How do you say “Give someone a hard time” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is mener la vie dure à quelqu’un, which literally means “to lead someone a hard life”. English speakers use give someone a hard time to mean to make things difficult for someone through criticism, pressure or teasing. Fits persistent pressure or unpleasant treatment. “Taquiner” is better for affectionate teasing. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
mener la vie dure à quelqu’un
/məne la vi dyʁ a kɛlkœ̃/
- Literal meaning
- “to lead someone a hard life”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
82 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Mener la vie dure” is stronger than a passing joke. Use it when someone makes another person’s situation difficult through their behaviour.
For the karaoke example, “taquiner” keeps the friendly possibility. It avoids making a little teasing sound like sustained harassment.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context3 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
taquiner quelqu’un
Literally: “to tease someone”
For lighter, often affectionate teasing.
In context
English
The landlord gave us a hard time when we asked for the heating to be fixed.
French
Le propriétaire nous a mené la vie dure quand nous avons demandé la réparation du chauffage.
English
My friends gave me a hard time about my terrible karaoke performance.
French
Mes amis m’ont taquiné à propos de ma prestation désastreuse au karaoké.
Related expressions
- What “Give someone a hard time” means in English
- Pull someone's leg, To tease someone playfully.
Last updated 2026-11-13