How do you say “Like herding cats” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is chacun fait à sa guise, which literally means “everyone does as they please”. English speakers use like herding cats to mean to be very difficult because a group will not cooperate or stay organised. Describes everyone doing as they please. Add the organising task to explain why it feels like herding cats. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
chacun fait à sa guise
/ʃakœ̃ fɛ a sa ɡiz/
- Literal meaning
- “everyone does as they please”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
82 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Chacun fait à sa guise” explains why a group is hard to organise: everyone follows their own wishes. The examples put it after the task that is proving difficult.
On its own, the phrase can also describe welcome freedom. Mention the difficulty if you want the frustrated, humorous sense of the English.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context3 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
Getting all six cousins ready for the photo was like herding cats.
French
Réunir les six cousins pour la photo était compliqué : chacun faisait à sa guise.
English
Agreeing on a rehearsal time with this band is like herding cats.
French
Fixer une heure de répétition avec ce groupe est difficile : chacun fait à sa guise.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13