How do you say “Catch someone red-handed” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is prendre quelqu'un la main dans le sac, which literally means “to catch someone with their hand in the bag”. English speakers use catch someone red-handed to mean to discover someone while they are doing something wrong, with clear evidence of it. It covers more than theft. “En flagrant délit” is a more formal alternative. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
prendre quelqu'un la main dans le sac
/pʁɑ̃dʁ kɛlkœ̃ la mɛ̃ dɑ̃ lə sak/
- Literal meaning
- “to catch someone with their hand in the bag”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
96 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
A hand in the bag suggests someone caught in the act. The phrase works for cheating and other wrongdoing, not only theft.
“En flagrant délit” sounds more formal. If someone is merely surprised or unprepared, use “pris au dépourvu”: they haven't necessarily done anything wrong.
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.
What are other ways to say it in French?
prendre quelqu'un en flagrant délit
Literally: “to catch someone in a flagrant offence”
More formal and often used for offences or rule-breaking.
surprendre quelqu'un en train de tricher
Literally: “to discover someone in the act of cheating”
Direct wording when the act is cheating.
In context
English
We caught him red-handed taking money from the drawer.
French
Nous l'avons pris la main dans le sac en train de prendre de l'argent dans le tiroir.
English
She was caught red-handed copying the answers.
French
Elle a été surprise en train de copier les réponses.
Related expressions
- What “Catch someone red-handed” means in English
- Caught with your pants down, Be caught embarrassingly unprepared.
- Face the music, Accept unpleasant consequences for your actions
Last updated 2026-09-16