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Être dans la lune (To have your head in the clouds)

Être dans la lune (To have your head in the clouds)

The French expression “être dans la lune” translates literally to “to be in the moon” and is used to mean “to have your head in the clouds”, “to be miles away” or “to daydream”.

être dans la lune

to have your head in the clouds

Être dans la lune - Head in the clouds

Example sentences

Il est perdu dans ses pensées. On dirait qu’il est dans la lune.

He’s lost in his thoughts. One might say he’s got his head in the clouds.

Pardon, je pensais à autre chose. J’étais dans la lune.

Sorry. I was thinking of something else. I was daydreaming.

Faites attention! Vous êtes dans la lune ou quoi?

Watch out! Do you have your head in the clouds or something?

Expression origin

The expression appeared for the first time in Mirabeau’s novel, Empire of the Moon. The article suggest that the moon has long been associated with dreams and anybody busy staring at it is detached from reality on the ground.

References

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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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