French Idioms

Question 1

C’est la vie

Answer 1

That’s life.

Question 2

Avoir le coup de foudre

Answer 2

To fall in love at first sight.

Question 3

Donner sa langue au chat

Answer 3

To give up (usually when you can’t find an answer).

Question 4

Être dans la lune

Answer 4

To be daydreaming / spaced out.

Question 5

Mettre son grain de sel

Answer 5

To add your two cents (or meddle).

Question 6

Chercher midi à quatorze heures

Answer 6

To make things more complicated than they are.

Question 7

Tomber dans les pommes

Answer 7

To faint / to pass out.

Question 8

Avoir un cœur d’artichaut

Answer 8

To fall in love easily.

Question 9

Ne pas être dans son assiette

Answer 9

To not feel well / to be out of sorts.

Question 10

Casser les pieds

Answer 10

To be a pain in the neck.

Question 11

Avoir la tête dans les nuages

Answer 11

To have your head in the clouds.

Question 12

Être sur son 31

Answer 12

To be dressed to the nines.

Question 13

Raconter des salades

Answer 13

To tell lies / tell tall tales.

Question 14

Se mettre sur son 31

Answer 14

To get dressed up.

Question 15

Avoir un petit creux

Answer 15

To be a little hungry.

Question 16

En avoir marre

Answer 16

To be fed up.

Question 17

Être un peu à l’ouest

Answer 17

To be a bit lost / out of it.

Question 18

Avoir le vent en poupe

Answer 18

To have the wind in your sails (to be successful).

Question 19

Faire d’une pierre deux coups

Answer 19

To kill two birds with one stone.

Question 20

Quand les poules auront des dents

Answer 20

When pigs fly (literally: when hens have teeth).

Question 21

Il pleut des cordes

Answer 21

It’s raining cats and dogs.

Question 22

Être un casse-pied

Answer 22

To be a pain in the neck.

Question 23

Mettre la charrue avant les bœufs

Answer 23

To put the cart before the horse.

Question 24

Avoir un poil dans la main

Answer 24

To be lazy (literally: to have a hair in the hand).

Question 25

Poser un lapin

Answer 25

To stand someone up (literally: to put a rabbit).

Question 26

Faire chou blanc

Answer 26

To fail (literally: to make a white cabbage).

Question 27

Rire jaune

Answer 27

To have a forced laugh (literally: to laugh yellow).

Question 28

Les doigts dans le nez

Answer 28

To do something easily (literally: fingers in the nose).

Question 29

Avoir la moutarde qui monte au nez

Answer 29

To get angry (literally: mustard rising to the nose).

Question 30

Être sur la même longueur d'onde

Answer 30

To be on the same wavelength.

Question 31

Se noyer dans un verre d'eau

Answer 31

To make a mountain out of a molehill (literally: to drown in a glass of water).

Question 32

Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre

Answer 32

To bite off more than you can chew (literally: to have eyes bigger than your stomach).

Question 33

Ce n'est pas la mer à boire

Answer 33

It's not a big deal (literally: it's not the sea to drink).

Question 34

Ne pas avoir inventé l'eau chaude

Answer 34

To not be very clever (literally: not have invented hot water).

Question 35

Faire la sourde oreille

Answer 35

To turn a deaf ear.

Question 36

Coup de foudre

Answer 36

Love at first sight (literally: a bolt of lightning).

Question 37

Avoir le bras long

Answer 37

To have influence (literally: to have a long arm).

Question 38

L'appétit vient en mangeant

Answer 38

Appetite comes with eating (literally: hunger comes while eating).

Question 39

Mettre les pieds dans le plat

Answer 39

To put your foot in it (to make an awkward comment).

Question 40

Avoir la tête sur les épaules

Answer 40

To be sensible (literally: to have your head on your shoulders).

Question 41

Se jeter à l'eau

Answer 41

To take the plunge (literally: to throw yourself into the water).

Question 43

These idioms are fun and useful for everyday conversations! They add a lot of character to your French.