Une bête de somme means a workhorse or a beast of burden. Back in the 12th century, “une somme” meant the load that a horse or a mule could carry. Then, in the 16th century, the term “bête de somme” arrived. These days, the more common word for burden is “un fardeau,” but the term “bête de somme” survives in its original form.
“Du tac au tac” is a French expression meaning immediately, with vivacity, like lightning, scathingly, or with a quick response. It has nothing to do with Tic Tacs or Tiktok. It comes from the world of fencing. In fencing, to retaliate “du tac au tac” means to reply immediately to an assault. The word “tac” refers…
The French idiom “montrer patte blanche” translates literally as “to show white paw.” What it really means is “to prove your identity,” “to present authorisation to enter a place,” or “to be recommendable.” This saying dates back to the time of Jean de La Fontaine. He was a poet and a writer of fables who…
“Par rapport à” is a French prepositional phrase that is widely used. It means three different things: “compared with/in comparison with/against,” “in relation to,” and “with regard to/towards.” Compared with/against In relation to With regard to/towards
It’s important to know the days of the week in French. Each day has an English translation. Each day also has an original meaning, which may sometimes help you to remember it. French English Original French meaning lundi Monday Day of the Moon mardi Tuesday Day of Mars mercredi Wednesday Day of Mercury jeudi Thursday…
How do you say “time” in French? It depends what sort of time you want to talk about. In French, there are several types of time, not just one. “Le temps” means time in general, or time as a duration. “La fois” means time as an occasion, or as part of a sequence of occasions….
“Voir Naples et mourir” means “see Naples and die,” which is pretty much an exact translation of the French. So what does it mean to see Naples and die? The expression is used by the Neapolitans (the inhabitants of Naples in Italy) to mean that their city is so beautiful that once you have seen…