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Pain - French Expressions with Pain

Idiomatic French expressions

By Laura K. Lawless, About.com

The French word le pain literally means "bread" and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say worthless, bankrupt, godsend, and more with this list of expressions with pain.

Possible meanings of un pain
  • loaf (of bread)
  • bar (of wax)
  • bar, cake (of soap)
  • block (of ice)

Expressions with pain

un arbre à pain
breadfruit tree

notre pain quotidien (religion)
our daily bread

le pain et le vin (religion)
the bread and wine

pain d'abeilles
bee bread

pain d'autel (religion)
host

pain béni(t)
consecrated bread

pain brûlé (adjective)
deep golden brown

pain eucharistique
Eucharist

pain grillé
toast

un pain de légumes/poisson/etc.
vegetable/fish/etc. loaf

une planche à pain
bread board
(informal) flat-chested woman

une tête en pain de sucre
egg-shaped head


à la mie de pain (informal)
worthless, inconsistent

bon comme (du) bon pain
good like good bread (extremely good)

long comme un jour sans pain (informal)
interminable

pour une bouchée de pain (informal)
cheap, for a song

pour un morceau de pain (informal)
cheap, for a song


avoir du pain sur la planche (informal)
to have a lot to do, have a lot on one's plate, have one's work cut out

avoir peur de manquer de pain
to be worried about the future

avoir son pain cuit
to be rich; to be condemned

enlever à qqun le pain de la bouche
to deprive someone

être à l'eau et au pain sec
to be bankrupt; to be given only bread and water

être bon comme le pain
to be extremely good

faire de qqchose son pain quotidien
to make something a habit

faire passer le goût du pain à qqun (informal)
to do someone in, to kill

faire perdre le goût du pain à qqun (informal)
to do someone in, to kill

gagner son pain
to make a living

manger son pain blanc (informal)
to be in a good situation temporarily

manger son pain noir (informal)
to be in a bad situation temporarily

manger son pain en son sac (informal)
to eat secretly / on the sly

manger un pain trempé de larmes
to pay a lot for something

ne pas manger de ce pain-là (informal)
to avoid profiting from a sticky or illegal situation

mettre un pain à qqun (informal)
to punch/sock someone

mettre qqun au pain sec
to punish someone by giving them only bread to eat

ôter le goût du pain à qqun (informal)
to do someone in, to kill

ôter le pain de la bouche de qqun
to deprive someone

se prendre un pain (informal)
to get punched or socked one

retirer le pain de la bouche de qqun
to deprive someone

savoir de quel côté son pain est beurré (informal)
to know what side your bread is buttered on (to be opportunistic)

tremper son pain de larmes
to be in despair

se vendre comme des petits pains (informal)
to sell very quickly, sell like hotcakes

vendre son pain avant qu'il ne soit cuit (informal)
to be presumptous, count one's chickens before they're hatched

ne pas vivre que de pain
to not be materialistic


Ça ne mange pas de pain (informal)
It's not expensive, It's not important

C'est mon gagne-pain (informal)
It's my job, It's how I make a living

C'est pain béni(t) (informal)
It's a godsend

Donnez-nous aujourd'hui notre pain quotidien
Give us this day our daily bread

Il a plus de la moitié de son pain cuit
He won't live long

Il pleure le pain qu'il mange
He's stingy

Il reste du pain sur la planche
There's still a lot to do

Il ne vaut pas le pain qu'il mange (informal)
He is lazy

Je vais au pain (informal)
I'm going to get the bread


Types of pain

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