French Verb Phrases

Quick Answer

Some expressions in French look like regular verb-object combinations, but they're actually fixed expressions with a specific meaning. These are called locutions verbales(verb phrases). They begin with a verb, but their meaning often can't be guessed from looking at the individual words!

examples
Il a jeté l'éponge. He gave up.
Je vais jeter un œil sur ce document. I'm going to take a look at this document.

examples

Il a jeté l'éponge.

He gave up.

Je vais jeter un œil sur ce document.

I'm going to take a look at this document.

In this article, you'll learn what French verb phrases are, how to recognize them, and why they matter when you're using a dictionary or learning vocabulary.

Questions This Article Answers

What are verb phrases in French?

How do they differ from regular verb-object combinations?

How can you tell if something is a fixed verb phrase?

Why are verb phrases important for learning vocabulary?

What Is a Verb Phrase in French?

A locution verbale(verb phrase) is a fixed group of words that begins with a verb and has a meaning that often isn't literal. In other words, you can't always guess what it means just by translating each word.

Verb Phrases Are Dictionary Entries of Their Own

Verb phrases behave like a single lexical unit. In dictionaries, they're treated as fixed expressions, not just combinations of words. For example, the phrase jeter l'épongeliterally translates as to throw the sponge, but it actually means to give up. That's why it's treated as a fixed expression in dictionaries, including in FrenchDictionary: jeter l'éponge.

Idiomatic verb phrases often have fun stories behind them! Take jeter l'éponge, for example, which literally translates as to throw the sponge. It comes from boxing, where a coach can literally throw a sponge into the ring (normally used to wipe the boxer's face) to stop the fight on behalf of a fighter who's too tired or injured to continue. In English, it's almost the exact equivalent of the expression to throw in the towel.

How Are Verb Phrases Different from Regular Verb-Object Combinations?

Not every verb followed by a noun creates a verb phrase. In French, many verbs are followed by direct or indirect objects:

manger une pomme(to eat an apple), manger une banane(to eat a banana), etc.
regarder la télévision(to watch television), regarder un film(to watch a movie), etc.
écrire une lettre(to write a letter), écrire un roman(to write a novel), etc.

These are free combinations: the verb keeps its literal meaning, and the noun can be swapped out easily. You can eat a banana instead of an apple, and the meaning of manger stays the same.

By contrast, a verb phrase is a fixed group of words that functions as a single lexical unit. Its meaning is often idiomatic and not predictable from the meanings of its individual parts. For example: se faire rouler dans la farineliterally means to get oneself rolled in the flour. Its true meaning is: to get ripped off, to get scammed.

You can't replace la farine (the flour) with another noun and expect the meaning to hold. These expressions are stored as whole entries in dictionaries because they have lexicalized meanings and function as set phrases.

Verb phrases can trip up learners because they often don't mean what they seem to. But once learned, they can make your French more natural and expressive.

Verb phrases also show up frequently in everyday speech, journalism, and literature. That's why many dictionaries include them as headwords or subentries.

Key Differences Between Verb Phrases and Regular Verb-Object Combinations

If you can swap the noun and still keep the same basic meaning, it's probably a verb-object combination.

If changing any part significantly changes the meaning, it's likely a verb phrase.

If you see the phrase listed in a dictionary, especially with its own definition, it's probably a verb phrase.

Some Common French Verb Phrases

Here are 15 common French verb phrases whose meaning is particularly difficult to decipher for English speakers.

French Verb Phrase	Literal Meaning	Actual Meaning
avoir d'autres chats à fouetter	to have other cats to whip	*to have other things to do*
avoir le cafard	to have the cockroach	*to feel depressed*
avoir un poil dans la main	to have a hair in one's hand	*to be lazy*
faire chou blanc	to make white cabbage	*to fail*
faire la pluie et le beau temps	to make the rain and the nice weather	*to call the shots*
faire la tête	to make the head	*to sulk*
faire tout un fromage de	to make a whole cheese of	*to make a big fuss about*
mener quelqu'un en bateau	to lead someone on a boat	*to lead someone on*
mettre la main à la pâte	to put one's hand in the dough	*to help out*
mettre les voiles	to set the sails	*to leave*
poser un lapin à	to put a rabbit to	*to stand (someone) up*
prendre la mouche	to take the fly	*to get offended quickly*
se faire la malle	to make oneself the suitcase	*to run away*
tirer son épingle du jeu	to pull one's pin from the game	*to get out of a tricky situation skillfully*
tomber dans les pommes	to fall into the apples	*to faint*

examples
On parlera plus tard, j'ai d'autres chats à fouetter pour le moment. We'll talk later. I've got other things to do right now.
Tu ne peux rien décider sans François. C'est lui qui fait la pluie et le beau temps ici. You can't make any decisions without François. He's the one who calls the shots here.
On a cinq minutes de retard. Pas la peine d'en faire tout un fromage ! We're five minutes late. No need to make a big fuss about it!
Même les enfants ont mis la main à la pâte pour nettoyer la maison. Even the kids helped out to clean the house.
L'entreprise a tiré son épingle du jeu pendant la pandémie. The company managed to do well during the pandemic.

Understanding and using idiomatic verb phrases in French isn't always easy because their use and meaning can depend on context and region, just like in English.

For each verb phrase, FrenchDictionary indicates its possible senses and translations, along with examples showing them in context. Feel free to explore the following additional verb phrases!