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The French expression "Tu as un baobab dans la main" explained

Are you ready to discover everything you want to know about the funny French expression "Tu as un baobab dans la main"? More precisely, it includes a full explanation of what it is and how you can use it in a conversation with an audio example.In addition, we also added some super useful stuff like dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio, synonyms and more!


French to English translation

  • Translation : You are lazy

  • Literal meaning : You have a baobab in your hand

  • Register : Informal - Funny

How to pronounce it?

Slow

Normal

  • IPA : / ty a ɛ̃baɔbab dɑ̃ la mɛ̃ /

aesthetic french quote baobab dans la main

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What does it mean exactly?

Definition

You might think: How did this expression end up meaning "you are lazy?".

It's actually an amplification of the French expression "Avoir un poil dans la main" (To have a hair on your hand)

Let's imagine someone so lazy that he/she is never using his/her hands. Then, just like nature coming back in abandoned cities, the hairs would start to grow up, claiming back to their territory.

And with time, if the person is super lazy, this hair will slowly become a majestic baobab (A very high tree).

How to use it

Instead of just saying "You are lazy", you can add some fun and color to your sentence by saying "Tu as un baobab dans la main." (You have a baobab on your hand).

This is a very informal idiom, so use it only with friends and relatives, ideally not at work since people might not appreciate it...

Funny stuff

If this is your case, take care of it and don't forget that a healthy baobab needs daily sun and fresh water.

Synonyms / Related

↓ Example in a story with slow French audio ↓

Finally, let's see an example in a parallel story with slow audio.

Méga flemme

Mega laziness

Philippe et Emily avaient enfin terminé tous leurs examens.
Philippe and Emily had finally completed all their exams.
Philippe était dans le salon, allongé sur le canapé et regardait le plafond.
Philippe was in the living room, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling.
Emily revenait de la cuisine et lui demande de jeter les poubelles.
Emily came back from the kitchen and asks him to throw the garbage.
Il lui jeta un regard paresseux...
He gave her a lazy look...
PhilippeEmily, ça a été une semaine difficile. J'ai besoin de repos.
Emily, it's been a tough week. I need some rest.
EmilyTu n'as littéralement pas bougé de ce canapé depuis deux jours...
You literally didn't move from this couch for two days...

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