20 Everyday French Idioms and Their English Meanings

You can conjugate perfectly and still miss half of a French conversation, because native speakers lean on idioms constantly. They will tell you it is "raining ropes", that a friend "put down a rabbit", or that a task was done "with fingers in the nose". Learn these everyday French idioms and the language stops sounding like a textbook and starts sounding like France.

This guide covers 20 of the most common French idioms, each with the literal translation, the real meaning, and an example. They are used across France and much of the French speaking world, so they will serve you well in real conversation.

Idioms About Feelings and Energy

1. Avoir le cafard

Literally "to have the cockroach". It means to feel down or blue.

Example: "Depuis qu'il est parti, j'ai le cafard." ("Since he left, I have been feeling down.")

2. Avoir la pêche

Literally "to have the peach". It means to feel great and full of energy. You will also hear "avoir la patate" (to have the potato) with the same meaning.

Example: "Ce matin j'ai la pêche." ("This morning I feel fantastic.")

3. Tomber dans les pommes

Literally "to fall into the apples". It means to faint.

Example: "Il faisait si chaud qu'elle est tombée dans les pommes." ("It was so hot that she fainted.")

4. Avoir un chat dans la gorge

Literally "to have a cat in the throat". The French version of having a frog in your throat.

Example: "Excuse-moi, j'ai un chat dans la gorge." ("Sorry, I have a frog in my throat.")

Idioms About People and Behavior

5. Poser un lapin

Literally "to put down a rabbit". It means to stand someone up.

Example: "Elle m'a posé un lapin hier soir." ("She stood me up last night.")

6. Avoir un poil dans la main

Literally "to have a hair in the hand". It means to be lazy, as if a hair had time to grow because the hand never works.

Example: "Il ne fera pas le ménage, il a un poil dans la main." ("He will not clean, he is bone idle.")

7. Mettre son grain de sel

Literally "to put in one's grain of salt". It means to give an unsolicited opinion.

Example: "Il faut toujours qu'il mette son grain de sel." ("He always has to put his two cents in.")

8. Casser les pieds

Literally "to break someone's feet". It means to annoy or bother someone.

Example: "Arrête de me casser les pieds." ("Stop bugging me.")

9. Raconter des salades

Literally "to tell salads". It means to tell lies or make up stories.

Example: "Ne l'écoute pas, il raconte des salades." ("Don't listen to him, he is talking nonsense.")

10. Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter

Literally "to have other cats to whip". It means to have bigger fish to fry.

Example: "Je n'ai pas le temps, j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter." ("I don't have time, I have bigger fish to fry.")

If you want these to stick, meet them in context rather than as a flat list. Our French phrasebook gives you the everyday expressions and idioms grouped by real situations, which is how they lodge in memory.

Idioms About Difficulty and Ease

11. Ce n'est pas la mer à boire

Literally "it is not the sea to drink". It means it is not that difficult.

Example: "Allez, ce n'est pas la mer à boire." ("Come on, it is not that hard.")

12. Les doigts dans le nez

Literally "fingers in the nose". It means very easily, without effort.

Example: "Il a réussi l'examen les doigts dans le nez." ("He passed the exam with no trouble at all.")

13. Se creuser la tête

Literally "to dig into one's head". It means to rack your brain.

Example: "Je me creuse la tête depuis une heure." ("I have been racking my brain for an hour.")

14. En faire tout un fromage

Literally "to make a whole cheese out of it". It means to make a big deal out of something small.

Example: "Ce n'est rien, n'en fais pas tout un fromage." ("It is nothing, don't make a big deal of it.")

Idioms About Truth, Rain, and Everyday Life

15. Il pleut des cordes

Literally "it is raining ropes". The French way to say it is raining cats and dogs.

Example: "Prends un parapluie, il pleut des cordes." ("Take an umbrella, it is pouring.")

16. Appeler un chat un chat

Literally "to call a cat a cat". It means to call a spade a spade, to speak plainly.

Example: "Soyons honnêtes, appelons un chat un chat." ("Let's be honest and call a spade a spade.")

17. Donner sa langue au chat

Literally "to give one's tongue to the cat". It means to give up trying to guess.

Example: "Je ne sais pas la réponse, je donne ma langue au chat." ("I don't know the answer, I give up.")

18. Avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre

Literally "to have the butter and the money for the butter". It means to want to have it both ways.

Example: "Tu ne peux pas avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre." ("You cannot have your cake and eat it too.")

19. Poser un lapin versus tenir la chandelle

Tenir la chandelle literally means "to hold the candle", and it describes being the third wheel with a couple.

Example: "Je ne viens pas, je ne veux pas tenir la chandelle." ("I am not coming, I don't want to be the third wheel.")

20. Ça marche

Literally "that walks". It means "that works", "OK", or "deal", one of the most useful casual phrases in French.

Example: "On se voit à 8h ? Ça marche." ("See you at 8? Sounds good.")

How to Make These Idioms Yours

Idioms are sticky because the image is strange, so use that to your advantage:

• Picture the literal scene first, then attach the real meaning. A cat in the throat is hard to forget.
• Learn a couple you can actually deploy, like "ça marche" and "ce n'est pas la mer à boire", and use them this week.
• Read and listen to real French. Idioms live in conversation, and exposure is what turns recognition into use.

To keep going, read our guide to 25 French proverbs about life and love, learn the difference between an idiom and a saying, and see how to say hello across Europe. To practice these expressions in context, our French phrasebook and our love stories in French for beginners are the natural next step.