French proverbs

COM_WORDICT_TABLE_CAPTION,
Misfortunes never come alone. Un malheur ne vient jamais seul. Show translation Misfortune never comes alone.
Many things are lost for want of asking. Qui ne demande rien, n'a rien. Show translation He who asks for nothing, has nothing.
Out of sight, out of mind. Loin des yeux, loin du coeur. Out of sight, out of mind.
A traveller may lie with authority. A beau mentir qui vient de loin. Show translation A beautiful lie that comes from far away.
Sweep before your own door. Chacun son métier et les vaches seront bien gardées. Show translation Each to his own and the cows will be well looked after.
A rolling stone gathers no moss. Pierre qui roule n'amasse pas mousse. Show translation Rolling stones don't gather moss.
The mountains have brought forth a mouse. La montagne a accouché d'une souris. Show translation The mountain gave birth to a mouse.
Of two evils choose the least. De deux maux il faut choisir le moindre. Show translation You have to choose the lesser of two evils.
Idleness is the mother of all evil. Oisiveté est mère de tous les vices. Show translation Idleness is the mother of all vices.
He works best who knows his trade. C'est au pied du mur qu'on voit le maçon. Show translation It's at the foot of the wall that you see the mason.
Appearances are deceptive. Les apparences sont trompeuses. Show translation Appearances are deceptive.
Seek, and ye shall find. Cherchez et vous trouverez. Show translation Seek and you shall find.
Fair is not fair, but that which pleaseth. Il n'y a point de laides amours. Show translation There are no ugly loves.
Do as you would be done by. Ne faites pas à autrui ce que vous ne voulez pas qu'on vous fasse. Show translation Don't do to others what you don't want done to you.
Never too much of a good thing. Abondance de biens ne nuit pas. Show translation An abundance of goods doesn't hurt.
Night is the mother of counsel. La nuit porte conseil. Show translation It's best to sleep on it.
Empty vessels make the greatest sound. Ce sont les tonneaux vides qui font le plus de bruit. Show translation It's the empty barrels that make the most noise.
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. On ne fait pas d'omelette sans casser d'oeufs. Show translation You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
Two bigs will not go in one bag. Qui trop embrasse, mal étreint. Show translation You can't embrace too much.
If thou hast not a capon, feed on an onion. Faute de grives, on mange des merles. Show translation For lack of thrushes, we eat blackbirds.

Page 6 of 31

Countries & languages

French proverbs