All about the French expression "Poser un lapin"

On this page, we are going to explain you everything you ever wanted to know about the funny expression “Poser un lapin”.

More precisely, this includes a detailed definition of what it is and how you can use it in a conversation with an audio example. Together with the cool stuff we added like synonym, slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example and more!

If you are interested, you will also find more of these expressions pages on this page and the ultimate list of all our French words guides on this page. Happy learning!

Table of Contents

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Translation in English

How to pronounce

Slow pronunciation

Normal pronunciation

What does poser un lapin mean?

Definition

It literally means:

  • Poser→ To put
  • un → a
  • lapin → rabbit

 

The origin of this saying is quite unclear, one theory is that back in time, an incredible and fictional story was called “un lapin” (a rabbit). Then, with time, the expression “Poser un lapin” (To put a rabbit) became a way to say “To stand someone up“, because the story of the date was a lie: a rabbit.

So “Poser un lapin” (To put a rabbit) nowadays basically means: “To not go on a date without telling the person who is expecting us“.

How to use it

If someone stood you up, you can say: “Il/Elle m’a posé un lapin” (He/She put me a rabbit).

But instead, if you didn’t show up to your date, you can say: “Je lui ai posé un lapin” (I put him/her a rabbit)

Synonyms

  • Faire faux bond → To let down
  • Ne pas se pointer → To not show up (Informal)

Dialogue example with audio

Audio dialogue from French people

Dialogue audio

Dialogue text

” Ton premier rendez-vous s’est bien passé ? “
” Did your first date went well? “
” Non, il m’a posé un lapin… “
” No, he put me a rabbit…* “
Je suis désolé pour toi “
” I’m sorry for you “
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