50 French idioms to speak like a local

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Would you like to speak like a native ? Then you need to look at these 50 French idioms to impress the locals with your fantastic French 🇫🇷 ! Idiom N°1 today, one more each day, soon you will master all the intricacies of the French language !

What are French idioms ?

a group of words in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own

Cambridge dictionary

In other words, knowing the meaning of the individual words won’t tell you what it means, you have to understand it as a whole.

Why learn French idioms ?

There are many reasons why one would want to learn French idioms to name but a few :

• They are very common and therefore useful to know !
• They build your vocabulary in a fun way
• They have the waow factor ! Knowing them will impress the locals !
• They are funny sometimes !
• They are part of the pareto law 20/80 : 20% of what you do will bring you 80% of the result.
  There are hundreds of French idioms, if you learn 50 or one a day and put it into practice, you will have more than enough to excel in French. 👍

What type of French courses do you think would suit you, would you mind telling me ? Here is the Monkey Survey (1 min) designed to that effect. Thanks 🐱

Without further ado, let’s start with the first of the 50 French idiomatic expressions. 😀

50 French idioms that you should know :

Here is a list of 30 French idioms to help you revise French and speak French like a native :

1. Avoir le coup de foudre : to fall in love : see article below
2. Un tien vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras : one bird in the hand is worth two birds in the bush : read the full article here.
3. Poser un lapin : to stand someone’s up : read the full article here.
4. Bonne merde : Good luck : read the full article and here.
5. Avoir le cafard : to have the blues : read the full article here.
6. Avoir du pain sur la planche : To have a lot to do : read the full article here.
7. Avoir la flemme : to have no inclination to do something : read the full article here.
8. En avoir marre : to be fed up : read the full article here.
9. Avoir une peur bleue : to be scared to death : read the full article here
10. Prendre la tête : to be annoyed by something : read the full article here
11. Etre au taquet : to be ready to go/ to be at your upmost capacity : read the full article here
12. Faire la grasse matinée : to have a lie-in : read the full article here
13. Jeter un coup d’oeil : to have a peep / to cast an eye : read the full article here
14. Faire le pont : to have an extended weekend : read the full article here
15. Faire gaffe : to watch out : read the full article here
16. Tourner la page : to turn over a new leaf : read the full article here
17. En faire tout un fromage : to make a big meal out of it : read the full article here
18. Tomber dans les pommes : to faint : read the full article here
19. Etre soupe au lait : to be sensitive and over-reactive : read the full article here
20. Monter sur ses grands chevaux : to get on one’s high horses : read the full article here
21. Etre sur son 31 : to be smartly-dressed : read the full article here
22. Donner sa langue aux chats : to give up / to ask for the answer : read the full article here
23. C’est mon dada : It’s my cup of tea : read the full article here
24. Tenir au courant : to let you know : read the full article here
25. Les doigts dans le nez : very easily : read the full article here
26. Ah la vache : oh my god : read the full article here
27. ça marche : all right / agreed : read the full article here
28. Etre casse-pied : to be a pain : read the full article here
29. Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu’un : to badmouth someone: read the full article here
30. Se casser : to leave : read the full article here
31. Tourner au vinaigre : to end up badly : read the full article here
32. A mes yeux : in my opinion
33. A couper le souffle : breathtaking
34. Coûter les yeux de la tête : it costs an arm and a leg
35. Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe : bad timing
36. Mettre son grain de sel : to be nosy
37. Quel dommage : What a shame
38. Appeler un chat un chat : be honest
39. Je dis ça je dis rien : by the way
40. ça ne mange pas de pain : might as well do this
41. Sauter du coq à l’âne : change the subject
42. Etre à l’ouest : being unrealistic
43. La moutarde me monte au nez : to get annoyed
44. Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter : to have better things to do
45. Avoir un chat dans la gorge : to have a frog in the throat
46. Faire d’une pierre deux coups : to do two things at once
47. Etre dans son assiette: to be on form
48. Passer une nuit blanche : go on the night without sleeping
49. Pendre la crémaillère : to have a housewarming party
50. Se mettre le doigt dans l’oeil : to be mistaken

French idiom N°1

Avoir le coup de foudre = “to be struck by lightning ” ! ⚡️

Find out more about this idiom

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And I’ll see you tomorrow for a new French idiom !

Happy learning ! 🇬🇧😀❤️

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