perte de temps
/pɛʁ.t(ə) də tɑ̃/feminine
The English phrase "waste of time" is translated into French as perte de temps.
perte de temps is used to describe a pointless or unproductive activity. In colloquial speech, you may encounter the expression perte de temps monumentale to mean a monumental waste of time or pure perte de temps to emphasize the sheer nature of the wasted time.
Meaning: pointless or unproductive activity (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of "loss of time".
How does it change in a sentence?
Because perte is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine article une when saying "a waste of time" (une perte de temps). If you want to express the verbto waste one's time", use the phrase perdre son temps.
How do you pronounce it?
/pɛʁ.t(ə) də tɑ̃/
Did you know?
- The French word temps is used for both 'time' as a general concept and 'weather'. This means a sentence about a perte de temps could be jokingly misinterpreted as a 'loss of weather' in certain contexts.
- To describe someone who is wasting time by idling, French uses the word flâner, which describes a specific cultural art of strolling aimlessly without a destination.
- In very informal French, instead of saying perte de temps, people might simply say c'est n'importe quoi to express that a situation is a complete waste of effort or nonsense.
Examples in context
- Quelle perte de temps !What a waste of time!This sentence demonstrates an exclamation of frustration using perte de temps.Tatoeba #4550679 by sacredceltic, translation #2534274 by CK
- C'est une perte de temps.It's a waste of time.This sentence shows how to state that something is perte de temps.Tatoeba #451976 by sacredceltic, translation #42348 by CK
- Ce fut une perte de temps.It was a waste of time.This sentence shows how to use perte de temps in the past tense.Tatoeba #4557549 by sacredceltic, translation #2169236 by Hybrid
- Participer à cette réunion était une véritable perte de temps.Attending that meeting was a real waste of time.
- Regarder cette émission est une perte de temps monumentale.Watching this show is a monumental waste of time.
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are discussing a boring movie at a cafe.
- NathanCe film était une véritable perte de temps.This movie was a real waste of time.
- ManonJe suis d'accord, c'était très ennuyeux.I agree, it was very boring.
- NathanOn aurait mieux fait de lire un livre.We would have been better off reading a book.
- ManonTu as raison, Nathan.You are right, Nathan.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waste of time” translations and entries perte de temps, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
