How do you say “Go back to the drawing board” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is Revoir sa copie, which literally means “To review one’s paper”. English speakers use go back to the drawing board to mean to start planning again because an earlier idea did not work. An established expression for revising work or a plan that is not good enough; it need not mean starting from nothing. It is informal, neutral and common in everyday French.
Closest natural French
Revoir sa copie
/ʁə.vwaʁ sa kɔ.pi/
- Literal meaning
- “To review one’s paper”
- Register
- informal, neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
English returns to a designer’s board. French looks again at a piece of written work, as though correcting a school paper.
Both accept that the first attempt needs work. “Revoir sa copie” can involve smaller changes, while “repartir de zéro” clearly means a full restart.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 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?
Repartir de zéro
Literally: “To start again from zero”
Use when the whole plan needs a fresh start.
Repenser le projet
Literally: “To rethink the project”
A neutral choice for a new approach.
Don't translate it literally
Retourner à la planche à dessin
This may be understood literally, but “revoir sa copie” is the usual idiomatic choice for revising an unsuccessful plan.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
The prototype failed, so we went back to the drawing board.
French
Le prototype n’a pas fonctionné, alors nous avons revu notre copie.
English
We need to go back to the drawing board with this plan.
French
Nous devons repenser ce projet.
Related expressions
- What “Go back to the drawing board” means in English
- Back to square one, Returning to the start after a failure
- Throw in the towel, To give up or admit defeat.
Last reviewed 2026-09-12