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:
“La balle est dans ton camp”
🎧 Here’s a 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 podcast below:
🎾 Some context
The expression “La balle est dans ton camp” is a sporting metaphor which is borrowed from ball games played across two sides of a court, such as tennis. It’s used to tell someone that they now have the initiative to act or make a decision, i.e. the responsibility (“ball”) has been passed on to them.
👀 How about some examples?
To help you commit this expression to memory, here are some useful examples of how to use it in context:
- – Julie, tu as enfin avoué tes sentiments à Paul ?
– Oui, la balle est dans son camp maintenant. Je verrai bien.
- Une fois qu’on aura expliqué la situation à Monsieur Charon, la balle sera dans son camp.
- Oh là là ! La balle était dans son camp, et il a manqué une occasion en or ! Quel dommage !
- Je suis désolée mais ce n’était pas ma responsabilité. Si la balle avait été dans mon camp, j’aurais fait autrement.
🤩 Enjoy a special Fill-in-the-Blanks exercise!
With this great Fill-in-the-Blanks exercise featuring our new expression, you get to practise your French grammar while getting another in-context use of the expression “la balle est dans ton camp” to help you remember it 🤗 Que demander de plus ?
- En route pour un entretien d’embauche (Agreement of Adjectives) – A1-A2
🙌 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!