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Être dans de beaux draps (To be in a real mess)

The French expression “être dans de beaux draps” translates directly to “to be in beautiful sheets.

English meanings:

  • to be in a real mess
  • to be in a fix
  • to be up a creek without a paddle

French meanings:

  • être dans une mauvaise situationto be in a bad situation
  • être dans une position désagréableto be in an unpleasant position

Example sentence:

  • Pendant le voyage on a volé nos passports et tout l’argent. On était vraiment dans de beaux draps! During the trip our passports and money were stolen. We were in a real mess!

Synonymous expressions:

  • être dans les sales draps – Lit: to be in dirty sheets
  • être dans le pétrin – Lit: to be in the dough kneading machine
  • être dans la mouise – Lit: to be in a mess/jam
  • être dans la merde – Lit: to be in the sh*t (vulgar, be careful!)
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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 »

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