Having several strings to your bow

[jrineakter]

Hello everyone! I hope you are well. We are back today for a new episode of the Français Authentique podcast. Last week, we saw the idiomatic expression " être dans la lune ". So, it is an expression that we often use in French to describe people who are not really focused. Don't hesitate to go listen to the podcast when you have a moment. Today, we are going to see a new expression which is "avoir plusieurs cordes à son arc".

But before moving on to the explanations of the expression, I remind you that at the moment there are back-to-school promotions on our courses , so think about going to see and above all take advantage of these promotions to start learning French with us. As you may know, these promotions are quite rare during the year, if ever. Personally, this is the first time I've seen one. So, don't hesitate to click on the link in the description and you will have more information.

Here we go. We start with the explanation of the words of the expression of the day.

So, the first word is the word "to have", it is the verb "to have", I would even say, which means to possess.

Then we have the word “several,” which means more than one.

Then we have the word "cord". Cord is a fairly thick thread used to stretch a bow.

“To” indicates belonging.

And finally "his bow", well the bow is a wooden weapon which is curved by means of a rope and which is then used to launch arrows.

As for the meaning of the expression, then, originally, in the 13th century, we said "to have two strings to one's bow". This expression refers to the practice of archers who planned several spare strings in case the one on the bow broke. So, in fact, it means having several means to achieve one's goal, having several solutions to solve a problem. It means someone who has plenty of resources, who is endowed with plenty of resources, someone who is resourceful. So, we can also say "to have more than one string to one's bow".

I will, as usual, give you three examples so that you can contextualize the meaning of the expression a little better.

First example: "Lorie has more than one string to her bow. She works as an interpreter at the European Commission. She is also a professor at the university. And in her free time, she gives yoga classes." So, here, we are talking about a person who has a multitude of activities that are not even necessarily linked to each other. So, here, we are talking about a person who is endowed with lots of resources, a person who is resourceful, who is capable of doing lots of things, who has lots of activities. So, we say that she has several strings to her bow, more than one string to her bow.

Second example: "Being a teacher requires having several strings to your bow. You have to know how to explain the subject while capturing the attention of the students". Here, we are korea whatsapp number data talking about the profession of teacher which, indeed, requires the person to be equipped with quite a few resources. To be a teacher, you still have to know how to get by, you have to be able to find solutions for the students. So, that's why we say that being a teacher requires having several strings to your bow, more than one string to your bow.

And finally, third example: "Don't worry about Vincent. If he doesn't pass the exam, he'll find another way to become a pastry chef. He has several strings to his bow." So, here, we're talking about a person who, even if he doesn't succeed, even if he fails in a field, well, he's someone who is endowed with plenty of resources, who is resourceful, and therefore, who will know how to land on his feet, so to speak, who will know how to bounce back in the face of failure and who will know how to find one or more solutions.

We're going to move on to a little pronunciation exercise. In the expression, when we say "son arc", I think you must have noticed that we are making the connection between "son" and "arc". We say "son_arc" and not "son arc". So, I'm going to pronounce groups of words in which we make the connection and.