15 French Expressions to Sound Natural (Without Being Rude)

Speak like a native – and still be yourself

🌿 Introduction

You’ve learned French grammar.
You know how to introduce yourself.
You’ve memorized “Bonjour, je m’appelle...”

But when you hear real French people talk, you feel lost.
They say things like:

“C’est pas la mer à boire.”
“Il me saoule.”
“C’est pas gagné.”

And you wonder…
Can I say that too?
Is it rude? Too informal? Just natural?

In this article, I’ll help you learn 15 real French expressions that you can start using today — even as an intermediate learner (A2–B2).
They’re friendly, natural, and often used by native speakers — without being vulgar or too slangy.

💬 Why learn these kinds of expressions?

Many French learners struggle with one question:

“How can I speak naturally… without sounding too stiff or too casual?”

The solution is often not about grammar or vocabulary —
It’s about learning a few simple, emotionally intelligent expressions that French people really use in everyday conversations.

You don’t need to imitate someone else.
You just need to find a French that feels like you.

🗣 15 expressions to speak naturally in French

Let’s go through them one by one — with examples and short explanations.

C’est pas la mer à boire

🟢 “It’s not the sea to drink” → It’s not that hard.

“Allez, fais-le. C’est pas la mer à boire.”
→ Come on, do it. It’s not that hard.

J’ai un petit coup de mou

🟢 “I’m feeling a bit down / tired / low-energy.”

“J’ai un petit coup de mou aujourd’hui.”
→ I’m a bit low today.

 Ça me saoule

🟢 “It annoys me” (informal, but not rude)

“Ce genre de réunion, ça me saoule.”
→ This kind of meeting really annoys me.

C’est pas gagné !

🟢 “It’s not a sure thing / it’s going to be hard.”

“On va essayer, mais c’est pas gagné.”
→ We’ll try, but it won’t be easy.

Je suis à la bourre

🟢 “I’m late” (very common and casual)

“Désolée, je suis à la bourre !”
→ Sorry, I’m running late!

Ça me tient à cœur

🟢 “It’s important to me / it matters deeply to me.”

“Ce projet me tient vraiment à cœur.”
→ This project really matters to me.

Il/Elle me prend la tête

🟢 “They’re getting on my nerves / stressing me out.”

“Il me prend la tête avec ses problèmes.”
→ He’s stressing me out with his issues.

J’en ai marre

🟢 “I’m fed up / I’ve had enough.”

“J’en ai marre de cette pluie !”
→ I’m so fed up with this rain!

Je croise les doigts

🟢 “I’m crossing my fingers / I hope it goes well.”

“J’ai un examen demain… Je croise les doigts.”
→ I’ve got an exam tomorrow… Fingers crossed.

C’est pas mon truc

🟢 “It’s not my thing / I don’t like that.”

“Les maths ? C’est pas mon truc.”
→ Math? Not my thing.

Ça va le faire

🟢 “It’ll be fine / It’s going to work.”

“T’inquiète, ça va le faire.”
→ Don’t worry, it’ll work out.

Je suis à côté de la plaque

🟢 “I’m off / I’m not getting it / I’m out of it.”

“Je suis fatiguée, je suis à côté de la plaque.”
→ I’m tired, I’m totally out of it.

C’est top !

🟢 “It’s great / awesome!”

“Ce resto ? C’est top !”
→ That restaurant? So good!

J’ai le trac

🟢 “I have stage fright / I’m nervous.”

“Avant de parler en public, j’ai toujours le trac.”
→ Before public speaking, I always feel nervous.

On verra bien

🟢 “We’ll see / We can’t know yet.”

“On ne sait pas ce qui va se passer. On verra bien.”
→ We don’t know yet. We’ll see.

🌱 How to make these expressions yours

You don’t need to memorize all 15 right away.
Instead:

1. Pick 3 expressions you love
2. Write them in your journal
3. Use them in a sentence, a short voice message, or even a WhatsApp chat or our Telegram group
4. Practice again next week with 3 new ones

🌿 Speaking French isn’t about perfection.
It’s about daring to sound a little more human — one phrase at a time.

✍️ Weekly writing prompt

This week’s challenge:

✨ Write a short dialogue (4–6 lines) in French
Imagine: you’re meeting a friend and you’re late
Explain why — and react to their answer
Try to use at least 3 expressions from the list above

You can post your text (or voice note) here:
👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/speakfrenchwithconfidence

💌 Want more?

Every Sunday, I send out a gentle message + one writing prompt in French.
You’ll get:

• A theme to write about
• Vocabulary support
• One soft grammar tip
• A space to share your writing (and get feedback if you want)

📬 Join here, it’s free:
👉 https://frenchcreativeacademy.com/french-writing-club/