How do you say “Lose your marbles” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is perdre la boule, which literally means “to lose the ball”. English speakers use lose your marbles to mean to stop thinking sensibly or clearly. A close informal match for losing your senses. It can be playful about yourself but hurtful about someone else. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
perdre la boule
/pɛʁdʁ la bul/
- Literal meaning
- “to lose the ball”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
French keeps the idea of losing something round, though it uses one ball rather than marbles. “J’ai perdu la boule” can be a self-mocking reaction to a silly mistake.
“Tu as perdu la boule ?” is much sharper. It questions someone’s judgement, so it is not a gentle way to raise a real concern.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I put my keys in the fridge. I must be losing my marbles.
French
J'ai mis mes clés dans le frigo. Je dois être en train de perdre la boule.
English
You want to cycle there in a snowstorm? Have you lost your marbles?
French
Tu veux y aller à vélo en pleine tempête de neige ? Tu as perdu la boule ?
Related expressions
- What “Lose your marbles” means in English
- Not playing with a full deck, not thinking sensibly or clearly, said as an insult
Last updated 2026-10-01