Actually there's an equivalent to the apple never falls far from the tree which is la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre, litterally the same thing. Also "C'est dans la boîte" as far as I know is only used in a movie production context, that's what they say when they just shot a scene and it was good
I’d say that the expression "l’affaire est dans le sac" has the same meaning that "it’s in the bag" in english. Only it is kind of archaic and no one uses it anymore ^^ Thank you for your videos Andrea, just love to watch them every sunday. I hope my english isn’t too bad, it is a bit rusty!
I remember being so confused with the phrase ‘Tomber dans les pommes’ (to faint) used in a conversation once. I thought I was chatting about someone who had dropped apples or something until I got home and checked google. Idioms can be so hard in other languages.
"splitting hairs" is "couper les cheveux en 4", "chercher des poux" is more looking for something bad about someone.I think "c'est dans la boite" comes from cinema, because you say it in cinema oe television but I never heard it elsewjere meaning it's capture in the film which is in the camera (the box), "from frying pan into the fire" is translated "aller de charybde en scylla" fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charybde_et_Scylla or "aller de mal en pis", never heard of the one with the living dog, more "un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras", hope it helps
The English expression of "mon petit doigt me l'a dit" is sooo cute! And yes, it makes more sense!! But I use the expression "la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre" in French ^^ A funny thing is the expression "to have butterflies in my stomach" because (if I'm not wrong) in English it means to get nervous but in French we have the same expression (avoir des papillons dans le ventre) but it means... like a reaction when you are in love, exciting by your romantic feelings. It possible that the English expression may be correct for both explanations but in French there is only one meaning :) I'm waiting so badly for your next video talking about moments where you had embarrased yourselves in foreign languages ^^
That's so interesting! In English, "to have butterflies in your stomach" means you're nervous, but it can sometimes be used to refer to that kind of nervous rush you get when you're first in love. So it can be used similarly! :)
"on fait la queue" makes me think of once when a woman came to me saying "mon mari est déshabillé" wanting to say "my husband is disabled" to cut the line, when it actually means "my husband is undressed" 😂😂
I feel like we use " c'est dans la boite " when we are taking a picture or video. But we say " C'est dans la poche " to say that it's okay, it's gonna be done easily.
I suppose one of the more colorful idioms is "pisser dans un violon" which a French friend of mine suggested as an equivalent to "flogging a dead horse." I've read that when you use the word "queue" you shouldn't use it with a possessive pronoun because that changes the meaning from a waiting line to an intimate part of the male anatomy. Polly Platt wrote about making this mistake at a market when she asked where is YOUR line, instead of where is THE line. Translated into English, the vendor replied, "Oh madame, I am sure you don't really want to know."
My greatgrandma died when I was 18 so I still have weird expressions my Danish bf never understand: -sitting at the cinema, I told my Danish bf "you're dad was not window maker" (meaning he is not transparent). - when he was hugging me : "I'm not made of sugar" meaning you can hug tighter, I won't melt - "Don't go screaming it on the roof" (I think this one is self explained) - "Go cook yourself an egg" (=screw you)
In french : Ton père n'est pas vitrier J'suis pas en sucre [Ne] Va pas l'crier sur [tous] les toits Va t'faire cuire un oeuf ! Btw, "a little bird told me so" exist in french as "un petit oiseau me l'a dit"
Hi!! Concerning the dog and lion expression, in french we also have " Un "tiens" vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras" " which means " One "take it" is more worth than two "you'll have it" ".
Love this! I am fond of the expression 'vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre' (to want to have the butter and the money for the butter) for 'have your cake and eat it' ('avoir son gateau et le manger' in French?!). But for me the English expression wins here, because cake ;-)
I'm really looking forward to your video on embarrassing things you've said/done in another language! When we visited Venice I should have checked my boyfriend had learned basic phrases because he said "gracias" to somebody in the airport, who was very confused because we were Australian lol
hahaha oh no! I found it a bit difficult not to divert to Spanish when I was in Venice too... The languages are just too similar and my brain thought it seemed right 😂
One I really like is "avoir des oursins dans les poches " which means having urchins in your pockets. Which means not wanting to spend a dime on anything or anyone
Hello ! I have some delay with the videos, so I only answer to your question now. I read a lot of viewers' feedbacks and did not find it. "From the frying pan into the fire" would be in french "Aller de mal en pis". I have never heard the english phrase in a sentence, so I'm not sure that's the best equivalent. "Aller de mal en pis" means "to worsen". It was a nice video, I'll watch it again to learn those phrases. And thank you for your work PS : Sorry for my broken english, I am still learning (and you help me alot).
Hey guys! A similar expression for “from the frying pan into the fire” would be: “choisir entre la peste et le choléra” -> having to choose between the Plague and Cholera. (Not exactly the same but similar- choosing between 2 really bad situations)
Hi, for "from the frying pan into the fire", we have at least 2 expressions : the easy one (already written in others comments) is 'Aller de mal en pis", and an another one (a smart version), is "Tomber de Charybde en Scylla" (who were 2 sea monsters from Ancient Greek mythologia)
"From the frying pan into fire" have a french equivalent inspired by Greek mythology : "Tomber de charybde en Scylla" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Between_Scylla_and_Charybdis Which would be "Fall from Charybde to Scylla". Like you would use Charybde and Scylla to say "having to choose between two evils", we frenchies are using it to say from bad to worst. Otherwise, "from bad to worst" could be directly translated by "De mal en pis" where 'pis' refere to an old way of saying 'pire'.
I love the “parler comme une vache espagnole” idiom. That is my favourite, there’s “avoir deux doigts dans le nez” (i think that how it goes) and “comme une poisson de l’eau”. As for embarrassing stories in French, I can think of a few
Hello miss Andrea and friends!I get one translation for "from the frying pan into the fire" it could be "tomber de Charybde en Scylla".That comes from Messine strait between Sicile island and Italy where Charybde is a huge wirlpool and Scylla a big rock .In ancient greek mithology they both freightened sailors,because to avoid one they fell into the other. For this other expression "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort",we also say "un" tiens" vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras" ". Bye!
- Splitting hairs: Chercher la petite bete There is also "raining cats and dogs" which is just weird. In French, it's "il pleut des cordes", literally translated, "it's raining ropes".
"ca casse pas 3 pattes à un canard" make a lot of sens for me. It's really impressive if you manage to break 3 feet of a duck who only has two feet. Something "qui casse pas 3 pattes à un canard" is of course something not that impressive...
A few more to add : "Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter" "Pleuvoir comme vache qui pisse" "Tomber des cordes" "Boire comme un trou" "Avoir un chat dans la gorge" "Se prendre un rateau" "En avoir ras le bol" "Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu'un" "Tourner au vinaigre" "Tomber dans le panneau" "En faire tout un fromage" "Prendre ses jambes à son cou" "N'y voir que du feu" "Tomber dans les pommes" "Chercher la petite bête" "Donner sa langue au chat" "Sentir le sapin" I'll let you guys have fun with those =p
Hello Cheryl Andrea and Jay. For the first one, I never use "chercher des poux" but I use "couper les cheveux en 4", closer from the English one. At 5:50, it's a little bit old fashioned but you can ear "aller de charybde en scylla". Actually it's related to Ulysse's odissey. Your video is really fun and I enjoyed it. Now, check the strange grammar of this, coming from western Britanny, when the weather is sunny : le temps est parti pour rester.
Pour "from the frying pan into the fire" je dirais "aller de Charybde en Scylla" qui a une origine mythologique et n'est plus vraiment utilisé... Peut être que c'est déjà dans les commentaires, pas tout lu. J'adore tes vidéos ! Merci pour tout ces sujets sympas !
for ' from the frying pan into fire ' according to your definition, the best translation can be: to fall from charybdis to scylla 'or' to go from bad to worse ' ( tomber de charybde en scylla ' ou ' aller de mal en pis ' in french ) the French definition here: Charybdis and Scylla are two sea monsters of Greek mythology, located on both sides of a strait traditionally identified as that of Messina. The legend is at the origin of the expression to fall from Charybdis into Scylla, which means "to go from bad to worse" (worse and worse).
Do you know the french expressions "Prendre des vessies pour des lanternes" (Take bladders for lanterns), "Porter le chapeau" (To wear the hat) or "Quand les poules auront des dents" (When hens have teeth) ?
J'ai déjà entendu "les chiens ne font pas des chats" en France pour dire "an apple doesn't fall far from the tree", mais ici au Québec, nous disons couramment "le fruit ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre", ce qui est pratiquement une traduction littérale, sauf que nous utilisons "fruit" au sens large plutôt que spécifiquement "pomme". Petite variante nord-américaine ! The more you know... !
This expression comes from a very old times tradition (from the middle ages ? ) which wants than someone who has stand up another one would try to be pardoned by literarily “put a rabbit” before his/her friend”s house door, usually as a feeding purpose. A clever idea since meat was rare or expensive for low life standards persons and probably really appreciated...
"From the frying pan into the fire" can be translated as "Tomber de Charybde en Scylla" (to fall from Charybdis to Scylla). Here is where it comes from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charybdis en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scylla
"from the frying pan into the fire" could be translated with :"Tomber de Charybde en Scylla", (fall from Charybde to Scylla) Charybde and Scylla being two mythologic monsters. Beating one just to be beaten up by the other.
The French equivalent of: "from the frying pan into the fire" is "Aller de Charybde en Scylla". literally: "Going from Charybde to Scylla". In the Greek mythology Charybde and Scylla were 2 sea monsters who attacked ships. So after being in trouble with one monster, you think you're safe but, no. Comes the other one. It's an old phrase still used in literature but not so much in real life anymore. (sorry for my bad English).
Le truc du lion mort je connaissais pas. Pour moi c'est l'équivalent de deux autres phrase : un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras. Ou. Un petit chez soi vaut mieux qu'un grand chez les autres.
6 ปีที่แล้ว
I always love to learn about English expression ! It's really funny how we (mostly) can't translate directly to the other language ^^ C'est dans la boîte : box is the right translation, not nightclub ^^. Avoir un poil dans la main is to be lazy, yes ! :)
From the frying pan to the fire would be "passer du siège à l'abattoire" which is like "To go from the "seat" to the slaughter". I use this expression on a daily basis but I couldn't find it anywhere on internet for some reason...
"from the frying pan into the fire" = "Aller de mal en pis" I never heard about "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort" but we have an old and more famous sentence for that: "Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras" (Fom a famous french poet and fabulist Jean de La Fontaine.) It basically mean: Get one is better than you'll have two.
Indeed, there isn’t much translation for “getting your ass handed to you”. French does have the word “raclée” which in itself means a devastating defeat, which can be used as “il s’est fait donné toute une raclée” (He received a devastating defeat) or, as we often say in French Canada: “Il a mangé toute une raclée (He ate a very devastating defeat; word for word). Some people may also use the word “Défoncé” (to burst or break through something destructively; like a door, the bottom of a barrel, the latter being at the root of the word) as in “Notre équipe a été défoncée par l’adversaire” (our team got destroyed by the other team)
The 'apple doesn't fall far from the tree', although it can be used in a positive sense, is more often used in a negative sense. "His father was a criminal and now the son is in jail too, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".
OMG I was at a family lunch today and my grand father used this expression "from the frying pan into the fire" in French. "Tomber de la poêle dans le feu" but à more correct and used translation would be "aller de mal en pis" litteraly going from a bad situation to an even worse one.
Andrea: Here's one I don't believe we have an equivalent for in English. In a group conversation, to cut short a spontaneous lull (silence) that tends to become embarrassing after a few seconds, someone will say "Un ange passe", after which people smile and the discussion resumes as before. Ask your French husband or friends and let me know if you think of any corresponding English expressions.(Such an expression has been called a "formule-reflexe".)
"from the frying pan into the fire" would be "de Charybde en Scylla" which in taken frome the Odessey (Charybde and Scylla being very dangerous places that Ulysses passed through) but we don not really use it
Live dog/dead lion is Ecclesiastes 9:4. "Je vais lui rendre la monnaie de sa pièce" (I'll give him the change in his coins) = "I'll give him a taste of his own medicine" (Je vais lui donner un goût de son médicament). The milkmaid must not drink on the bearskin before the chickens hatch! (The milkmaid is German and drinking is Hungarian.)
"Splitting hairs" has a close translation, in French we "cut hairs in 4". Same for "an apple falls close from the tree", we have litterally the same expression, although it is uncommon. It may be regional, but indeed I hear more often "dogs don't make cats" in this case. Hmm, I didn't know about "from the frying pan to the fire". The closest meaning in French I think of is "aller de mal en pis" which is a bit old fashionned, but would be like "going from bad to worse" with an old version of "worse". But I feel it is not something we usually say. We don't say "battre le cul", but "botter le cul" as close "to kick one's ass", which comes from the fact you kick with boot on (more or less). Though "to have the ass handed down", meaning "beating to a pulp" we 'll use different expressions ("botter le cul" is almost too nice). You could say "Je vais te faire manger tes dents" (I'll make you eat your teeth") or other "poetic" ways... I've actually never heard the expression "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort". The very common expression is "un tient vaut mieux que 2 tu l'auras", which could be translated by "having one is better than will have 2". In addition, I'd says there is the famous "it's raining dogs and cats", which in french is "il pleut des cordes" ("it's raining strings").
"from the frying pan into the fire" could be equivalent to "quitter un cheval borgne pour un aveugle" which literally means "leave a one eyed horse for a blind one" or "lâcher la proie pour l'ombre" - i think
Try some Australian ones. "Smells as bad as a hat full of armpits". I reckon that would be easily interpreted in French. Maybe "Kangaroos loose in the top paddock" (means they are not the sharpest of thinkers). "Kick the bucket" (it's died). "She's Apples" (it's all OK). Note, most Aussie sayings are short and a bit lazy. One of my old fav's, "Who opened their lunch"
Hi, you'll find the equivalent of "to jump out of the frying pan into the fire" in "La Vieille et les deux Servantes" by Jean de La Fontaine "Il était une vieille ayant deux chambrières. Elles filaient si bien que les soeurs filandières Ne faisaient que brouiller au prix de celles-ci. La vieille n'avait point de plus pressant souci Que de distribuer aux servantes leur tâche. Dès que Téthys chassait Phébus aux crins dorés, Tourets entraient en jeu, fuseaux étaient tirés ; Deçà, delà, vous en aurez : Point de cesse, point de relâche. Dès que l'aurore, dis-je, en son char remontait, Un misérable coq à point nommé chantait; Aussitôt notre vieille, encor plus misérable, S'affublait d'un jupon crasseux et détestable, Allumait une lampe, et courait droit au lit Où, de tout leur pouvoir, de tout leur appétit, Dormaient les deux pauvres servantes. L'une entrouvrait un oeil, l'autre étendait un bras; Et toutes deux, très malcontentes, Disaient entre leurs dents : "Maudit coq, tu mourras." Comme elles l'avaient dit, la bête fut grippée; Le réveille-matin eut la gorge coupée . Ce meurtre n'amenda nullement leur marché. Notre couple, au contraire, à peine était couché, Que la vieille, craignant de laisser passer l'heure, Courait comme un lutin par toute sa demeure. C'est ainsi que, le plus souvent, Quand on pense sortir d'une mauvaise affaire, On s'enfonce encor plus avant : Témoin ce couple et son salaire. La vieille, au lieu du coq, les fit tomber par là De Charybde en Scylla." ... les fit tomber par là de Charybde en Scylla = ... so made them jump out of the frying pan into the fire But most of French people don't know it. Merci pour cette nouvelle vidéo très intéressante.
If you want to exagérer le poil de la main, on parle d'avoir un baobab dans la main. Dans le même genre, "il y a anguille sous roche" qui exagéré donne "il y a baleineau sous gravillon", which means baby whale under small rock.
Any equivalent for "mettre les pendules à l'heure"? I have another one almost similar "remettre l' église au milieu du village" not common, old fashioned, but I believe easy to understand in the conversation. Many thanks for this video, I 'll work on it to improve my english.
"Un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort", I had never heard this one but I think the following one is better and more common and is even quite close to the English expression: "un 'tien' vaut mieux que deux 'tu l'auras'"
"From the frying pan into the fire" could translate into "tomber de Charybde en Scylla". It quote Homer's Odysey. Charbde and Scylla are two monsters garding both of a strait's banks. Odysseus barely escapes one only to find himself trapped by the other.
"have your ass handed to you" can be the equivalent of "être ramassé à la petite cuillère" witch mean litteraly "to be picked up to the teaspoon" it mean that you are so miserable that you have to picked up you to the ground with a the teaspoon sorry if you totaly don't enderstand, my skils to write in english as a french is hard for me ;) good video !!!
« C’est dans la boîte » means « it’s in the box » but only when speaking about a picture. So if you take a picture you’ll say « c’est dans la boîte » as the box of the camera (which actually sort of makes sense)
I think we may use the french expression "Aller (ou tomber) de Charybde en Scylla" as an equivalent to "From the frying pan into the fire". It refers to Charybdis and Scylla in Ulysse's myth. We more commonly say "Aller de mal en pis".
It's from the Hobbit when the dwarves and Gandalf escape from Goblin Town and after Bilbo join them. They hear the Wargs coming after them and howling so Gandalf says "from the frying pan (here the goblins) into the fire (here the wargs and orcs)"
"Poche" actually also means "bag" insome parts of France (that's at least the case in the West where I live). No idea wether poche referred to pocket or bag in the actual idiom though...
Hi guys, so the French expression for "out of the frying pan to the fire" is "Passer de Charybde en Scylla". Charybde and Scylla were 2 monsters from the Greek Mythology and the second one is worse than the first one. So if you "go from Charybde to Scylla" it means that the situation was already bad, and is getting worse !
"from the frying pan into the fire" has a french equivalent : "tomber de Charybde en Scylla". litteraly meaning "falling from Charybde to Scylla". Charybde and Scylla are two monsters in Omere's Odyssey. Do I need to explain more ?
Actually we also use "c'est dans le sac" in french. And "c'est dans la poche" also. But "c'est dans la boite" is different, the meaning is more "ok it is recorded" (when you make a movie or take a picture or record a song).
The expression "parler comme une vache espagnole" makes me thinks of "avoir un accent à couper au couteau", I don't know if you know it :) it just means to have a really strong accent. I don't know if there is an equivalent n english.
Eggs and bears have a logical difference as eggs hatching is out of your control - you have to wait and see. The french idiom sounds closer to "don't get ahead of yourself" or "jumping the gun". Can anyone clarify?
For the frying pan I would say "un malheur ne vient jamais seul" which is kinda like Murphy's law. There are two other idiomatic expressions : aller de Charybde en Scylla which refers to Homer's Odyssey and the second one is "aller de mal en pis"
I notice that Quebec has a tendency to adopt literal translations of English expression: «un petit oiseau me l'a dit», «La pomme ne tombe jamais loin de arbre», «l'affaire et dans le sac» or «il n'y a pas de quoi écrire à sa mère».
Yeah, I find that really interesting! That's also why I wanted to point out that this was based on our experience in France, since I'm not very knowledgeable about what is typical in Quebec and I didn't want to make assumptions :)
Je n'ai jamais entendu "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort", c'est très bizarre ^^ Et on dit aussi "la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre", mais je crois que ça tombe en désuétude, on dirait plutôt "tel père tel fils" ou "telle mère telle fille". Merci pour l'info concernant "parler français comme une vache espagnole", je ne connaissais pas l'origine de cette expression.
Un petit oiseau m’a dit, on l’utilise au Québec! Mais la plupart disent mon petit doigt m’a dit... split hair pour nous c’est ce fendre les cheveux en 4 pretty similar.. en passant j’adore ton accent français
Actually there's an equivalent to the apple never falls far from the tree which is la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre, litterally the same thing. Also "C'est dans la boîte" as far as I know is only used in a movie production context, that's what they say when they just shot a scene and it was good
+1
I’d say that the expression "l’affaire est dans le sac" has the same meaning that "it’s in the bag" in english. Only it is kind of archaic and no one uses it anymore ^^ Thank you for your videos Andrea, just love to watch them every sunday. I hope my english isn’t too bad, it is a bit rusty!
I remember being so confused with the phrase ‘Tomber dans les pommes’ (to faint) used in a conversation once. I thought I was chatting about someone who had dropped apples or something until I got home and checked google. Idioms can be so hard in other languages.
J'adore l'expression "c'est le roquefort qui dit au camembert "tu pues" comme alternative à "c'est l'hôpital qui se fout de la charité"
Sinon il y a "la poële qui se fout de la casserole " se qui nous rapproche de la" cattle" et du "pot"😁
Aidan Clarke j'ajouterai même "il faut pas tirer sur l'ambulance "
ha ha ha jamais entendu mais j'aime bien.
"splitting hairs" is "couper les cheveux en 4", "chercher des poux" is more looking for something bad about someone.I think "c'est dans la boite" comes from cinema, because you say it in cinema oe television but I never heard it elsewjere meaning it's capture in the film which is in the camera (the box), "from frying pan into the fire" is translated "aller de charybde en scylla" fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charybde_et_Scylla or "aller de mal en pis", never heard of the one with the living dog, more "un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras", hope it helps
+1. + Never heard also "En chien vaut mieux qu'un lion mort".
The English expression of "mon petit doigt me l'a dit" is sooo cute! And yes, it makes more sense!! But I use the expression "la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre" in French ^^
A funny thing is the expression "to have butterflies in my stomach" because (if I'm not wrong) in English it means to get nervous but in French we have the same expression (avoir des papillons dans le ventre) but it means... like a reaction when you are in love, exciting by your romantic feelings. It possible that the English expression may be correct for both explanations but in French there is only one meaning :)
I'm waiting so badly for your next video talking about moments where you had embarrased yourselves in foreign languages ^^
That's so interesting! In English, "to have butterflies in your stomach" means you're nervous, but it can sometimes be used to refer to that kind of nervous rush you get when you're first in love. So it can be used similarly! :)
"on fait la queue" makes me think of once when a woman came to me saying "mon mari est déshabillé" wanting to say "my husband is disabled" to cut the line, when it actually means "my husband is undressed" 😂😂
Oh nooo 😅
splitting hairs : couper les cheveux en 4
"C'est dans la boîte !" is commonly used by someone who has just finished to record a video (like a film's director).
Love these little sessions with the three of you.
We have a lot of fun too :D Thanks for watching!
Wow! I didn't know most of these French idioms! It's a very informative and creative video, great job guys.
I feel like we use " c'est dans la boite " when we are taking a picture or video. But we say " C'est dans la poche " to say that it's okay, it's gonna be done easily.
ou l'affaire est dans le sac
un "tien" vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras"... i never heard the "dog and lion" sentence.
Fab said this too Andrea!
I suppose one of the more colorful idioms is "pisser dans un violon" which a French friend of mine suggested as an equivalent to "flogging a dead horse."
I've read that when you use the word "queue" you shouldn't use it with a possessive pronoun because that changes the meaning from a waiting line to an intimate part of the male anatomy. Polly Platt wrote about making this mistake at a market when she asked where is YOUR line, instead of where is THE line. Translated into English, the vendor replied, "Oh madame, I am sure you don't really want to know."
I'd rather use "Un "Tiens !" vaut mieut que deux "tu l'auras" " than "un chient vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort" ^^
Adam Pierson Agreed! Never heard the dog/lion one!
never heard of the "lion" expression either. I'm French and I would definitely use "un tiens! vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras"!" !
Same for me.
pareil.
mais "un tiens! vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras" ça fait super vieillot.
sigh47 - C'est vrai que ce ne sont pas les Marseillais ou les Princes de l'amour qui vont perpétuer ces expressions 😋
My greatgrandma died when I was 18 so I still have weird expressions my Danish bf never understand:
-sitting at the cinema, I told my Danish bf "you're dad was not window maker" (meaning he is not transparent).
- when he was hugging me : "I'm not made of sugar" meaning you can hug tighter, I won't melt
- "Don't go screaming it on the roof" (I think this one is self explained)
- "Go cook yourself an egg" (=screw you)
I would say "your dad is window maker or window breaker ?". About "I'm not made of sugar" I use it about walking in the rain.
In french : Ton père n'est pas vitrier
J'suis pas en sucre
[Ne] Va pas l'crier sur [tous] les toits
Va t'faire cuire un oeuf !
Btw, "a little bird told me so" exist in french as "un petit oiseau me l'a dit"
Céline G. I still use those daily. Am i old ? ^^
Hi!! Concerning the dog and lion expression, in french we also have " Un "tiens" vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras" " which means " One "take it" is more worth than two "you'll have it" ".
For "ça ne casse pas trois pattes à un canard", you also have "ça ne casse pas des briques" (litterally "it doesn't brake bricks") :-)
ah my 3 fav youtubers all together, cool!
This is a lot of fun! You guys are adorable! You can say anything and y'all laugh!!
So much love for your unique content!
splitting hair = chercher la petite bête
chercher des poux (à quelqu'un) = trying to provoke an argument (with someone)
Artorias Doge yes and in french we also say "couper les cheveux en quatre" which means being meticulous, being a stickler for details
That's the one I came here to say. Splitting hair = couper les cheveux en quatre, not so far from the English.
Love this! I am fond of the expression 'vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre' (to want to have the butter and the money for the butter) for 'have your cake and eat it' ('avoir son gateau et le manger' in French?!). But for me the English expression wins here, because cake ;-)
JWinParis the full idiom is " voloir le beurre l'argent du beurre et le sourire de la crémière ' and the smile is very impotant😃
I'm really looking forward to your video on embarrassing things you've said/done in another language! When we visited Venice I should have checked my boyfriend had learned basic phrases because he said "gracias" to somebody in the airport, who was very confused because we were Australian lol
hahaha oh no! I found it a bit difficult not to divert to Spanish when I was in Venice too... The languages are just too similar and my brain thought it seemed right 😂
One I really like is "avoir des oursins dans les poches " which means having urchins in your pockets. Which means not wanting to spend a dime on anything or anyone
Hello !
I have some delay with the videos, so I only answer to your question now. I read a lot of viewers' feedbacks and did not find it. "From the frying pan into the fire" would be in french "Aller de mal en pis". I have never heard the english phrase in a sentence, so I'm not sure that's the best equivalent. "Aller de mal en pis" means "to worsen".
It was a nice video, I'll watch it again to learn those phrases. And thank you for your work
PS : Sorry for my broken english, I am still learning (and you help me alot).
For the lord of the ring expression, I would translate like this : aller de mal en pis. It means to be in a situation worse and worse.
Hey guys! A similar expression for “from the frying pan into the fire” would be: “choisir entre la peste et le choléra” -> having to choose between the Plague and Cholera. (Not exactly the same but similar- choosing between 2 really bad situations)
" mettre la charrue avant les boeufs " is the equivalent of the chicken idiom
putting the cart before the horse = doing things in the wrong order
it also means trying to do something too fast so you do it in the wrong order.
Hi, for "from the frying pan into the fire", we have at least 2 expressions : the easy one (already written in others comments) is 'Aller de mal en pis", and an another one (a smart version), is "Tomber de Charybde en Scylla" (who were 2 sea monsters from Ancient Greek mythologia)
"From the frying pan into fire" have a french equivalent inspired by Greek mythology :
"Tomber de charybde en Scylla" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Between_Scylla_and_Charybdis
Which would be "Fall from Charybde to Scylla".
Like you would use Charybde and Scylla to say "having to choose between two evils", we frenchies are using it to say from bad to worst.
Otherwise, "from bad to worst" could be directly translated by "De mal en pis" where 'pis' refere to an old way of saying 'pire'.
I love the “parler comme une vache espagnole” idiom. That is my favourite, there’s “avoir deux doigts dans le nez” (i think that how it goes) and “comme une poisson de l’eau”.
As for embarrassing stories in French, I can think of a few
(Faire quelque chose) les doigts dans le nez. Means doing something easily.
Comme un poisson DANS l'eau. Means to be confortable.
Vous avez oublié " je m'en bats les couilles " ! hahah
Hello miss Andrea and friends!I get one translation for "from the frying pan into the fire" it could be "tomber de Charybde en Scylla".That comes from Messine strait between Sicile island and Italy where Charybde is a huge wirlpool and Scylla a big rock .In ancient greek mithology they both freightened sailors,because to avoid one they fell into the other. For this other expression "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort",we also say "un" tiens" vaut mieux que deux "tu l'auras" ". Bye!
- Splitting hairs: Chercher la petite bete
There is also "raining cats and dogs" which is just weird. In French, it's "il pleut des cordes", literally translated, "it's raining ropes".
"ca casse pas 3 pattes à un canard" make a lot of sens for me. It's really impressive if you manage to break 3 feet of a duck who only has two feet. Something "qui casse pas 3 pattes à un canard" is of course something not that impressive...
But there are so many other ways to be impressive other than breaking ducks' imaginary feet! 😜
Great guests. Thanks. The guy is hilarious!
A few more to add :
"Avoir d'autres chats à fouetter"
"Pleuvoir comme vache qui pisse"
"Tomber des cordes"
"Boire comme un trou"
"Avoir un chat dans la gorge"
"Se prendre un rateau"
"En avoir ras le bol"
"Casser du sucre sur le dos de quelqu'un"
"Tourner au vinaigre"
"Tomber dans le panneau"
"En faire tout un fromage"
"Prendre ses jambes à son cou"
"N'y voir que du feu"
"Tomber dans les pommes"
"Chercher la petite bête"
"Donner sa langue au chat"
"Sentir le sapin"
I'll let you guys have fun with those =p
Interesting and very funny! More please!
Hello Cheryl Andrea and Jay. For the first one, I never use "chercher des poux" but I use "couper les cheveux en 4", closer from the English one. At 5:50, it's a little bit old fashioned but you can ear "aller de charybde en scylla". Actually it's related to Ulysse's odissey. Your video is really fun and I enjoyed it. Now, check the strange grammar of this, coming from western Britanny, when the weather is sunny : le temps est parti pour rester.
Pour "from the frying pan into the fire" je dirais "aller de Charybde en Scylla" qui a une origine mythologique et n'est plus vraiment utilisé... Peut être que c'est déjà dans les commentaires, pas tout lu.
J'adore tes vidéos ! Merci pour tout ces sujets sympas !
VARO Mélanie oh mon dieu j'ai jamais entendu celui ci ! 🤣
Hello
Je suis d'accord, "tomber de Charybde en Scylla" semble bien être l'équivalent français. J'y ai tout de suite pensé en regardant la vidéo.
This video cracked me up! So interesting!
Great video! Now, If only I can use some of these in conversation.. .’Avoir un dent contre quelqu’un’ is ‘to have a beef against someone’
Oh, I didn't think of that! Thanks :)
for ' from the frying pan into fire ' according to your definition, the best translation can be: to fall from charybdis to scylla 'or' to go from bad to worse ' ( tomber de charybde en scylla ' ou ' aller de mal en pis ' in french )
the French definition here: Charybdis and Scylla are two sea monsters of Greek mythology, located on both sides of a strait traditionally identified as that of Messina. The legend is at the origin of the expression to fall from Charybdis into Scylla, which means "to go from bad to worse" (worse and worse).
I find idioms so funny, translating some German idioms word for word into English is an equally entertaining experience, I've found 😂😂
Do you know the french expressions "Prendre des vessies pour des lanternes" (Take bladders for lanterns), "Porter le chapeau" (To wear the hat) or "Quand les poules auront des dents" (When hens have teeth) ?
François Rabelais The last one sounds like it might be equivalent to: when pigs fly 🐷
You guessed well ! ;)
I knew the third one, but the other two are new!
Then, you may think about it. ;)
For the last one, in english we have "as rare as hen's teeth". That's not the same meaning but the same metaphor for rarity.
J'ai déjà entendu "les chiens ne font pas des chats" en France pour dire "an apple doesn't fall far from the tree", mais ici au Québec, nous disons couramment "le fruit ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre", ce qui est pratiquement une traduction littérale, sauf que nous utilisons "fruit" au sens large plutôt que spécifiquement "pomme". Petite variante nord-américaine ! The more you know... !
I really like "donner un lapin à quelqu'un" which I believe means to stand someone up! :)
yes "poser un lapin"
Miaina oh yes, that’s right! Wasn’t sure. Thanks
à ne pas confondre avec "le coup du lapin" ^^ (whiplash)
This expression comes from a very old times tradition (from the middle ages ? ) which wants than someone who has stand up another one would try to be pardoned by literarily “put a rabbit” before his/her friend”s house door, usually as a feeding purpose. A clever idea since meat was rare or expensive for low life standards persons and probably really appreciated...
splitting hair is quite close to "se couper les cheveux en quatre" :)
"From the frying pan into the fire" can be translated as "Tomber de Charybde en Scylla" (to fall from Charybdis to Scylla). Here is where it comes from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charybdis en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scylla
"from the frying pan into the fire" could be translated with :"Tomber de Charybde en Scylla", (fall from Charybde to Scylla) Charybde and Scylla being two mythologic monsters. Beating one just to be beaten up by the other.
You both are beautiful ! great video, this was interesting
This was suuuuch a fun video to watch I was laughing along with all of you LOL 💗🔥
The French equivalent of: "from the frying pan into the fire" is "Aller de Charybde en Scylla". literally: "Going from Charybde to Scylla". In the Greek mythology Charybde and Scylla were 2 sea monsters who attacked ships. So after being in trouble with one monster, you think you're safe but, no. Comes the other one. It's an old phrase still used in literature but not so much in real life anymore. (sorry for my bad English).
Le truc du lion mort je connaissais pas. Pour moi c'est l'équivalent de deux autres phrase : un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras. Ou. Un petit chez soi vaut mieux qu'un grand chez les autres.
I always love to learn about English expression ! It's really funny how we (mostly) can't translate directly to the other language ^^ C'est dans la boîte : box is the right translation, not nightclub ^^. Avoir un poil dans la main is to be lazy, yes ! :)
From the frying pan to the fire would be "passer du siège à l'abattoire" which is like "To go from the "seat" to the slaughter". I use this expression on a daily basis but I couldn't find it anywhere on internet for some reason...
"from the frying pan into the fire" = "Aller de mal en pis"
I never heard about "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort" but we have an old and more famous sentence for that:
"Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras" (Fom a famous french poet and fabulist Jean de La Fontaine.)
It basically mean: Get one is better than you'll have two.
Indeed, there isn’t much translation for “getting your ass handed to you”. French does have the word “raclée” which in itself means a devastating defeat, which can be used as “il s’est fait donné toute une raclée” (He received a devastating defeat) or, as we often say in French Canada: “Il a mangé toute une raclée (He ate a very devastating defeat; word for word).
Some people may also use the word “Défoncé” (to burst or break through something destructively; like a door, the bottom of a barrel, the latter being at the root of the word) as in “Notre équipe a été défoncée par l’adversaire” (our team got destroyed by the other team)
The 'apple doesn't fall far from the tree', although it can be used in a positive sense, is more often used in a negative sense. "His father was a criminal and now the son is in jail too, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".
Maybe another one just for fun ? "Tomber dans les pommes" (Fall down in the apples).
OMG I was at a family lunch today and my grand father used this expression "from the frying pan into the fire" in French. "Tomber de la poêle dans le feu" but à more correct and used translation would be "aller de mal en pis" litteraly going from a bad situation to an even worse one.
Andrea: Here's one I don't believe we have an equivalent for in English. In a group conversation, to cut short a spontaneous lull (silence) that tends to become embarrassing after a few seconds, someone will say "Un ange passe", after which people smile and the discussion resumes as before. Ask your French husband or friends and let me know if you think of any corresponding English expressions.(Such an expression has been called a "formule-reflexe".)
To "have your ass handed to you" would be "je me suis pris une raclée" (I took a severe beating). It can be both litteral and figurative.
"from the frying pan into the fire" would be "de Charybde en Scylla" which in taken frome the Odessey (Charybde and Scylla being very dangerous places that Ulysses passed through) but we don not really use it
I would use "Mon petit doigt me dit que" to say "I'm guessing that"
Live dog/dead lion is Ecclesiastes 9:4.
"Je vais lui rendre la monnaie de sa pièce" (I'll give him the change in his coins) = "I'll give him a taste of his own medicine" (Je vais lui donner un goût de son médicament).
The milkmaid must not drink on the bearskin before the chickens hatch! (The milkmaid is German and drinking is Hungarian.)
"Splitting hairs" has a close translation, in French we "cut hairs in 4".
Same for "an apple falls close from the tree", we have litterally the same expression, although it is uncommon. It may be regional, but indeed I hear more often "dogs don't make cats" in this case.
Hmm, I didn't know about "from the frying pan to the fire". The closest meaning in French I think of is "aller de mal en pis" which is a bit old fashionned, but would be like "going from bad to worse" with an old version of "worse".
But I feel it is not something we usually say.
We don't say "battre le cul", but "botter le cul" as close "to kick one's ass", which comes from the fact you kick with boot on (more or less).
Though "to have the ass handed down", meaning "beating to a pulp" we 'll use different expressions ("botter le cul" is almost too nice).
You could say "Je vais te faire manger tes dents" (I'll make you eat your teeth") or other "poetic" ways...
I've actually never heard the expression "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort".
The very common expression is "un tient vaut mieux que 2 tu l'auras", which could be translated by "having one is better than will have 2".
In addition, I'd says there is the famous "it's raining dogs and cats", which in french is "il pleut des cordes" ("it's raining strings").
"from the frying pan into the fire" could be equivalent to "quitter un cheval borgne pour un aveugle" which literally means "leave a one eyed horse for a blind one" or "lâcher la proie pour l'ombre" - i think
@Jay that's also because queue means something else that I can't write here ... :p
This is absolutely hilarious 😂👍
Try some Australian ones. "Smells as bad as a hat full of armpits". I reckon that would be easily interpreted in French. Maybe "Kangaroos loose in the top paddock" (means they are not the sharpest of thinkers). "Kick the bucket" (it's died). "She's Apples" (it's all OK). Note, most Aussie sayings are short and a bit lazy. One of my old fav's, "Who opened their lunch"
Hi,
you'll find the equivalent of "to jump out of the frying pan into the fire" in "La Vieille et les deux Servantes" by Jean de La Fontaine
"Il était une vieille ayant deux chambrières.
Elles filaient si bien que les soeurs filandières
Ne faisaient que brouiller au prix de celles-ci.
La vieille n'avait point de plus pressant souci
Que de distribuer aux servantes leur tâche.
Dès que Téthys chassait Phébus aux crins dorés,
Tourets entraient en jeu, fuseaux étaient tirés ;
Deçà, delà, vous en aurez :
Point de cesse, point de relâche.
Dès que l'aurore, dis-je, en son char remontait,
Un misérable coq à point nommé chantait;
Aussitôt notre vieille, encor plus misérable,
S'affublait d'un jupon crasseux et détestable,
Allumait une lampe, et courait droit au lit
Où, de tout leur pouvoir, de tout leur appétit,
Dormaient les deux pauvres servantes.
L'une entrouvrait un oeil, l'autre étendait un bras;
Et toutes deux, très malcontentes,
Disaient entre leurs dents : "Maudit coq, tu mourras."
Comme elles l'avaient dit, la bête fut grippée;
Le réveille-matin eut la gorge coupée .
Ce meurtre n'amenda nullement leur marché.
Notre couple, au contraire, à peine était couché,
Que la vieille, craignant de laisser passer l'heure,
Courait comme un lutin par toute sa demeure.
C'est ainsi que, le plus souvent,
Quand on pense sortir d'une mauvaise affaire,
On s'enfonce encor plus avant :
Témoin ce couple et son salaire.
La vieille, au lieu du coq, les fit tomber par là
De Charybde en Scylla."
... les fit tomber par là de Charybde en Scylla = ... so made them jump out of the frying pan into the fire
But most of French people don't know it.
Merci pour cette nouvelle vidéo très intéressante.
If you want to exagérer le poil de la main, on parle d'avoir un baobab dans la main. Dans le même genre, "il y a anguille sous roche" qui exagéré donne "il y a baleineau sous gravillon", which means baby whale under small rock.
Dans le même genre, de l'expression "c'est tiré par les cheveux" qui veut dire c'est trop compliqué, s'est transformé en "c'est capillo-tracté"
Any equivalent for "mettre les pendules à l'heure"?
I have another one almost similar "remettre l' église au milieu du village" not common, old fashioned, but I believe easy to understand in the conversation.
Many thanks for this video, I 'll work on it to improve my english.
The English equvalent is "set the record straight". Littéralement, ça veut dire "corriger le procès-verbal".
You can also say "mettre les points sur les i"
"Un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort", I had never heard this one but I think the following one is better and more common and is even quite close to the English expression:
"un 'tien' vaut mieux que deux 'tu l'auras'"
"From the frying pan into the fire" could translate into "tomber de Charybde en Scylla". It quote Homer's Odysey. Charbde and Scylla are two monsters garding both of a strait's banks. Odysseus barely escapes one only to find himself trapped by the other.
"have your ass handed to you" can be the equivalent of "être ramassé à la petite cuillère" witch mean litteraly "to be picked up to the teaspoon" it mean that you are so miserable that you have to picked up you to the ground with a the teaspoon
sorry if you totaly don't enderstand, my skils to write in english as a french is hard for me ;)
good video !!!
"A little bird told me so"... that must come from Snow White 😋
We do love fairy tales 😜
As is typical, the origin is disputed: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_little_bird_told_me
« C’est dans la boîte » means « it’s in the box » but only when speaking about a picture. So if you take a picture you’ll say « c’est dans la boîte » as the box of the camera (which actually sort of makes sense)
I think we may use the french expression "Aller (ou tomber) de Charybde en Scylla" as an equivalent to "From the frying pan into the fire". It refers to Charybdis and Scylla in Ulysse's myth. We more commonly say "Aller de mal en pis".
It's from the Hobbit when the dwarves and Gandalf escape from Goblin Town and after Bilbo join them. They hear the Wargs coming after them and howling so Gandalf says "from the frying pan (here the goblins) into the fire (here the wargs and orcs)"
"Poche" actually also means "bag" insome parts of France (that's at least the case in the West where I live). No idea wether poche referred to pocket or bag in the actual idiom though...
Out of the frying pan into the fire : Aller de mal en pis. Which means "To go from bad to worst'.
But well... no so sexy.
Hi guys, so the French expression for "out of the frying pan to the fire" is "Passer de Charybde en Scylla". Charybde and Scylla were 2 monsters from the Greek Mythology and the second one is worse than the first one. So if you "go from Charybde to Scylla" it means that the situation was already bad, and is getting worse !
From the frying pan into the fire: aller de mal en pis. Or, more sophisticated: aller de Charybde en Scylla (must know the Greek mythology).
The words cou, queue and cul don't have the same pronunciation in French but if you mispronunce them, it could become weird or funny. :)
"from the frying pan into the fire" has a french equivalent : "tomber de Charybde en Scylla". litteraly meaning "falling from Charybde to Scylla". Charybde and Scylla are two monsters in Omere's Odyssey. Do I need to explain more ?
"c'est dans la boite" is related to filming something. It is something you say when you have finished filming something.
"De mal en pis" for the frying pan something stuff things.
Hi there is a French "translation for the "From the frying pan into the fire" it's "Tomber de Charybde en Scylla" :) Nice video
Actually we also use "c'est dans le sac" in french. And "c'est dans la poche" also. But "c'est dans la boite" is different, the meaning is more "ok it is recorded" (when you make a movie or take a picture or record a song).
Nicolas Privat : "l'affaire est dans le sac" !
I agree.
Another way to say it can be : « emballez, c’est pesé! »
The expression "parler comme une vache espagnole" makes me thinks of "avoir un accent à couper au couteau", I don't know if you know it :) it just means to have a really strong accent. I don't know if there is an equivalent n english.
Eggs and bears have a logical difference as eggs hatching is out of your control - you have to wait and see. The french idiom sounds closer to "don't get ahead of yourself" or "jumping the gun". Can anyone clarify?
For the "frying pan" there is "aller de mal en pis" (pis is pire in old french) so things going for bad to worst.
"c'est dans la boîte" means that's the photography or the movie is on the film. Literally in the camera box ! 😇
For the frying pan I would say "un malheur ne vient jamais seul" which is kinda like Murphy's law. There are two other idiomatic expressions : aller de Charybde en Scylla which refers to Homer's Odyssey and the second one is "aller de mal en pis"
Man the second part had me laughing pretty hard, please do more videos together. Definitely checking out the other channel :)
Thanks for watching! We'll definitely be doing more collabs in the future :D
I notice that Quebec has a tendency to adopt literal translations of English expression: «un petit oiseau me l'a dit», «La pomme ne tombe jamais loin de arbre», «l'affaire et dans le sac» or «il n'y a pas de quoi écrire à sa mère».
Yeah, I find that really interesting! That's also why I wanted to point out that this was based on our experience in France, since I'm not very knowledgeable about what is typical in Quebec and I didn't want to make assumptions :)
Je n'ai jamais entendu "un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort", c'est très bizarre ^^ Et on dit aussi "la pomme ne tombe jamais loin de l'arbre", mais je crois que ça tombe en désuétude, on dirait plutôt "tel père tel fils" ou "telle mère telle fille". Merci pour l'info concernant "parler français comme une vache espagnole", je ne connaissais pas l'origine de cette expression.
Un petit oiseau m’a dit, on l’utilise au Québec! Mais la plupart disent mon petit doigt m’a dit... split hair pour nous c’est ce fendre les cheveux en 4 pretty similar.. en passant j’adore ton accent français