How do you say “A brain fart” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is avoir un trou de mémoire, which literally means “to have a hole in memory”. English speakers use a brain fart to mean a brief lapse in memory, attention or judgement. Fits the forgetting sense, without the English crudeness. It does not cover every silly mistake or bad idea. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
avoir un trou de mémoire
/avwaʁ œ̃ tʁu də memwaʁ/
- Literal meaning
- “to have a hole in memory”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
82 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“J’ai eu un trou de mémoire” is an ordinary way to explain briefly forgetting a name or fact. It does not make a joke about a bodily function.
Use it when memory really is the issue. For a wrong calculation or poor decision, “j’ai fait une erreur” simply admits a mistake.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone3 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I had a brain fart and forgot my own postcode at the counter.
French
J'ai eu un trou de mémoire et j'ai oublié mon propre code postal au guichet.
English
Sorry, I had a brain fart and added the same number twice.
French
Pardon, j'ai fait une erreur et j'ai additionné deux fois le même nombre.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01