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Faire la pluie et le beau temps (To call the shots)

The French expression “faire la pluie et le beau temps” translates literally to: “to make the rain and the nice weather”.

English meanings:

  • to call the shots
  • to run the show
  • to call the tune

French meanings:

  • décider les choses – Lit: to decide things
  • tout decider – to decide everything
  • voir tous les pouvoirs – to have all the power

Example sentence:

  • Quand on loue une chambre dans une maison, c’est le propriétaire qui fait la pluie et le beau temps. When you rent a room in a house the landlord is the one who call the shots.

Synonyms:

  • mener le jeu, bal ou dance – Lit: to lead the game or dance
  • faire la loi – Lit: to make the law
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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

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 13,000 email subscribers. 📘 About David » 🌐 David’s personal site » 👍 Follow on Facebook »

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author avatar
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.