French Idiomatic Expressions Flashcards
lets get back to our sheep (let’s get back to what we were talking about)
ex. we’ve talked about vacation plans long enough. let’s get back to what we were talking about before and focus on the budget for the trip
revenons à nos moutons
ex. on a assez parlé des projets de vacances. revenons à nos moutons et concentrons-nous sur le budget du voyage
it’s the end of the beans (this is the last straw or things have gone too far)
ex. i forgot my wallet, and now my car ran out of gas. things have gone too far
c’est la fin des haricots
ex. j’ai oublié mon portefeuille, et maintenant ma voiture est en panne d’essence. c’est la fin des haricots
to have the cockroach (to be down in the dumps or to be feeling blue)
ex. ever since he lost his job, he’s been down in the dumps
avoir le cafard
ex. depuis qu’il a perdu son travail, il a le cafard
to call a cat a cat (to call a spade a spade in english or to emphasize speaking plainly)
ex. let’s not sugarcoat it, let’s call a spade a spade
appeler un chat un chat une pute une pute
ex. ne tournons pas autour du pot, appelons un chat un chat une pute une pute
a lighting strike (love at first sight)
ex. they met at the party, and it was love at first sight
coup de foudre
ex. ils se sont rencontrés à la fête, et ce fut un coup de foudre
to add water to ones wine (to compromise or moderate one’s stance)
ex. in negotiations, sometimes you have to put water in your wine
mettre de l’eau dans son vin
ex. en négociations, il faut parfois mettre de l’eau dans son vin
to put down a rabbit (to stand someone up)
ex. i waited for him at the restaurant, but he stood me up
poser un lapin
ex. je l’ai attendu au restaurant, mais il ne s’est pas présenté. Il m’a posé un lapin
to have the butter and the money for the butter (to have one’s cake and eat it too)
ex. she wanted the promotion at work, but she also wanted to work fewer hours. it’s like having your cake and eating it too. eventually, she realized she needed to strike a balance and find a compromise with her boss
avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre
ex. elle voulait la promotion au travail, mais elle voulait aussi travailler moins d’heures. c’est un peu comme vouloir avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre. finalement, elle a réalisé qu’elle devait trouver un équilibre et négocier un compromis avec son patron
one swallow doesn’t make spring (one good thing doesn’t necessarily mean that the general situation is better)
- in english we would say one swallow doesn’t make a summer
- in france a swallow is a potential sign of spring, and in america it means summer might be around the corner
i’m full
literally: the skin of my stomach is well stretched
j’ai la peau du ventre bien tendue
- a playful and somewhat humorous way to express that you’re very full after eating a large meal. it paints a vivid picture of feeling like your stomach is stretched tight
i will go to the ends of the earth
j’irai au bout du monde
there are a lot, plenty
literally: with a shovel
ex. there are plenty every year or there are a shovelful every year
ex. there are plenty of books in this library
ex. there are plenty of fruits at the market in summer
il y en a à la pelle
ex. il y en a à la pelle chaque année
ex. il y a des livres à la pelle dans cette bibliothèque
ex. il y a des fruits à la pelle au marché en été
no one anymore, hardly anyone
ex. there is no longer anyone here
ex. in the middle of the night, there are no longer any people in the streets
plus grand monde
- conveys the idea that there is no longer any person present or that someone has disappeared or is no longer part of a situation.
ex. il n’y a plus grand monde ici
ex. en pleine nuit, il n’y a plus grand monde dans les rues
