The French expression “avoir la dalle” translates literally to “to have the throat”. La dalle is a slang word for la gorge (throat).
English meaning:
- to be very hungry
- to be famished
- to be starved
French meaning:
- avoir très faim (to be very hungry)
Example sentence:
- Oh là là ! J’ai la dalle ! À quelle heure est-ce qu’on mange ? Oh, I’m starved. What time are we eating?
Be careful of the related expression, “avoir la dalle en pente“, which means to be a heavy drinker or boozer. For example:
- Tu connais Marc ? Ouai, je le connais. Il a vraiment la dalle en pente! You know Marc? Yeah, I know him. He’s a real boozer!
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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.
