English–French

“bad luck” in French

French

Alsomalheur · malchance

Pronunciation

IPA/pwas/

Example

Il a vraiment la poisse ces jours-ci.

He's really been having bad luck lately.

Illustration for poisse (bad luck)

How to say “bad luck” in French

“Bad luck” in French is poisse.

A run of setbacks that seems glued to one person and refuses to let go.

Full entry for poisse: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with poisse

C'est la poisse, la voiture est tombée en panne.

It's bad luck; the car broke down.

Tips for using poisse

  • Quelle poisse ! works as a familiar exclamation, while avoir la poisse describes someone experiencing recurring bad luck.

Other French words for “bad luck”

Quel malheur, il a raté le train.

What bad luck that he missed the train.

Quelle malchance !

What bad luck!

“bad luck” in other languages