Avoir le cafard is a French expression which translates literally to “to have the cockroach” and means “to be depressed” or “to be down in the dumps”.
avoir le cafard
to be depressed
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 quitée et j’ai le cafard.
My girlfriend left me and I’m depressed.
This example sentence uses the pronoun en, which can be a bit tricky.
Si tu as le cafard, téléphone-moi et on peut en parler.
If you’re depressed, call me and we can talk about it.
Related 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
Expression origin
The French word “cafard” comes from “kafir” in Arabic, which was used to describe a person who had little faith. The article goes on to say that in the 16th century in France, the word was also used in this sense, meaning that be a cockroach was to live in the dark, far away from the light of God.
Related lessons
- Être aux anges – to be over the moon
- Être fleur bleue – moved emotionally, sentimental
- Heureux, content – happy
- Feelings vocabulary
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