“Avoir la flemme” is a very common and informal French expression that translates literally to “to have laziness”. La flemme is an informal word for la paresse (laziness). English equivalents to avoir la flemme include:
- can’t be bothered
- can’t be asked
- to be too lazy to
- to not feel like
French-to-French definitions include ne pas avoir envie (to not feel like) and être fainéant (to be lazy, idle).
In the sample sentences below you’ll see “avoir la flemme de faire quelque chose”, which means can’t be bothered to do something.
Here are some sample sentences:
- Je devrais apprendre tous ces nouveaux verbes que David m’a donnés mais j’ai la flemme. I should learn all these verbs that David gave me but I can’t be bothered.
- J’ai la flemme de travailler aujourd’hui. Je reste sur le canapé devant la télévision. I can’t be bothered to work today. I’ll stay on the sofa in front of the TV.
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David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
