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https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/my-cup-of-tea.html

One expression that I consider a "classic" English one is "my cup of tea".

Does the literal translation in French, i.e. "ma tasse de thé", sound enough idiomatic to native French speakers that are not necessarily familiar with the original English one?

What about also for the negation as in

Hollywood blockbusters are not my cup of tea.

Les blockbusters hollywoodiens ne sont pas ma tasse de thé.

Is the French sentence idiomatic? Or something like the following renders better the meaning in French?

Les blockbusters hollywoodiens, c'est pas mon truc.

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  • 11
    « Ce n'est pas ma tasse de thé » est très employé en France. Je suppose que pratiquement tout le monde le comprend. Je pourrais en écrire beaucoup sur le sujet mais je ne pourrais pas faire mieux que ça et ça, et le plagiat ce n'est pas vraiment ma tasse de thé.
    – None
    Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 20:53
  • 1
    See also french.stackexchange.com/a/23456/1109
    – jlliagre
    Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 22:00
  • @jlliagre Thanks. "Ce n'est pas ma tasse de thé is still used in France although essentially by educated/upper class people and very rarely otherwise, especially by younger generations who might not even know its meaning." (Taken from the linked answer.) and "« Ce n'est pas ma tasse de thé » est très employé en France. Je suppose que pratiquement tout le monde le comprend." (see Laure comment above) are a bit contradictory, aren't they?
    – Dimitris
    Commented Sep 5, 2019 at 10:53
  • @Laure Merci pour le commentaire et les liens. Veuille voir mon commentaire ci-dessus.
    – Dimitris
    Commented Sep 5, 2019 at 10:54
  • @Dimitris Ça peut aussi dépendre des milieux. Très employé ne veut pas dire qu'absolument tout le monde l'emploi. Seule une étude statistique pourrait en dire plus. Je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher de faire le commentaire pour faire le « jeu de mots » en contexte.
    – None
    Commented Sep 5, 2019 at 11:32

2 Answers 2

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I hear often the negative form "c'est pas ma tasse de thé" in France but almost never the affirmative "c'est ma tasse de thé" .

"C'est mon truc" works in both affirmative and negative forms.

The familiar "c'est (pas) mon délire" works as well in circles of young friends.

Another familiar expression is "c'est (pas) mon dada", which is older. It works in negative form but is mostly used affirmatively.

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If you are looking for a positive sentence, expressing someone's affect for an idea, object or situation, the expression "ça me botte !" may suit you.

It comes from the word "Botte", French translation of the word boot. You feel comfortable in the boot, it suits you, it becomes your boot, not because you wear the boot, but because the boot "wears you" as it was designed for your foot.

It may be too close of the expression "Comme un gant" (like a glove), because of the idea of a physical fit but it can be relevant depending on the context.

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