19 French Proverbs About Friendship to Impress Your French Friends

When people mention 'the French language,' the first thing that comes to every person's mind is the fascinating French accent, love, and romance.

However, for French students, this phrase is much more than that. It is about expressions, challenging spelling rules, pronunciation, pronouns, and proverbs.

French proverbs about friendship are a great way not only to sound like a native and impress native French speakers but also to make friends, real and true friends.

Here are 19 French proverbs about friendship that you should learn.

• Ami de tous, ami de personne.

Literal translation: Everybody’s friend is nobody’s friend.

Meaning: This proverb has two meanings. One can be ‘beware of overly nice people,’ and the other ‘friendships require time, commitment, and intimacy.’

• Au besoin on connaît l’ami.

Literal translation: When need comes one knows one’s friend.

Meaning: True friends can be seen in tough situations when you need help. The ones that are willing to help you are your real friends.

• C’est dans le besoin qu’on reconnaît ses vrais amis.

Literal translation: It is when in need that one recognizes his real friends.

Meaning: A friend who is willing to help us in moments of need and necessity is a true friend. Others who disappear at the first sign of ’trouble’ are the fake ones.

• Faites-vous des amis prompts à vous censurer.

Literal translation: Make friends with those who would be quick to criticize you.

Meaning: Sometimes we don’t like to hear the truth because it can hurt us or don’t like it. A true friend who wants to tell you the truth, even if he knows that you won’t like it, is a true friend because he wants what is good for you. The ones who are telling you only the things that you want to hear even if they are a lie aren’t real friends.

• Il vaut mieux être seul que mal accompagné.

Literal translation: One better be alone than in bad company.

Meaning: It is better to be alone than with people who are a bad company for you, or people you don’t like.

• L’amitié, comme le vin, se bonifie avec le temps.

Literal translation: Friendship, like wine, gets better with time.

Meaning: It is well-known that the older the wine, the better. The same is with friendships. The older the friendship, the better for both of you because it means that the relationship is real, sincere, and caring.

• Les bons comptes font les bons amis.

Literal translation: Good accounting makes for good friends.

Meaning: If you borrow something from your friend, make sure you get him back as soon as possible so that the relationship between you two remains good.

• L’ornement d’une maison, ce sont les amis qui la fréquentent.

Literal translation: The friends who frequently visit a house, are its ornaments.

Meaning: Friends who often come to your house and hang with you are the ones you should keep and maintain a friendship with. That feeling of having friends around you in your home is like having pretty ornaments and nice details, so that is why here friends are compared to ornaments.

• L’union fait la force.

Literal translation: Unity is power.

Meaning: You are stronger in a group, with other people than alone.

•  Mes amis sont ma richesse.

Literal translation: My friends are my wealth.

Meaning: Having loyal and true friends is so valuable like you are the richest person in the world.

• Offrir l’amitié à qui veut l’amour, c’est donner du pain à qui meurt de soif.

Literal translation: To offer friendship to someone who wants love is like giving food to someone who is dying of thirst.

Meaning: Nothing is crueler than unrequited love.

• On n’est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même.

Literal translation: You are never better served than yourself.

Meaning: If you want things to be done the right way and the way you want, you better do it by yourself.

• On n’est jamais trahi que par les siens.

Literal translation: We are always betrayed by ours.

Meaning:  We are always betrayed by someone close to us.

• Que les invités qui entrent dans cette maison repartent en amis.

Literal translation: The guests who come to this house leave as friends.

Meaning: Besides family, friends are an important part of our lives, they support us and help us. They love us and for all that, we can never thank them enough. This is one of the proverbs that show how precious they are to use.

• Qui aime bien châtie bien.

Literal translation: He or She who loves well, punishes well.

Meaning: People who love you are usually tough on you, but they do that only for your own good.

• Qui se ressemble s’assemble.

Literal translation: Those who resemble each other will get together.

Meaning: People with similar interests and tastes get well together.

• Plus on est de fous, plus on rit.

Literal translation: The more there are insane people, the more one laughs.

Meaning: The more fun-loving people get together, the more fun they have.

• Un frère ne peut pas être un ami, mais un ami sera toujours un frère.

Literal translation: A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother.

Meaning: A friend can be so supportive, helpful, and love you so much, that he can act as if he is your family. A relative on the other hand is someone you can’t choose, you are connected by blood, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be supportive as a friend can be.

• Un père est un trésor; un frère est un confort; un ami est à la fois.

Literal translation: A father is a treasure; a brother provides comfort; a friend is both.

Meaning: This proverb shows how precious a friend can be. In many cases, a good and reliable friend is not only worthy but a person you can completely rely on whatever you need.

We are social human beings, so interacting with other people is one of the essential things for all of us.

That’s why we make friends. But having true friends, who are there to help you, support you, even criticize you for your own good are priceless.

So, use these proverbs to show your friends love and gratitude that they are here for you every time you need them. 

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