trou de mémoire
/tʁu d(ə) me.mwaʁ/
The English phrase 'brain fart' can be translated into French as trou de mémoire.
Use trou de mémoire when you temporarily forget a specific word or a piece of information.
Meaning: confusion of ideas (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase trou de mémoire literally translates to 'memory hole'.
Which one should you use?
While the English 'brain fart' can imply a momentary lapse in judgment or a silly mistake, trou de mémoire is more specifically focused on the act of forgetting.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʁu d(ə) me.mwaʁ/
Did you know?
- The term trou de mémoire is used even in high-stakes professional settings. Unlike the English 'brain fart', which is slang, the French phrase is acceptable in formal contexts and professional environments.
- French has no direct equivalent to the 'fart' part of the English idiom for this situation. To describe a silly mistake or a lapse in judgment, a French speaker would use different terms entirely, such as une boulette.
- In French, avoir un trou is a common shorthand for avoir un trou de mémoire. This allows a speaker to simply say they 'have a hole' when they cannot recall a word.
Examples in context
- Désolé, j'ai eu un petit blackout et j'ai complètement oublié ce que tu as dit.Sorry, I had a brain fart and completely forgot what you said.
- Je suis désolé pour cette question stupide. J'ai eu un trou de mémoire.I'm sorry for the silly question. I had a brain fart.
- J'ai eu un petit trou de mémoire.I had a little brain fart.
- C'est un simple trou de mémoire.It is just a brain fart.
- Désolé, j'ai un trou de mémoire total.Sorry, I am having a total brain fart.
Example conversation
Lucas is trying to remember the name of a movie while talking to Léa.
- LucasLe film s'appelle… oh, j'ai un trou de mémoire !The movie is called… oh, I'm having a brain fart!
- LéaEst-ce que c'est un film d'action, Lucas ?Is it an action movie, Lucas?
- LucasOui, c'est ça ! Je m'en souviens enfin.Yes, that's it! I finally remember.
- LéaÇa arrive même aux meilleurs, Léa comprend.It happens to the best of us, Léa understands.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry trou de mémoire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
