by Weezbee
@ 22 Mar. 2007 - 20:45:05
Two days ago was the International French Speaking Community (Francophonie) day, I just wanted to know who talks french, a little or perfectly...tell me about it 
You don't talk French or you wanna learn it a little ? Have a look HERE and learn some easy and useful french 
I always found interesting how some expressions are different in languages...Have a look at some of them :
| English | French | Literal translation |
|---|---|---|
| Don't put all your eggs in one basket. | Ne mets pas tous tes oeufs dans le même panier. | |
| He always has to put his two cents in. | Il faut toujours qu'il ramène sa fraise. | He always has to bring his strawberrie back. |
| He let the cat out of the bag. | Il a vendu la mèche. | He sold the wick. |
| He's knee-high to a grasshopper. | Il est haut comme trois pommes. | He's tall like three apples. |
| He never forgets anything. | Il a une mémoire d'éléphant. | He has an elephant's memory. |
| He's a chip off the old block. | C'est bien le fils de son père. | He is certainly his father's son. |
| He's as proud as a peacock. | Il est fier comme un coq. | He's proud like a rooster. |
| He turned a deaf ear. | Il a fait la sourde oreille. | He did the deaf ear. |
| I can't make heads or tails of it. | J'y perds mon latin. | I lose my Latin there. |
| I got it for a song | Je l'ai eu pour une bouchée de pain | I had it for a mouthful of bread |
| I saw that coming a mile away | Je l'ai vu venir gros comme une maison | I saw it coming as big as a house |
| I slept like a log. | J'ai dormi comme une souche. | I slept like a stump. |
| It's a blessing in disguise. | C'est un bien pour un mal. | It's a good for a bad. |
| It's as easy as pie | C'est facile comme tout | It's easy like everything |
| It's now or never | C'est le moment ou jamais | It's the moment or never |
| It was a godsend. | C'est tombé du ciel. | It fell from the sky. |
| I wasn't born yesterday. | Je ne suis pas né d'hier. | |
| Let's let bygones be bygones. | Oublions le passé. | Let's forget the past. |
| Like a bull in a china shop | Comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles | Like a dog in a game of ninepins |
| Like father, like son. | Tel père, tel fils. | |
| A little bird told me. | Mon petit doigt me l'a dit. | My pinky told me. |
| A lot of water has passed under the bridge. | Il est passé beaucoup d'eau sous les ponts. | |
| The more things change, the more they stay the same. | Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. | More it changes, more it's the same thing. |
| No news is good news. | Pas de nouvelles, bonnes nouvelles. | No news, good news. |
| Run for your life! | Sauve qui peut ! | Save who can! |
| She found Mr. Right | Elle a trouvé l'oiseau rare | She found the rare bird |
| She's as thin as a rail. | Elle est maigre comme un clou. | She's thin like a nail. |
| She's nothing but skin and bones. | Elle n'a que les os sur la peau. | She has only bones on skin. |
| Speak of the devil! | Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue ! | When one talks of the wolf, one sees his tail. |
| Spring is for lovers | Printemps, c'est pour les amants | Spring, that's for lovers |
| That costs an arm and a leg | Ça coûte les yeux de la tête | That costs the eyes from the head |
| That goes without saying | Cela va de soi | That goes from itself |
| The coast is clear | La voie est libre | The way is free |
| They're like two peas in a pod. | Elles se ressemblent comme deux gouttes d'eau. | They resemble each other like two drops of water. |
| To happen sure as night follows day. | Arriver comme mars en carême. | To arrive like March in fast. |
| To each his own. | Chacun à son goût. | Each to his taste. |
| We have other fish to fry. | On a d'autres chats à fouetter. | We have other cats to whip. |
| We're all in the same boat | Nous sommes tous dans le même bateau | |
| We're in a fine mess | On est dans un beau pétrin | We're in a nice kneading trough |
| We've got to nip this in the bud. | Il faut le détruire dans l'oeuf. | It's necessary to destroy it in the egg. |
| When pigs fly! | Quand les poules auront des dents ! | When hens have teeth! |
| You're looking for a needle in a haystack. | Tu cherches une aiguille dans une botte de foin. |
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