“Promettre monts et merveilles” is a fun little French idiom that translates literally to “to promise mountains and marvels”. English meanings include:
- to promise the moon
- to promise the earth
- to promise the sun, moon and stars
A French definition on expressio.fr offers the following meaning: “to promise considerable advantages or benefits, admirable and surprising things.”
Here’s a sample sentence:
- Quand Pierre a eu son nouveau poste il a promis monts et merveilles a son patron mais apres quelques mois il n’avait rien fait. When Pierre got his not job position he promised the moon to his boss. But, after a few months he hadn’t done anything.
synonymous expressions include:
- promettre mers et monde to promise the seas and world (Canadian)
- promettre la lune à quelqu’un to promise the moon to somebody
- éblouir à force de belles promesses to dazzle with beautiful promises
Suggested audio French courses from Frenchtoday.com
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.
