French Phrase
Je prends les choses au jour le jour.
Meaning
Literally, ‘I take the things day by day.’ It expresses a relaxed, flexible attitude: you deal with each situation as it arrives rather than planning far ahead.
When to use
Use this sentence when you want to describe your personal approach to work, studies, or life in general—especially when you’re emphasizing that you’re not over‑planning and you’re comfortable with uncertainty.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jeprendsleschosesaujourlejour
Subject pronoun
‘Je’ is the first‑person singular subject pronoun, always placed before the verb.
Présent of ‘prendre’
‘prends’ is the present‑tense form of the verb ‘prendre’ (to take) for ‘je’.
Definite article + noun
‘les choses’ means ‘the things’; ‘les’ is the plural definite article.
Idiomatic expression ‘au jour le jour’
Literally ‘by the day the day’, this fixed phrase means ‘day by day’ or ‘taking things as they come’.
🗨In Conversation
Comment gères‑tu ton nouveau projet ?
How are you handling your new project?
Je prends les choses au jour le jour, je vois ce qui arrive chaque matin.
I take things day by day; I see what comes up each morning.
✕Common Mistakes
Je prends les choses au jour à jour.
The correct idiom uses the definite article ‘le’ twice, not the preposition ‘à’.
Je prend les choses au jour le jour.
‘Je’ requires the ‘s’ ending: ‘prends’, not ‘prend’.
Je prends les chose au jour le jour.
‘Choses’ is plural; the article must agree: ‘les choses’.
↔Alternatives
Je vis au jour le jour.
I live day by day.
Je gère les choses au jour le jour.
I manage things day by day.
Je prends les choses comme elles viennent.
I take things as they come.
Cultural Tip
‘Au jour le jour’ is a common colloquial expression in France and Québec. It’s informal but perfectly acceptable in everyday conversation. Avoid using it in very formal written reports; there you’d prefer ‘de façon progressive’ or ‘sans planification à long terme’. The phrase also hints at a laid‑back, sometimes even slightly fatalistic attitude, so be mindful of the tone you want to convey.