ne pas envoyer dire

The French expression “ne pas envoyer dire” (also written as “ne pas l’envoyer dire”), means “to say something to someone, very directly, bluntly, or unceremoniously.”

Example of usage

  • “C’est qu’il n’est pas content ! Non, foutre ! Il n’est pas content, et il ne l’envoie pas dire !” (It’s because he is not happy. No, damn! He isn’t happy, and he makes no bones about it).
  • “La gosse n’aime pas ses galons et elle ne lui envoie pas dire” (the little girl doesn’t like her braids and she says so, in no uncertain terms)
  • “Tu sais ce que je suis et ta mère ne me l’a pas envoyé dire, tout à l’heure” (You know what I am, and your mother told me without pulling any punches, just now)

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

  • À la noix

    “À la noix” means “stripped of value, not serious, of bad quality, phony, without value, or badly made.” “Une noix” is a walnut. This expression appeared at the end of the 19th century. So why the prejudice against walnuts? The expression may be a deformation of the word “alénois” which is in turn a deformation…

  • Poisson d’avril

    The French idiom “poisson d’avril” literally means “fish of April”, which sounds meaningless and nonsensical. But in fact it refers to the name of any April Fool’s Day joke or prank, carried out on the 1st April in any year. It was first used towards the end of the 17th century, because the word “poisson”…

  • Adjective: paresseux

    Meaning “Paresseux” is a French adjective used to describe a person or thing as “lazy” or “idle.” Corresponding Noun “La paresse” is a related feminine noun that means “laziness,” “sloth,” or in a medical context, “sluggishness.” Gender & number The adjective “paresseux” takes on different forms depending on the gender and number of the noun…

  • être en panne

    “Être en panne” is a French saying that means to be damaged, to be broken, to be defective, to have broken down, or to have stopped an activity. This expression dates back to the 16th century, to the world of sailing ships. “Mettre en panne” meant to adjust the sails in such a way that…