How do you say “Burn the midnight oil” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is travailler tard dans la nuit, which literally means “to work late into the night”. English speakers use burn the midnight oil to mean to stay awake working or studying late into the night. French does not have a colorful, dedicated idiom matching this image. Native speakers rely on descriptive phrasing or switch to informal equivalents like 'bosser tard'. It is neutral and common in everyday French.
Closest natural French
travailler tard dans la nuit
/tʁa.va.je taʁ dɑ̃ la nɥi/
- Literal meaning
- “to work late into the night”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
82 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
While English preserves the historical image of studying by oil lamp in 'burn the midnight oil', French lacks a direct poetic equivalent. Instead, native speakers favor descriptive formulations like 'travailler tard dans la nuit' in neutral or formal settings, and 'bosser tard' in casual speech. When the work extends until dawn, speakers often upgrade to 'faire une nuit blanche' (to pull an all-nighter), which captures the same commitment to a deadline even though it specifically implies zero sleep.
Learners should be careful not to translate the English idiom literally into 'brûler l'huile de minuit', which is an unnatural anglicism. It is also important not to confuse it with 'brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts', which points to lifestyle excess and chronic burnout rather than a focused burst of nocturnal productivity.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
faire une nuit blanche
Literally: “to make a white night”
Commonly used when working through the entire night without sleeping (pulling an all-nighter).
bosser tard
Literally: “to work late”
Informal and standard among colleagues or students.
bûcher toute la nuit
Literally: “to chop wood all night”
Informal student slang for intense, late-night cramming.
Don't translate it literally
brûler l'huile de minuit
A direct calque that does not exist in French and will sound nonsensical to native speakers.
brûler la chandelle par les deux bouts
Means 'to burn the candle at both ends' (exhausting oneself by overdoing work and partying), not simply working late.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
I'll have to burn the midnight oil to finish this report before tomorrow morning.
French
Je vais devoir travailler tard dans la nuit pour finir ce rapport avant demain matin.
English
She burned the midnight oil all week studying for her bar exam.
French
Elle a bossé tard toute la semaine pour réviser son examen du barreau.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-11