Skip to Content

Être au bout du rouleau (To be worn out)

The French expression “être au bout du rouleau” translates literally to “to be at the end of the roll”.

English meaning:

  • To be worn out
  • to come to the end of the road
  • to reach the end of your tether
  • to come to the end of your rope

French meaning:

  • sans argent ni énergiewithout money or energy
  • très épuisé very exhausted

Example sentence:

  • Après vingt-cinq ans dans la même carrière, Daniel ne supportait plus ni son patron ni ses collègues. Il était au bout du rouleau. Il fallait absolument qu’il change de travail. After 25 years in the same career, Daniel could no longer stand his boss or colleague. He was a the end of his tether. He absolutely need to change jobs.

Related expressions:

  • être au trente-sixième dessous – to be down in the dumps
author avatar
David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com
David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

    David Issokson

    About the Author – David Issokson David Issokson is an online French teacher and the founder of FrenchLearner.com (established 2012). He has been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. David creates clear, structured lessons supported by native audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker. A graduate of McGill University in Montreal, he has taught hundreds of learners worldwide and publishes daily French lessons for more than 12,000 email subscribers. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

    See all posts by