25 French Sayings That Are Hilarious When Translated Into English

Sophia Sinclair
Sophia Sinclair

1. “It’s going to shit bubbles!”

What you say when there’s about to be one hell of a fight.
French: Ça va chier des bulles.

2. “Bring me something to drink or I kill the dog!”

For when you’re dying of thirst.
French: À boire ou je tue le chien!

3. “There’s a testical in the soup!”

To express that there’s clearly a problem.
French: Il y une couille dans le potage.

4. “To have an ass full of noodles!”

What you say about someone who’s lucky.
French: Avoir le cul bordé de nouilles.

5. “With my dick and my knife.”

When you have to do something with very few tools.
French: Avec ma bite et mon couteau.

6. “I’m gonna make myself shit like a dead rat.”

For when you’re bored to death.
French: Se faire chier comme un rat mort.

7. “There’s no reason to whip a cat.”

To convey that it’s not worth making a fuss.
French: Il n’y a pas de quoi fouetter un chat.

8. “Oh, the cow!”

Essentially, OMG.
French: Ah, La vache.

9. “When chickens have teeth!”

In other words, never!
French: Quand les poules auront des dents.

10. “I see you coming with your big clogs!”

When someone’s finally getting to the point.
French: Je te vois venir avec tes gros sabots.

11. “They’re looking after their own onions.”

When someone’s minding their own business.
French: S’occuper de ses oignons.

12. “Searching for the little beast.”

What you say about someone who’s always looking for a reason to complain.
French: Chercher la petite bête.

13. “Jumping from the rooster to the donkey.”

When someone’s skipping from one subject to another.”
French: Sauter du coq à l’âne.

14. “To have the wooden face.”

In other words, they’re hungover AF.
French: Avoir la gueule de bois.

15. “To have saucepans hung on the ass.”

What you say about someone who’s haunted by a scandal.
French: Avoir des casseroles au cul.

16. “Let them fall like an old sock!”

When it’s time to ditch someone once and for all.
French: Laisser tomber quelqu’un comme une vieille chaussette.

17. “They have not invented gunpowder.”

What you say about someone who’s not exactly all that smart.
French Ne pas avoir inventé la poudre.

18. “Fingers in the nose.”

When doing something blindly.
French: Les doigts dans le nez.

19. “Breaking down open doors.”

To emphasize that someone is stating the obvious.
French: Enfoncer des portes ouvertes.

20. “Making sausage.”

When someone’s acting like a fool.
French: Faire l’andouille.

21. “To have the cockroach.”

Another way to say someone’s depressed.
French: Avoir le cafard.

22. “To have back teeth that are swimming.”

When someone’s beyond stuffed or overfed.
French: Avoir les dents du fond qui baignent.

23. “To be of bad hair.”

What you say about someone who’s in a bad mood.
French: Être de mauvais poil.

24. “Three metros too late.”

To describe someone who’s always a step behind.
French: Avoir trois métros de retard.

25. “To be combing the giraffe.”

What you say when someone’s doing something totally useless.
French: Peigner la girafe. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

I adore the following, in no particular order: knee-high tube socks, acrostic poetry, and my little brother. Click here to learn more!

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