Letting Off Steam the French Way
Rant about your boss, the strikes and your terrible day with the colourful expressions French friends really use.
Complaining, 'râler', is almost a national sport in France, and friends bond over it: a good rant after work is normal and nobody expects you to be positive about everything. Strikes on the RER or the SNCF, rent rises and difficult bosses are classic topics. These expressions are casual, for friends and close colleagues; with your manager or a customer service agent, stay polite and use vous.
- 1
J'en ai ras le bol !
I've had it up to here!
- 2
J'en ai marre.
I'm sick of it.
- 3
Quelle journée de galère !
What a nightmare of a day!
- 4
Mon chef me tape sur les nerfs.
My boss is getting on my nerves.
- 5
C'est la goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase !
That's the last straw!
- 6
J'ai besoin de vider mon sac.
I need to get it all off my chest.
- 7
Ça me rend dingue.
It's driving me crazy.
- 8
Je suis crevé.
I'm shattered.
- 9
Il se fiche de moi.
He's taking me for a fool.
- 10
C'est le bazar.
It's a total mess.
- 11
Je suis à bout.
I'm at the end of my tether.
- 12
C'est pas la mort.
It's not the end of the world.
- 13
T'as raison d'être énervé.
You're right to be annoyed.
- 14
Te prends pas la tête.
Don't let it get to you.
- 15
Ça rentre par une oreille et ça ressort par l'autre.
It goes in one ear and out the other.
- 16
Les grèves, ça me saoule.
The strikes are doing my head in.
- 17
C'est facile à dire !
That's easy for you to say!
- 18
Laisse tomber, ça vaut pas le coup.
Forget it, it's not worth it.
- 19
Il me pourrit la vie.
He's making my life hell.
- 20
Allez, on va boire un verre pour se changer les idées.
Come on, let's grab a drink to take our minds off it.