Published July 20, 2020 • Updated June 30, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Avoir le cafard — Meaning and Pronunciation
Avoir le cafard is an informal French expression meaning “to feel depressed,” “to feel down,” or “to be down in the dumps.” Literally, it means “to have the cockroach.” The word cafard is often traced to Arabic kafir, originally referring to someone without faith, and later in French suggested darkness, gloom, or hiding from the light.
IPA pronunciation of avoir le cafard is /a.vwaʁ lə ka.faʁ/, which sounds approximately like “ah-vwahr luh kah-fahr”.
Example Sentences
Je suis déprimé depuis un bon moment. J’ai le cafard.
I’ve been depressed for a while. “I have the blues”.
Ma petite copine m’a quitté et j’ai le cafard.
My girlfriend left me and I’m depressed.
Si tu as le cafard, téléphone-moi et on peut en parler.
If you’re depressed, call me and we can talk about it.
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Related French Words & Expressions
- avoir le blues — to have the blues (from English)
- broyer du noir — (Literally to grind black) to be in a state of sadness
- avoir des idées noires — (Literally to have black ideas) to be depressed
- ne pas avoir le moral — to be low in spirits
- être dans un jour sans — to be having an off day
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