avoir le cafard (variante)
To feel blue
Littéralement: To have the cockroach
Use `avoir le cafard` to tell friends you're feeling gloomy or missing home in a relatable way.
En 15 secondes
- Means feeling down, gloomy, or melancholic.
- Literally translates to 'having the cockroach.'
- Best for casual conversations with friends or family.
Signification
This phrase is used when you feel a bit down, melancholic, or just generally 'blah.' It's like having a little cloud of sadness following you around for the day.
Exemples clés
3 sur 6Talking to a friend on a rainy day
Avec ce temps gris, j'ai vraiment le cafard.
With this gray weather, I really have the blues.
Feeling homesick while studying abroad
Ma famille me manque, j'ai un peu le cafard ce soir.
I miss my family; I'm feeling a bit down tonight.
In a professional but friendly team chat
C'est dur de reprendre le travail après les vacances, j'ai le cafard !
It's hard to get back to work after vacation; I've got the blues!
Contexte culturel
The expression was popularized by the 19th-century 'poète maudit' Charles Baudelaire to describe 'spleen' or deep boredom. It reflects the French cultural appreciation for existential melancholy and romanticizing one's moods. Today, it is a staple of the French language used by all generations to express a temporary low spirit.
The 'Bumblebee' Alternative
If you want to sound even more French, swap the cockroach for a bumblebee: `avoir le bourdon`. It's used exactly the same way!
Don't use 'être'
English speakers often say `Je suis cafard`. This is wrong! Always use `avoir`. You possess the feeling; you are not the insect.
En 15 secondes
- Means feeling down, gloomy, or melancholic.
- Literally translates to 'having the cockroach.'
- Best for casual conversations with friends or family.
What It Means
Imagine you wake up and everything feels heavy. You aren't in a crisis. You just feel a bit blue. In French, you don't 'feel' this feeling. You 'have' it. Specifically, you have a cockroach. It represents that nagging, dark feeling that crawls into your mind. It is the French equivalent of a 'funk' or 'the blues.'
How To Use It
Using it is very simple. Use the verb avoir (to have). Conjugate it to match yourself or your friend. For example, J'ai le cafard means 'I'm feeling down.' You can add un peu to soften it. Say J'ai un peu le cafard if you're just slightly moody. It stays the same regardless of gender. The cockroach doesn't care if you are male or female!
When To Use It
You use this with people you know well. It is perfect for a coffee date with a friend. Use it when the weather is gray. Use it when you miss your home country. It works well in texts too. If a friend asks Ça va ? and you aren't great, send this. It signals you need a little sympathy or a croissant.
When NOT To Use It
Do not use this in a high-stakes job interview. It is a bit too personal for a CEO. Also, avoid it for truly tragic events. If something devastating happens, le cafard sounds too light. It is for moods, not deep grief. Don't use it to describe a physical illness. Having a cold is not 'having the cockroach.'
Cultural Background
We owe this strange image to the poet Charles Baudelaire. In his 1857 work 'Les Fleurs du mal,' he used the cockroach to symbolize gloom. Before him, a cafard was just a bug or a religious hypocrite. He turned it into a symbol of 'spleen' or melancholy. Now, every French person uses it without thinking of the insect. It is a literary legacy in everyday speech!
Common Variations
You might hear avoir le bourdon (to have the bumblebee). It means the exact same thing. Some people also say avoir le blues, borrowing from English. If you want to be very modern, you might say avoir un coup de mou. But le cafard remains the classic, poetic choice for your moody days.
Notes d'usage
This is a standard informal idiom. It is safe for almost all social situations except for very formal ceremonies or official business correspondence.
The 'Bumblebee' Alternative
If you want to sound even more French, swap the cockroach for a bumblebee: `avoir le bourdon`. It's used exactly the same way!
Don't use 'être'
English speakers often say `Je suis cafard`. This is wrong! Always use `avoir`. You possess the feeling; you are not the insect.
The Baudelaire Connection
The French love a bit of drama. Mentioning you have `le cafard` connects you to a long history of French literary melancholy. It's very chic to be slightly sad.
Exemples
6Avec ce temps gris, j'ai vraiment le cafard.
With this gray weather, I really have the blues.
A very common way to blame the weather for your mood.
Ma famille me manque, j'ai un peu le cafard ce soir.
I miss my family; I'm feeling a bit down tonight.
Expresses a soft, relatable sadness.
C'est dur de reprendre le travail après les vacances, j'ai le cafard !
It's hard to get back to work after vacation; I've got the blues!
Relatable 'back-to-work' blues shared with colleagues.
Ce dimanche est trop calme, ça me donne le cafard.
This Sunday is too quiet; it's giving me the blues.
Using 'donner' (to give) to show the cause of the mood.
Il n'y a plus de chocolat ? Ah non, j'ai le cafard maintenant !
No more chocolate? Oh no, I'm depressed now!
Using the phrase dramatically for comedic effect.
Je ne sors pas ce soir, j'ai le cafard et je veux rester au lit.
I'm not going out tonight; I'm feeling low and want to stay in bed.
A honest way to decline an invitation.
Teste-toi
Choose the correct verb to complete the expression.
Depuis qu'il est parti, elle ___ le cafard.
In French, you 'have' (avoir) the cockroach, you don't 'are' it.
Which word completes the idiom meaning 'to feel blue'?
Le dimanche soir, j'ai souvent le ___.
'Le cafard' is the specific animal associated with this type of melancholy.
🎉 Score : /2
Aides visuelles
How formal is 'Avoir le cafard'?
Too mild for street slang.
N/A
Perfect for friends and family.
J'ai le cafard, on sort ?
Acceptable in relaxed professional settings.
Le lundi, tout le monde a le cafard.
Too idiomatic for official reports.
N/A
When to use 'Le Cafard'
Bad Weather
Rainy days in Paris
Homesickness
Missing your home country
End of Holidays
Sunday evening blues
Loneliness
When a friend moves away
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNot really. It is better for a temporary 'funk' or feeling blue. For clinical depression, French people use the medical term la dépression.
Yes, but only with colleagues you are friendly with. You might say On a tous le cafard après ce projet (We all have the blues after this project).
There is no real difference in meaning. Avoir le bourdon is just another common way to say the same thing, perhaps slightly more old-fashioned but still very popular.
In a kitchen, yes, it's a cockroach. In a conversation about feelings, it's always about the mood. Context is everything!
You use the verb donner. For example: Cette musique me donne le cafard (This music gives me the blues).
It dates back to the mid-1800s. It became popular thanks to the poet Charles Baudelaire and has stayed in the language ever since.
No, it is too informal for a professional or administrative letter. Stick to more direct language like Je suis attristé or Je regrette.
No, it is understood and used throughout the entire French-speaking world, from Paris to Montreal to Dakar.
The most common mistake is saying Je suis cafard. Remember, in French, you 'have' feelings like hunger, thirst, and cockroaches: J'ai le cafard.
Absolutely! You can say Il a le cafard (He's feeling blue) or ask Tu as le cafard ? (Are you feeling down?).
Expressions liées
Avoir le bourdon
To have the blues (literally: to have the bumblebee)
Avoir le moral dans les chaussettes
To be very low (literally: to have one's morale in one's socks)
Broyer du noir
To be gloomy/depressed (literally: to grind some black)
Être d'humeur massacrante
To be in a terrible mood
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