bien mener sa barque

“Bien mener sa barque” is a French expression that translates literally “to steer one’s boat well”. The expression has several meanings English:

  • to do all right for yourself
  • to run a tight ship

A French-to-French definition is “bien gérer ses affaires“, or to manage one’s one business well. In any case, the idiom implies doing well in one’s own undertakings.

example sentence:

Après une carrière de 25 ans dans l’informatique, il a bien mené sa barque et a pu prendre la retraite à soixante-deux ans. After a career of 25 years in IT, he did all right for himself and was able to retire at 62 years-old.

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