Idioms
Learning a new language is no easy feat. Sometimes things are a direct translation from English to French and then it’s easy but other times, not so much. One story that comes to mind was when I was a child in Ontario and could barely speak English still. I was attending a hockey game with a friend and during the intermission I wanted some barbe à papa. So I began to start reciting all the lines I’ve been shown at school. Hi! (so far so good) I would like some… father’s beard! Ahhhh alas, foolish me. I quickly learned by the food clerk’s face that barbe à papa was not father’s beard but instead cotton candy. But how was I supposed to know that in this case it’s not a direct literal translation? Well, guess what! Today’s column will be to avoid these funny but awkward miscommunications and to help you avoid looking like a fool in front a stranger.
Idioms, or expressions as we call them in French, are not only something that we use on a daily basis (it is estimated by some that the English language as more than 25,000 of them!) but they are a great way to immerse yourself in a culture with a different language. They are an easy and fast way to convey a message but when you’re a stranger to them, it makes your life tough! Here are a list of commonly used expressions in French and their equivalence in English, you can thank me later!
French Expression | English Equivalence |
L’habit ne fait pas le moine | Can’t judge a book by its cover |
Coûter un bras | Cost an arm and a leg |
Quand les poules auront des dents | When pigs fly |
Connaitre quelque chose comme le fond de sa poche | Know something like the back of my hand |
Donner un coup de main | Pitch in / Give a hand |
Vendre la mèche | Let the cat out of the bag |
Ce n’est pas le couteau le plus aiguisé | He is not the sharpest tool in the shed |
On s’en fou | Who cares |
Écoeurer de | Fed up of / sick of |
Virer une brosse | Get hammered |
Il me gosse | He’s a pain in the neck / He’s bugging me |
Merde (avant une performance) | Break a leg! |
Ne t’en fait pas | Don’t sweat it |
Un mal pour un bien | A blessing in disguise |
La balle est dans ton camp | Ball is in your cart |
Broche à foin | Bush league |
Parlant du loup / Quand on parle du loup | Speak or Speaking of the devil |
Capoter | Go crazy |
Quétaine | Cheesy |
Tourner autour du pot | Beat around the bush |
Deux pierres d’un coup | Kill two birds with one stone |
La goutte qui fait déborder le vase | Last straw / Straw that broke the camel’s back |
Hopefully some of these help you feel more at home next time you have a conversation with either a Francophone or an Anglophone!