French Expression of the Day: Avoir les codes

Why do I need to know avoir les codes?

A useful French expression to know, as it often comes up in conversations about society and the unwritten rules that shape how people navigate different environments.

What does it mean?

The French expression avoir les codes, roughly pronounced ah-vouar lay koh-d, literally translates “to have the codes”, but it is not always about passwords or PIN numbers. 

In everyday conversation, this expression means to understand the unwritten rules, references and social conventions of a particular group, environment or situation. In English, depending on the context, you might say “to know the ropes” or “to get the rules of the game”.

You’ll also hear the related expression casser les codes, which means to break with convention or challenge the usual rules. And ne pas avoir les codes, the opposite of avoir les codes – a common way of saying that someone doesn’t understand a particular environment or its expectations.

It’s often used in the sense of being an outsider, not being part of a particular establishment. For example, when Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced his bid for the French presidency, he said: “Je sais ce qu’on va dire de moi : ‘Il est fou. Il n’est pas du sérail. Il n’a pas les codes.” – I know what they’re going to say about me. ‘He’s crazy. He’s not part of this world. He doesn’t know the ropes’.

But in a more literal sense, saying avoir les codes can also mean having the actual codes or passwords needed to access something.

For example: Tu as les codes de la porte d’entrée ? – Do you have the entry codes to the door? Or: Je n’ai plus les codes de mon compte bancaire. – I no longer have the passcodes for my bank account.

Although in this case it’s more usually the singular, eg tu as le code pour le wifi ? – Do you have the wifi password?

Use it like this

Quand tu arrives dans une nouvelle entreprise, il faut un peu de temps pour avoir les codes. – When you join a new company, it takes a little time to learn the ropes.

Elle connaît très bien le milieu de la mode : elle en a tous les codes. – She knows the fashion world very well; she understands all its unwritten rules.

Je ne comprends pas leurs blagues, je n’ai pas les codes de cette génération. – I don’t understand their jokes; I’m not familiar with this generation’s culture.