Sunshine Language School

Learning idioms when learning a new language is crucially important because people do not speak a language without peppering it with expressions, idioms, phrases and sayings that mean something other than a literal translation would render.

The more idioms you can become familiar with the more language you will understand when you get into a total language immersion type situation, such as when visiting a French speaking country.

When you are ready to consolidate your French learning then you need to visit a French speaking country to put all the things you have learned into practise. Be sure to write down any new expressions that you hear in your day to day conversations with French speakers.

Here are some useful using the verb être. Être of course means ‘to be’.

Je n’y suis pour personne: means I am not at home to anybody, I am not available to anyone.

Je n’y suis pour rien: means I have nothing to do with it, I have no hand in it. It shows that I have no responsibility with regards to something that has happened.

Vous n’y êtes pas: You do not understand it, “You’re out of it”, you are off taget.

Cette fois, ça y est: Now it is done, and no mistake. This time it is done well and truly.

Je n’en suis plus: I no longer belong to it, I am no longer one of the party.

Il n’en a rien été: Nothing came of it.

Il n’en a été pour sa peine: He had nothing for his trouble.

Il en sera ce qu’il vous plaira: It shall be just as you please.

Je ne sais plus où j’en suis: I have lost the place where I left off (for example in reading). (2) I do not know what I am about.

Je suis très bien avec lui: I am on very good terms with him.

Êtes vous de la noce? Are you one of the wedding party?

Voilà ce que c’est que de se mettre en colère: This is the consequence of losing one’s temper.

Je suis à l’étroit: I am cramped for space.

On ne peut pas être et avoir été: One cannot have one’s cake and eat it too.

When speaking French with native speakers you may come across idioms and expressions such as those above. By learning idioms before you get there you will be well equipped to consolidate your French language skills and hear and see the idioms in context when they come up in conversation.

Practise new learning several times, at spaced intervals. Review these expressions every day for a week, doing so a couple of times a day. Remember to review them again in a week, month, 3 months and in a year.