How do you say “The ball is in your court” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is La balle est dans ton camp, which literally means “The ball is in your camp”. English speakers use the ball is in your court to mean it is now your turn to make a decision or take the next action. This is the exact idiomatic match used by native speakers across both casual and professional settings. Just remember to adapt the possessive pronoun depending on who you are addressing (ton, votre, son, leur). It is neutral, informal and common in everyday French.
Closest natural French
La balle est dans ton camp
la bal ɛ dɑ̃ tɔ̃ kɑ̃
- Literal meaning
- “The ball is in your camp”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
Both the English and French idioms rely on sports imagery, specifically racket or team sports, to convey that the initiative or decision-making power has shifted to the other party. In both languages, the expression conveys a subtle pressure: one person has done their part, and any stagnation is now the responsibility of the other person.
The only notable difference is lexical. While English specifies the 'court', French uses 'camp' (which translates conceptually to 'half' or 'side of the court'). The French expression easily switches between registers by changing the possessive adjective ('ton camp' for informal, 'votre camp' for formal, and 'leur camp' when speaking about third parties).
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
C'est à toi de jouer
Literally: “It is up to you to play”
Extremely natural and common in everyday spoken French.
À vous de décider
Literally: “Up to you to decide”
More straightforward and common in professional correspondence.
Don't translate it literally
La balle est dans ton court
Even though 'court' refers to a tennis court in French, the fixed idiom requires 'camp' (side/half of the field), not 'court'.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
I've made my final offer, so the ball is in your court now.
French
J'ai fait ma dernière offre, donc la balle est dans ton camp maintenant.
English
We sent them the contract yesterday; the ball is in their court.
French
Nous leur avons envoyé le contrat hier ; la balle est dans leur camp.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-11