J'en ai ras le bol ! - Lawless French Phrase


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Informal French Expression

Meaning	I’m sick of it! I’ve had it up to here! I can’t take any more!
Literally	I have a bowl full of it!
Register	informal
Pronunciation		[zha(n) nay rah l(euh) buhl]
IPA		[ʒã ne ʁa lə bɔl]

Usage notes: The informal French expression j’en ai ras le bol expresses frustration, as if you have a bowl that can only hold so much angst before it spills and you lose your temper.

Par exemple…

Tu vas arrêter, oui ?! J’en ai ras le bol !		Will you stop that?! I’m sick of it!
Il ne fait jamais la vaisselle et j’en ai ras le bol !		He never does the dishes and I can’t take any more!

When specifying what is frustrating you, whether as an infinitive or noun, add the preposition de.

Par exemple…

J’en ai ras le bol de voir ces gens.		I’m sick of seeing these people.
J’en ai ras le bol de ce conflit.		I’m fed up with this conflict.

Note that the adverbial pronoun en is fixed in this expression; even if you specify what it is you’re fed up with, you can’t drop en.

Of course, en avoir ras le bol can be used with other subjects and in other tenses by conjugating avoir as needed:

Il en a ras le bol, Nous en avons ras le bol…
Il en avait ras le bol, Nous en avions ras le bol…
etc.

Synonymous informal expressions

J’ai ma dose
J’en ai assez
J’en ai marre
J’en ai ma claque
J’en ai plein le dos
J’en ai plein les bottes
J’en ai ras la casquette

Normal register synonyms

Ça m’énerve
Je ne peux plus le supporter
Je suis dégoûté
Je suis excédé
La coupe est pleine

Ras-le-bol can also be used as an exclamation …

Ce boulot, ras-le-bol !

This job, enough is enough!

… and a noun:

Il y a un ras-le-bol général dans cette entreprise.		There is general dissatisfaction in this company.
Ça suffit, c’est le ras-le-bol.		That’s enough, I’ve / we’ve had enough.