How do you say “Put your money where your mouth is” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is joindre le geste à la parole, which literally means “to join the action to the word”. English speakers use put your money where your mouth is to mean to support what you say with action or money. A close French match for acting on what you say. It often suggests doing so straight away and need not involve money. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
joindre le geste à la parole
/ʒwɛ̃dʁ lə ʒɛst a la paʁɔl/
- Literal meaning
- “to join the action to the word”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Il a joint le geste à la parole” describes someone acting after making a promise or statement. The deed makes the words more convincing.
For a challenge, “Joins le geste à la parole” is direct. In a friendly invitation, explain what help you would welcome.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I praised the garden project, then put my money where my mouth is and donated.
French
J'ai félicité les organisateurs du projet de jardin, puis j'ai joint le geste à la parole en faisant un don.
English
If you care about the park, put your money where your mouth is and help clean it.
French
Si le parc te tient à cœur, joins le geste à la parole et aide à le nettoyer.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04