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Making things negative
How to negate French verbs using ne... pas.
My, your, his, her...
How to use possessive adjectives in French
Possession in nouns
How to say something belongs to somebody
The definite article
All the different ways of saying "the" in French
The partitive article
How to say "some" or "any" in French
Communication issues
Words and phrases for when your French deserts you!
Talking about the weather
The ultimate icebreaker
Telling the time
How to ask and give the time in French
Days of the week
Because not every day is Saturday
Talking about your family
Words and phrases for talking about your nearest and dearest
Conversation fillers
How to say "um... well... you know..." in French
Question words
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How much?
Time concepts
How to talk about whether something is early, late or on time.
Un, deux, trois... French numbers
How to count from zero to a million in French
French idioms and expressions
Weird things French speakers say

French idioms & expressions

Weird things French speakers say

As an English speaker you might find yourself chasing your tail while trying to get all your ducks in a row so you can get this show on the road.

French speakers have their own collection of weird expressions that make just as much sense as their English counterparts. Here are a few common ones to stuff in your vocabulary rucksack.

"Perdre la boule"

  • Literal meaning: "To lose your ball"
  • What it really means: To lose your head

"Ce n'est pas la mer à boire"

  • Literal meaning: "It's not like you have to drink the ocean"
  • What it really means: It's not difficult

"Faire la grasse matinée"

  • Literal meaning: "To have a fat morning"
  • What it really means: To sleep in

"Passer une nuit blanche"

  • Literal meaning: "To have a white night"
  • What it really means: To stay up / awake all night (usually on purpose, not because of insomnia)

"Passer un mauvais quart d'heure"

  • Literal meaning: "To have a bad quarter of an hour"
  • What it really means: A short, difficult period in one's life

"Dormir à la belle étoile"

  • Literal meaning: "To sleep in the pretty star"
  • What it really means: To sleep outside

"Être blanc comme neige"

  • Literal meaning: "To be as white as snow"
  • What it really means: To be completely innocent

"Faire boule de neige"

  • Literal meaning: "To make like a ball of snow"
  • What it really means: To get bigger / more important

"Faire du chemin / faire son chemin"

  • Literal meaning: "To go along the path / to go along your path"
  • What it really means: To make progress

"Mordre la poussière"

  • Literal meaning: "To bite the dust"
  • What it really means: To suffer a defeat

"Traîner quelqu'un dans la boue"

  • Literal meaning: "To drag someone through the mud"
  • What it really means: To dirty someone's reputation

"Se perdre les chèvres"

  • Literal meaning: "To lose your goats"
  • What it really means: To forget what you were just saying, or lose your place in a conversation. (This isn't widely used, but there are goats!)

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Free French Lessons

Making things negative
My, your, his, her ...
Possession in nouns
The definite article
Quantities "some/any"
Communication issues
Talking about the weather
Telling the time
Days of the week
Talking about your family
Conversation fillers
Question words
Time concepts
Un, deux, trois ... French numbers

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Le Petit Chaperon Rouge
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Le Vilain Caneton
The Ugly Duckling

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