# "Ducks in a row" in French (do not need answer soon) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746 "2017-02-01T13:52:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/1 "2017-02-01T13:52:14Z")
Ah, idioms - the best reason to never, ever, ask for a literal translation. I was wondering, is there one in French which would be equivalent to the English “having all your ducks in a row”? Merci! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/2 "2017-02-01T14:29:25Z")
Here’s a [picture of ducks in a row](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/t/jouez-les-canards-en-caoutchouc-dans-la-ligne-d-isolement-sur-le-blanc-41311964.jpg) while we’re waiting for clairobscur and kobal2 to appear. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/3 "2017-02-01T14:39:18Z")
Per my French speaking gf, there’s no real idiomatic expression. “Avoir les choses en main” would be the closest; lit. Having things in hand. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/4 "2017-02-01T15:00:33Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > “Avoir les choses en main” would be the closest; lit. Having things in hand. Might “Tout en main” be better? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/5 "2017-02-01T17:44:11Z")
I’d see those as meaning more “I’m on it”, focussing on getting on with something, whereas “ducks in a row” means getting the groundwork in good order - related but not quite the same thing. I’d say something more prosaic like “J’ai mis tout en ordre” or “tout est bien rangé”. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/6 "2017-02-01T17:49:15Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > I’d see those as meaning more “I’m on it” You’re right. _Bien rangé_ sounds much better, but I’m not sure it’s quite right. ---
**Author:** ![thatguyjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@thatguyjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatguyjeff)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/7 "2017-02-03T00:11:13Z")
le poop en le group ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/8 "2017-02-03T12:09:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > You’re right. _Bien rangé_ sounds much better, but I’m not sure it’s quite right. Nope. “Bien rangé” refers to well ordered material things. Your bedroom can be “bien rangée”, your vacation plans or whatever can’t. But I can’t think of any equivalent idiom out of my head. “Avoir les choses bien en main” isn’t a bad idea, indeed, even though the meaning is slightly different (more like “having everything under control”). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/9 "2017-02-03T16:19:04Z")
How about _“Aligner les canards”?_ ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/10 "2017-02-03T18:12:57Z")
Vernacularly speaking, we’d probably use the verb \*gérer \*(to manage) in a variety of creative ways. “_C’est bon, je gère_”, “_c’est géré_”, “_ca se gère sans problème_” etc… Similarly with \*maitriser \*(to master/to control) - “_je maitrise_”, “_il maitrise dans son job_” “_c’est bon ça on a maîtrisé_” etc… I’m struggling to find a more idiomatic or literary way to say it however. “Avoir les choses en main” does work I suppose. I think we’d probably switch to a noun, that is to say rather than saying that “X has his ducks in a row” we’d say “X is an Y”, where Y would be “a person who has their ducks in a row” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/11 "2017-02-03T18:33:02Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > How about _“Aligner les canards”?_ This would only confuse the French, whose ducks are notoriously unruly. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/12 "2017-02-03T19:59:55Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > I think we’d probably switch to a noun, that is to say rather than saying that “X has his ducks in a row” we’d say “X is an Y”, where Y would be “a person who has their ducks in a row” 🙂 Or an “-ard” adjective derived from some such concept? Not meaning to boast, but I was once described as “débrouillard” (meaning, someone who tends to sort themselves out/ find their own way around without crying for help - but that tends to imply you might have been in a mess in the first place, so not with all your ducks in a row). Maybe too, that’s too descriptive of a characteristic, rather than any specific situation. Maybe the whole business of “colourful” business metaphors just doesn’t exist in philosophy-conscious France? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/13 "2017-02-03T20:00:18Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > This would only confuse the French, whose ducks are notoriously unruly. And here I thought the Norwegians had the wild ducks. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/14 "2017-02-03T20:03:44Z")
A duck once bit my sister. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/15 "2017-02-03T23:41:00Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > This would only confuse the French, whose ducks are notoriously unruly. That’s a vile canard. Les canards français sont très bien élevés ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/16 "2017-02-04T00:43:58Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Nope. “Bien rangé” refers to well ordered material things. Your bedroom can be “bien rangée”, your vacation plans or whatever can’t. But things like paperwork and pre-prepared answers can be, right? Which is the sort of thing for which one might use the phrase. Hmm… how about _J’ai bien preparée_? (Feminine because it’s Nava) > [@bob\_2](#): > > That’s a vile canard. Les canards français sont très bien élevés Et aussi ils sont bons éleves. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/17 "2017-02-04T05:44:48Z")
Is it just a coincidence that this week we’ve had two threads on French ducks? ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/18 "2017-02-04T16:36:59Z")
Could the culinary idea of “mise en place” apply? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/19 "2017-02-04T16:53:26Z")
Come to think of it, where does the English expression come from (or refer to)? Is it supposed to evoke a shooting gallery at a fairground, or what? ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746/20 "2017-02-04T22:45:33Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > How about _“Aligner les canards”?_ That’s a perfectly fine sentence if you’re refering to actual ducks in an actual row. The problem is that since rows of ducks don’t appear in any French idiomatic sentence, people are going to understand it litterally and be completely puzzled (and since there’s no obvious relationship between rows of ducks and what you actually want to express, there’s no way they’re going to be able to make even an educated guess). > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Maybe the whole business of “colourful” business metaphors just doesn’t exist in philosophy-conscious France? You’re overthinking it. Quite simply there are plenty of idioms that don’t exist in other languages, so you have to express the idea using plain, boring, ordinary sentences. For instance, I can’t think of any equivalent to something as trivial as “sitting on the fence”, either. > [@Quartz](#): > > But things like paperwork and pre-prepared answers can be, right? Which is the sort of thing for which one might use the phrase. > > Hmm… how about _J’ai bien preparée_? If you tell me that your paperwork is “bien rangé”, I’ll assume that you have made neat piles on your desk, not necessarily that you actually took care of it. "Ranger"really is about physically putting things in order. The most common use of the word is probably “range ta chambre!” that every parent barked at their children hundreds of times. There are some secondary uses of the verb, like “se ranger à son opinion”, “une personne rangée”, “se ranger des affaires”, but not relevant for this topic. “Bien préparé” is much better : “j’ai bien préparé mon examen”, “je suis préparé à toute eventualité”, for instance. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ducks-in-a-row-in-french-do-not-need-answer-soon/778746.md?page=2)