French Expression of the Day: Ni fait ni à faire
It's never a good sign if you hear this French expression.
t’s a useful phrase to know if you want to express frustration with a task that needs doing all over again...
The expression ni fait ni à faire , roughly pronounced nee feh nee ah fair (listen here ), translates literally to "neither done nor to be done". In reality in means that something has been done so badly that it is practically unusable, unfinished or needs to be done all over again.
Originally, the expression referred to something that had been started but not yet finished. Since the task was already underway, it did not need to be started again, but it could not be considered done either. Today, the phrase is used more critically to describe work that has been done so badly that it is barely fit for purpose.
In English, you might say that something is “a complete mess”, “a botched job” or “not fit for purpose”, depending on the context.
You will often hear it in everyday conversation, sometimes with a touch of exasperation or humour. It is stronger than simply saying something is mal fait (badly done), because it suggests the result is so poor that it barely counts as having been done at all.
Il a réparé la porte de la cuisine, mais elle ne ferme plus : c'est ni fait ni à faire ! - He fixed the kitchen door, but now it doesn't close anymore. What a botched job!
Le ménage est ni fait ni à faire. - The cleaning has been done so badly it needs to be done again.
Il a repeint la salle de bain mais c'est ni fait ni à faire. - He painted the bathroom, but it's a mess.
