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.
“Battre la campagne” is a French saying that literally means “to beat the countryside.” What it really means is “to talk nonsense,” “to rant,” or “to travel over large areas in search of something or someone.” It comes from a practice used by hunters of getting servants or friends to use sticks to beat bushes…
The French verb “guérir” means “to heal,” “to cure,” “to recover” or “to cure oneself.” It can be used in three different ways: transitively, intransitively and reflexively. Let’s see what that means below. Transitive Used transitively, “guérir” means “to cure” someone of something. Transitive means that the verb “guérir” will have a direct object, which…
“Faire d’une pierre deux coups” is a French idiom that literally translates as “to make two strikes with one stone.” It means to reach several objectives with a single action, or to achieve two things at the same time with a single action. The English equivalent of this French saying is “to kill two birds…
The French verb “être” is important in the French language. It serves as the equivalent of the English verb “to be” and plays a vital role in constructing sentences, expressing identity, existence, and characteristics. With its diverse conjugation patterns, “être” encapsulates the essence of being in the French language. As an irregular verb, “être” defies…
The French verb “réussir” means “to succeed,” but it can also mean “to achieve,” “to carry off (something) successfully,” “to win,” or “to pass (an exam).” Etymology: The word “réussir” was borrowed in the early 16th century from the Italian verb “riuscire,” meaning “to re-issue” or “to go out again.” The Italian “riuscire,” is made up…
“Faire tintin” means to be frustrated or deprived, to receive nothing when you were expecting something. Despite the illustration above, this saying has nothing to do with the comic book character Tintin. He was created in 1929, but the word “tintin” dates back to the 13th century. It originally referred to the noise of objects…
