French Expressions and Idioms
Have you heard of “idiomatic expressions”? These are figurative expressions specific to French, that are usually not translatable directly, as each language uses its own references! Therefore, you need to learn them directly in the language, as well as learning French equivalents to the ones you use in English! Knowing idiomatic expressions is key when learning a new language and it will definitely help you sound like a true Français 😊
✍️ Today’s French expression is:
“Être pris la main dans le sac”
🎧 Here’s a mini-podcast about it!
Want to learn more about this fun expression, what it means, and hear some in-context examples? Then listen to Aurélie and Céline‘s related mini-podcast below:
🌰 Some context
The expression “être pris la main dans le sac“ dates back to the Middle Ages and means “to be caught red-handed” or “to be caught with one’s hand in the cookie jar”. This expression is used to describe someone being caught committing a misdeed from a small lie to a more serious crime!
👀 How about some examples?
To help you commit this expression to memory, here are some useful examples of how to use it in context:
- L’employée du supermarché a été prise la main dans le sac alors qu’elle volait de l’argent dans la caisse du magasin.
- – Ah ah Hélène, je te prends la main dans le sac !
– Quoi ? Mais Maman, je n’ai rien fait !
– Je t’ai vu prendre la dernière part de gâteau ! Tu la caches derrière ton dos.
- Les policiers étaient cachés dans un fourgon banalisé et ils ont pris les voleurs la main dans le sac !
- – Sophie, tu as entendu la nouvelle ? Rémi a eu des problèmes à l’école.
– Oh là là ! Qu’est-ce qu’il a fait ?
– Il a été pris la main dans le sac alors qu’il essayait de tricher à son examen !
🙌 Now is your time to shine!
Challenge yourself to use this expression in a French conversation or piece of writing, and let us know what you thought of this expression, share your idiomatic sentences, and tell us how your French friends reacted to it – en français bien sûr – in the comments below 🙂
À toi de jouer !
Author info
For over ten years now, Céline has been teaching French and Italian to students of all ages and abilities in the UK. This French native speaker comes from Brittany, and likes crafts, Breton dance (of course!) and Breton music which she actually played for four years. She also has a fondness for European cinema and British History.
Aurélie is our resident French Expert. She has created most of the wonderful content you see on the site and is usually the person answering your tricky help questions. She comes from a small village near Chartres in Central France, country of cereal fields and not much else. She left (in a hurry) to study English at the world-famous Sorbonne in Paris, before leaving France in 2007 to experience the “London lifestyle” - and never looked back! She's worked as a professional French teacher, translator and linguist in the UK since. She loves to share her love of languages and is a self-professed cinema and literature geek!