Learning French

Guess the French phrase behind this photo clue...

Can you work out which idiomatic expression is depicted below?

Discover this mystery ant-themed expression
Published

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.

French-speakers use this expression to describe work that is difficult, slow, meticulous, and requires a lot of patience.

Can you guess the French phrase?

Click to show answer
A) Travail de fourmi. This literally translates as: ant’s work. It stems from the idea that ants are particularly hard-working creatures.


Take a look at our handy language guide to find out exactly what this idiom means and discover even more French animal expressions.


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