The French expression “passer un savon à quelqu’un” translates literally to “to pass a bar of soap to somebody”. English meanings include:
- to give somebody a talking-to
- to give somebody an earful
- to haul somebody over the coals.
A French synonym is simply the verb réprimander (to reprimand, tell off). Another French synonymous verb is gronder (to tell off). Here’s an example sentence:
- L’institutrice passe un savon à Johnny quand il se comporte mal en cours. The teacher gives Johnny an earful when he misbehaves in class.
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. 
