Poser un lapin means, in the literal sense, « deposit a rabbit somewhere ». Taken word for word, poser means to put in place, and un lapin designates the animal. But in common usage, the expression does not refer to an animal at all. It means to leave someone waiting without coming, then not show up for the rendezvous. We say therefore: Il m’a posé un lapin when the planned person never arrived. The same idea of annoyance is found in Avoir le cafard, but here it concerns an absence, not sadness.

attendrese présenterdécevoirplanterendez vousvenirabsencefaire faux bondlapinannuler

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Dans cette expression, lapin désigne une absence imprévue et non l’animalAttendre veut dire rester là parce que l’autre n’est pas encore arrivéSe présenter veut dire arriver à l’endroit prévu pour le rendez vousUne absence est le fait de ne pas être là quand on l’attendUn rendez vous est un moment prévu avec quelqu’un pour se voirFaire faux bond signifie ne pas honorer un engagementUne plante peut désigner un lapin posé à quelqu’un dans un registre familierDécevoir signifie ne pas faire ce que l’autre espéraitAnnuler veut dire faire disparaître un plan prévu avant qu’il ait lieuVenir signifie se déplacer pour rejoindre la personne qui attend

Meanings and uses of poser un lapin

Word	Definition
lapin	In this expression, lapin refers to an unexpected absence and not the animal.
rendez vous	An appointment is a scheduled time with someone to meet.
attendre	Attendre means to stay there because the other person has not arrived yet.
décevoir	Décevoir means not to do what the other person hoped for.
annuler	Annuler means to make a planned arrangement disappear before it takes place.
venir	Venir means to travel to join the person who is waiting.
se présenter	Se présenter means to arrive at the place planned for the appointment.
faire faux bond	Faire faux bond means not to honor a commitment.
absence	An absence is the fact of not being there when someone is expecting you.
plante	A plant can refer to someone who has been stood up in a familiar register.

Scramble

The expression is used mostly in speech, in an informal register. It is suitable for a rendezvous with a friend, a flirt, a coffee date or a planned outing. Poser un lapin works very well when talking about someone who does not come without warning. Example: J’ai attendu une heure au restaurant, puis j’ai compris qu’il m’avait posé un lapin. With a more neutral tone, one can also say il ne s’est pas présenté, but poser un lapin sounds more vivid and spontaneous. In a lively conversation, it can be linked to a direct reproach, without becoming rude. If someone changes the subject at the wrong moment, one will use rather Mettre les pieds dans le plat.

Oral uses of poser un lapin

Usage	Explanation
Friendly meeting	We use poser un lapin to talk about a friend who doesn’t come without warning.
Romantic appointment	We also use poser un lapin for a couple’s date that falls through.
Casual register	This expression belongs to everyday informal language.
A mishap story	It is used to tell a funny or irritating situation.
Light reproach	It often serves to make a reproach without being too solemn.
Conversation among close people	More common when the relationship allows a direct, spontaneous tone.
Post-event remark	It can be used after the event to express disappointment.

After poser un lapin, the person who is waiting is often specified. The simplest structure is: subject + poser un lapin + to someone. Il a posé un lapin à Sophie. J’ai posé un lapin à mes amis. When the person is already known in the conversation, this complement is replaced by a pronoun. me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur refer to the person concerned: Il m’a posé un lapin. Tu lui as posé un lapin. On leur a posé un lapin. The pronoun comes before the conjugated verb. The form with à keeps the tone clear and concrete, while the pronominal form serves to speak more naturally about the situation.

Complements and pronouns with poser un lapin

Idea
Specify the person involved with à when you want to know who was stood up.
You can replace the person with me when the person is first person.
You can replace the person with te when the person is second person.
You can replace the person with lui when the person is third person.
The expression is often kept in the passé composé to recount the incident.
You can add a local complement to specify the place of the meeting.

Poser un lapin can carry several nuances depending on the context. The person waiting may be disappointed, annoyed, or frankly vexed. Je lui en veux, il m’a posé un lapin expresses the reproach. Elle m’a posé un lapin, j’ai perdu mon après-midi emphasizes the discomfort. In a story of a romantic meeting, the expression may also imply a lack of interest or a disrespectful behavior. It does not mean poser un problème : poser un problème means to create a difficulty, whereas poser un lapin means not coming. One would not say either that an idea or a situation pose un lapin. The expression belongs to human absences, not to objects nor to abstract questions.

Nuances of poser un lapin in context

Idea
The expression can convey disappointment when waiting for someone who doesn’t come.
The expression can also convey annoyance when the person did it again.
The expression can serve as a direct reproach in a lively conversation.
Poser un problème does not have the same meaning and means to create a problem.
We do not say poser un lapin to talk about a lost or forgotten object.
The expression generally implies a planned appointment and not an impromptu meeting.