It can be difficult to learn French, or any language actually. Trust me, I’ve been there. But once you start being able to communicate, it gets a lot more motivating.
Acquiring vocabulary can also be a fun part of the learning process — yes, we promise! Indeed, every language has weird or fun words and sayings, and French is no exception.
If you need something a little different from your good old classic French lessons, take a break and check out these funny French sayings and fun French words. We’ve selected these words and phrases for one, or several of these reasons:
- They have a hilarious literal meaning
- They sound funny
- They sound ugly
Attention, y’en a un paquet ! (a French expression which means: “There are a lot”).
Take a break from your French lessons and try our LOL French quiz!
Funny French vocab
Next time you travel to a French speaking country, learn a few of the funny things to say in French below. Your French friends are in for a treat!
Funny French words
What do a bold mouse, a little washing rat and a flying deer have in common? No, we are not frappadingues, these are just funny French words! “Cowly” awesome, right?
| French | IPA | Literal meaning | Actual meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raton-laveur | ɾatõ-lavœɾ | Little washing rat | Racoon |
| Chauve-souris | ʃovə-suɾi | Bold mouse | Bat |
| Soutien-gorge | sutjɛ̃-gɔɾʒə | Throat support | Bra |
| Amuse-bouche | amyzə-buʃə | Mouth fun | |
| Bleu (un) | blø (yn) | Blue | |
| Doigts de pieds | dwa də pje | Feet fingers | |
| Souffre-douleur | sufɾə-dulœɾ | Pain sufferer | Scapegoat |
| Pense-bête | pɑ̃sə-bɛtə | Stupid thought | Reminder note |
| Maître-nageur | mɛtɾə-naʒœɾ | Master swimmer | Lifeguard |
| Doudou | dudu | Soft soft | Comfort toy or blanket |
| Pomme de terre | pɔmə də tɛrə | Apple of the earth | Potato |
| Chef-d’œuvre | ʃɛf-dœvɾə | Work’s boss | Masterpiece |
| Rabat-joie | ɾaba-ʒwaə | Joy reducer | Party pooper |
| Cocotte-minute | kɔkɔtə-minytə | Minute chicken | Pressure cooker |
| Garde-robe | gaɾdə-ɾɔbə | Dress keeper | Wardrobe |
| Porte-monnaie | pɔɾtə-mɔnɛə | Money carrier | Wallet |
| Dodeliner | dɔdəline | To swing softly | |
| Rigolo | ɾigɔlo | Funny | |
| Caoutchouc | kautʃuk | Rubber | |
| Frimousse | fɾimusə | Cute face, little face | |
| Miette | mjɛtə | Crumb | |
| Bernard l’hermite | bɛɾnaɾ lɛɾmitə | Hermit crab | |
| Pâquerette | pɑkəɾɛtə | Daisy | |
| Cerf-volant | sɛɾf-vɔlɑ̃ | Flying deer | Quite |
| Frappadingue | fɾapadɛ̃gə | Nutcase | |
| Tohu-bohu | toy-boy | Hurly-burly | Hustle and bustle |
| Coccinelle | kɔkinɛlə | Ladybug | |
| Saperlipopette | sapɛɾlipɔpɛtə | Damm | |
| Fute-fute | fytə-fytə | Smart | |
| Raplapla | ɾaplapla | Flat | Tired, no energy |
| Vachement | vaʃəmə | Cowly | Very |
Funny French phrases and things to say in French
Who doesn’t love good old sayings? Well, maybe you don’t, but we do! Below are some of our favorite funny French phrases. You’ll learn them les doigts dans le nez!
| French | IPA | Literal meaning | Actual meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il me court sur le haricot | il mə kuɾ syɾ lə aɾiko | He’s running on my bean | He’s annoying me |
| Pédaler dans la semoule | pedale dɑ̃ la səmulə | To pedal in semolina | Have trouble doing something |
| L’habit ne fait pas le moine | labi nə fe pa lə mwanə | The outfit doesn’t make the monk | Appearances can be deceiving |
| Avoir le c– bordé de nouilles | avwaɾ lə k– bɔɾde də nwijə | To have the a– surrounded by noodles | To be very lucky |
| Avoir le cafard | avwaɾ lə kafaɾ | To have the cockroach | To feel down |
| Être dans de beaux draps | ɛtɾə dɑ̃ də bo dɾa | To be in beautiful sheets | To be in a bad situation |
| En faire tout un fromage | ɑ̃ fɛɾə tut‿ œ̃ fɾɔmaʒə | To make cheese out of it | To make a big deal out of something |
| Ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard | sa nə kasə patɾwɑ patəz‿ a œ̃ kanaɾ | It doesn’t break three legs of a duck | Nothing to write home about |
| Pisser dans un violon | pise dɑ̃z‿ œ̃ vjɔlõ | Pissing in a violin | To waste time on something useless |
| Mêle-toi de tes oignons! | mɛlə-twa dətez‿ waɲõ! | Mind your onions | Mind your own business |
| Il pleut des cordes | il pløde kɔɾdə | It’s raining ropes | It’s raining cats and dogs |
| Revenons à nos moutons | ɾəvənõz‿ a no mutõ | Let’s come back to our sheep | To go back to the original topic of conversation |
| Nous n’avons pas gardé les vaches ensemble | nu navõ pa gaɾdele vaʃəz‿ ɑ̃sɑ̃blə | We haven’t herded the cows together | We are not friends, we don’t know each other |
| Avoir le c– entre deux chaises | avwaɾ lə k– ɑ̃tɾə dø ʃɛzə | To have one’s ass between two chairs | To be undecided |
| Les doigts dans le nez | le dwa dɑ̃ lə ne | Fingers in the nose | A piece of cake |
| Poser un lapin | poze œ̃ lapɛ̃ | To put a rabbit | (usually on a date) |
| Ça me fait une belle jambe | sa mə fɛt‿ ynə bɛlə ʒɑ̃bə | It gives me a beautiful leg | I couldn’t care less |
| Chanter comme une casserole | ʃɑ̃te kɔm ynə kasəɾɔlə | To sing like a pot | Someone who can’t sing |
| Noyer le poisson | nwaje lə pwasõ | Drown the fish | Avoid a subject by talking about something else. |
| Faut pas pousser mamie dans les orties | fo pa puse mamjə dɑ̃lez‿ ɔɾtjə | Don’t push granny into the nettles! | Don’t exaggerate, don’t go too far |
Free and fun quiz to make you laugh out loud!
Download this free quiz and try to guess the funny French words and phrases. Once you've completed the quiz, scan the QR code... you'll be amazed at the answers!
Funny facts about French
- Bradley Cooper, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Johnny Depp, Jodie Foster, Emma Watson and Serena Williams speak French
- There are no French words with the letter “w”. So why is it in the French alphabet, will you ask? Because borrowed words from other languages do include it, for example wagon or WC.
- The letter “h” is silent, which makes it difficult for French speakers to properly pronounce English words such as “Halloween” or “house”. Check this scene of the hilarious movie Brice de Nice: You’re like the “h” in “Hawaii”, you’re useless.
- Counting in French requires math skills. Everything is very logical until you reach sixty… as Loïc Suberville tries to explain to his American followers in this video! Fortunately, some francophone countries, like Belgium, have a much easier system.
The ugliest words in French
French is such a beautiful language. Well, except these few words!
| French | IPA | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bidet | bide | Bidet |
| Burnes | byɾnə | Balls (yes, these balls) |
| Concubinage | kõkybinaʒə | Cohabitation (usually with a partner) |
| Concupiscence | kõkypissɑ̃sə | Concupiscence |
| Piscine | pissinə | Pool |
| Croupion | kɾupjõ | Rump |
| Croûte | kɾutə | Scab |
| Harpie | aɾpjə | Harpy |
| Hachis Parmentier | aʃi paɾmɑ̃tje | Hachis Parmentier (a sort of Shepherd’s pie) |
| Ragoûtant | ɾagutɑ̃ | Disgusting |
| Slip | sli | Brief, knicker |
| Téter | tete | Suckling |
| Branquignol | bɾɑ̃kiɲɔl | Crackpot |
| Cassoulet | kasule | Cassoulet |
| Parpaing | paɾpɛ̃ | Building block |
| Moche | mɔʃə | Ugly |
| Tartare | taɾtaɾə | Tartar |
| Verrue | vɛrɥə | Wart |
| Glaire | glɛɾə | Mucus |
| Rance | ɾɑ̃sə | Rancid |
| Rustre | ɾystɾə | Lout, boor |
| Grabuge | gɾabyʒə | Havoc |
Funny French slang
To finish our list of fun French words, here is a curated selection of funny French slang. Not enough? We have over 275 more in this article.
| French | IPA | Literal meaning | Actual meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casse-toi | kasə-twa | Break you | Piss off |
| Casse-pieds | kasə-pje | Feet breaker | Pain in the — |
| Ras le bol | ɾa lə bɔl | To have a bowl full of it | To have enough, to be sick of something |
| Bouffer | bufe | Eat | |
| Truc, machin, bidule | tɾyk, maʃɛ̃, bidylə | Thing (stuff) | |
| Draguer | dɾage | Flirt | |
| Piquer | pike | To poke | Steal |
| Mec | mɛk | Guy | |
| Meuf, nana | mœf, nana | Chick (girl) | |
| Blé | ble | Wheat | Money |
| Caisse | kɛsə | Box | Car |
| Clebs | klɛp | Dog | |
| Toubib | tubi | Doctor | |
| Poiscaille | pwaskajə | Fish | |
| Tifs | tif | Hair | |
| Poulet | pule | Chicket | Policeman |
| Flotter | flɔte | To float | To rain |
| Thon | tõ | Tuna | Ugly person |
| Kitsch | kitsʃ | Tacky | |
| Plouc | pluk | Country bumpkin | |
| Pompes | põpə | Pumps | Shoes |
| Boîte | boitə | Box | Company |
| Boîte de nuit | boitə də nɥi | Night box | Nightclub |
| Crevé(e) | kɾəve(ɛ) | Punctured | Exhausted |
| Balancer | balɑ̃se | To swing | To give up, to reveal |
| Canon | kanõ | Canon | Hot, beautiful |
| Pince | pɛ̃sə | Clamp | Cheap (somebody) |
| Balles | balə | Balls | Euros, buck |
Funny French sayings literally translated
Check out these videos for a literal translation of French sayings.
10 Hilarious French Expressions 🇫🇷
See, learning a language can be fun — even French! If you’re planning a trip to a French speaking country, it can be a great idea to learn a few of these fun words and expressions. You’ll be sure to impress… and your francophone friends will mourir de rire! (literally, die of laughter).
Just keep in mind that some of these words, especially sayings, will not be understood everywhere. Make sure to check out our list of French slang for French Canadian slang and other expressions for various French speaking countries and regions. Vachement rigolo !
