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Avoir de la bouteille (To have been around for a long time)

Avoir de la bouteille (To have been around for a long time)

Avoir de la bouteille is a French idiom that translates directly to “to have some bottle” and means “to have been around a long time”, “to be getting on in years” and “to be long in the tooth”.

avoir de la bouteille

to have been around for a long time, old

Avoir de la bouteille - To have been around for a long time, old

Example sentences

This first example sentence makes use of the negation form ne…rien, meaning “anything” or “nothing”.

Il ne faut rien expliquer à Jean : Il a de la bouteille et il sait comment ça marche ici.

There’s no need to explain anything to Jean. He’s been around for a long time and knows how things work here.

This second example sentence uses another idiom connaitre comme sa poche – literally “to know like your pocket”, meaning “to know like the back of your hand”.

Ce chauffeur de taxi a de la bouteille : Il connaît les rues de la ville comme sa poche.

Taxi driver has been around for a long time. He knows the city streets like the back of his hand.

Related lesson

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David Issokson
David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

David Issokson

David Issokson is the founder and French teacher of Frenchlearner.com. With over 30 years of experience as a French learner and speaker, he is passionate about making the language accessible and enjoyable for everyone. David is dedicated to providing clear, practical, and effective resources to help you master French. Learn more about FrenchLearner on our about us page. Visit davidissokson.com, David's personal website.

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