| English |
French |
Literal translation |
| All cats are grey in the dark. |
La nuit, tous les chats sont gris. |
At night, all the cats are grey. |
| The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. |
Les chiens ne font pas des chats. |
Dogs don't make cats. |
| A barking dog does not bite. |
Chien qui aboie ne mord pas. |
|
| Beggars can't be choosers. |
Faute de grives, on mange des merles. |
Lack of thrushes, one eats blackbirds. |
| Better safe than sorry. |
Souris qui n'a qu'un trou est bientôt prise. |
A mouse that has ony one hole is soon caught. |
| Big fish eat little fish. |
Les gros poissons mangent les petits. |
|
| A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras.
Un chien vivant vaut mieux qu'un lion mort.
|
One of yours is better than two that you will have
A live dog is worth more than a dead lion.
|
| Birds of a feather flock together |
Qui se ressemble s'assemble |
Those who resemble assemble |
| A cat may look at a king. |
Un chien regarde bien un évêque. |
A dog looks well at a bishop. |
| Different strokes for different folks. |
On ne marie pas les poules avec les renards. |
One does not wed hens with foxes. |
| Don't count your chickens before they're hatched. |
Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué. |
You shouldn't seel the bearskin before killing the bear. |
| Don't jump to conclusions. |
Il y a plus d'un âne à la foire qui s'appelle Martin. |
There's more than one donkey named Martin at the fair. |
| Don't put the cart before the horse. |
Il ne faut jamais mettre la charrue avant les boeufs. |
One should never put the plow before the oxen. |
| Don't try to do two things at once. |
Il ne faut jamais courir deux lièvres à la fois. |
One should never run after two hares at the same time. |
| Every little bit helps. |
Petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid. |
Little by little, the bird builds its nest. |
| Give a little to get a lot. |
Il faut savoir donner un oeuf pour avoir un boeuf. |
You have to know how to give an egg to get an ox. |
| Give an inch and he'll take a mile. |
Qui vole un oeuf vole un boeuf. |
He who steals an egg will steal an ox. |
| Give some and keep the rest. |
Donne au chien l'os pour qu'il ne convoite pas ta viande. |
Give the dog the bone so that he doesn't go after your meat. |
| The guilty dog barks the loudest. |
C'est la poule qui chante qui a fait l'oeuf. |
It's the chicken that sings who laid the egg. |
| If you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas. |
Qui se couche avec les chiens se lève avec des puces. |
|
| A leopard can't change his spots. |
Qui naît poule aime à caqueter.
Qui a bu boira.
|
He who was born a hen likes to cackle.
He who has drunk will drink.
|
| Let sleeping dogs lie. |
Ne réveillez pas le chat qui dort. |
Don't wake the sleeping cat. |
| Like breeds like.
Like father like son.
|
Bon chien chasse de race. |
Good dog hunts [thanks to] its ancestry. |
| Nice guys finish last. |
Qui se fait brebis le loup le mange. |
He who makes himself a ewe the wolf eats. |
| Once bitten, twice shy. |
Chat échaudé craint l'eau froide. |
Scalded cat fears cold water. |
| One always goes back to one's roots. |
Le loup retourne toujours au bois. |
The wolf always goes back to the woods. |
| Talkers are not doers. |
Ce n'est pas la vache qui crie le plus fort qui fait le plus de lait. |
It's not the cow that moos the loudest who gives the most milk. |
| There's no substitute for experience. |
Ce n'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire la grimace. |
It's not an old monkey that one teaches to make faces. |
| Tit for tat. |
À bon chat bon rat. |
To good cat good rat. |
| To each his own. |
Les chiens aboient, la caravane passe. |
The dogs bark, the caravan goes by. |
| What's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh. |
La caque sent toujours le hareng. |
The herring barrel always smells like herring. |
| When the cat's away, the mice will play. |
Le chat parti, les souris dansent. |
The cat gone, the mice dance. |
