Il n’y a pas le feu is a fun French expression which translates literally to “there is no fire” and means “there’s no rush” or “no need to hurry”. The expression can also appear as il n’y a pas le feu au lac (there’s no fire at the lake).
Il n’y a pas le feu
there’s no rush
Expression origin
This expression dates back to the mid 20th century. “At the lake” was added to the expression in reference to Lake Geneva to mock the supposed slowness of the Swiss people.
Example sentence:
Calme-toi ! Le concert commence dans une heure. Tu n’as pas besoin de marcher si vite. Il n’y pas le feu !
Calm down! The concert starts in one hour. You don’t need to walk so quickly. There’s no rush!
Il n’y a pas le feu au lac ! On va y arriver avant midi.
There’s no need to hurry! We’re going to get there before noon.
Related lessons
- Il y a – There is, there are, ago
- Avoir besoin de – to need
- En vs dans – in
- Marcher – to walk, function
- Heure – hour
Reference
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
