The French expression “avoir les deux pieds dans le même sabot” translates literally to “to have both feet in the same clog”.
English meaning:
- to sit back and wait for things to happen
French meaning:
- être incapable d’agir – to be incapable of acting
- être passif – to be passive
Example sentence:
- Pour trouver du travail, il ne faut pas absolument pas avoir les deux pieds dans un sabot. Il faut être motivé et appeler les gens tous les jours. To find work, you absolutely mustn’t sit back and wait for things to happen. You have to be motivated and call people everyday.
Related expressions:
- avoir la flemme – can’t be bothered
- avoir un poil dans la main – to be lazy
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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.
