French Word of the Day

that put you to sleep standing up
(literal, unused translation: to sleep standing)

C’est un mec vraiment bavard; il vous raconte des histoires à dormir debout.
He’s one talkative guy; he’ll tell you stories that’ll put you to sleep standing up.

THIS WEEK
We have a special treat. One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiom expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.

This week, a friend of our site, Bill Scoble, has assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms for you. Add these to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.

VOILÀ! LE NOUVEAU QUIZ
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.

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Actual meaning: to have a lot of nerve
Literal meaning: to have tuft of hair

Il m’a accusé de mentir. Il a vraiment du toupet!
He accused me of lying. He’s really got a lot of nerve!

ORIGIN OF THIS EXPRESSION
This expression is said to have originated in the 16th Century as a reference to men who were hired by Italian nobles to kill their competitors. The assassins, who did not want to be recognized, would hide their faces with a long tress of hair — un toupet. Hence, to have le toupet came to be an exaggerated way to say someone has the same nerve as these cold-blooded killers.

THIS WEEK
We love idiomatic phrases. This week, we’ll discover more of these fun and useful gems that provide a fascinating window into the French mindset.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

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Actual meaning: to have the gift of gab
Literal meaning: to have a well suspended tongue

Ginette a vraiment la langue bien pendue. Elle parle sans cesse.
Ginette really has the gift of gab. She talks nonstop.

TODAY
We love idiomatic phrases. Today’s phrase is an example of one of these useful gems that provide a fascinating window into the French mindset.

TAKE OUR QUIZ
Find out how many French idiomatic expressions you know by taking our quiz.

to be or feel sleepy

Le bébé a commencé à crier parce qu’il avait sommeil.
The baby started to cry because he was sleepy.

EN SAVOIR PLUS: Learn More
Avoir sommeil is an expression using the verb avoir. To use it, you must always conjugate the verb. Click here to see a complete conjugation of avoir.

TODAY
Our word is inspired by something that we spend about a third of our lives doing — sleeping.

easy, a piece of cake
(literal, unused translation: of the cake)

Pour moi, ce sera plutôt difficile, mais pour lui ce sera du gâteau.
For me, it will be rather difficult, but for him, it’ll be a piece of cake.

THIS WEEK
We have a special treat. One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiom expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.

This week, a friend of our site, Bill Scoble, has assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms for you. Add these to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.

VOILÀ! LE NOUVEAU QUIZ
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.

GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF FRENCH FANATIC!
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes and more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Actual meaning: to take ten minutes (to do something)
Literal meaning: to have for ten minutes of it

Je dois prendre une douche. J’en ai pour dix minutes.
I have to take a shower. It’ll take 10 minutes.

TODAY
We love idiomatic phrases. Today’s phrase is an example of one of these fun and useful gems that add richness to our vocabulary. To discover more similar phrases, click here.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s phrase and others like it here.

Actual meaning: to begin to wonder if
Literal meaning: to be at the point of asking oneself if

J’en suis à me demander si le printemps arrivera.
I’m beginning to wonder if spring will arrive.

TODAY
We love idiomatic phrases. Today’s example is one of these fun and useful gems that can make your French vocabulary much richer. To discover more idiomatic expressions, click here.

TAKE OUR QUIZ
Find out how many French idiomatic expressions you know by taking our quiz.

Actual meaning: to wait forever
Literal meaning: to make like a leek (which grows very slowly)

Robert a fait le poireau parce que Jean était deux heures en retard.
Robert waited forever, because Jean was two hours late.

THIS WEEK
We love idiomatic phrases. This week, we’ll discover more of these fun and useful gems that provide a fascinating window into the French mindset.

THE LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ FOR OUR MEMBERS
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz covering the past week’s words by clicking here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE BENEFITS OF A VOILA! MEMBERSHIP
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes and our archives by subject.

Take our Visitors Preview to learn more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Actual meaning: to make it a long weekend
Literal meaning: to make the bridge

La fête tombe un mardi, mais je crois que nous ferons le pont.
The holiday falls on a Tuesday, but I think we’ll make it a long weekend.

ABOUT THIS EXPRESSION
The phrase faire le pont refers to the common practice in France of making a bridge between the weekend and a holiday that falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, in effect creating a four-day weekend.

to make the mouth water

Au bar, ils prennent un verre de vin et les arômes de la cuisine font venir l’eau à la bouche de chacun.
At the bar, they have a glass of wine and the aromas of the food make everyone’s mouth water.

THIS WEEK
When you visit France as a native English speaker, everyday interactions that you take for granted at home can suddenly feel like a lot of work. But they also can be very rewarding. This week, we’re going to look at one such common interaction — walking into a café or restaurant and knowing what to say and learning to recognize some of the responses. We’ll actually build a conversation throughout the week to help you learn key words and phrases.

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dead broke
(literal translation: cut down like the wheat)

Après la fête, nous serons fauchés comme les blés.
After the holiday, we’ll be dead broke.

A NOTE ABOUT THIS EXPRESSION
You can also say, more simply, Je suis fauché (I’m broke).

TODAY
Our phrase is a special treat. One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiomatic expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.

We’ve assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms on our site. Add the idiomatic expressions below to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.

• Crazy About, Fanatic For
• Easy as Pie
• If It Suits You
• It Doesn’t Matter to Me
• It’s Raining Cats and Dogs
• Shall We Leave?
• That Puts You To Sleep Standing
• That’s It/That’s All
• To Have the Gift of Gab
• To Have a Lot of Nerve
• To Lift a Finger
• To Make it a Long Weekend
• To Mind Your Own Business
• To Wait Forever
• We’ll see

Actual meaning: it’s raining cats and dogs
Literal meaning: it’s raining halberds (halberds are sharp battle axes)

Je ne veux pas sortir. Il tombe des hallebardes!
I don’t want to go out. It’s raining cats and dogs!

TODAY
We love idiomatic phrases. Today’s is a fun and useful one that provides a fascinating window into the French mindset.

QUIZ LINK
Test yourself on today’s word and other idiomatic phrases here.

Shall we leave?
(literal translation: to put up the sails)

il se fait tard. On met les voiles?
It’s getting late. Shall we leave?

THIS WEEK
We have a special treat. One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiom expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.

This week, a friend of our site, Bill Scoble, has assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms for you. Add these to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.

VOILÀ! LE NOUVEAU QUIZ
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.

GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF FRENCH FANATIC!
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes and more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

if it suits you
(literal, unused translation: if it sings to you)

On va au magasin cet après-midi, si ça vous chante.
We’ll go to the store this afternoon, if you like.

TODAY
One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiom expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs. Today’s phrase, originally suggested by Bill Scoble, a friend of our site, is a similar example. Add phrases like this to your vocabulary, and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.

a nut for, crazy about
(literal translation: a bitten one, implying having been bitten by the bug)

Elle est une vraie mordue du cinéma.
She’s a real movie nut.

THIS WEEK
We have a special treat. One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiom expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.

This week, a friend of our site, Bill Scoble, has assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms for you. Add these to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.

VOILÀ! LE NOUVEAU QUIZ
Members of our Voilà service can go straight to this week’s quiz by clicking here.

GIVE YOURSELF THE GIFT OF FRENCH FANATIC!
Join Voilà for only 3.95 per month to access online practice quizzes and more.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

to mind your own business
(literal, unused translation: to mingle in your own onions)

Ce ne sont pas là vos affaires. Vous voulez vous mêler de vos oignons?
That’s not your concern. Do you want to mind your own business?

TODAY
One of the most difficult things about becoming fluent in French is learning to recognize all of the many idiom expressions — those phrases that mean something different than their literal meanings suggest. In English, think of the phrase It’s raining cats and dogs.

Today’s phrase was suggested by a friend of our site, Bill Scoble, who has assembled a great selection of commonly used French idioms for you. Add these to your vocabulary and you’ll sound like a native speaker in no time.