Faire la grasse matinée has long been one of my all time favorite French expressions. The literal meaning if this idiom is “to make the fat morning” and the meaning is to sleep in or to sleep late.
A French-to-French definition could be rester au lit jusqu’au très tard, or to stay in bed until very late.
The word “gras” is both a noun and adjective meaning fat and fatty, respectively.
Here are some example sentences:
- Le dimanche je fais la grasse matinée et je me lève tres tard. On Sundays I sleep in and wake up very late.
- Il est rare que je fasse le grasse matinée car je préfère me lever tot. It’s rare that I sleep in because I prefer to wake up early.
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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.
