How do you say “Can't hold a candle to” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is ne pas arriver à la cheville de quelqu'un, which literally means “not to reach someone's ankle”. English speakers use can't hold a candle to to mean to be nowhere near as good as someone or something. A close French equivalent for being far less good. The comparison is about ability or quality, not height. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
ne pas arriver à la cheville de quelqu'un
/nə pa aʁive a la ʃəvij də kɛlkœ̃/
- Literal meaning
- “not to reach someone's ankle”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Je ne lui arrive pas à la cheville” puts the other person well above you. It can express admiration or a harsh comparison.
For two films, name the better one after “à”: “Le remake n’arrive pas à la cheville de l’original.”
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I can cook, but I can't hold a candle to my sister.
French
Je sais cuisiner, mais je n'arrive pas à la cheville de ma sœur.
English
The remake can't hold a candle to the original film.
French
Le remake n'arrive pas à la cheville du film original.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01