The French expression “ne pas y aller par quatre chemins” translates directly to “to not go there by four ways”.
English meaning:
- to not beat around the bush
- to get strait to the point
French meaning:
- parler dans une manière direct – to speak in a direct way
Example sentence:
- N’y aller pas par quatre chemins : tu veux te marier avec moi ou non? Don’t beat around the bush. Do you want to marry me or not?
Related expressions:
- tourner autour du pot – Lit: to turn around the pot (to beat around the bush)
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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.
