My first office job in France was a masterclass in workplace idioms I absolutely did not understand. One colleague told me on a du pain sur la planche /ɔ̃ a dy pɛ̃ syʁ la plɑ̃ʃ/ — we have bread on the board — and I thought we were starting a team lunch. Another said il faut mettre la main à la pâte /il fo mɛtʁ la mɛ̃ a la pat/ — you have to put your hand in the dough — so I spent half the meeting wondering why everyone talked like stressed bakers.
It turns out French workplaces are full of colorful expressions. Some sound poetic, some sound aggressive, and some make you question whether civilization is collapsing… but all of them make you sound 10× more fluent.
Let’s make you the kind of French speaker who can survive any office conversation — even the ones involving imaginary dough.
Quick Primer
French work idioms fall into a few big families:
- Idioms about being busy
- Idioms about working hard (or not at all)
- Idioms about problems and solutions
- Idioms about team dynamics
- Idioms about success and failure
They appear everywhere — emails, meetings, gossip, résumés, even coffee-machine diplomacy.
Learn them well and you’ll navigate French offices with confidence instead of yak-level confusion.
Idioms About Being Busy
These are the phrases French coworkers throw around when deadlines multiply like rabbits.
| French | IPA | English |
| avoir du pain sur la planche | /a.vwaʁ dy pɛ̃ syʁ la plɑ̃ʃ/ | to have a lot of work |
| être sous l’eau | /ɛtʁ su lo/ | to be swamped |
| courir partout | /ku.ʁiʁ paʁ.tu/ | to run around everywhere |
| ne plus savoir où donner de la tête | /nə ply sa.vwaʁ u dɔ.ne də la tɛt/ | to be overwhelmed |
| c’est la course | /sɛ la kuʁs/ | it’s a race / everything is rushed |
Example:
aujourd’hui, je suis sous l’eau.
/o.ʒuʁ.dɥi ʒə sɥi su lo/
Today, I’m swamped.
Idioms About Working Hard (Or Barely Working)
Some of these are motivational. Others… less so.
| French | IPA | English |
| mettre la main à la pâte | /mɛtʁ la mɛ̃ a la pat/ | to pitch in |
| se retrousser les manches | /sə ʁə.tʁu.se le mɑ̃ʃ/ | to roll up your sleeves |
| bosser comme un fou | /bɔ.se kɔm ɛ̃ fu/ | to work like crazy |
| ne pas chômer | /nə pa ʃo.me/ | to not slack off |
| glander au travail | /ɡlɑ̃.de o tʁa.vaj/ | to slack off (very informal) |
Example:
on se retrousse les manches cet après-midi.
/ɔ̃ sə ʁə.tʁu.se le mɑ̃ʃ sɛ.t‿a.pʁɛ.mi.di/
We’re rolling up our sleeves this afternoon.
Idioms About Problems And Solutions
Because something always breaks: the printer, the Wi-Fi, or your will to live.
| French | IPA | English |
| mettre le doigt sur le problème | /mɛtʁ lə dwa syʁ lə pʁɔ.blɛm/ | to pinpoint the issue |
| remettre à plat | /ʁə.mɛtʁ a pla/ | to rethink everything |
| faire le point | /fɛʁ lə pwɛ̃/ | to review / to take stock |
| trouver une parade | /tʁu.ve yn pa.ʁad/ | to find a workaround |
| ce n’est pas sorcier | /sə nɛ pa sɔʁ.sje/ | it’s not rocket science |
Example:
on doit remettre le projet à plat.
/ɔ̃ dwa ʁə.mɛtʁ lə pʁɔ.ʒɛ a pla/
We need to rethink the project.
Idioms About Team Dynamics
Useful for meetings, conflict resolution, and pretending you enjoy teamwork at 9 a.m.
| French | IPA | English |
| être sur la même longueur d’onde | /ɛtʁ syʁ la mɛm lɔ̃.ɡœʁ dɔ̃d/ | to be on the same wavelength |
| tirer dans le même sens | /ti.ʁe dɑ̃ lə mɛm sɑ̃s/ | to pull in the same direction |
| mettre de l’huile dans les rouages | /mɛtʁ də lɥil dɑ̃ le ʁu.aʒ/ | to smooth things over |
| semer la pagaille | /sə.me la pa.ɡaj/ | to create chaos |
| jouer collectif | /ʒwe kɔ.lɛk.tif/ | to work as a team |
Example:
avec cette équipe, on est sur la même longueur d’onde.
/a.vɛk sɛ.t‿e.kip ɔ̃ nɛ syʁ la mɛm lɔ̃.ɡœʁ dɔ̃d/
With this team, we’re on the same wavelength.
Idioms About Success And Failure
Here are the phrases that show up in performance reviews or around the coffee machine after a project implodes.
| French | IPA | English |
| cartonner | /kaʁ.tɔ.ne/ | to be a big success |
| faire un flop | /fɛʁ ɛ̃ flɔp/ | to flop |
| aller droit dans le mur | /a.le dʁwa dɑ̃ lə myʁ/ | to head straight for disaster |
| sauver les meubles | /so.ve le mœbl/ | to save what you can |
| toucher le jackpot | /tu.ʃe lə ʒak.pɔt/ | to hit the jackpot |
Example:
le projet a cartonné cette année.
/lə pʁɔ.ʒɛ a kaʁ.tɔ.ne sɛt a.ne/
The project was a huge success this year.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
- glander is informal — use only with friends or coworkers you trust.
- cartonner is strong praise; don’t use it for mediocre results.
- sous l’eau is extremely common and not dramatic; it’s normal “I’m busy” French.
- Idioms like remettre à plat or mettre le doigt sur sound very natural in presentations — safe for professional settings.
- Avoid literal translations — we have bread on the board won’t go well.
Regional Notes
In Québec, you’ll hear:
- être dans le jus /ɛtʁ dɑ̃ lə ʒy/ — to be very busy
- aller au bout du rouleau /a.le o bu dy ʁu.lo/ — to be exhausted
- péter sa coche /pe.te sa kɔʃ/ — to lose your cool (very informal)
Stick to France French unless working specifically with Québec teams.
Mini Dialogues
Dialogue 1
tu es dispo cet après-midi ?
/ty e dis.po sɛ.t‿a.pʁɛ.mi.di/
Are you free this afternoon?
non, j’ai du pain sur la planche.
/nɔ̃ ʒe dy pɛ̃ syʁ la plɑ̃ʃ/
No, I have a lot of work.
Dialogue 2
le projet avance ?
/lə pʁɔ.ʒɛ a.vɑ̃s/
Is the project moving forward?
oui, mais il faut remettre quelques points à plat.
/wi mɛ il fo ʁə.mɛtʁ kɛl.kə pwɛ̃ a pla/
Yes, but we need to rethink a few things.
Dialogue 3
la réunion s’est bien passée ?
/la ʁe.y.njɔ̃ sɛ bjɛ̃ pa.se/
Did the meeting go well?
pas vraiment… quelqu’un a semé la pagaille.
/pa vʁɛ.mɑ̃ kɛl.kœ̃ a sə.me la pa.ɡaj/
Not really… someone created chaos.
Quick Reference
| French | IPA | English |
| avoir du pain sur la planche | /a.vwaʁ dy pɛ̃ syʁ la plɑ̃ʃ/ | to have a lot of work |
| être sous l’eau | /ɛtʁ su lo/ | to be swamped |
| se retrousser les manches | /sə ʁə.tʁu.se le mɑ̃ʃ/ | to roll up your sleeves |
| glander | /ɡlɑ̃.de/ | to slack off |
| faire le point | /fɛʁ lə pwɛ̃/ | to review, take stock |
| remettre à plat | /ʁə.mɛtʁ a pla/ | to rethink everything |
| être sur la même longueur d’onde | /ɛtʁ syʁ la mɛm lɔ̃.ɡœʁ dɔ̃d/ | on the same wavelength |
| cartonner | /kaʁ.tɔ.ne/ | to succeed big |
| faire un flop | /fɛʁ ɛ̃ flɔp/ | to flop |
| sauver les meubles | /so.ve le mœbl/ | to save what’s left |
Five-Minute Practice Plan
- Choose two idioms for “busy” and say them aloud with IPA.
- Create a sentence using remettre à plat.
- Practice one positive idiom (cartonner) and one negative (faire un flop).
- Try the dialogues with dramatic office-worker energy.
- Write a two-line “fake meeting update” using at least three idioms.
Conclusion: Where Office French Stops Feeling Like A Minefield
Once these idioms settle into your brain, French workplace conversations stop feeling like tactical combat and start feeling… well, still chaotic, but at least comprehensible. You’ll recognize the dough, the chaos, the waves, the flops, the jackpots — and you’ll sound like someone who’s not just surviving at the office but thriving in its delightful French madness.
