. I can’t understand him at all, his French is awful. J’aimerais bien étudier en France, mais malheureusement je … Continue reading French Expression: parler le français comme une vache espagnole
Literal Translation: to put the flea in somebody’s ear Meaning: to put an idea in somebody’s head, to set somebody thinking, to arouse somebody’s suspicions Explanation: the French idiom mettre la puce à l’oreille de quelqu’un is generally used when somebody says or does something that arouses your suspicions. It can be used to refer to both positive and negative things. Here’s a couple of … Continue reading French Expression: mettre la puce à l’oreille de quelqu’un
Meaning: to have a lisp Literal Translation: to have a hair on the tongue Here’s a couple of examples of this expression being used in context: Mes amis se moquent de moi parce que j’ai un cheveu sur la langue. My friends make fun of me because I have a lisp. Comme elle a un petit cheveu sur la langue, elle a quelquefois du mal … Continue reading French Expression: avoir un cheveu sur la langue
Meaning: to have a gap between one’s front teeth, to have a diastema Literal Translation: to have lucky teeth Here’s an example of this expression being used in context: Quand elle a souri, j’ai remarqué qu’elle avait les dents du bonheur. / Quand elle a souri, j’ai remarqué qu’elle avait les dents de la chance. When she smiled, I noticed that she had a gap … Continue reading French Expression: avoir les dents du bonheur, avoir les dents de la chance
Meaning: to not be pally, to not be friendly Literal Translation: to have not looked after pigs together Explanation: the French idiom ne pas avoir garder les cochons ensemble is generally used if somebody expresses an inappropriate or unwanted level of familiarity, such as by using tu rather than vous. Here’s an example this expression being used in context: Étudiant : << Bonjour Monsieur Beaumont, … Continue reading French Expression: ne pas avoir garder les cochons ensemble
Just like the English language, French has many idioms and expressions involving animals. Some of these have relatively similar English equivalents, whereas others have seemingly nonsensical direct translations! Either way, learning these idiomatic expressions is a great way to understand more of the French that you read and hear, and speak more like a native. rire comme une baleine Meaning: to laugh one’s head off, … Continue reading Twelve Popular Animal-Related Idioms in French
The French are particularly known for their love of fine cuisine, and so it’s no surprise that many of their idioms are related to food. In this post, I’ll take a look at some of the most commonly used of these expressions, including those which use food metaphors and those which are about food itself. Familiarising yourself with these idioms is a great way to … Continue reading Ten of the Most Common French Food Idioms
Money is one of those topics in French where there’s a countless number of slang terms, idioms, and expressions. Unfortunately, just knowing that l’argent means “money” is not going to get you by, especially in conversations with younger native speakers. Fret not though, because this article takes a look at some of the most widely used slang and expressions related to money. On y va … Continue reading Expressions and Slang to talk about Money in French
