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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 :
- Avoir le coup de foudre : to fall in love : see article below
- 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.
- Poser un lapin : to stand someone’s up : read the full article here.
- Bonne merde : Good luck : read the full article and here.
- Avoir le cafard : to have the blues : read the full article here.
- Avoir du pain sur la planche : To have a lot to do : read the full article here.
- Avoir la flemme : to have no inclination to do something : read the full article here.
- En avoir marre : to be fed up : read the full article here.
- Avoir une peur bleue : to be scared to death : read the full article here
- Prendre la tête : to be annoyed by something : read the full article here
- Etre au taquet : to be ready to go/ to be at your upmost capacity : read the full article here
- Faire la grasse matinée : to have a lie-in : read the full article here
- Jeter un coup d’oeil : to have a peep / to cast an eye : read the full article here
- Faire le pont : to have an extended weekend : read the full article here
- Faire gaffe : to watch out : read the full article here
- Tourner la page : to turn over a new leaf : read the full article here
- En faire tout un fromage : to make a big meal out of it : read the full article here
- Tomber dans les pommes : to faint : read the full article here
- Etre soupe au lait : to be sensitive and over-reactive : read the full article here
- Monter sur ses grands chevaux : to get on one’s high horses : read the full article here
- Etre sur son 31 : to be smartly-dressed : read the full article here
- Donner sa langue aux chats : to give up / to ask for the answer : read the full article here
- C’est mon dada : It’s my cup of tea : read the full article here
- Tenir au courant : to let you know : read the full article here
- Les doigts dans le nez : very easily : read the full article here
- Ah la vache : oh my god : read the full article here
- ça marche : all right / agreed : read the full article here
- Etre casse-pied : to be a pain : read the full article here
- Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu’un : to badmouth someone: read the full article here
- Se casser : to leave : read the full article here
- Tourner au vinaigre : to end up badly : read the full article here
- A mes yeux : in my opinion
- A couper le souffle : breathtaking
- Coûter les yeux de la tête : it costs an arm and a leg
- Arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupe : bad timing
- Mettre son grain de sel : to be nosy
- Quel dommage : What a shame
- Appeler un chat un chat : be honest
- Je dis ça je dis rien : by the way
- ça ne mange pas de pain : might as well do this
- Sauter du coq à l’âne : change the subject
- Etre à l’ouest : being unrealistic
- La moutarde me monte au nez : to get annoyed
- Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter : to have better things to do
- Avoir un chat dans la gorge : to have a frog in the throat
- Faire d’une pierre deux coups : to do two things at once
- Etre dans son assiette: to be on form
- Passer une nuit blanche : go on the night without sleeping
- Pendre la crémaillère : to have a housewarming party
- 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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