This is one French expression which is very important to know : Faire gaffe. Especially if someone says to you ‘Fais gaffe’, you need to open wide your eyes š

Faire gaffe Meaning

This is one French expression which certainly comes in handy in every day life as we face life many hazards š¤
Now what do you think is the signification of this popular French expression in English: letās have a look at the picture :
a banana š
Somebody walking towards it ! What do you think happens next ?
Two French words :
āfaireā = to do
āgaffeā = a mistake
It literally means āto do a mistakeā ?!?
And incredibly, if you are walking in the street towards a banana skin, some helpful people might tell you : “Fais gaffe”
To understand this popular French idiom, letās have a look at its origin
Faire gaffe Origin

The actual “gaffe” comes from the nautical world. It does exactly what it shows on the picture above. The gaffe is a thus long pole with a hook, which allows sailors to catch a mooring buoy, hold on to another boat or push back an obstacle. š
But this is not today’s meaning, to understand today’s meaning of ‘faire gaffe’, we need to look at my favourite cartoon character !
Faire gaffe Illustration with a cartoon character

Yes Gaston Lagaffe, as it names indicates is a ‘gaffer’. He is probably the Belgian equivalent of Mr Bean. He does nothing else but blunders all day long !
Yes the first meaning of “faire gaffe” is to make a mistake !
Maybe these people handling the “gaffe” were not that agile after all, maybe this is where this French expression comes from ! š¤£
Faire gaffe Translation in English
I think that a suitable translation for this quite extraordinary French expression would be :
Pay attention, watch out
Faire gaffe
Note that there is a distinction between :
“faire gaffe” = to pay attention
faire une gaffe” = to do a blunder
Faire gaffe French examples

Here you can find a few examples to illustrate this fine French idiom :
Il y a une banane Ć terre, fais gaffe !
There is a banana skin on the floor, be careful !
Or this way, as an infinitive verb :
N’oublie pas de faire gaffe Ć ne pas oublier d’apporter les cadeaux pour les invitĆ©s
Don’t forget to remind yourself to bring presents for the guests
VoilĆ , this was todayās French idiom in English, I hope you liked it. Click here to find out about the challenge of 50 French idioms in English.
I am a French teacher, please see my students testimonials here.š©āššØāš
Donāt hesitate to contact me if you need any French class or are interested in my new learning course. Contact me here.
Please feel free to comment this article, your opinion matters. Click on the green logo on your left to access the comment box straight away !
And Iāll see you next time for more French idioms in English ! šš§”
Haha! I love this Lara! Great way to explain a concept that can be confusing when translated literally!
Thank you Emilie. Glad you liked it !
very funny article ! I never did the raw translation and I do get now why it can be misleading š
Thank you Helena !
intĆ©ressant! and used very often in oral conversation so that’s a good one to know! š
Thank you Sarah !