The French expression “avoir la bouteille” translates literally to “to have the bottle”.
English meaning:
- to have been around a long time
- getting on in years
- to be long in the tooth
French meaning:
- commencer à vieillir – to start to age
- acquérir de l’expérience avec l’âge – to acquire experience with age
Example sentence:
- Il ne faut rien expliquer à Jean : Il a la bouteille et il sait comment ça marche ici. You don’t have to explain anything to Jean. He’s been around for a long time and knows how things work here.
Related expressions:
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- avoir roulé sa bosse – Literally: to have rolled your bump; to have been around
- en connaître un bout – Literally: to know an end; to have been around
- se faire vieux, se faire vieille – Literally: to make old; to be getting along in years
- prendre de l’âge – Literally: to take age; to be getting along in years
If you've found this post useful you might want to considering looking at our post covering the best apps for learning French. We've looked a total 33 apps and have written comprehensive reviews of Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur and FrenchPod101.
David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.
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Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho (near Jackson, Wyoming) and have helped hundreds of students to learn French online since 2013.
