|
French Proverb |
English Proverb |
|
Après la pluie
le beau temps |
Every cloud has a silver lining
(lit.: After the rain, the nice weather) |
|
Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait |
No sooner said than done |
|
Autres temps, autres moeurs. |
Times change. (lit.: Other
times, other customs) |
|
Autant des têtes, autant d'avis |
Too many cooks spoil the broth (lit.: so many heads, so much advice) |
|
Aux innocents
les mains pleines. |
Beginner's luck |
Avoir le beurre
et l'argent du beurre
|
Have one's cake and eat it too
(lit.: to have one's butter and the money for it) |
|
Bien mal acquis
ne profite jamais. |
Ill gotten ill spent (lit.:
goods badly acquired never benefit [anyone]) |
|
Bon chien chasse
de race |
Like father, like son (lit.: a
good dog hunts by instinct) |
|
C'est en
forgeant qu'on devient forgeron. |
Practice makes perfect. (lit.:
It is by forging that one becomes an ironmonger) |
|
C'est un prêté
pour un rendu |
One good turn deserves another (lit.: it is something loaned for something returned) |
|
Chacun ses gôuts |
Each to his own |
|
Chat échaudé
craint l'eau froide |
Once bitten, twice shy (lit.: a
scalded cat fears cold water) |
|
Faire d'une
pierre deux coups |
To kill two birds with one stone
(lit.: make with one stone two blows) |
|
Heureux au jeu,
malheureux en amour. |
Lucky at cards, unlucky in love |
|
Il faut casser
le noyau pour avoir l'amande. |
No pain no gain (lit.: one must
crack the shell to get the almond) |
|
Il faut qu'une
porte soit ouverte ou fermée. |
There can be no middle course.
(lit.: a door must either be open or closed) |
|
Il faut
réfléchir avant d'agir |
Look before you leap (lit.: you
have to think before acting) |
Il ne faut
jamais dire « Fontaine, je ne boirai pas de ton eau ! »
|
Never say never. (lit.: you
should never say, "Fountain, I will never drink your water!") |
|
Il ne faut rien
laisser au hasard. |
Leave nothing to chance. |
|
Impossible n'est pas français. |
There is no such word as
"can't." (lit.: impossible is not French) |
|
L'arbre cache
souvent la forêt. |
Can't see the forest for the
trees. |
|
Le temps, c'est
de l'argent |
Time is money |
Les jours se
suivent et ne se ressemblent pas.
|
There's no telling what tomorrow
will bring. (lit.: the days follow each other and don't look alike) |
|
Mains froids, cœur chaud |
Cold hands, warm heart |
|
Mieux vaut
prévenir que guérir |
Prevention is better than cure |
|
Mieux vaut tard
que jamais |
Better late than never |
On ne peut pas
avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre
|
You can't have your cake and eat
it too (lit.: one cannot have the butter and the money from the
butter) |
|
On ne prête
qu'aux riches |
Only the rich get richer (lit.:
one lends only to the wealthy) |
|
Paris ne s'est
pas fait en un jour. |
Rome wasn't built in a day |
|
Plaie d'argent
n'est pas mortelle |
Money isn't everything (lit.: a
financial wound is not mortal) |
|
Plus on est de
fous, plus on rit |
The more the merrier ((lit.: the
more there are insane people, the more one laughs) |
|
Quand on veut,
on peut |
Where there's a will, there's a
way. |
|
Qui casse les
verres les paie |
You pay for your mistakes (lit.:
he who breaks the glasses pays for them) |
|
Qui ne risque
rien n'a rien |
Nothing ventured, nothing gained |
|
Qui se sent
morveux, qu'il se mouche |
If the shoe fits, wear it (lit.:
he who feels stuffy should blow his nose) |
|
Qui va lentement
va sûrement |
Slowly but surely. |
|
Qui vivra verra |
What will be will be/ Time will
tell (lit.: He who lives will see) |
|
Rien ne sert de
courir, il faut partir à point |
Slow and steady wins the race
(lit.: running is worthless, you have to leave on time.) |
|
Rira bien qui
rira le dernier |
Whoever laughs last laughs best
(lit.: who laughs last laughs best) |
|
Tout est bien
qui finit bien |
All's well that ends well |
|
Tout vient à
point à qui sait attendre |
All things come to those who
wait. (lit.: everything comes at the right time to he who knows how
to wait) |
|
Un clou chasse l'autre |
Life goes on (lit.: one nail
chases the other) |
|
Un malheur ne
vient jamais seul! |
When it rains, it pours! (lit.:
misfortune never comes alone) |
|
Un sou est un
sou |
Every penny counts (li.: a cent
is a cent) |
|
Vouloir, c'est pouvoir |
Where there's a will, there's a
way (lit.: to want, that's to be able) |
