French expression: Dire ses quatre vérités
Friday July 10, 2009
What does the idiomatic French expression dire ses quatre vérités (à quelqu'un) mean? Click the link above to learn all about it, and then come back here to share your thoughts.
More: French expressions
More: French expressions
Comments
I think the “four” is there just for euphony and to make for a well rounded and maybe a stronger phrase. It would be “five” or “six” if that served those purposes. Also, it’s understood that these are “thruts” about the other person from the point of view of the speaker just as in the English expression.
No, there is a difference. Let’s say that I am talking to you. In English, I’d say “I’m going to give you a piece of my mind.” In French, it would be “Je vais te dire tes quatre vérités.” The meaning is the same, but grammatically it’s an interesting difference.
Laura K. Lawless
Learn French at About
Your example about Anne and her husband was a little unclear to me because the “ses” in “elle doit lui dire ses quatre verites” could apply to Anne or her husband.
How would I use this expression if I were the speaker? Would I say, “Je dois vous dire vos quatre verites”?
Lindsay – yes, exactly.
Laura K. Lawless
Learn French at About
I believe this expression has its roots in “The Four Noble Truths” and “The Eightfold Path” of Buddhism but I don’t know enough about either to suggest a thoughtful explanation of the French expression. I’ll work on it.
After some reflection, I think the French expression “…dire ses quatre vérités” is more equivalent to the English expression of “…to teach him how the cow eats the cabbage”, rather than “…to give him a piece of my mind”. The “ses” refers to both the speaker and the listener insofar as both are human beings and the referred to “quatre vérités” are human truths (1. Life Means Suffering; 2. The Origin Of Suffering Is Attachment; etc.)applicable to all human beings, whether they understand them or not (sort of like inalienable rights). Anne is going to explain to Jean how things really are in the real world and not in the make believe world which he has fashioned for himself through his “égotïsm” and his “impolitesse”.
Is it not more similar to the English ‘tell someone a few home truths’? than to give them a piece of your mind. Not sure why the French limit it to four, one can usually think of many once you start!