Humanities › Languages Fais gaffe French expressions analyzed and explained Share Flipboard Email Print Keren Su/Stone/Getty Images Languages French Vocabulary Basics Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources for Teachers English as a Second Language Spanish German Italian Japanese Mandarin English Grammar by ThoughtCo Updated March 06, 2017 Expression: Fais gaffe !Pronunciation: [feh gahf]Meaning: Be careful! Watch out!Literal translation: Make mistake!Register: informalNotes: The French expression fais gaffe is interesting because it means just the opposite of its literal translation. Faire une gaffe means "to make a mistake, to blunder," so you would think that "be careful!" would be something more like ne fais pas de gaffe ! Apparently leaving out une is enough to turn the meaning around. You can also say Fais gaffe à toi to mean "Watch yourself."Example Ça peut être dangereux - fais gaffe ! That can be dangerous - be careful!More: Expressions with faire | Most common French phrases citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation ThoughtCo. "Fais gaffe." ThoughtCo, Feb. 26, 2018, thoughtco.com/fais-gaffe-1371222. ThoughtCo. (2018, February 26). Fais gaffe. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fais-gaffe-1371222 ThoughtCo. "Fais gaffe." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/fais-gaffe-1371222 (accessed May 24, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading