101 funny French words, phrases and facts to broaden your vocab

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!

Friends posing for camera and learning funny words in French.

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!

Les doigts dans le nez is a funny phrase in French.

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!

Free funny French words and phrases quiz.

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.

The funny French slang word for dog is clebs.

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 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 !

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