Learning French? Don’t “have a cockroach”. Speak like a native with these 25 hilarious everyday French Idioms and expressions.
French is such a beautiful language, but I think we often overlook the French sense of humour which is omnipresent in their colourful expressions. Picking up common French expressions are a great way to learn more about the personality of French people and their culture. I’ve come across a lot of vulgar and offensive expressions, but I’ve tried to keep this article clean.
Let’s take a look at some funny French idioms.
1. He’s running on my bean
Translation: Il me court sur le haricot
Meaning: He’s annoying me
English Equivalent: He’s getting on my nerves
2. To pedal in semolina
Translation: Pédaler dans la semoule
Meaning: Have trouble doing something
English Equivalent: To go around in circles
3. The habit doesn’t make the monk
Translation: L’habit ne fait pas le moine
Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving
English Equivalent: The suit doesn’t make the man
4. To have the ass surrounded by noodles
Translation: Avoir le cul bordé de nouilles
Meaning: To be very lucky
English Equivalent: To be a lucky so-and-so
5. To have the cockroach
Translation: Avoir le cafard
Meaning: To feel down
English Equivalent: To feel blue
6. To be in beautiful sheets
Translation: Être dans de beaux draps
Meaning: To be in a bad situation
English Equivalent: Be in a right mess, be up the creek without a paddle
7. To make cheese out of it
Translation: En faire tout un fromage
Meaning: To make a big deal out of something
English Equivalent: Kick up a huge fuss
8. It doesn’t break three legs of a duck
Translation: Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard
Meaning: It’s not that incredible
English Equivalent: Nothing to write home about
9. Pissing in a violin
Translation: Pisser dans un violon
Meaning: To waste time on something futile
English Equivalent: Waste your breath, talk to a wall
10. Mind your onions
Translation: Mêle-toi de tes oignons!
Meaning: Not to interfere or ask anything personal
English Equivalent: Mind your own business
11. It’s raining ropes
Translation: Il pleut des cordes
Meaning: It’s raining a lot
English Equivalent: It’s raining cats and dogs
12. Let’s come back to our sheep
Translation: Revenons à nos moutons
Meaning: To go back to the original topic of conversation
English Equivalent: Let’s get back to business, get back on track
13. To have one’s ass between two chairs
Translation: Avoir le cul entre deux chaises
Meaning: To be undecided
English Equivalent: Sitting on the fence
14. Fingers in the nose
Translation: Les doigts dans le nez
Meaning: Easy to do
English Equivalent: With one hand tied behind your back, a piece of cake
15. To put a rabbit
Translation: Poser un lapin
Meaning: Not to show up to your date
English Equivalent: Stand somebody up
16. It gives me a beautiful leg
Translation: Ça me fait une belle jambe
Meaning: Not to care, couldn’t care less
English Equivalent: A fat lot of good that will do me
17. To be round as a shovel handle
Translation: être rond comme une queue de pelle
Meaning: That someone is very very drunk
English Equivalent: Drunk as a skunk
18. Sing like a saucepan
Translation: Chanter comme une casserole
Meaning: Someone who really can’t sing
English Equivalent: Sing flat
19. Eat the dandelions by the root
Translation: Manger les pissenlits par la racine
Meaning: To be dead
English Equivalent: Push up daisies
20. Drown the fish
Translation: Noyer le poisson
Meaning: Avoid a subject by talking about everything and anything else.
English Equivalent: Confuse the issue
21. Don’t push Granny into the nettles!
Translation: Faut pas pousser mamie dans les orties
Meaning: Don’t go too far don’t exaggerate
English Equivalent: Don’t push it!
22. To get or receive a rake
Translation: Se prendre un râteau
Meaning: To fail in an attempt
English Equivalent: Get knocked back, be shot down in flames
23. To swallow snakes
Translation: Avaler des couleuvres
Meaning: To be gullible
English Equivalent: A dumb bunny
24. Make a fish tail
Translation: Faire une queue de poisson
Meaning: Over take someone closely
English Equivalent: Cut someone off
25. It’s the end of the beans
Translation: C’est la fin des haricots
Meaning: Nothing more can be done
English Equivalent: Game over!
Want more? Watch my video of my top 10 favourite French expressions
Learn French with me, with Intrepid French!
Travelling to France? Don’t be treated like a tourist! Live your best travel experiences and learn France for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant or a taxi driver who has “taken you for a ride”. In addition to my free French travel phrase guide, I’ve made it even easier for you to master the French language so you can create lifelong memories as you mingle with locals, get local tips, avoid tourist traps, and make new friends. Join my popular French course here.
Here’s what my students are saying:
Loved it, loved it, loved it. I’ve been trying to learn languages using various language learning apps for years now and although I know random words I feel no more confident in actually speaking the language than I was when I started.” – Basil Pereira
Click here more details and get instant access!
Like it? Pin it for later!
Learning French? Check out these French language guides
- Top 10 French Phrases You Should NEVER Say [& What to Use Instead]
- Survival French Travel Phrase Guide with Pronunciation
- How a ‘potato’ improved my French pronunciation
- How to Sound More French: Top 10 French Phrases the French Love Saying
- Top 10 Phrases to Never Say in French [Cheat-Sheet]
Want to know more about learning languages? Start here!
- 6 Language Learning Tips: How to Learn a Language from Home
- What Type of Language Learner Are You? Your 4-Step Personalised Learning Plan
- 15 Top Language Learning Resources You Should Use
- 44 Best Movies on Disney Plus for Learning Languages
- 13 Ways to Seamlessly Integrate Language Learning into Your Daily Life
- 10 Pro Tips: How to Learn a Language with a Full-Time Job
- 7 Reasons Why You Should Go on a Language Holiday
- Essential Travel Phrases: How to be Travel Fluent in 10 Simple Steps
- 23 Cool Gift for Language Learners They Will Actually Use and Love
- How to Learn Your First Foreign Language in 8 Simple Steps: A Beginner’s Guide
- 11 Life-Changing Reasons Why You Should Learn a Language
- 42 beautiful Inspirational Quotes for Language Learners
- Language learning tips: 11 Polyglots Reveal The Secrets of Their Success
- Top 10 Best Ways to Learn a Language Better and Faster
- How Many Languages are there in the World?
Don’t miss my France Travel Guides
- How to Spend 4 Days in Paris: Ultimate First Timer’s Guide to Paris
- Where to Stay in Paris: A Fairytale Stay at Hotel Trianon Rive Gauche [Hotel Review]
- Where to Stay in Paris: A Decadent Stay at Hôtel Thérèse [Hotel Review]
Over to you!
Which of these French expressions is your favourite? Do you know any other funny French expressions?
Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.
Like what you see? Subscribe using the form below to have all of my posts delivered directly to your email.