French Expression · Intermediate
avoir du pain sur la planche
to have a lot on one's plate / to have a lot to do
Pronunciation: [a.vwaʁ dy pɛ̃ syʁ la plɑ̃ʃ] (a-VWAHR doo PAN syoor lah PLAHNSH)
Meaning
To have many tasks or a significant amount of work that needs to be completed, often implying a busy schedule.
Example
Je ne peux pas sortir ce soir, j'ai vraiment du pain sur la planche avec ce projet de fin d'année.
I can't go out tonight, I really have a lot on my plate with this end-of-year project.
Common mistakes & tips
- Practice avoir du pain sur la planche out loud — read the pronunciation guide above and repeat.
- Use it in your own sentence today; reuse beats rereading.
- Pay attention to context: this is a intermediate-level French expression.