How do you say “Talk someone's ear off” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is tenir la jambe à quelqu'un, which literally means “to hold someone's leg”. English speakers use talk someone's ear off to mean to talk to someone for so long that it becomes tiring or excessive. Especially useful when the listener wants to leave but cannot escape the conversation. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
tenir la jambe à quelqu'un
/təniʁ la ʒɑ̃b a kɛlkœ̃/
- Literal meaning
- “to hold someone's leg”
- 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 holds the listener by the leg rather than wearing out their ear. It suggests a conversation that keeps someone from leaving or getting on with something else.
The phrase works in an irritated complaint or a light apology. “Parler sans arrêt” simply describes continuous talking, without necessarily suggesting the listener was bored.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
parler sans arrêt
Literally: “to talk without stopping”
A neutral description that does not necessarily imply a bored listener.
assommer quelqu'un de paroles
Literally: “to stun someone with words”
More emphatic; suggests an exhausting flood of speech.
In context
English
He talked my ear off about his holiday.
French
Il m'a tenu la jambe avec son récit de vacances.
English
Sorry, I've talked your ear off for half an hour.
French
Pardon, je t'ai tenu la jambe pendant une demi-heure.
Related expressions
- What “Talk someone's ear off” means in English
- Cut to the chase, Get directly to the main point.
- Drive someone up the wall, Make someone extremely annoyed.
Last updated 2026-09-16