In any language, idioms are often a source of confusion and frustration for newbie learners. French is no different. But these little expressions are very useful to learn because they not only add spice to your conversations, they also help you sound more natural and closer to sounding like a native.
The French have a lot of expressions that range from the witty to the absurd. You’ll also find a number of idioms about food and animals such as dogs, cats, and even goats. You can check those in separate articles below.
Top 30 Funniest Expressions Ranked By Level of Absurdity
Mad About Food: 25 French Idioms that Show the French Obsession with Food
15 French Expressions that Feature Dogs
So you see, we’ve already discussed several other French idioms before. But today, we will talk about common French expressions that you could use in everyday conversations. The best part? You can practice along with the videos!
If you’re ready, let’s start!
1. s'en moquer - to not care about it (literally, to joke about it)
2. avoir le feu au derrière - to be in a hurry (literally, to have one's bottom on fire)
3. être de mauvais poil - to be in a bad mood (literally, to be of bad hair)
4. garder la tête froide - to stay calm (literally, to keep a cool headl)
5. être dans de beaux draps - to be in trouble (literally, to be in beautiful bed sheets)
6. être mieux que rien - to be better than nothing
7. être fastoche - to be very easy
8. ne pas être sa tasse de thé - to not be his/her thing (lit. to not be its cup of tea)
9. Ã gogo - plenty/ a lot. It's similar to saying "galore" in English
10. Jeter l'éponge - To give up (lit. to throw the sponge)
11. être au courant - To be aware/to be informed (lit. to be in the current)
12. être aux anges - To be ecstatic (literally, to be with angels)
13. Tomber à pic - To come at the right time (literally,to fall at peak)
14. Mettre quelqu'un en boite - To make fun of/ tease/ trick or annoy someone (literally, to put somebody in a box)
Want more French expressions? You can learn a new French expression per day with 365 Days of French Expressions. It comes with audio. Check it out below!
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