In this video, I propose you learn French through 15 expressions containing the names of animals. For example, "monter sur ses grands chevaux" or "manger comme un porc". These expressions are widely used by the French, so you need to know some of them to better speak and understand French.

TRANSCRIPT OF THE VIDEO

Hello everyone, I hope you're well. The weather in Paris is starting to get really nice. It's so nice to wake up to sunshine. Today we're not going to talk about the weather, but about animals, or rather French expressions involving animals.

Last week, you may have seen my video on French expressions with fruit or vegetables. In this video, it's the same principle. We're going to look at common expressions, everyday expressions, imagery and idiomatic expressions in French with animals.

I've chosen the most common expressions for me, the ones I use most in my daily life.

Before you start, I tell you every time, remember to activate the subtitles. It will be easier for you to understand the video and to remember the new words and expressions that we are going to see.

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Let's start with the first expression: to stand up. - I had a date with a waiter at 8 p.m. at the restaurant.

I waited for over two hours and he never came. - You've got to be kidding me. He stood you up like that, out of the blue? - Yeah, he didn't even call to apologize. This morning, I stood up my boss. I'd completely forgotten I had an appointment with him. I hope he won't be too angry. To stand someone up means not to show up for an appointment. You can stand someone up, or someone can stand you up.

It means that he or she doesn't show up for the appointment you had planned. It could be for a business appointment, a meeting with friends or a date.

To eat like a pig or to eat like a pig. Thibault really does eat like a pig. There's as much food on his plate as on the tablecloth. You really eat like a pig, you've got chocolate all over your face. The expression "to eat like a pig" or "to eat like a pig" means to eat badly, to eat rudely, to put it everywhere.

You can choose to say pig or pork. It's the same animal. The only difference is that pork is used to refer to the meat of the pig, and cochon is used to refer to the animal.

Get on your high horse. - I'm dreaming or you're texting a girl. - Stop getting on your high horse, I'm just texting my cousin.

- Are you wearing my sweater? - It's okay, don't get on your high horse. It's just a sweater, and besides, it looks better on me than you.

Getting on your high horse means getting angry very quickly. To get on one's high horse very quickly. It's another expression in French. It means you're nervous, you get angry very quickly.

Hungry as a wolf. I'm as hungry as a wolf, I could eat two pizzas. You're hungry as a wolf today, so leave a few pancakes for the others! When you're hungry like a wolf, it means you're very, very hungry. We're starving. We could eat a lot of things.

Let's get back to business. - Emma phoned me yesterday. She's really fed up with her job and would like a change. Do you think you could help her find a new job? - Ah, you spoke to Emma? I saw that she posted a photo on Instagram in a very pretty dress.

- Yes, I've seen the photo, the dress is really pretty.

But back to the point. Do you think you could help him find a new job?

Getting back on track means getting back to the main topic of conversation. To the subject that was discussed at the beginning, to the most important topic. Often, when you're talking to someone, there can be digressions. You can start talking about something else. When someone says, "Let's get back to business", it means let's get back to the basics.

Putting the bug in the ear.

César didn't mention Caroline, his girlfriend, during the whole conversation. That kind of tipped me off. So I asked his brother, and sure enough, they split up last week. I knew it.

I saw that my boyfriend was writing messages to my sister. Usually, they never talk to each other. That kind of tipped me off. I'm sure they're planning a surprise birthday for me. We use this expression when something catches our attention, we realize there's something not quite right, it arouses our curiosity.

Goose bumps. You won't believe I'm cold, but look at my arm, I've got goosebumps. Every time I see my neighbor, I get goose bumps. He really does look like a murderer. We use the expression avoir la chair de poule (to have goose bumps) when we have little dots appearing on our arm or skin. The hairs stand on end. We often feel this way when we're cold or scared.

Taking the bull by the horns. I've put on 10 kilos in three months. It's really time for me to take the bull by the horns, get back into exercise and see a dietician to lose weight.

I haven't had a job for several months now, and I'm starting to have trouble paying the rent. You really need to take the bull by the horns and start sending out your CVs.

Taking the bull by the horns means facing up to a problem and trying to solve it. At last, we've decided to face up to a problem, a difficulty. We try to find a solution, we set about it.

Give your tongue to the cat. - Guess who I ran into at the supermarket this afternoon. - Ines? - No, I don't think so. - Xavier? - No, I haven't. - Does it start with a B? - No, it doesn't. - I'll never find it.

- Let me give you a riddle. In the morning, I have four legs. At noon, I have two legs. And in the evening, I have three legs. Who am I? - Oh no, I'm really bad at guessing. I give my tongue to the cat. Give me the answer.

When you give your tongue to the cat, it's because you don't know or can't find the answer to a riddle.

We give up, telling ourselves we won't find the solution. We ask the other person to give us the answer, the solution. We give up. Having ants in your legs. - Ah, I've got ants in my legs. I've been sitting cross-legged for too long. - Shake your leg, it'll go away.

When you have ants in your legs or arm, elsewhere in your body, for example, it's because you're tingling.

Generally, it's because the circulation, our blood, isn't flowing very well, because certain areas have been compressed and we've stayed in the same posture for too long.

Don't put the cart before the horse. I'm preparing the decorations for our cake. Don't put the cart before the horse. First, we'll make the cake, check its shape and thickness, and then prepare the decorations.

When you put the cart before the horse, it means you want to go too fast. If, for example, you're not experienced enough, you don't realize that you have to go step by step, that you have to start at the beginning, at the beginning, and then you'll often see.

Someone will tell you, don't put the cart before the horse. Start at the beginning, don't try to skip steps.

Feeling blue. Today I'm feeling a bit blue, it's Valentine's Day, I'm 30, I'm single. All my girlfriends are spending the day with their sweethearts. I'm feeling a bit down.

Pauline's been feeling down since she lost her job. I'm going to bring her some chocolate and ice cream to cheer her up. When you're feeling blue, it means you're not feeling well. You're depressed, you're sad.

It's been raining for two hours, it's really bad weather.

The weather is really awful for my wedding. I hope the guests have brought umbrellas. When we say that the weather is really bad, it means that the weather is really bad.

Straddling the fence. Zoë is really into cleanliness. No one is allowed in her house with their shoes on and she cleans her apartment at least three times a day. My employer is really big on rules. We can't eat in our offices. One day my colleague ate an apple and he yelled at her.

When you're a stickler for something, generally speaking, you're a stickler for principles, which means you're really picky, really fussy. We find it hard to deviate from our principles, we're focused on our principles.

We can't put them aside.

The last expression we're going to look at today is "we didn't keep the pigs together". This afternoon, I was in a business meeting and the person I was talking to called me "sweetheart" and said "tu".

We didn't keep the pigs together though. When we use this expression, we mean that we weren't close to the person, that we're not intimate with them and that they were too familiar with us. They behaved with us as if we were close, as if we were intimate. We want to point out that the person has or has had inappropriate behavior, that you hadn't kept the pigs together. He doesn't have to behave like that with you.

That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed this video and learned some new words and phrases. If you liked it, please like the video or post a comment. If you're new to the channel, don't forget to subscribe to receive all the videos. See you soon.