Salut French learners!

In today's lesson, you will learn words and expressions involving the body parts in French.

la tête the head le(s) cheveu(x) the hair les yeux, l'oeil eye(s) le nez the nose la bouche the mouth les oreilles ears les joues cheeks le front the forehead le menton the chin les cils the eyelashes les sourcils eyebrows les dents teeth les épaules shoulders les bras arms le coude the elbow les mains hands le poignet wrist les doigts fingers les hanches hips le dos the back les fesses the buttocks les jambes legs les genoux knees les pieds feet la cheville ankle les doigts de pied the toes les ongles nails

French expression involving body parts:

Avoir un poil dans la main [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : “to have a hair (growing) on one’s hand”

: “to have a hair (growing) on one’s hand” Meaning: to be be lazy.

Gagner haut la main [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : “to win high handed”

: “to win high handed” Meaning: to have a clear victory

avoir le coeur sur la main [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : have the heart on the hand

: have the heart on the hand Meaning: being generous

Mettre la puce à l’oreille [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : “putting the flea to the ear”

: “putting the flea to the ear” Meaning: making someone suspicious, giving a hint that something is going on, on purpose or not.

Dormir sur ses deux oreilles [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : “sleeping on both ears”

: “sleeping on both ears” Meaning: to sleep very soundly.

Ce n’est pas tombé dans l’oreille d’un sourd [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : It did not fall in the ear of a deaf man

: It did not fall in the ear of a deaf man Meaning: it didn’t fall on deaf ears.

Rebattre les oreilles [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : beat the ears again

: beat the ears again Meaning: to talk someone ear’s off about the same thing over and over again.

faire la tête [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : Make head

: Make head Meaning: to pout

garder la tête froide [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : keep a cool head

: keep a cool head Meaning: to keep one's calm

se creuser la tête [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : dig up one's head

: dig up one's head Meaning: to think really hard

se mettre le doigt dans l'œil [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : Put your finger in the eye

: Put your finger in the eye Meaning: to make a mistake

ne pas avoir froid aux yeux [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : to not have cold eyes

: to not have cold eyes Meaning: to not be scared

Literally : at the eye

: at the eye Meaning:

Without paying, for free (Je l'ai eu à l'œil / I had it for free) To keep an eye on [something] (Je te garde à l'œil, Je t'ai à l'œil)

rester bouche cousue [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : to keep mouth sewn

: to keep mouth sewn Meaning: to not say anything; keep a secret

avoir/mettre l'eau à la bouche [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : make mouth water

: make mouth water Meaning: to want/drool over something

rester bouche bée [ edit | edit source ]

Meaning: to remain speechless

avoir un cheveu sur la langue [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : to have a hair on the tongue

: to have a hair on the tongue Meaning: to lisp. For someone who has a permanent speech impediment, we also use the term "zozoter".

ne pas avoir la langue dans sa poche [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : not to have the tongue in his pocket

: not to have the tongue in his pocket Meaning: to be talkative

avoir la langue bien pendue [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : to have the tongue well hanged

: to have the tongue well hanged Meaning: to know how to answer/talk

This is often a negative idiom. It is more often than not used in a sense that someone, yes, has a lot of wit, but also that you can't have the last word against this person. They come back against anything, even well-earned criticism, and often through the means of witty insults.

ne rien faire de ses dix doigts [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : Do nothing with his ten fingers

: Do nothing with his ten fingers Meaning: to be lazy

casser les pieds [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : to break feet

: to break feet Meaning: disturbing someone

comme un pied [ edit | edit source ]

Literally : like a foot

: like a foot Meaning : very badly

: very badly Example: Tu chantes comme un pied : You sing as a foot = to sing very badly

Avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventre [ edit | edit source ]

Literally: To have eyes bigger than the belly

Meaning: to bite off more than one can chew







That's all for today! I hope you have learned something!



