French |
English |
Literal Translation | |
| Il faut battre le fer pendant qu’il est chaud.
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Strike while the iron is hot. | One must strike the iron while it is hot. | |
| Il faut casser le noyau pour avoir l’amande.
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No pain no gain. | You need to break the shell to have the almond. | |
| Il faut prendre la vie comme elle vient.
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One must take life as it comes. | This is not fatalistic, but rather realistic and pragmatic. | |
| Il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermée.
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There can be no middle course. | A door must be open or closed. | |
| Il faut que jeunesse se passe.
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Youth must have its fling. | Youth must happen. | |
| Il faut réfléchir avant d’agir.
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Look before you leap. | You have to think before acting. | |
| Il faut rendre à César ce qui appartient à César, et à Dieu ce qui est à Dieu.
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Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s, and unto God what is God’s. | (n.b.: Biblical origin) | |
| Il faut toujours garder une poire pour la soif.
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Save for a rainy day. | You must always save a pear for the first. | |
| Il faut tourner sept fois sa langue dans sa bouche avant de parler.
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You should count to ten before you say anything. | You should turn your tongue seven times in your month before speaking. | |
| Il n’est pire aveugle que celui qui ne veut pas voir.
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There is no worse blind person than the one who does not want to see. | There is no worse blind person than the one who does not want to see. | |
| Il n’est pire eau que l’eau qui dort.
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Still water runs deep. | There is no worse water than the water that sleeps. | |
| Il n’est si méchant pot qui ne trouve son couvercle.
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Every Jack has his Jill | There is no jar so harried that it cannot find its lid. | |
| Il n’est pire sourd que celui qui ne veut pas entendre.
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There is no worse deaf person than the one who does not want to hear. | There is no worse deaf person than the one who does not want to hear. | |
| Il n’y a pas de fumée sans feu.
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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. | There is no smoke without fire. | |
| Il n’y a que les montagnes qui ne se rencontrent jamais.
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There are none so distant that fate cannot bring together. | It is only mountains that never meet. | |
| Il n’y a pas de sot métier.
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All professions are respectable. | There is no dirty profession. | |
| Il n’y a qu’heur et malheur en ce monde.
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there is nothing but good luck and bad luck in the world | There is nothing but good luck and bad luck in the world | |
| Il n’y a que le premier pas qui coûte.
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the first step is the hardest | It is only the first step that costs | |
| Il n’y a que la vérité qui blesse.
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it is only the truth that hurts | It is only the truth that hurts | |
| Il ne faut jamais courir deux lièvres à la fois.
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do not do two things at once | do not ever chase two hares at the same time | |
| Il ne faut jamais dire «Fontaine, je ne boirai pas de ton eau! »
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Never say never. | You should never say, "Fountain, I will never drink your water!" | |
| Il ne faut jamais jeter le manche après la cognée.
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Never say die. | One should never throw the handle after the felling axe. | |
| Il ne faut jurer de rien.
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You never can tell | You should not promise anything | |
| Il ne faut pas juger les gens sur la mine.
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don’t judge a book by its cover | Do not judge people by their appearance | |
| Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué.
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don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched | Do not sell the skin of a bear before you kill it. | |
| Il ne faut rien laisser au hasard.
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Leave nothing to chance. |
Nothing should be left to chance. | |
| Il ne sert à rien de déshabiller Pierre pour habiller Paul.
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Robbing Peter to pay Paul | It’s useless to undress Peter to dress Paul | |
| Il vaut mieux aller au boulanger qu’au médecin.
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An apple a day keeps the doctor away | It is better to go to the breadmaker than to the physician. | |
| Il vaut mieux avoir affaire à Dieu qu’à ses saints.
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it’s better to talk to the organ grinder than to the monkey | Better to speak to God than to his saints | |
| Il vaut mieux être marteau qu’enclume.
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It’s better to be a hammer than a nail. | It’s better to be hammer than anvil. | |
| Il vaut mieux tenir que courir.
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It is better to have than to chase | it is better to have than to chase | |
| Il y a loin de la coupe aux lèvres.
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There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip | there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip. | |
| Il y a plus d’un âne à la foire qui s’appelle Martin.
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Don’t jump to conclusions; it’s a very common name. | There’s more than one donkey called Martin in the marketplace. | |
| Il y a un temps pour tout.
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there is a right time for everything | There is a time for everything. | |
| Impossible n’est pas Français.
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There is no such word as "can’t." | Impossible isn’t French. |
They said it...