Expressions to Use When Complaining in French
Complain like a French person with this big list of French expressions. Learn to complain in various ways for all kinds of daily situations.
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Difficulty: Intermediate-Advanced
Even if you are just going to France for a few days, it is advisable to learn some expressions for complaining, getting mad, and a few idioms that the French locals commonly use when talking to their friends.
France is also about art and you should know there is an art to expressing your feelings. Hey, it never hurts to know how to say, “It is cold enough to freeze your balls.” Get down with what is trending and use the slang and styles below.
- Y a de l’abus!That’s going too far!
- la blaguejoke
- boufferto eat
- à la bourrerunning late
- C’est quoi ça?What’s this?
- Ça marche?Is that all right? Is that acceptable?
- cafouillerto mess things up (to make a balls of something)
- choperto catch
- le comblethe absolute limit
- cramerto go up in smoke, to burn (for food)
- débordé, êtreto be overwhelmed (usually by work)
- démarrerto start work, to get going (starting a car)
- dinguecrazy, mad
- foutre*: Qu’est-ce qu’il fout*?to do; What the heck is he doing?
- en avoir rien à foutre*I don’t give a damn
- aux frais de quelqu’unat someone’s expense (they are paying)
- furaxreally mad
- gravereally (when used as an adverb)
- marché: par-dessus l’marchéto top it all (crown it all)
- marre: en avoir marreto be sick of something, to have as much as you can take
- péter un plombto blow a fuse (to lose one’s temper)
- péterto blow up, to fart, to break down
- le poireau, faireto hang around (about)
- poireauterto be kept waiting, to hang around
- pousser: Faut pas pousser.Don’t push your luck.
- râlerto moan, complain
- ras le bol: en avoir ras le bolto be sick and tired of something / to be fed up with
- remettre çastart all over again
- remuerto stir, to get someone moving
- rincer, se faireto get soaked
- le salaudbastard
- le saligaud*bastard
- le salopard*bastard
- saturerto have had enough of something
- se casser*to split, to beat it (synonym of se tirer)
- se ficher du mondeto have some nerve, to take people for fools (Tu te fiches du monde !)
- se les geler*to freeze your balls off (to be freezing cold)
- trempé (jusqu’aux os)soaked (to the bone/skin)
- Y a pas l’feu!No rush! Calm down!
Want to use this in real conversations?In the French Accelerator, a coach corrects you live, every week, until speaking feels natural.
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