How do you say “Put your foot in your mouth” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is mettre les pieds dans le plat, which literally means “to put one's feet in the dish”. English speakers use put your foot in your mouth to mean to accidentally say something that embarrasses you or upsets someone else. Unlike the English phrase, this can describe bringing up an awkward subject on purpose. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
mettre les pieds dans le plat
/mɛtʁ le pje dɑ̃ lə pla/
- Literal meaning
- “to put one's feet in the dish”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
86 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
French keeps the feet but puts them in a dish. The phrase describes bringing up a subject others would rather avoid, whether by accident or on purpose.
For a purely accidental mistake, “faire une gaffe” is often closer. It works well in an apology and can describe an awkward action as well as a remark.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity3 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
faire une gaffe
Literally: “to make a blunder”
A broad and very natural choice for an accidental social mistake.
dire une maladresse
Literally: “to say a clumsy thing”
Milder and useful when the remark was simply ill-judged.
In context
English
I put my foot in my mouth by asking why they had separated.
French
J'ai mis les pieds dans le plat en demandant pourquoi ils s'étaient séparés.
English
Sorry, I really put my foot in my mouth just then.
French
Pardon, j'ai vraiment fait une gaffe, là.
Related expressions
- What “Put your foot in your mouth” means in English
- Spill the beans, To give away a secret.
Last updated 2026-09-16