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French Expressions & Idioms

Master French expressions, idioms, and colloquial language to sound like a native speaker and understand cultural nuances.

Expression Tip

French expressions often have literal meanings that differ from their actual usage. Understanding context is key to using them correctly.

Idioms

5 expressions

Il pleut des cordes

It's raining cats and dogs

Literal: It's raining ropes

Usage: When it's raining very heavily

eel pluh day kord

Avoir un coup de foudre

To have love at first sight

Literal: To have a lightning strike

Usage: When you fall in love instantly

ah-vwar uhn koo duh food-ruh

Mettre les points sur les i

To dot the i's and cross the t's

Literal: To put dots on the i's

Usage: To be very precise and clear

met-ruh lay pwan soor lay ee

Avoir la main verte

To have a green thumb

Literal: To have a green hand

Usage: To be good at gardening

ah-vwar lah man vairt

Être dans la lune

To be in the clouds

Literal: To be in the moon

Usage: To be absent-minded or daydreaming

et-ruh dahn lah loon

Proverbs

4 expressions

Qui vivra verra

Time will tell

Literal: Who will live will see

Usage: To express uncertainty about the future

kee vee-vrah vay-rah

L'habit ne fait pas le moine

Don't judge a book by its cover

Literal: The habit doesn't make the monk

Usage: Appearance can be deceiving

lah-bee nuh fay pah luh mwahn

Mieux vaut tard que jamais

Better late than never

Literal: Better late than never

Usage: It's better to do something late than not at all

myuh voh tar kuh zhah-may

Qui ne risque rien n'a rien

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Literal: Who risks nothing has nothing

Usage: You have to take risks to achieve things

kee nuh reesk ree-an nah ree-an

Slang

4 expressions

C'est chouette

That's cool/nice

Usage: Informal way to say something is good

say shoo-et
Informal

C'est génial

That's awesome

Usage: Very positive expression

say zhay-nyahl
Informal

C'est nul

That's lame/bad

Usage: Negative expression, especially among young people

say nool
Informal

J'ai la flemme

I can't be bothered

Usage: To express laziness or lack of motivation

zhay lah flem
Very Informal

Business

4 expressions

Faire du business

To do business

Usage: General business activity

fair doo bee-zee-ness

Signer un contrat

To sign a contract

Usage: Formal business agreement

see-nyay uhn kohn-trah

Faire une réunion

To have a meeting

Usage: Business meeting

fair oon ray-oo-nyohn

Envoyer un email

To send an email

Usage: Modern business communication

ahn-vwah-yay uhn ee-mayl

Technology

4 expressions

L'ordinateur

Computer

Usage: General computer

lor-dee-nah-tuhr

Le smartphone

Smartphone

Usage: Mobile phone

luh smart-fohn

Surfer sur internet

To surf the internet

Usage: Browsing the web

soor-fay soor an-tair-net

Télécharger

To download

Usage: Downloading files

tay-lay-shar-zhay

Travel

4 expressions

Réserver un billet

To book a ticket

Usage: Making travel reservations

ray-zair-vay uhn bee-yay

Faire ses valises

To pack one's suitcases

Usage: Preparing for travel

fair say vah-leez

Prendre l'avion

To take the plane

Usage: Flying

prahn-druh lah-vyohn

Louer une voiture

To rent a car

Usage: Car rental

loo-ay oon vwah-toor

Sports

4 expressions

Le football

Soccer

Usage: Most popular sport in France

luh foot-bahl

Le tennis

Tennis

Usage: Popular individual sport

luh tay-nees

Le cyclisme

Cycling

Usage: Very popular in France (Tour de France)

luh see-kleez-muh

Faire du sport

To do sports

Usage: General sports activity

fair doo spor

Expression Practice

Context Practice

Practice using expressions in real situations

Expression Matching

Match expressions with their meanings

Daily Expressions

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Master French Expressions

Using expressions correctly will make you sound more natural and help you understand French culture better.