Passer l’éponge means literally to pass the sponge, but in slightly better English it would be to wipe the sponge. The English saying it most closely resembles would be “to wipe the slate clean.” It means to restart from zero, to forgive, or to forget disagreeable acts. The expression dates back to the start of the 17th century and originally existed in the form “porter l’éponge” which meant to carry the sponge.
“que dalle” is a French saying that means “nothing” or “nothing at all.” In modern French, “une dalle” is a paving stone, but this has nothing to do with “que dalle.” The origins of this expression are unclear, with a few theories in existence. One is that it comes from the word for a five franc…
“Honni soit qui mal y pense” means “shame to he who sees evil in it.” In modern French (not the saying’s original Middle French), this would be “honte à celui qui y voit du mal.” This is the motto of the Order of the Garter, the most important order of knighthood in Britain. The story…
How do you translate “to save” into French? It depends on what you’re saving. If you’re saving someone in the sense of rescuing them, use “sauver.” If you’re saving money by spending less, use “économiser.” If you’re saving money by putting money aside, then use “épargner.” If you’re saving time, use “gagner.” If you’re saving…
The French phrase “il faut” translates to “it is necessary.” It is an impersonal expression, meaning that the “il” does not translate as “he,” but rather as “it.” So it means “it is necessary,” not “he is necessary.” In fact, the French verb “falloir,” which is the infinitive that “il faut” comes from, can only…
There are few different ways of translating the verb “to happen” into French. You can use the French verbs “se passer,” “arriver” or “se produire.” Let’s look at some examples of each, in order of most frequent usage. se passer arriver se produire
The French expression “en rester comme deux ronds de flan” is an idiomatic expression that means “to be left speechless,” “to be perplexed,” or “to be stunned.” It is used to describe someone who is so surprised or shocked by something that they are unable to respond or react. Some believe that the origin of…