Expressões em francêsFalar e calar

Expressões prontas que não dá para entender palavra por palavra: o sentido, a imagem e um exemplo.

Dizer as coisas na cara

O que a gente pensa, dito sem rodeios, mesmo que incomode.

8 expressões

  1. appeler un chat un chat

    to call a spade a spade

    Ao pé da letra: to call a cat a cat

    Il faut appeler un chat un chat : ce projet est un échec.

    Let’s call a spade a spade: this project is a failure.

  2. ne pas mâcher ses mots

    not to mince words

    Ao pé da letra: not to chew your words

    Le journaliste n’a pas mâché ses mots : pour lui, le film est raté.

    The journalist didn’t mince words: to him, the movie is a flop.

  3. ne pas avoir sa langue dans sa poche

    to be outspoken

    Ao pé da letra: not to keep your tongue in your pocket

    Ma grand-mère n’a pas sa langue dans sa poche : elle dit ce qu’elle pense à tout le monde.

    My grandmother is outspoken: she tells everyone what she thinks.

  4. mettre les points sur les i

    to spell things out

    Ao pé da letra: to put the dots on the i’s

    Le professeur a mis les points sur les i : pas de téléphone en classe.

    The teacher spelled things out: no phones in class.

  5. remettre l’église au milieu du village

    to set things straight

    Ao pé da letra: to put the church back in the middle of the village

    Trop de rumeurs circulent : la directrice veut remettre l’église au milieu du village.

    Too many rumors are going around: the director wants to set things straight.

  6. dire ses quatre vérités à quelqu’un

    to give someone a piece of your mind

    Ao pé da letra: to tell someone their four truths

    Un jour, je vais lui dire ses quatre vérités.

    One day, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.

  7. mettre les pieds dans le plat

    to put your foot in your mouth

    Ao pé da letra: to put your feet in the dish

    Il a mis les pieds dans le plat en parlant du divorce devant toute la famille.

    He put his foot in his mouth by bringing up the divorce in front of the whole family.

  8. vider son sac

    informal

    to get it all off your chest

    Ao pé da letra: to empty your bag

    Elle a fini par vider son sac : elle n’en pouvait plus de ce travail.

    She finally got it all off her chest: she couldn’t take that job anymore.

Fugir do assunto, mentir

Quando alguém não vai direto ao ponto, ou inventa histórias.

4 expressões

  1. tourner autour du pot

    to beat around the bush

    Ao pé da letra: to circle around the pot

    Arrête de tourner autour du pot : qu’est-ce que tu veux ?

    Stop beating around the bush: what do you want?

  2. noyer le poisson

    to dodge the question

    Ao pé da letra: to drown the fish

    Le ministre a noyé le poisson pendant toute l’interview.

    The minister dodged the question for the whole interview.

  3. raconter des salades

    informal

    to make things up

    Ao pé da letra: to tell salads

    Ne l’écoute pas, il raconte des salades.

    Don’t listen to him, he’s making things up.

  4. mener quelqu’un en bateau

    informal

    to take someone for a ride

    Ao pé da letra: to take someone out on a boat

    Le vendeur nous a menés en bateau : la voiture n’était pas neuve.

    The salesman took us for a ride: the car wasn’t new.

Calar, ficar sem palavras

Um segredo guardado ou revelado, e os momentos em que nenhuma palavra sai.

8 expressões

  1. motus et bouche cousue

    mum’s the word

    Ao pé da letra: hush, and lips sewn shut

    C’est une surprise pour maman : motus et bouche cousue !

    It’s a surprise for Mom: mum’s the word!

  2. tenir sa langue

    to hold your tongue

    Elle sait tout, mais elle sait tenir sa langue.

    She knows everything, but she knows how to hold her tongue.

  3. vendre la mèche

    to spill the beans

    Ao pé da letra: to sell the fuse

    On préparait une fête, mais Léo a vendu la mèche.

    We were planning a party, but Léo spilled the beans.

  4. mon petit doigt m’a dit

    a little bird told me

    Ao pé da letra: my little finger told me

    Mon petit doigt m’a dit que c’était ton anniversaire.

    A little bird told me it was your birthday.

  5. donner sa langue au chat

    to give up guessing

    Ao pé da letra: to give your tongue to the cat

    Je ne trouve pas : je donne ma langue au chat. C’est quoi, la réponse ?

    I can’t figure it out: I give up. What’s the answer?

  6. rester bouche bée

    to be left speechless

    Ao pé da letra: to stay with your mouth wide open

    Devant le prix, je suis resté bouche bée.

    When I saw the price, I was left speechless.

  7. avoir un mot sur le bout de la langue

    to have a word on the tip of your tongue

    Attends, j’ai son nom sur le bout de la langue.

    Hold on, his name is on the tip of my tongue.

  8. avoir un chat dans la gorge

    to have a frog in your throat

    Ao pé da letra: to have a cat in your throat

    Excusez-moi, j’ai un chat dans la gorge ce matin.

    Excuse me, I have a frog in my throat this morning.

Falar sem parar

Quem fala muito, e o que acontece no meio de uma conversa.

5 expressões

  1. avoir la langue bien pendue

    to have the gift of gab

    Ao pé da letra: to have a tongue that hangs loose

    Ta fille a la langue bien pendue : elle m’a raconté toutes ses vacances.

    Your daughter has the gift of gab: she told me all about her vacation.

  2. être un moulin à paroles

    to be a chatterbox

    Ao pé da letra: to be a word mill

    Mon voisin est un vrai moulin à paroles : impossible de partir.

    My neighbor is a real chatterbox: there’s no getting away.

  3. passer du coq à l’âne

    to jump from topic to topic

    Ao pé da letra: to go from the rooster to the donkey

    Il passe du coq à l’âne : on parlait du travail, et le voilà sur le foot.

    He jumps from topic to topic: we were talking about work, and now he’s on to soccer.

  4. quand on parle du loup

    speak of the devil

    Ao pé da letra: when you speak of the wolf

    Quand on parle du loup ! On disait justement du bien de toi.

    Speak of the devil! We were just saying nice things about you.

  5. revenons à nos moutons

    let’s get back to the subject

    Ao pé da letra: let’s get back to our sheep

    On s’éloigne du sujet : revenons à nos moutons.

    We’re getting off topic: let’s get back to the subject.

Expressões do inglês que não passam tal e qual

Cada língua tem suas imagens: traduzidas ao pé da letra, estas não querem dizer nada em francês, ou dizem outra coisa.

  • to dot the i’s and cross the t’s

    soigner les détails

    Não mettre les points sur les i

    Avant d’envoyer le dossier, elle soigne les détails.

    Before sending the file, she dots the i’s and crosses the t’s.

  • cat got your tongue?

    tu as perdu ta langue ?

    Não le chat a pris ta langue ?

    Tu ne dis rien : tu as perdu ta langue ?

    You’re not saying anything: cat got your tongue?

  • to talk someone’s ear off

    tenir la jambe à quelqu’un

    Não parler l’oreille de quelqu’un

    Mon voisin m’a tenu la jambe pendant une heure.

    My neighbor talked my ear off for an hour.

  • long story short

    bref

    Não longue histoire courte

    Bref, on a raté le train.

    Long story short, we missed the train.

  • I’m all ears

    je suis tout ouïe

    Não je suis toutes oreilles

    Raconte, je suis tout ouïe.

    Go ahead, I’m all ears.

  • a white lie

    un pieux mensonge

    Não un mensonge blanc

    Je lui ai dit que j’adorais son gâteau : un pieux mensonge.

    I told her I loved her cake: a white lie.