How do you say “Straight from the horse's mouth” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is de première main, which literally means “from first hand”. English speakers use straight from the horse's mouth to mean directly from the person who knows the facts. A neutral equivalent for information received directly. It keeps the source relationship without the playful English image. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
de première main
/də pʁəmjɛʁ mɛ̃/
- Literal meaning
- “from first hand”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“De première main” works when information comes directly from someone involved. It fits a report or a casual explanation of how you know something.
“De source sûre” means from a reliable source, which might still be indirect. Use the first-hand wording when direct contact is the point.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
The owner told me the café is closing, so that's straight from the horse's mouth.
French
Le propriétaire m'a dit que le café allait fermer : c'est donc une information de première main.
English
Ask the coach and get the team news straight from the horse's mouth.
French
Demande à l'entraîneur pour avoir des nouvelles de l'équipe de première main.
Related expressions
- What “Straight from the horse's mouth” means in English
- Hear something through the grapevine, Hear news through informal contacts.
Last updated 2026-10-01