French sayings you can say out loud, and what they mean

French sayings are short lines that French speakers use without explaining them: a proverb with advice, or an idiom whose words do not add up. This page gives a handful of French sayings in French, with the English meaning from Larousse, a recording of the key word in each, and a short quiz. It also covers the French motto, French idioms and the « guillemets » that mark a quotation. For everyday lines, start with common French phrases. To hear more sounds, see French pronunciation practice, and to keep new words, French flashcards.

What are French sayings?

French sayings are fixed lines that speakers know by heart. Larousse’s dictionary marks two kinds, and the labels help you choose when to use them.

A proverb is a whole sentence that gives advice or a lesson. The Larousse entries tag these with “(proverbe)” [1][2]. An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is not the sum of its words. The entries tag many of these as “(familier)”, which means informal [3][4][5]. Save the informal ones for friends and family.

What are common French sayings in French?

Here are two proverbs that Larousse prints with an English equivalent [1][2]. The English line is Larousse’s equivalent, not a word-for-word version.

Read the first row word by word and it is about a monk and his clothes. In the Larousse entry, habit is a masculine noun that covers clothing, a religious habit and a costume [1]. That is why the English saying about a book cover is only an equivalent. The idea matches, and the picture is different.

The last two rows are everyday reactions. Tant pis is the one to learn first: Larousse’s examples are “Tant pis pour lui” (too bad for him) and “Je reste, tant pis s’il n’est pas content” (I’m staying, too bad if he doesn’t like it) [2].

What are French idioms?

French idioms are fixed phrases that you cannot decode word by word. Larousse tags each of these as informal and gives the English equivalent [3][4][5].

Each row shows the same trap. The picture in the French is a cockroach, a rabbit or an onion, and the meaning is about mood, a missed meeting or someone else’s affairs. Learn the whole phrase as one unit, not the picture inside it.

Larousse also lists “ce ne sont pas tes oignons” as “that’s none of your business”, and “soigner quelqu’un aux petits oignons” as “to look after somebody really well” [4]. One word, two very different phrases.

What are famous French quotes?

The best-sourced French quote is the motto of the Republic. The Conseil constitutionnel cites it from Article 2, paragraph 4 of the Constitution: « la devise de la République est “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” » [6].

That is a quote you can attribute exactly: the text of the Constitution, as the Conseil constitutionnel’s page gives it. This page does not list quotations from authors or public figures. Attributions copied from quote websites are often wrong, and a quote is only worth saying if its source is clear. If you find a French quote you like, look for its source in a published edition or a dictionary entry before you repeat the name next to it.

How do French quotation marks work?

French quotation marks are the guillemets: « ». The OQLF defines them as a typographic sign shaped like a double chevron, used in pairs to mark a particular word or group of words, or to indicate a quotation [7]. The first one («) is the opening guillemet and the second (») is the closing one [7].

Say it aloud and the OQLF gives the spoken forms too: « ouvrez les guillemets » and « fermez les guillemets » when someone is writing from dictation [8].

How can you practise these sayings?

Play each recording, say the saying out loud once, then use it in a short message to a friend. That is a general suggestion, not a sourced method. The quiz below uses only facts from this page.

Common mistakes

• Translating a saying word for word. Larousse gives an equivalent, not a literal version, for every saying here [1][2][3][4][5].
• Using an informal idiom at work. Larousse tags avoir le cafard, poser un lapin and mêle-toi de tes oignons as familier [3][4][5]. Pick a neutral phrase for a manager or a stranger. That register advice is a general observation, not a dictionary finding.
• Writing “tant pis” as one word. Larousse prints it as two words [2].
• Using English quotation marks in a French text. The OQLF says French text takes the guillemets français « » [8].
• Leaving out the non-breaking space. The OQLF says it separates « » from the quoted text [8].
• Trusting a list of sayings from a blog, including this one. Dictionary entries and rules change. Compare the date on each source with the date at the top of this page.

See also: French slang.

See also: French words used in English.

Sources