Today we’ll look at an expression that you’d commonly hear in spoken French but rarely see in the textbooks: En avoir ras le bol, meaning “to be really fed up”. Keep reading and we’ll explain the literal translation.
en avoir ras le bol
to be really fed up
En avoir ras le bol – to be really fed up
Meaning explanation
This expression is not easy to explain. The literal translation of en avoir ras le bol (to be really fed up) is “to have (or to be) at the brim of the bowl”. Ras implies “limit”. A close English expression is “I’ve had it up to here”.
The pronoun en can translate to “it” or “them” and is used for verbs followed by the preposition de.
Example sentences
Note that the expression can also be written with hypens: ras-le-bol. In this first example sentence, the slang reflexive verb se casser (literally to break yourself) means “to leave” or “be outta here”. This post on our site explains reflexive verbs.
J’en ai ras-le-bol, je me casse !
I’m really fed up. I’m outta here!
Il fait très froid depuis deux semaines, et j’en ai ras le bol !
It’s been really cold for two weeks and I’ve really had enough!
In this last example, en avoir ras le bol is followed by the preposition de + noun, implying “to be sick or tired of + noun. En avoir ras le bol could also be followed by an infinitive to mean “to be sick of doing something”.
J’en ai ras le bol de tes prétextes !
I’ve had enough of your excuses!
Ras-le-bol – noun usage
Note the usage of the masculine noun ras-le-bol. Meanings include gloominess, dispair and bleakness. For exmaple, le ras-le-bol des citoyens (the dispair of the citizens).
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
Related lessons
References
