Lesson 61C1

Idioms & Figurative Language

मुहावरे और लाक्षणिक भाषा

Idioms resist word-for-word translation everywhere — French is no exception, and puzzling out avoir le cafard or poser un lapin from their literal words alone will lead you astray, so treat each one as a fixed image to learn whole, the same way you already do with Hindi idioms like नौ दो ग्यारह होना ('to vanish', literally 'to become nine two eleven') or आँखों में धूल झोंकना ('to deceive', literally 'to throw dust in someone's eyes').

Grammar Comparison

व्याकरण तुलना

Idioms are learned as whole units, not decoded word by word — exactly like Hindi's own idioms

French

avoir le cafard (literally 'to have the cockroach' = to feel down/blue)

Hindi

उदास होना

Just as Hindi idioms like नौ दो ग्यारह होना or आसमान से गिरा, खजूर में अटका ('out of the frying pan into the fire') make no sense translated literally, French idioms carry a figurative meaning completely detached from their literal words. Trying to reverse-engineer the meaning from the individual words will actively mislead you here — idioms have to be memorized as fixed images, each with its own history, exactly the way you already treat Hindi idioms without expecting them to be logical.

Vocabulary

शब्दावली

avoir le cafardah-VWAHR luh ka-FAR

Hindi: उदास होनाudās honā
English: to feel down / blue

poser un lapin à quelqu'unpoh-ZAY uhn la-PAN ah kel-KUHN

Hindi: किसी से मिलने का वादा तोड़नाkisī se milne kā vādā toṛnā
English: to stand someone up

coûter les yeux de la têtekoo-TAY lay zyuh duh lah TEHT

Hindi: बहुत महँगा होनाbahut mahñgā honā
English: to cost a fortune / an arm and a leg

avoir un chat dans la gorgeah-VWAHR uhn shah dahn lah GORZH

Hindi: गला बैठ जानाgalā baiṭh jānā
English: to have a frog in one's throat

casser les pieds à quelqu'unka-SAY lay pyay ah kel-KUHN

Hindi: किसी को परेशान करनाkisī ko pareśān karnā
English: to annoy / bore someone

appeler un chat un chatah-play uhn shah uhn SHAH

Hindi: साफ़-साफ़ बात कहनाsāf-sāf bāt kahnā
English: to call a spade a spade

avoir la pêcheah-VWAHR lah PESH

Hindi: बहुत ऊर्जावान महसूस करनाbahut ūrjāvān mahsūs karnā
English: to feel great / full of energy

tomber dans les pommestohn-BAY dahn lay POM

Hindi: बेहोश हो जानाbehoś ho jānā
English: to faint

il pleut des cordeseel pluh day KORD

Hindi: मूसलाधार बारिश होनाmūsalādhār bāriś honā
English: it's raining cats and dogs

mettre son grain de selMEH-truh sohn gran duh SEL

Hindi: बिन बुलाए राय देनाbin bulāe rāy denā
English: to put in one's two cents (unsolicited)

filer à l'anglaisefee-LAY ah lahn-GLEZ

Hindi: बिना बताए चले जानाbinā batāe cale jānā
English: to leave without saying goodbye

être dans la luneEH-truh dahn lah LEWN

Hindi: खोया-खोया रहनाkhoyā-khoyā rahnā
English: to be daydreaming

French	Pronunciation	Hindi	English
avoir le cafard	ah-VWAHR luh ka-FAR	उदास होनाudās honā	to feel down / blue
poser un lapin à quelqu'un	poh-ZAY uhn la-PAN ah kel-KUHN	किसी से मिलने का वादा तोड़नाkisī se milne kā vādā toṛnā	to stand someone up
coûter les yeux de la tête	koo-TAY lay zyuh duh lah TEHT	बहुत महँगा होनाbahut mahñgā honā	to cost a fortune / an arm and a leg
avoir un chat dans la gorge	ah-VWAHR uhn shah dahn lah GORZH	गला बैठ जानाgalā baiṭh jānā	to have a frog in one's throat
casser les pieds à quelqu'un	ka-SAY lay pyay ah kel-KUHN	किसी को परेशान करनाkisī ko pareśān karnā	to annoy / bore someone
appeler un chat un chat	ah-play uhn shah uhn SHAH	साफ़-साफ़ बात कहनाsāf-sāf bāt kahnā	to call a spade a spade
avoir la pêche	ah-VWAHR lah PESH	बहुत ऊर्जावान महसूस करनाbahut ūrjāvān mahsūs karnā	to feel great / full of energy
tomber dans les pommes	tohn-BAY dahn lay POM	बेहोश हो जानाbehoś ho jānā	to faint
il pleut des cordes	eel pluh day KORD	मूसलाधार बारिश होनाmūsalādhār bāriś honā	it's raining cats and dogs
mettre son grain de sel	MEH-truh sohn gran duh SEL	बिन बुलाए राय देनाbin bulāe rāy denā	to put in one's two cents (unsolicited)
filer à l'anglaise	fee-LAY ah lahn-GLEZ	बिना बताए चले जानाbinā batāe cale jānā	to leave without saying goodbye
être dans la lune	EH-truh dahn lah LEWN	खोया-खोया रहनाkhoyā-khoyā rahnā	to be daydreaming

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