French Expression of the Day: La tête froide
From a cold head to a naughty head and even a bitchy head, there's a surprising range of 'tête' expressions in French.
Why do I need to know la tête froide?
Because the way this word is used in French is quite different from in English.
What does it mean?
La tête froide – pronounced lah tett fwahd - literally refers to having a ‘cold head’ but when coupled with the verb ‘garder’ (to keep), it actually refers to maintaining a cold, concentrated expression or a 'poker-face'.
It can also be used in the same way as the English expression 'to keep a cool head' or to remain calm and composed in a stressful situation.
And it's just one example of how in French the word tête (head) is used in phrases where in English we would use 'face'. In French, however, it would be strange to say ‘visage’ if you're talking about someone's expression or demeanour.
For example, if you wanted to say someone has a mean-looking face and appears to be a bad guy, in French the exact translation would be to say they have a mean head (une tête de méchant).
Maybe you are planning to host a surprise party, and you can’t ‘wait to see the face they will make’ - once again, in French you would use the word for head here (Je suis impatient de voir la tête qu'il va faire).
Other rude expressions follow the same rule - for instance, the insult that someone has a ‘resting bitch face’ in English translates to ‘tête de garce’ in French (keep in mind this is obviously quite insulting and profane).
While the interchangeability of the French ‘head’ and the English ‘face’ might be difficult to remember when in social settings, it might be some relief that ‘head’ actually means ‘head’ in medical contexts.
So don’t worry, saying ‘J'ai mal à la tête’ does not mean your face hurts (it means you have a headache).
Use it like this
Elle ne voulait pas montrer à quel point elle était nerveuse avant l’exposé. Elle a gardé la tête froide. – She did not want to show how nervous she was before the presentation. She kept her poker-face.
J'ai essayé de garder la tête froide lorsque j'ai serré la main de la célébrité, mais c'était difficile de ne pas sourire. – I tried to keep a straight face when I shook hands with the celebrity, but it was hard not to smile.
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Why do I need to know la tête froide?
Because the way this word is used in French is quite different from in English.
What does it mean?
La tête froide – pronounced lah tett fwahd - literally refers to having a ‘cold head’ but when coupled with the verb ‘garder’ (to keep), it actually refers to maintaining a cold, concentrated expression or a 'poker-face'.
It can also be used in the same way as the English expression 'to keep a cool head' or to remain calm and composed in a stressful situation.
And it's just one example of how in French the word tête (head) is used in phrases where in English we would use 'face'. In French, however, it would be strange to say ‘visage’ if you're talking about someone's expression or demeanour.
For example, if you wanted to say someone has a mean-looking face and appears to be a bad guy, in French the exact translation would be to say they have a mean head (une tête de méchant).
Maybe you are planning to host a surprise party, and you can’t ‘wait to see the face they will make’ - once again, in French you would use the word for head here (Je suis impatient de voir la tête qu'il va faire).
Other rude expressions follow the same rule - for instance, the insult that someone has a ‘resting bitch face’ in English translates to ‘tête de garce’ in French (keep in mind this is obviously quite insulting and profane).
While the interchangeability of the French ‘head’ and the English ‘face’ might be difficult to remember when in social settings, it might be some relief that ‘head’ actually means ‘head’ in medical contexts.
So don’t worry, saying ‘J'ai mal à la tête’ does not mean your face hurts (it means you have a headache).
Use it like this
Elle ne voulait pas montrer à quel point elle était nerveuse avant l’exposé. Elle a gardé la tête froide. – She did not want to show how nervous she was before the presentation. She kept her poker-face.
J'ai essayé de garder la tête froide lorsque j'ai serré la main de la célébrité, mais c'était difficile de ne pas sourire. – I tried to keep a straight face when I shook hands with the celebrity, but it was hard not to smile.
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