French idioms for your back pocket

So have you ever been confused by an expression?

Nowhere is this more true than in a foreign coffee shop.

From the endless ways to order a latte to the many ways you can say “hi” in French, what is a coffee lover to do?

Check out the article below for some amazing insight into the power of French idioms, and watch the video for some French drinks!

(This week: the verb BOIRE – to drink)

And you’re at Café de Flore. It’s so busy – Saturday night – and you can barely get the waiter’s attention.

He comes, with a very professional, very French, busy smile, with a twinkle in his eyes, making you wonder if you didn’t choose your colors right. You’ll let him have his game face – you want to have your sip.

You order from the sleek booklet-menu, and continue to try to fit in, even though everything about you screams “not from here”. But you are proud, after all, the wardrobe is all French (you picked it up from Jean, the know-it-all taylor from the corner down the street) so it just strikes you that your trying too hard is what gives you away.

It’s loud, everybody is animated, some discuss a play, others the public transportation, and at a third table a couple has too little to share with the room, they whisper to each other sweet nothings that make you turn away.

You can hear the conversations, yet some of the words don’t quite make sense. You know about idioms, and you’re trying to catch as much as possible, to look them up later, when you arrive in your apartment.

It’s hard to pick them up too, because, like all idioms – in English too – the words don’t quite make sense: “up to speed”, “rains cats and dogs”, “an idea works” – if you think about it, anybody learning English would have as much trouble understanding them. An idea cannot literally work, when someone doesn’t come for a date, you don’t have to stand up in order for you to be “stood up”.
Same goes for French.

But, if you don’t start learning these idioms, you have a slim chance to fit in and have a conversation with more layers – and French has so many layers, any onion would be jealous!

Be very careful! Different francophone countries have different idioms, and they even differ in the same country, so you have to keep your eye and ear open and see if you should add more to your collection, or if there is a different subtext than the one you know. Some are differently perceived by different age groups, and there are differences depending on the social circles you frequent.

And here is a nice little collection you should have in your survival kit.

15 Common and Highly Useful French Idioms

1. Appeler un chat un chat

Literal translation: to call a cat a cat. It’s the equivalent of telling it like it is, or calling a spade a spade in English. When you call a spade a spade, you simply see the ugly truth, and put it very bluntly. Here’s an example:

« Attends, tu veux vraiment dire qu’il est stupide ?! »
(“Wait, do you actually think he’s stupid?!”)

« Écoute, il faut appeler un chat un chat. »
(“Listen, I’m just telling it like it is.”)

2. Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe

Literal translation: to arrive like the hair in a soup. It refers to entering a situation at the most awkward moment possible. Here’s an example:

« Julien et Arnaud se disputaient quand je suis arrivée, comme un cheveu sur la soupe. »

(“Julien and Arnaud were in the middle of a fight when I got there, at the most awkward moment.”)

3. Boire comme un trou

Literal translation: to drink like a hole. When you say that someone drinks like a hole, it means that they never stop, even if they should. This expression has a small hint of judgment, so be careful about when you use it. Here’s an example:

« Astrid a remarqué que Charles a bu deux bouteilles de vin hier soir. Mon Dieu, il buvait comme un trou. »

(“Astrid noticed that Charles drank two bottles of wine last night. Oh my God, he was drinking like a fish.“)

4. C’est dommage

Literal translation: ‘that’s a shame’. Imagine someone looking at a small-scale disaster and sharply exhaling in sympathy – the expression also translates to ‘that’s too bad’. Here’s an example:

« C’est dommage que tu ne sois pas au courant. »
(“It’s too bad you’re not up to speed.”)

5. Ça marche!

Literal translation: “that works”. Marcher is an interesting verb because it means both “to walk” and “to function/to work,” so it is not always transparent for English speakers. You’ll use this expression much in the same way as its English equivalent. If you and some friends are making some plans, you’ll say ça marche to confirm that you’re on board. Note that this expression changes from region to region. In Switzerland, for example, people say ça joue: that plays! Here’s an example:

« On se retrouve à midi pour déjeuner ? »
(“Let’s meet at noon for lunch?”)

« Oui, ça marche! »
(“Yes, that works!”)

6. Coup de foudre

Literal translation: a strike of lightning. In fact, it refers to love at first sight – one of those moments where you see a special someone, and can’t help but react immediately. Here’s an example:

« Quand je t’ai vu pour la première fois, c’était le coup de foudre. »
(“The first time I saw you, I fell head over heals.”)

7. Coûter les yeux de la tête

Literal translation: something costs the eyes in your head – it’s a price that’s unreasonable. The English equivalent is ‘to cost an arm and a leg’. Here’s an example:

« J’aurais aimé acheter un nouvel ordi mais ça coûte les yeux de la tête. »
(“I would have liked to buy a new computer but it costs an arm and a leg.”)

8. Être à l’ouest

Literal translation: ‘being in the West’. It refers to being completely crazy or out of it. Here’s an example:

« Comme j’avais mal dormi, j’étais complètement à l’ouest toute la journée. »
(“Since I had slept poorly, I was out of it for the whole day.”)

9. Faire la grasse matinée

Literal translation: to have a fat morning. It actually means to sleep in – but if you’re going to sleep in, you might as well enjoy a fantastic brunch afterwards! Here’s an example:

« J’ai trop dansé hier soir, alors aujourd’hui, j’ai fait la grasse matinée. »
(“I danced too much last night, so today I slept in.”)

10. Je dis ça, je dis rien.

Literal translation: “I say that, I say nothing.” Its English counterpart is “just saying.” You would use this expression when giving your opinion but wanting to soften the blow a bit, or not assume total responsibility for it. Here’s an example:

« Si on ne part pas maintenant, on n’arrivera pas au spectacle à l’heure. Enfin, je dis ça, je dis rien… »
(“If we don’t leave now, we won’t get to the show on time. Just saying…”)

11. La moutarde me/lui monte au nez

Literal translation: ‘the mustard is getting to my nose’ – it means that I’m getting angry (not sneezy, which would also seem like a possibility in this instance).

« Quand elle se fait taquiner, on peut voir que la moutarde lui monte au nez! »
(“When she gets teased, you can see her getting angry!”)

12. Mettre son grain de sel.

Literal translation: to put in one’s grain of salt – to give someone an unsolicited and unnecessary opinion. Case in point, your mom offering you advice and feedback on your love life (or lack thereof). Here’s an example:

« Encore une fois, elle a mis son grain de sel. »
(“Once again, she offered an unsolicited opinion.”)

13. Ne rien savoir faire de ses dix doigts.

Literal translation: not knowing how to do anything with one’s ten fingers. It means that somebody is completely useless. Here’s an example:

« Laisse tomber, il ne sait rien faire de ses dix doigts, celui-là. »
(“Forget about it, that guy is completely useless.”)

14. Poser un lapin à quelqu’un

Literal translation: ‘to put a rabbit on somebody’. The French expression sounds as silly as its English equivalent – to stand somebody up, or to not show up for something that you’ve planned. Here’s an example:

« Je l’ai attendue mais elle n’est jamais arrivée – elle m’a posé un lapin! »
(“I waited for her but she never came – she stood me up!”)

15. Sauter du coq à l’âne

Literal translation: to jump from the rooster to the donkey – or to jump from topic to topic in conversation. You can use it to describe somebody who is difficult to follow in conversation, or use it as a signal that you’re aware that you’re completely changing subjects, but you’re going to do it anyway. Here’s an example:

« Et, je saute du coq à l’âne mais… »
(“And, this is completely unrelated but…”)

Source: fluentu.com

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