How Many Idioms Should I Use in a TCF Writing Task?

Aim for 2-4 relevant idioms per response. Overusing them can seem unnatural, so focus on quality over quantity.

Are Idioms Suitable for All TCF Levels?

Yes, but they're most beneficial for B1-C1 levels where expressive writing is expected. Beginners might start with simpler ones like "c'est du gâteau."

Can Using Idioms Incorrectly Hurt My TCF Score?

Absolutely, if an idiom doesn't fit the context, it could confuse the examiner. Always double-check meanings and practice in sentences.

Common French Idioms for TCF Writing You Must Use

December 28, 202523 MinutesWriting, Articles

If you’re preparing for TCF, you should know that using idioms in the TCF writing section or even in the speaking part can give you a good boost for your score. But what are these idioms? Which ones are the most common? How to use them properly in your writing?

In this blog, we’ll look at the best French idioms that work especially well in TCF writing. We’ll look at each idiom with its literal translation, meaning, and a clear example so you can see how to use it naturally in your writing.

Why Idioms Matter in TCF Writing

The TCF writing section usually asks you to share your opinion, describe a situation, or make an argument in a clear, organized way. Using idioms can help you express ideas more clearly and naturally, which can improve your score in vocabulary and TCF oral expression.

For example, instead of saying something is very easy, you can use ‘c’est du gâteau’ to sound more like a native speaker.

According to resources for TCF and other language exams, idioms about ease, money, and emotions are useful because these themes appear often in everyday writing tasks.

Common French Idioms to Boost Your TCF Writing

Let’s jump into a curated list of 15 idioms, organized by theme, to make them easier to remember.

These expressions come from well‑known language‑learning sources, so you can be sure they’re both relevant and commonly used. For each idiom, you’ll find the literal translation, the English equivalent, the meaning, and a sample sentence you can easily adapt for your TCF writing tasks.

1. Ease and Simplicity

These idioms are perfect for describing achievements or simple tasks.

Idiom	Literal Translation	English Equivalent	Meaning	Example
C’est du gâteau	It's cake	A piece of cake	Something is very easy	Préparer cet examen était du gâteau après des mois de révision intensive. (Preparing for this exam was a piece of cake after months of intensive review.)
Les doigts dans le nez	Fingers in the nose	With one's eyes closed	To do something effortlessly	J'ai passé le test les doigts dans le nez grâce à ma pratique quotidienne. (I passed the test with my eyes closed thanks to my daily practice.)
C’est facile comme bonjour	It's easy as hello	Easy as pie	Extremely simple	Apprendre ce vocabulaire était facile comme bonjour pour les étudiants motivés. (Learning this vocabulary was easy as pie for motivated students.)

2. Emotions and Relationships

Moving to the next theme, these idioms are ideal for personal narratives or social discussions.

Idiom	Literal Translation	English Equivalent	Meaning	Example
Avoir le coup de foudre	To have a lightning strike	Love at first sight	Falling in love instantly	Dans les films romantiques, les personnages ont souvent le coup de foudre dès la première rencontre. (In romantic movies, characters often fall in love at first sight from the first meeting.)
La moutarde me monte au nez	The mustard is rising to my nose	Getting hot under the collar	To get angry	Quand je vois l'injustice sociale, la moutarde me monte au nez. (When I see social injustice, I get really angry.)
Avoir le cafard	To have the cockroach	To feel blue	To feel depressed	Après l'échec de mon projet, j'ai eu le cafard pendant plusieurs jours. ( After my project's failure, I felt blue for several days.)

3. Challenges and Outcomes

Next, we have idioms for challenges and outcomes. These examples are great for argumentative pieces on problems or results.

Idiom	Literal Translation	English Equivalent	Meaning	Example
Les carottes sont cuites	The carrots are cooked	The jig is up	It's over; no hope left	Sans réformes immédiates, pour l'économie de ce pays, les carottes sont cuites. (Without immediate reforms, it's over for this country's economy.)
Tomber dans les pommes	To fall into the apples	To faint	To pass out from shock or exhaustion	À la vue du sang, elle est tombée dans les pommes lors de l'accident. (At the sight of blood, she fainted during the accident.)
La goutte d’eau qui fait déborder le vase	The drop of water that overflows the vase	The last straw	The final event causing a breakdown	Cette augmentation des prix était la goutte d’eau qui a fait déborder le vase pour les consommateurs. (This price increase was the last straw for consumers.)

4. Money and Lifestyle

Below are some idioms useful for topics on the economy, work, or daily routines:

Idiom	Literal Translation	English Equivalent	Meaning	Example
Mettre du beurre dans les épinards	To put butter in the spinach	To bring home the bacon	To improve one's financial situation	Un emploi à temps partiel met du beurre dans les épinards pour payer les études. (A part-time job improves finances to pay for studies.)
Ne pas avoir un radis	Not to have a radish	To be broke	To have no money	Après les vacances, je n'ai plus un radis pour sortir. (After the holidays, I'm broke and can't go out.)
Avoir du blé	To have wheat	To be loaded	To be wealthy	Les entrepreneurs qui réussissent ont souvent du blé pour investir. (Successful entrepreneurs often have money to invest.)

5. Versatile Miscellaneous Idioms

Lastly, these idioms fit a variety of contexts, from casual to formal writing.

Idiom	Literal Translation	English Equivalent	Meaning	Example
Poser un lapin	To put a rabbit	To stand someone up	Not showing up for a meeting	Mon ami m'a posé un lapin pour notre rendez-vous au café. (My friend stood me up for our coffee meeting.)
Faire la grasse matinée	To do the fat morning	To sleep in	To stay in bed late	Le dimanche, j'aime faire la grasse matinée pour me reposer. (On Sundays, I like to sleep in to rest.)
Raconter des salades	To tell salads	To spin yarns	To tell lies or nonsense	Les politiciens racontent parfois des salades pour gagner des votes. (Politicians sometimes tell lies to win votes.)

Final Thoughts

Using common French idioms in your TCF writing can really lift the quality of your expression and show that you understand the language beyond the basics.

These 15 idioms are among the most common and useful ones for improving the quality of your writing. The main thing to focus on is how you use them. A few well‑chosen idioms are enough; pick the ones that fit your topic, and they’ll make your writing sound more confident and fluent.