The French expression “être sur la paille” translates literally to “to be on the straw”.
English meaning:
- to wind up in the gutter
- to be penniless
French meaning:
- sans argent – without money
- dans la misère – in misery
Example sentence:
- Mon ami a été sur la paille il y a un an. Aujourd’hui il gère une affaire rentable et tient une belle maison. My friend was in the gutter a year ago. Today he manages a profitable business and owns a beautiful home.
Related expressions:
- être fauché – to be broke
- être en faillite – to be broke, bankrupt (applies to businesses)
- être raide – to be broke (slang)
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho and have helped hundreds of students to learn French via Skype or Zoom since 2014. 
