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Bec et ongles (Tooth and nail)

Bec et ongles (Tooth and nail)

Bec et ongles is a French idiom that translates literally to “beak and fingernails” and means “tooth and nail”. The expression se défendre bec et ongles means “to defend yourself tooth and nail” and se battre bec et ongles mean “to fight tooth and nail”.

bec et ongles

tooth and nail

Pronunciation [bɛk e ɔ̃gl]

Bec et ongles - (to fight) tooth and nail

Example sentence

Je me suis battu bec et ongles pour atteindre mon objectif.

I fought tooth and nail to reach my goal.

Le pays s’est défendu bec et ongles contre son ennemi.

The country defended itself tooth and nail against its enemy.

Grammatical notes

  • Both se battre (to fight) and se défendre (to defend yourself) are reflexive verbs. These verbs always use être (to be) as the auxiliary verb when conjugated in the passé composé.
  • Bec translates literally to “beak” (of a bird) or spout and is also slang for mouth.
  • Translations for atteindre include to reach, to attain and to get to.
  • There are two words used for objective or goal in French: un objectif and un but.
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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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