French Expressions With Chose

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The French word une chose literally means "thing" and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say above all, at best, to take bad news well, and more with this list of expressions with chose.

French Expressions With Chose

la chose en question
the matter at hand

la chose imprimée
printed word

la chose jugée (law)
final decision, res judicata

la chose publique (politics)
nation, state

avant toute chose
above all else

peu de chose
not much, very little

toutes choses égales
all things being equal, all things considered

C'est bien peu de chose.
It's nothing really.

C'est une chose admise que...
It's a known/accepted fact that...

C'est la chose à ne pas faire.
That's the one thing not to do.

C'est chose faite.
It's done.

Ce n'est pas chose aisée de...
It's not easy to...

Ce n'est pas chose facile de...
It's not easy to...

Chose curieuse, il...
Curiously enough, he...

La chose est d'importance.
It's a matter of some importance.

Chose étrange, il...
Strangely, he...

Chose promise, chose due. (proverb)
Promises are made to be kept.

De deux choses l'une : soit ..., soit ....
There are two possibilities: either ..., or ....

(Infinitive) est une chose, (infinitive) en est une autre.
(Doing something) is one thing, (doing something) is another.

Il n'y a pas une seule chose vraie là-dedans.
There isn't a single word of truth in it.

Il va vous expliquer la chose.
He'll tell you all about it, He'll explain it to you.

Je viens de penser à une chose.
I just thought of something.

Tu lui diras / Vous lui direz bien des choses de ma part.
Give him my regards.

Voilà une bonne chose de faite.
That's one thing done / out of the way.

être la chose de quelqu'un
to be someone's plaything

être porté sur la chose (informal)
to have a one-track mind

être tout chose
to feel a little strange, out of sorts, under the weather

prendre bien la chose
to take it (e.g., bad news) well

se sentir tout chose
to feel a little strange, out of sorts, under the weather

les choses
things

Au point où en sont les choses
The way things are at the moment.

Ce sont des choses qui arrivent.
It's just one of those things, These things happen.

C'est dans l'ordre des choses.
It's in the nature/order of things.

Les choses se sont passées ainsi.
It happened like this.

Les choses vont mal.
Things are going badly.

Dans l'état actuel des choses
As matters/things stand right now

En mettant les choses au mieux.
At best.

En mettant les choses au pire.
At worst.

Mettons les choses au point.
Let's get things straight/clear.

par la force des choses
by force of circumstance, inevitably

avoir un tas de choses à faire
to have a ton/bunch of things to do

faire bien les choses
to do things well/properly

faire de grandes choses
to do great things

ne pas faire les choses à demi/moitié
to do things well, (UK) to not do things by halves

parler de choses et d'autres
to talk about this and that

prendre les choses à cœur
to take things to heart

regarder les choses en face
to face up to things

le chose (informal)
thingie, contraption

quelque chose
something

quelque chose de (bizarre, intéressant...)
something (strange, interesting...)

Monsieur Chose
Mr. What's-his-name

Eh! Chose!
Hey, you!

Pauvre chose!
Poor thing!

le petit chose
young what's-his-name

grand-chose
This indefinite pronoun is always used in the negative

pas grand-chose
not much, nothing much

sans changer grand-chose
without changing much

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Team, ThoughtCo. "French Expressions With Chose." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/french-expressions-with-chose-1368655. Team, ThoughtCo. (2023, April 5). French Expressions With Chose. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/french-expressions-with-chose-1368655 Team, ThoughtCo. "French Expressions With Chose." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/french-expressions-with-chose-1368655 (accessed March 28, 2024).