How do you say “Cry over spilt milk” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is pleurer sur le lait renversé, which literally means “to cry over spilled milk”. English speakers use cry over spilt milk to mean to waste time feeling sad about a bad event that has already happened and cannot be changed. While widely recognized and used, it often sounds slightly literary or like a loan translation from English. In casual conversation, French speakers more frequently say 'ce qui est fait est fait'. It is neutral, informal and occasional in everyday French.
Closest natural French
pleurer sur le lait renversé
/plø.ʁe syʁ lə lɛ ʁɑ̃.vɛʁ.se/
- Literal meaning
- “to cry over spilled milk”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- occasional
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
The idiom 'pleurer sur le lait renversé' exists in French and shares the exact imagery and meaning of the English expression. It is almost exclusively used in negative or cautionary structures such as 'inutile de...' (useless to...) or 'ça ne sert à rien de...' (there's no point in...). It is understood by virtually all native speakers and recorded in major dictionaries like Le Robert.
However, French speakers tend to rely on more down-to-earth alternatives in everyday speech. While an English speaker effortlessly uses 'crying over spilt milk' across registers, a French speaker will very often default to 'ce qui est fait est fait' (what's done is done) or simply advise someone not to 'ressasser' (ruminate or dwell on the past).
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity5 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
ce qui est fait est fait
Literally: “what is done is done”
The most common and natural everyday way to express that there is no point dwelling on past mistakes.
inutile de ressasser le passé
Literally: “useless to keep rehashing the past”
More pragmatic and direct, focusing on moving forward.
à chose faite, point de remède
Literally: “to a done thing, no remedy”
A traditional French proverb, but it sounds somewhat archaic today.
Don't translate it literally
pleurer sur du lait versé
Using 'versé' (poured) instead of 'renversé' (spilled/knocked over) is a common mistranslation that sounds unidiomatic.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
I know you failed the test, but there's no use crying over spilt milk.
French
Je sais que tu as raté l'examen, mais ça ne sert à rien de pleurer sur le lait renversé.
English
We lost the contract, but it's done. No point crying over spilt milk.
French
On a perdu le contrat, mais c'est fait. Ce qui est fait est fait, passons à autre chose.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-11