Learning the French language is not just about memorizing vocabulary or cramming grammar rules, it’s about understanding the cultures and traditions that come with the language. It’s about enjoying it and expressing it the way it adds color and depth to your conversations. There are several ways to add that depth to your discussions, like giving references to the movies or talking in native accents and above them all using idioms in your conversations.
Idioms play an important role in Learning the French language. Like all other languages, French has many idiomatic expressions, they really love to get creative with their words and innovate new ideas every now and then. So it gets really important to be familiar with French idioms and if not all then at least, the ones, most used by the natives, otherwise you may find yourself in a confused situation while talking with them.
So to begin with, Idioms are those sayings that define sentences that are not so obvious when we look at just those individual words. They have a different meaning to themselves. For example, if somebody tells you to “break a leg,” That does not actually mean to break a leg, it’s an idiom wishing someone “good luck”. Just like that French idioms are more creative and hold a deep meaning to them. So Dive deeper into the blog to learn more about French idioms and their meanings, we have covered the 10 most used idioms in the French language.
The top 10 Most used French Idioms.
1. Ça marche
Its literal meaning says “that walks”, whereas the idiom is an expression that means “yeah, that works”, you’ll hear people casually using it while ordering food in restaurants or just in general conversations.
2. Quand les poules auront des dents
It literally translates to “when pigs fly”, but the actual idiom expresses that “it will never happen”. It is a common idiom used by people to express something that might never happen.
3. Faire la grasse matinée
The literal translation would be “to do a fat morning”, whereas the expression says “to stay in bed until late in the morning”.
4. Pisser dans un violon
The literal meaning is “peeing in a violin”, but the expression itself says “to do something that’s of no use”.
5. Ça coûte un bras
The literal meaning states that “It costs an arm”, and the actual meaning, pretty similar to the literal one, expresses that “It’s very expensive”.
6. C’est pas tes oignons
As understood by the idiom. It literally means that “these are not your onions”, whereas the actual meaning simply orders says that it’s “none of your business”
7. Appeler un chat un chat
The literal meaning is “to call a cat a cat”, and the actual meaning expresses “to say as it is”.
8. Les carottes sont cuites
The Literal translation is that “the carrots are cooked”, and the actual meaning says that “there’s nothing you can do”.
9. Il fait un temps de chien
The literal meaning is ” It’s dog weather”, but the expression itself says “The weather is very bad”. You can use it while explaining the weather to someone.
10. C’est La Fin Des Haricots
The literal translation is “It’s the end of the beans”, whereas the actual meaning expresses that the situation is disastrous and hopeless, and it’s all over.
The above-mentioned idioms will help you in learning the French language, opening new windows for you. By looking at the above list, we can conclude that Idioms play a crucial aspect in mastering the French language. They not only enhance your fluency but will also offer insights into French culture and history. Incorporating these idiomatic expressions into your vocabulary will make your conversations more engaging and authentic. So, next time you’re speaking French, try using one of these idioms to impress your friends and sound more like a native speaker.
