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Être à la bourre (To be late)

The French expression “être à la bourre” translates literally to “to be in the stuffing”.

English meanings:

  • to be late
  • to be behind

French meanings:

  • être en retardto be late
  • être presséto be in a rush

Example sentences:

  • Je suis à la bourre et je ne vais pas y arriver à l’heure. I’m late and I’m not going to get there on time.
  • Je suis à la bourre parce que j’ai rendez-vous à midi et il est déjà 11h50. I’m in a rush because I have a meeting at noon and it’s already 11:50am.

Related expression:

  • ne pas être en avanceto not be early
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David Issokson Founder & French Teacher at FrenchLearner.com
David Issokson is the founder of FrenchLearner.com, where he’s been helping students master French through vocabulary, grammar, and cultural lessons since 2012.

    David Issokson

    About the Author – David Issokson David Issokson is an online French teacher and the founder of FrenchLearner.com (established 2012). He has been teaching French online since 2014 and brings over 30 years of experience as a passionate French learner and fluent speaker. David creates clear, structured lessons supported by native audio recorded by Marie Assel Cambier, a professional voice artist and native French speaker. A graduate of McGill University in Montreal, he has taught hundreds of learners worldwide and publishes daily French lessons for more than 12,000 email subscribers. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

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