French Expressions Using Pain

The French word le pain literally means "bread" and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Learn how to say worthless, bankrupt, godsend, and more with this list of expressions with pain.

Possible Meanings of Un Pain

Loaf (of bread)
Bar (of wax)
Bar, cake (of soap)
Block (of ice)

Expressions with Pain

Un arbre à pain: Breadfruit tree
Notre pain quotidien (religion): Our daily bread
Le pain et le vin (religion): The bread and wine
Pain d'abeilles: Bee bread
Pain d'autel (religion): Host
Pain béni(t): Consecrated bread
Pain brûlé (adjective): Deep golden brown
Pain eucharistique: Eucharist
Pain grillé: Toast
Un pain de légumes/poisson/etc.: Vegetable/fish/etc. loaf
Une planche à pain: Breadboard; (informal) flat-chested woman
Une tête en pain de sucre: Egg-shaped head
Á la mie de pain (informal): Worthless, inconsistent
Bon comme (du) bon pain: Good like good bread (extremely good)
Long comme un jour sans pain (informal): Interminable
Pour une bouchée de pain (informal): Cheap, for a song
Pour un morceau de pain (informal): Cheap, for a son
Avoir du pain sur la planche (informal): To have a lot to do, have a lot on one's plate, have one's work cut out
Avoir peur de manquer de pain: To be worried about the future
Avoir son pain cuit: To be rich; to be condemned
Enlever à quelqu'un le pain de la bouche: To deprive someone

Être à l'eau et au pain sec: To be bankrupt; to be given only bread and water
Être bon comme le pain: To be extremely good
Faire de quelque chose son pain quotidien: To make something a habit
Faire passer le goût du pain à quelqu'un (informal): To do someone in, to kill
Faire perdre le goût du pain à quelqu'un (informal): To do someone in, to kill
Gagner son pain: To make a living
Manger son pain blanc (informal): To be in a good situation temporarily
Manger son pain noir (informal): To be in a bad situation temporarily
Manger son pain en son sac (informal): To eat secretly / on the sly
Manger un pain trempé de larmes: To pay a lot for something
Ne pas manger de ce pain-là (informal): To avoid profiting from a sticky or illegal situation
Mettre un pain à quelqu'un (informal): To punch/sock someone
Mettre quelqu'un au pain sec: To punish someone by giving them only bread to eat
Nul pain sans peine: No pain, no gain
Ôter le goût du pain à quelqu'un (informal): To do someone in, to kill

Ôter le pain de la bouche de quelqu'un: To deprive someone
Se prendre un pain (informal): To get punched or socked one
Retirer le pain de la bouche de quelqu'un: To deprive someone
Savoir de quel côté son pain est beurré (informal): To know what side your bread is buttered on (to be opportunistic)
Tremper son pain de larmes: To be in despair
Se vendre comme des petits pains (informal): To sell very quickly, sell like hotcakes
Vendre son pain avant qu'il ne soit cuit (informal): To be presumptuous, count one's chickens before they're hatched
Ne pas vivre que de pain: To not be materialistic
Ça ne mange pas de pain. (informal): It's not expensive, It's not important.
C'est mon gagne-pain. (informal): It's my job, It's how I make a living.
C'est pain béni(t). (informal): It's a godsend.
Donnez-nous aujourd'hui notre pain quotidien.: Give us this day our daily bread.
Il a plus de la moitié de son pain cuit.: He won't live long.
Il pleure le pain qu'il mange.: He's stingy.
Il reste du pain sur la planche.: There's still a lot to do.

Il ne vaut pas le pain qu'il mange. (informal): He is lazy.
Je vais au pain. (informal): I'm going to get the bread.

French Bread Related Expressions

There are a lot of different kinds of French bread — here are some of the most common.

Gros pain: Bread sold by weight
Pain azyme: Unleavened bread
Pain béni(t): Consecrated bread
Pain bis: Brown bread
Pain de boulanger: Baker's bread
Pain brié: Hard-crusted, very dense bread from Normandy
Pain de campagne: Farmhouse bread, country bread
Pain à chanter: Unleavened bread
Pain au chocolat: Chocolate croissant
Pain complet: Wholewheat / wholemeal bread
Pain doré: French toast
Pain dur: Dry bread
Pain d'épices: Gingerbread
Pain (de) fantaisie: Bread sold by the piece rather than by weight
Pain frais: Fresh bread
Pain français (in Belgium): Any long loaf of bread
Pain de Gênes: Sponge cake with almonds
Pain grillé: Toast
Pain de gruau: Vienna bread
Pain au lait: Sweet roll/bun
Pain au levain: Traditionally leavened bread
Pain long: Any long, cylindrical bread like a baguette
Pain de ménage: Homemade bread
Pain de mie: Sandwich bread (with a thin crust)
Pain mollet: Type of bread roll made with milk
Pain moulé: Bread cooked in a pan rather than directly on the oven rack
Pain parisien: Long loaf of bread weighing 400 grams

Pain perdu: French toast
Pain polka: Bread marked with squares
Pain quotidien: Everyday bread
Pain aux raisins: Raisin Danish
Pain rassis: Stale bread
Pain de seigle: Rye bread
Pain de son: Bran bread
Pain de sucre: Sugarloaf
Un petit pain: Bread roll