How do you say “Drive someone up the wall” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is rendre quelqu'un fou, which literally means “to make someone mad”. English speakers use drive someone up the wall to mean to annoy or frustrate someone intensely. The cause matters: the same words can describe excitement rather than annoyance. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
rendre quelqu'un fou
/ʁɑ̃dʁ kɛlkœ̃ fu/
- Literal meaning
- “to make someone mad”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
A noise can “rendre quelqu'un fou” with irritation, but exciting news can also do so with joy. The cause makes the meaning clear.
“Taper sur les nerfs” is more specifically about annoyance. “Pousser à bout” is stronger: it suggests bringing someone to the limit of their patience.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
taper sur les nerfs de quelqu'un
Literally: “to hit someone's nerves”
Especially useful for a persistent irritating habit or sound.
pousser quelqu'un à bout
Literally: “to push someone to the end”
Stronger: bring a person close to the limit of their patience.
In context
English
That constant beeping is driving me up the wall.
French
Ce bip incessant me rend fou.
English
His habit of interrupting drives her up the wall.
French
Son habitude d'interrompre lui tape sur les nerfs.
Related expressions
- What “Drive someone up the wall” means in English
- Fly off the handle, Suddenly lose your temper.
- The last straw, The final problem that makes someone give up.
Last updated 2026-09-16