Ten useful expressions
Voici huit expressions françaises traduites en anglais. Est-ce qu’elles existent vraiment en anglais? A vous de deviner! 1. I speak English like a Spanish cow (je parle l’anglais comme une vache espagnol) 2. tighten one’s belt (serrer la ceinture) 3. give my tongue to the cat (donner sa langue au chat) 4. Looking for midday [...]
Yes, the English drink a lot of tea! Here are few expressions: It’s not my cup of tea : ce n’est pas ma tasse de thé I wouldn’t do it for all the tea in China: this one isn’t used very much these days (rien ne pourrait me persuader) as good as a chocolate teapot [...]
Cats have lived with humans for thousands of years, originally to control rodents like mice and rats, but more recently just as companions. As a result, there are many idioms and proverbs with cats. Animal idioms are hard to translate, though, because different nationalities have different views on the world around them. In French, I [...]
Se lever du pied gauche : to get out of bed on the wrong side In French, it’s not the side of the bed, but the foot you put on the floor first that causes bad moods! What’s wrong with you? Did you get out the wrong side of bed? ‘qu’est-ce que t’as? Tu t’es [...]
prendre ses cliques et ses claques : to pack up and leave / to pack your bags and go
bon appetit: bon appetit (there is no real equivalent in English, so in polite society you will hear this French expression. (to someone leaving to eat) : have a good lunch/dinner/meal (a waiter to a customer, especially in a fast food restaurant): Enjoy your meal
This expression is the equivalent of the French, “une bouffée d’air frais”. The video shows a somewhat literal interpretation of the expression; it can be used in a more idiomatic way, especially about people or procedures: “We’re so glad to have a new manager, she’s like a breath of fresh air” (things have changed for [...]
(caught with your) fingers/hands in the till : la main dans la caisse (enregistreuse) Heads will roll: quelqu’un va être puni/se faire virer/payer!
Thanks to the guys at learnenglishidioms for these videos. I would say that journalists, more than politicians, are responsible for the use and over-use of expressions and idioms. When we use an expression too much, it becomes a ‘cliché’ (even in English!)