5 Strange but Meaningful French Proverbs About Life

Salut !

What do these proverbs even mean? To put Paris in a bottle, to use violins in unusual ways… French proverbs can be colorful — but sometimes their meanings aren’t very clear.

I must admit, even for me, it took way too long to get what some of these commons proverbs really mean.

These proverbs were going to cover today are quiet strange but they have good meanings! Let me show you how you can use them to ace that French conversation with typical expressions!

Et toi ?

Did you know these sayings?

Are there others that confuse you?

Which one have you only heard once, and only understood way later?

Share your experience (in French if you dare!) in the comments below. We can all learn from your story. The comment section is the best place to start discussions and ask questions!

Bonne journée,

Géraldine

Join the conversation!

  • Quand l’auteur, Edmonia Guerin, a choisi cet proverb pour son livre “Avec Si, On Peut Mettre Paris Dans Un Bouteille,” je crois que c’etait pour dire on ne peut pas changer le passe. On peut dire si je n’avais pas fait ceci ou cela, mais c’est inutile parce que on ne effacer les decisons qu’on a fait dans le passe.

    • “Avec des ‘si’ on met Paris en bouteille” means that if you start all your sentences with “if”, if the only thing you express is hypothetical, then everything is possible. More or less equivalent to: “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride”.

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