| English |
French |
Literal
translation |
| An apple a day keeps
the doctor away. |
Il vaut mieux aller
au moulin qu'au médecin. |
It's better to go
to the mill than to the doctor. |
| A bad workman blames
his tools. |
À mauvais
ouvrier point de bons outils. |
To a bad worker
no good tools. |
| Beggars can't be
choosers. |
Nécessité
fait loi. |
Necessity makes
law |
| Clothes don't make
the person. |
L'habit ne fait
pas le moine. |
The habit doesn't
make the monk. |
| Don't judge a book
by its cover. |
Il ne faut pas juger
les gens sur la mine. |
One shouldn't judge
people on their appearance. |
| Do your work well
and never mind the critics. |
Bien faire et laisser
dire. |
Do well and let
(them) speak. |
| Every Jack has his
Jill. |
Il n'est si méchant
pot qui ne trouve son couvercle. |
There's no such
mean jar that can't find his lid. |
| Givers of advice
don't pay the price. |
Les conseilleurs
ne sont pas les payeurs. |
Dispensers of advice
are not the payers. |
| A guilty conscience
needs no accuser. |
Qui s'excuse, s'accuse. |
He who excuses himself
accuses himself. |
| Heaven helps those
who help themselves. |
Aide-toi, le ciel
t'aidera. |
Help yourself, heaven
will help you. |
| Honor to whom honor
is due. |
À tout seigneur
tout honneur. |
|
| In the kingdom of
the blind the one-eyed man is king. |
Au royaume des aveugles
les borgnes sont rois. |
|
| It's better to talk
to the organ-grinder than the monkey. |
Il vaut mieux s'adresser
à Dieu qu'à ses saints. |
It's better to address
God that his saints. |
| A man's home is
his castle. |
Charbonnier est
maître chez lui. |
A coalman is master
at home. |
| The miser's son
is a spendthrift. |
À père
avare fils prodigue. |
To a stingy father
prodigal son. |
| New converts are
the most pious. |
Quand le diable
devient vieux, il se fait ermite. |
When the devil gets
old, he turns into a hermit. |
| No man is a prophet
in his own country. |
Nul n'est prophète
en son pays. |
|
| Opportunity makes
a thief. |
L'occasion fait
le larron. |
|
| The rich man is
the one who pays his debts. |
Qui paie ses dettes
s'enrichit. |
He who pays his
debts gets richer. |
| Robbing Peter to
pay Paul. |
Il ne sert à
rien de déshabiller Pierre pour habiller
Paul. |
It serves no purpose
to undress Peter to dress Paul. |
| The shoemaker's
son always goes barefoot. |
Les cordonniers
sont toujours les plus mal chaussés. |
Shoemakers are always
the worst shod. |
| The sky is the limit. |
Tout soldat a dans
son sac son batôn de maréchal. |
Every soldier has
his marshall's baton in his bag. |
| To err is human |
L'erreur est humaine |
The error is human |
| To know a friend
is to respect him. |
Comme on connaît
ses saints, on les honore. |
As one knows his
saints, one honors them. |
| Too many cooks spoil
the broth. |
Autant de têtes,
autant d'avis.
Deux patrons font chavirer la barque. |
So many heads, so
many opinions.
Two bosses capsize the boat |
| The tree is known
by its fruit. |
C'est au pied du
mur qu'on voit le maçon. |
It's at the foot
of the wall that you see the mason. |
| A word to the wise
is enough. |
À bon entendeur,
salut. |
To a good listener,
safety. |
| You can tell an
artist by his handiwork. |
À l'oeuvre
on reconnaît l'artisan. |
By his work one
recognizes the workman. |
