How do you say “On the spur of the moment” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is sur un coup de tête, which literally means “on a sudden impulse”. English speakers use on the spur of the moment to mean without planning ahead, following a sudden impulse. A close French match for an impulsive decision. It can suggest less thought or more risk than the English. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
sur un coup de tête
/syʁ œ̃ ku də tɛt/
- Literal meaning
- “on a sudden impulse”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
91 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Sur un coup de tête” suits a sudden booking, move or purchase. It often invites the question of whether the decision was sensible.
For a small, harmless act of spontaneity, “spontanément” is more neutral. Choose that if the stronger hint of impulsiveness would be misleading.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
We booked the last two seats on the spur of the moment.
French
Nous avons réservé les deux dernières places sur un coup de tête.
English
On the spur of the moment, I invited the neighbours to dinner.
French
Sur un coup de tête, j'ai invité les voisins à dîner.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04