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.
The French verb “tirer” means “to draw” or “to pull,” but it has many additional meanings. It is a widely used verb, as well as being the basis of other related verbs such as attirer, étirer, retirer and soutirer. Multiple Meanings of “Tirer”: Etymology The verb “tirer” comes from the Latin verb “tirare,” which means…
“Se souvenir de” is the French verb meaning “to remember.” It is a reflexive verb and is always followed by “de,” or preceded by its equivalent “en.” Usage examples of “se souvenir de”: Using “En” to Replace “It” or “Them”: In French, the pronoun “en” is often employed with “se souvenir de” to replace previously…
Some words in French have almost identical spellings, but are actually different words with different meanings. Remember that accents are an important part of correct spelling in French. Accents are not optional extras. They are an integral part of the spelling of each word. A homonym is a word that sounds identical to another word,…
The French word “derrière” can function either as a preposition, as an adverb or as a noun. Depending on which one of these three parts of speech it is being used as, it can mean “behind,” “after,” “shortly after,” “afterwards,” “bottom,” or “back.” It is the opposite of “devant,” discussed in this blog post. Preposition…
“Être en panne” is a French saying that means to be damaged, to be broken, to be defective, to have broken down, or to have stopped an activity. This expression dates back to the 16th century, to the world of sailing ships. “Mettre en panne” meant to adjust the sails in such a way that…
“c’est fort de café !” means “it’s over the top!” or simply “it’s too much!”. This idiom is a way of saying something is excessive or exaggerated. It translates literally as “it’s strong of coffee” (or “this coffee is strong!”) and comes from a 17th century expression “c’est trop fort,” meaning literally “it’s too strong,”…