Paris phrase
la flemme
A strong lack of motivation or desire to make an effort.
Uses your device’s built-in voice. Pronunciation is approximate because available voices and paris pronunciation vary.
Meaning
La flemme describes not feeling motivated to do something, especially because it seems tiring, inconvenient, or not worth the effort.
Pronunciation and grammar
Pronunciation: /la flɛm/
Part of speech: noun phrase and expression
How it is used
The common expression j'ai la flemme means I cannot be bothered or I do not feel like making the effort.
Register: Informal contemporary French.
Examples in context
- J'ai la flemme de cuisiner ce soir.I cannot be bothered to cook tonight.
- On sort ? Non, la flemme.Are we going out? No, I do not feel like it.
Important context
It usually expresses reluctance rather than literal physical exhaustion, though the two can overlap.
Source
Origin and background
A very common informal French expression for lacking the energy, motivation, or willingness to do something. It often appears in the construction avoir la flemme.
Cultural context
The phrase can describe ordinary laziness, temporary fatigue, reluctance, or a decision that a task feels like too much effort.
When to use it
Use it casually to explain that you do not feel motivated to complete a non-urgent task.
When not to use it
Avoid it where responsibility, illness, burnout, or a serious limitation needs a more accurate explanation.
Example conversation
A: Are you cooking tonight?
B: J’ai la flemme. Let’s order something.
Read the exchange as a complete interaction. Relationship, intonation, timing, and the reply often communicate more than a literal dictionary substitution.
Common misunderstanding
It does not always mean a fixed character trait. A person can have la flemme at one moment without generally being lazy.
Regional and speaker variation
La flemme is not used with identical frequency or meaning by every speaker in Paris and informal French. Age, neighbourhood, community, profession, formality, and personal style affect whether it sounds ordinary, marked, playful, dated, or unfamiliar.
Recognition is therefore different from permission to perform a local identity. Visitors and learners usually sound more natural when they understand the term first and use neutral language until the relationship and setting support it.
How to interpret real examples
Compare several complete examples rather than copying one sentence. Check who is speaking, what happened immediately before it, how the listener responds, and whether the expression softens, intensifies, jokes, agrees, or criticises.
Spelling is also an imperfect guide to sound. Use the pronunciation support as orientation, then listen for rhythm, stress, reductions, and speaker variation in full phrases.
Similar words and related language
- pas motivé
- fatigué
- aucune envie
Compare this entry with the Paris and informal French guide for this usage type and the complete LocalMean guide directory.