bavard comme une pie

“Bavard comme une pie” is a French idiom that means literally “as talkative as a magpie.” It is used to refer to someone as being very talkative or very chatty.

In the 17th century, “une pie” meant, as it does now, a magpie. But in those days, it also meant a talkative woman. Since that era, the term has come to be applied to anyone who is talkative, regardless of their sex.

Magpies are very talkative birds, so the expression comes from the tendency of magpies to chirp a lot.

An equivalent English expression would be “a chatterbox.”

Don’t miss out on new posts – subscribe now!

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • la mouche du coche

    “La mouche du coche” is a French saying that literally translates as “the fly of the coach.” It means someone who is useless but imagines they are not, or someone who becomes agitated without providing any real help, or a know-it-all. This expression is usually preceded by the verb “faire” (to make, to do) or…

  • cuiller/cuillère

    The French word “la cuiller” means “the spoon.” It can also be spelled “la cuillère,” which is a spelling that more accurately reflects its pronunciation (KWEE YAIR). Both spellings are accepted in modern French. The spelling of “la cuillère” has recently become more popular, however, due to its more logical connection with standard French phonetics…

  • être en train de

    In French, there is no direct equivalent to the English present continuous (“I am eating”) or past continuous (“I was eating”). Instead, French speakers use the construction “être en train de” + infinitive to emphasize that an action is (or was) in progress. This guide will cover how to use it in both the present…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *