Learning French

Guess the French phrase behind this photo clue...

Can you work out which idiomatic expression is depicted below?

Discover this mystery direction-themed French saying

Shutterstock AI

Published Wednesday 07 January 2026 - 09:00 Modified Friday 06 February 2026 - 15:54

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The French love using idioms in everyday conversations, however these unique sayings can sound completely bizarre when translated literally into English.

It is useful to understand their figurative meaning to avoid confusion when chatting with locals.

This particular example featuring a compass direction illustrates an expression that you might say when someone zones out of a conversation.

Can you guess the French phrase?

Click to show answer

A) être à l'ouest (literally: to be in the west)

Take a look at our handy language guide to find out exactly what this idiom means and how to use it.

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