How do you say “Have skin in the game” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is avoir personnellement quelque chose à perdre, which literally means “to personally have something to lose”. English speakers use have skin in the game to mean to have something personal at risk in the outcome. A plain paraphrase that makes the personal risk explicit. It is more explanatory than the compact English idiom. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
avoir personnellement quelque chose à perdre
/avwaʁ pɛʁsɔnɛlmɑ̃ kɛlkə ʃoz a pɛʁdʁ/
- Literal meaning
- “to personally have something to lose”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
86 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
This wording works when someone’s own money or reputation depends on the result. It avoids confusing a personal stake with merely following the project.
It stresses possible loss rather than possible gain. For an investment, naming the money committed often makes the meaning clearer still.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I have skin in the game: my savings are paying for the café.
French
J'ai personnellement quelque chose à perdre : mes économies financent le café.
English
She has skin in the game because her reputation depends on the project.
French
Elle a personnellement quelque chose à perdre, car sa réputation dépend du projet.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-10-01