faire le malin

ByFast French

The French phrase “faire le malin” translates literally as “to make the clever (person),” but it really means “to show off,” “to play it smart,” “to try to be clever,” “to get cute,” or “to boast.” It can also mean “to con” or “to cheat.”

Examples

  • Il fait le malin devant les filles mais il ne fait pas beaucoup avancer les choses (He’s a smart aleck in front of the girls, but he doesn’t get much done)
  • Tu feras moins le malin quand la police se sera rendue compte que tu leur as menti (You’ll be laughing on the other side of your face when the police find out you’ve been lying to them)
  • Fallait qu’ils jactent, qu’ils fanfaronnent, qu’ils racontent tout fort leurs petites astuces cheloues, pour faire les malins (They had to jabber, they had to boast, they had to talk loudly about their dodgy little tricks, in order to show off)

Expression

A saying that is derived from this phrase is “qui fait le malin tombe dans le ravin,” which means “he who gets cute falls into the ravine.”

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • non plus

    ByFast French

    The French phrase “non plus” serves as a negative equivalent to “aussi” (also/too), functioning similarly to the English “neither” or “not… either”. It is exclusively used in negative constructions to indicate that a statement applies equally to someone else. Basic structure “Non plus” typically appears at the end of a negative sentence, following this pattern:Subject…

  • parer

    ByFast French

    The French verb “parer” means “to ward off,” “to parry,” or “to fend off.” It can also mean “to protect,” “to attribute” or “to adorn.” So many meanings for one verb!

  • vouloir

    ByFast French

    The French verb “vouloir” is a very important and frequently used verb. It means “to want.” It is often used with other verbs, eg “to want to do.” As such, it is described as an auxiliary verb, or helper verb, because it is useful when combined with other French verbs. Below are the conjugations for…

  • How to say “under” in French

    ByFast French

    Translating prepositions from one language to another can be a tricky task. One group of prepositions that often poses challenges in learning French is the one containing “under,” “underneath,” “below” and “beneath.” “Sous” The most common and straightforward translation for “under” in French is “sous.” This word is the primary equivalent of “under” and is…