Faire la grasse matinée has long been one of my all time favorite French expressions. The literal translation if this idiom is “to make the fatty morning” and the meaning is “to sleep in” or “to sleep late”.
faire la grasse matinée
to sleep in, to sleep late
Example sentences
This first example sentence uses the reflexive verb se lever, which means “to get up”. In the non-reflexive form, lever means “to raise”.
Le dimanche je fais la grasse matinée et je me lève à dix heures.
On Sundays I sleep in and get up at 10 o’clock.
This second example sentence uses the impersonal expression il est rare que (it’s rare that), which requires the subjunctive mood. Fasse is the third-person singular subjunctive form of faire (to make, to do). Translations for the conjuction car include because, for and as.
Il est rare que je fasse le grasse matinée car je préfère me lever tôt.
I rarely sleep in as I prefer to get up early.
Expression origin
There are two theories for the origin of this expression. One theory relates the Modern French adjective gras (fatty) to the Latin adjective crassus, which can translate to thick, fatty or greasy. Dating from the 16th century, the expression “dormir la grasse matinée” evoqued the idea of staying for a long time “in the depths of sleep”.
Another theory suggests that the expression dates from the 17th century when high-societey women were said to have lounged until late in morning in order to gain weight.
Related lessons
References
French expressions | Lessons by David Issokson
