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 !

French idioms
Challenge : 50 French idioms in 50 days

What are French idioms ?

French idioms definition
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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 :

French idioms a must know
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  • 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 ” ! ⚡️

French idiom N°1 : Avoir le coup de foudre
Avoir le coup de foudre
Avoir le coup de foudre

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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